#so to hopefully et a longer night sleep

[izayoichan]

“You really do like to try everything, don't you little star.” “All the noms!! I can taste the soup?”

Everyone smiled as one thing they had come to know was that this little one was not a picky eater. He would literally eat anything they gave him. The only thing was that Vy was sometimes worried they would over eat, so he tried his best to keep it in moderation. 

“You want a bite of mine, lil lizard?”

River winks at Fannar. His food was still less tempered than the others and he found it cute how Vy made sure to always make his food more mild or different tasting.

“I guarantee it's good, there's nothing your mom does that isn't good, he's uncle Rylan's teacher, I mean, and he cooks perfectly. I can't wait to eat your food again.” “Yes! Can I please?” “I can't wait to be able to cook again.”

Rylan smiles, watching Fannar getting a bit of soup to taste and a small piece of the food made for River.

“Next year I'll compete with you for the "I want to taste everything" prize.”

He chuckles, leaning his head on River's shoulder for a bit, pausing a bit on the food front as he often does. River gently runs a hand through Rylan’s hair as he rests, knowing he needs it to be able to finnish his meal. 

“Were all spoiled with out own family chefs really, its very different to how we just bought everything.”

Hayden leans over to Vy and kisses his cheek. 

“And all thanks to you.” “Oh come now, it was still good food, not as good, but still good.”

Hayle chuckles, feeling he has to defend their earlier food choices. Neither he or Chris could cook at the time, so they did the thing they were pretty good with doing, buying the tasty things instead. He had to admit though, that home cooked was better. Vy just smiles at them, happy they all like his cooking, happy to be able to do this with his family. 

“We have cookies too! Uncle Rylan helped with them!” “Yes, we made cookies earlier today.”

It was cute how he considered what Rylan had done helping, all he did was help then use the cookie cutters and put it on a tray, while they all did everything else. 

“Christmas cookies with chocolate chips and everything.” “Cookies!!” “And a certain little star already had his share of cookies, and cookie dough from memory. It feels good though tomorrow it's just food, and maybe some home made mint, and then we're all good and ready.” “Yep, I think it was a good idea to start earlier, I think specially the little one has gotten more out of it that way.”

Hayle smiles, remembering their little cookie making adventure as well. It was odd, the dough was just as good as the cookies in his mind at least. 

“Oh, no more batter for you, little star! You'll get unwell eating like that and won't be able to have all the sweets I have been making for tomorrow. Though, before we go to sleep, you're allowed to have two cookies and some milk. Just two though. We need to leave enough for Father Winter after all.”

There is a small pouty face from said little star, but then he again grins widely

“Yay! I get cookies!”

River chuckles, just shaking his head at it, as Rylan goes back to his food. They had talked about presents, and like Ward family tradition was, they would be opening them on Christmas eve. He had also delivered their present to his mom and to his little sister earlier. Rylan had made them a picture book from the wedding, and of course a princess dress for a certain princess. 

They chatter for a while, before they all go to the living room, Rylan lying in River’s arms as Christmas calm descends on them all. Fannar happily munching his two promised cookies, helping his grandpa setting up the last few bits and pieces. Vy let's Fannar stay up longer than normal, but in the end, he is out of energy, sleeping soundly with his grandpa, for a minute or two both Vy and Hayden ponder on letting them stay, but decide he needs to sleep in his room. Hayle looks at them as they head to their sides, Rylan being carried by River, having fallen asleep as well, while Fannar is carried up to his room by his parents. Hayle going to stand by the window, looking up at the starry skies above, his thoughts once again going to his husband and how he is doing. 

🎶

Beginning - Previous - Next

[jinmukangwrites]

Gifts

Read on AO3

Prompt

Summary: Wild tells of the gifts the past Champions have given him. All that's left is for the others to witness these gifts.

Warnings: Descriptions of injury, temporary character death.

Notes: Finally got a prompt done. Y'all proud of me? If you are, then know I wrote this instead of Chapter 2 of Succumb because I'm an awful creature who has a solid idea for the entire fic except Chapter 2 and I'm avoiding it. Stop being proud of me now.

---

“How about you, Champ?”

Wild blinks from the daze he's fallen into and looks up to see eight pairs of eyes all looking right at him. The moon hangs lazily above them, nothing more than a C-shape tied to the stars to watch them all talk themselves to sleep. Wild’s zoned out of this one, for reasons he can’t really explain why. It’s not that what they’re talking about tonight is particularly dull or offensive. It’s just… well… they’re talking about magic and discussing the common theme that seems most sources of magic that they know has been given to them.

Time and Great Fairies. Hyrule and wise men in caves. Wild’s sure the others all have similar stories, he’s just decided to not listen to them tonight.

“About me?” He asks hopefully. Maybe they have changed topics while he was trying to decide what the woodchip by his boot resembles.

Four leans forward on his knees, wiggling his eyebrows. “Any magical gifts that you’ve been holding out on us?”

Wild tries not to let his disappointment show on his face. “Ah.” He curls his fingers around the hem of his tunic before they could nervously knit with each other on his lap. “Nothing that’s important.”

Besides him, Twilight scoffs. “Nothing that’s important? Cub, either you really are holding out on us or you’re being humble.”

“Wild? Humble?” Warriors snorts. “Perish the thought.”

Wild sighs. “Really, I don’t have any cool stories to tell tonight. I’d much rather listen to you all.”

“Listen, huh?” Four challenges, grinning like an imp. “Who taught Hyrule how to shoot fire from his sword?”

Wild rolls his eyes. “Some old guy in a cave.”

“Actually,” Hyrule says with a soft, apologetic smile, “it was an old man in a basement.”

“What is up with you and old men?”

“Anyway,” Twilight says, giving Wild a hard look, “you’re obviously not listening. Is something wrong? You’re usually more talkative.”

Does Twilight have to be a doting old mother in front of everyone? Wild can feel himself bristling. “Maybe I just don’t feel like talking tonight. Vet isn’t talking and you’re not pestering him.”

“That’s because Vet never talks about himself,” Warriors says, foiling Wild’s entire argument. Legend has a smug look on his face. “Not unless he’s trying to heighten his own ego.” Legend’s smug look falls into a glare.

“Fine,” Legend says. “I’ll tell one. Then Champ can tell one, so that you all will get off both of our backs.”

“It has to be serious, Leg,” Wind butts in, completely oblivious to Wild’s dying hope of getting out of this conversation. “No ‘I got my magic from being super cooler than everyone else’ bull.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Legend snaps. “Besides, I don’t have magic. I have magical items. Which is just as useful.”

“Then what’s that one?” Sky points at the small clay ocarina in Legend’s hands. “You’ve been holding it all night.”

Legend stills and his face softens, and immediately the whole group can tell that whatever that ocarina is, Legend has feelings attached to it. He takes a deep breath. “It’s not very magic,” he says, his fingers rubbing over the holes reverently. “It used to be able to summon a gust of wind to take me wherever I needed to go. It could also awaken the dead under specific circumstances… now it’s nothing but clay. It doesn’t work anymore.”

“Where’d you get it?” Wind asked, and not unkindly. He, like the rest of the group, knows that Legend wouldn’t be holding an item so tenderly if it only didn’t work anymore.

Legend stays silent for a moment, allowing the crickets in the forests to sing uninterrupted. Then, his shoulders fall. “The most beautiful woman I ever met gave it to me. She had the most lovely voice. This… after… after I lost her, I woke up stranded at sea. It was around my neck on a string… it’s all the proof I have that she ever existed.”

Silence hangs over the group like a heavy blanket. Wild can’t help but feel a lob of guilt get stuck in his chest. All he can do is sit and watch Sky lean over and place a hand on Legend’s knee.

“Love is one of the most powerful magics an item can hold, even if it’s just a good memory.”

Legend brings a sleeve to his eye, holding the ocarina tightly with his other hand. “Oh shut it, you sap,” he says through a smile. Sky smiles back, and Wild curls his arms across his chest.

Besides him, Twilight looks at him. Not expectantly, though, but with understanding. Perhaps he knows now why sometimes someone would wish to stay silent during these kinds of nights. Not everyone got magical gifts from old men in caves. Or basements.

But the guilt sits, and no one is saying it’s Wild’s turn to spill some beans. Not even Legend. But how could he stay silent after Legend told something so personal and sad? It’s not fair, even if he’s the only one who thinks so.

He bites the arrow and takes a breath.

“I don’t have magic. I have… blessings. From friends I had before the Calamity.”

For the second time that night, eight pairs of eyes fall onto him.

“I don’t use them much anymore,” Wild continues; somehow his hands have made it to his lap anyways, knitting his fingers together like string on needles, “they gave me everything they had so I could defeat Calamity Ganon. Now that he’s gone, I don’t want to abuse their gifts any longer.”

“I don’t mean to pry…” Four says, “but maybe they gave you everything they had to help you. Maybe they didn’t consider it abuse.”

And somehow, Wild doesn’t feel like Four is prying at all. In fact, it startles a chuckle out of him. “Maybe. But not Revali, that’s for sure. He and I got along worse than Vet and Cap.”

“Not an easy feat,” Warriors says to the others while nudging Legend with his elbow. Legend rolls his eyes. “I’m impressed.”

“What blessing did he give you?” Wild asks. There’s stars in his eyes that always get there when he gets too interested in a story. Though, Wild supposes any story involving a rival-ship greater than their very own Legend and Warriors is something to be interested in.

“It was the power to call upon the gusts of wind he used to command with his powerful wings. He was a Rito, the best there ever was. He could fly into the air without having to jump off of ledges. The wind would carry him up itself, like it belonged to him.”

-o-o-o-o-

Agony is a poison pulsing through Hyrule’s leg. The fall had been great, and it’s a miracle Wild had been there to dive down and at least try to lesson the fall with his paraglider. The ground was weak in these desert-y canyons, and maybe Hyrule shouldn’t have gotten so close to the ledge to warrant his boot’s slipping, but at least Wild was there.

Hyrule’s ankle is broken, or at least badly sprained. Either way, it’s painful enough that he can’t even stand up as Wild paces the bottom of the crevasse they have found themselves in like a pair of cornered animals. The others… they’re close to an hour’s worth of time away. He and Wild were exploring and gathering whatever they could find that might be used as firewood as the sun began to set. It’s been a terribly awful day of traveling in the desert heat, and he and Wild were excited to experience the sunset’s breeze while the others set up camp.

They got too excited. Too far away. There’s no way anyone will hear them if they call. No one will come looking until the sky is black.

And who knows, maybe they won't consider that maybe they fell. Maybe, if they come looking, they won't look down the right scar in the land, and they will burn to death in tomorrow's sun.

“What do we do?” Hyrule asks through an embarrassingly choked voice. He’s been fighting tears since the moment his ankle bent wrongly in their crash landing. He knows Wild will not judge him for sobs, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to allow any to escape.

Wild sighs and glares up at the lip of the cliff they’ve fallen from. “Any trinkets?” he asks back.

Hyrule bites his lip. He wishes he were like the others and had a trinket for every situation. Legend had promised to give him an old grappling hook he had hoarded away the next time they end up at his and Ravio’s place. “No.”

“Okay,” Wild says. Not angrily. “Okay.”

Determined?

“Champ?”

Wild takes a deep breath and looks down at Hyrule with… fire in his eyes. “I won’t be long. Will you be okay while I fetch the others?”

Hyrule licks his lips and looks down at his leg, already braced with brush twigs and the wrappings that usually decorate Wild’s arms. A cold breeze blows suddenly, making Hyrule shiver and remember the desert only takes what it’s given when it comes to heat. When the sun’s up, it thrives, and when it’s gone…

“Don’t take long,” he replies, even though he doesn’t really know what Wild’s about to do.

Wild nods, shrugging off the cloak he usually always wears and gives it to Hyrule. Hyrule nods his thanks and takes the warm accessory, placing it over his head and wrapping the caped section around his shoulders.

He watches as Wild walks towards the edge of the cliff facing where the others are with camp. Hyrule wonders what he’s about to do as he clings to the edge of the cloak. Wild unfolds his paraglider from his back, baffling Hyrule even more, and widens his stance.

A moment passes. Then another.

Then a gust of wind appears seemingly out from the floor, powerful enough to blow dust back and almost get in Hyrule’s eye if he hadn’t instinctively covered his eyes. There’s a flash of teal through his fingers… then an unfamiliar voice snorts.

“About time, runt.”

By the time Hyrule deems it safe enough to uncover his eyes without getting dust in them, Wild is already high in the air. The miracle gust of wind cyclones in the spot his friend used to be, growing weaker and weaker by the second before it’s gone completely. There’s no sign of whoever made that flash of teal… nor who spoke, but Hyrule doesn’t think too into it as Wild drops his paraglider and grabs onto the upper ledge of the cliff.

Far above him, Wild climbs to safety and looks over the edge. He waves, and Hyrule cannot help the giggle that climbs through his throat as he waves back.

Pain in his ankle be damned, whatever Wild just did was cool, and as Wild turns and runs towards the others he knows he won't be in pain for long.

Not much longer than an hour passes before the others come with their ropes and grappling hooks and worried voices. Wild glides down to him to help carry him up. There’s something about the way he stands that gives Hyrule the feeling that he… realized something today. He gives Hyrule a bottle of health, then helps tie a rope around his waist as his ankle begins to hurt a little less.

As he’s lifted off the ground towards the top of the cliff by his friends, he looks at Wild who is clinging tight to Hyrule’s body like a stronger lifeline than any rope or chain.

“Was that Revali?” He asks, without really thinking.

Wild looks at him with wide eyes, and then a wider smile. “Yeah.”

Hyrule smiles back. “He sounded like an asshole.”

A startled laugh bursts from Wild’s mouth as he throws his head back. “He is an asshole,” he agrees in good nature.

They reach the top. They reach the others. Twilight scolds their ears off the entire way back towards camp, and Hyrule can't stop grinning for his own safety… and for whatever mended in Wild’s heart tonight.

-o-o-o-o-

“What about the others?”

“Well… ah… there’s Daruk. He was one of my oldest friends. The strongest Goron there ever was, though he was a little fearful of dogs.” Wild laughs, as do the others politely; probably imagining the biggest Goron they could be scared of a small fluffy animal. “He had the strength to block anything, and he was always ready to take a blow for the team. Even after… even after… he still protected me. He gave me the ability to call upon even a fraction of that power, that way nothing could hurt me in case my own shield failed. Without him… I would not be here, I’m confident in that.”

-o-o-o-o-

They honestly should have expected an ambush before Warriors was the one to call it out. Four likes to consider himself lucky for coming from a comparatively peaceful time, relatively speaking, but even he should have expected the top of the hill to be lined with determined monsters with big rocks.

The first few moments of watching the boulders come down feels almost like Four is stuck in time. There’s nowhere to run, the expanse of the monsters at the top is too great. Left or right would bring more chances of being hit. They can’t run back down the hill and outrun the danger either. Their only option is to dodge through the rocks until they can get to the top and take out the danger.

Distantly, as time spreads up, Four is aware of Time and Wild each releasing arrows towards the top of the hill, igniting various monsters on fire, but soon it becomes pure chaos. He can only focus on himself as he does his best to jump out of the way of rocks that are much bigger than him. The colors in his brain scream as he tries to remain calm and collected. No Blue, he can’t just jump over the boulders because it will look cool. Red please calm down you’re screaming too loudly. He knows to go left, Green!

It’s a miracle he’s managed to last this long with the confusion. Which is why he’s not surprised when something finally hits its mark. He’s just glad that when the agony of a shattered bone shoots through his body, it’s only his right shoulder that took the brunt of the hit.

Not that he has time to be thankful for that. After the boulder hits into his side, his balance is knocked right out of him. He ends up crashing to the tilted floor in a jumble of limbs and dust. There’s tears in his eyes, and he can barely focus enough to lift himself back up. His entire arm feels like he’s stuck it into the mouth of a dragon—teeth and all. His chest feels tight and his hip all bruised. He wouldn’t be surprised if he’s broken a few ribs as well.

He barely has enough time to look ahead of him from where he lies on the ground. There’s another boulder bouncing right towards him. If… if he doesn’t move now… he will surely die.

But he cannot move. He cannot move because his entire side hurts too badly for him to go at a speed that matters. He closes his eyes and tries to make himself smaller. Maybe, if the goddess decides she likes him today, she will allow the boulder to bounce over him… or something as unlikely.

Either way, he accepts whatever fate he’s about to meet, even as he hears Sky scream his name.

And maybe it’s because he’s a coward and he’s scared, but he opens his eyes to look at his approaching doom. Only… that’s not all that he sees. What he sees is Wild jump out right in front of him with a ball of orange energy surrounding his entire body. A surge of horror swells inside of his belly the moment he sees this. Is Wild serious?!

Then, a heartbeat passes, and the boulder rams right into Wild. What happens next, though, Four would never have guessed. The orange energy explodes in shatters around him. Standing over Wild, however, is a ghostly Goron that’s bigger than anything Four’s ever seen. He shouts as the boulder stops in its tracks, crumbling before his mighty fists.

“I got you, little buddy,” Daruk’s spirit says. Then, the teal spirit disappears with the orange energy, leaving Wild standing there with the shattered remains of the boulder at his feet. Up the hill, Warriors, Legend, Time, and Sky take out the remaining monsters before they can release any more rocks.

Wild turns towards Four with a crazed, adrenaline fueled gaze. There’s a grin on his face though, one that Four finds himself matching.

Next thing he knows, Twilight, Hyrule, and Wild are rushing to his form and shoving various medicine bottles into his face; of which he takes gratefully.

“Thank you, Wild,” Four makes sure to say once he’s finally back on his feet with a makeshift sling over his only slightly aching arm. Wild turns towards him to give a blushing smile. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

“I couldn’t just watch you die. It’s the least I could do.”

Four hums. “I’m still thankful. Though… your Goron friend looked big enough to squish me between his fingers.”

Wild grins. “Daruk wouldn’t do that. It’s his hugs you have to watch out for.”

Four’s sure that if Daruk’s hugs are anything like Wild’s, then those hugs would be very tight indeed.

“I will take your word for it, then.”

-o-o-o-o-

“And then there’s Urbosa. She… if you think you’ve met a scary Gerudo, then you haven’t met her.” Wild waves his hands in the air, only slightly aware that he’s getting too invested in this story now. He didn't mean to spill his guts on his past friends tonight, but here he is, living their memory. Passing on their stories to his new friends. He finds he doesn’t mind it as much as he did several minutes ago. He doesn’t know why he was afraid. “She was the leader of her people, and she could summon lightning onto anyone who's ever defied her. She fought armies of Yiga all on her own and came out without a scratch. She’s blessed me with the ability to summon lighting as well. It’s my most powerful attack, and it’s saved my ass more times than I can count.”

-o-o-o-o-

This is bad. Very bad. Time can’t even properly express how bad this is.

An ambush of monsters? That’s manageable. He has confidence in himself and his companions to be able to handle a meager ambush. However, this? This is a whole army of monsters. Lizalfos, apparently, like to group up in camps when they’re not scrambling around in ancient dungeons and temples.

There’s enough to outnumber the heroes five-to-one. It’s not impossible to take them down if they had stuck to the outer edges of the camp and took a good portion of them out with long ranged attacks… however what happened was much less graceful. They walked into the forest, intending to make a camp for the night, just to wander right into a community of Lizalfos armed to the tails.

So now? They’re running; the monsters in an excited chase. Like Time said: This. Is. Bad.

“We lead them to the river,” Warriors suggests, ever thinking of solutions. “We can push them in and weaken their numbers.”

“I say we turn and fight!” Wind shouts. He looks too excited. He pulls a bomb out from his satchel and before Time can say anything, the boy turns around and throws it at their pursuers. There’s a blast, a few screeches, but nothing significant happens. The numbers are too great. Wind is pulling out another bomb.

“The river,” Time says, nodding at Warriors. Wind cheers as another explosion erupts. He leaves the boy to it. As long as he keeps up. “It’s the best bet.”

Time turns his head to tell the others about the makeshift plan, but before he can say a thing Wild looks him straight in the eye. “Have everyone get as far as you can away, I know what to do.”

“What?” Time asks, baffled.

Wild doesn’t explain. He just turns heel and runs the other way towards the enemy.

“Cub?!” Twilight shouts, turning around as well to grab his wayward protégé, but Time grabs his shoulder and keeps him running in the opposite direction. Twilight gives him a panicked look.

“I don’t know what he plans,” Time explains, “but he seems confident. Trust him.”

Twilight swallows and nods. Time shouts at the others to pick up the pace.

Behind him, the Lizalfos screech in delight, a sign they and Wild have now met face-to-face.

Whatever you’re about to do, wild one, do it now.

He doesn’t have to wait long. The smell of ozone becomes intoxicating all within a heartbeat. The hairs at the back of his neck rise as the sky goes impossibly dark for the time of dusk that it is. Then, light flashes all around him in thunderous claps. He can barely hear the sound of screaming monsters over the bolts. Time can’t help but stop in his tracks and turn, lifting a hand above his brow to see green lighting like he’s never seen before attacking the earth through the trees.

As soon as it begins, it ends, and the sky brightens with silence.

Time doesn’t waste time running forward. What he finds when he runs towards the small clearing Wild had met the monsters in is something he will never forget. Static energy seems to curl around his hand, raised into the air and on the end of a snap. Beside him stands a tall Gerudo woman, cloaked in a ghostly aura, her back towards the others and her hand on Wild’s shoulder in triumph and fierce protection. There’s nothing but black, charred corpses of monsters around them.

Time watches, as do the others, transfixed as Urbosa looks down at Wild and smirks.

“You should have called earlier, my desert flower.”

-o-o-o-o-

Everyone looks so transfixed, that Wild almost moves on without really thinking about it. Only… the words catch in his throat. He finishes telling of Urbosa, and just… freezes. His hands are back in his lap, wringing each other out.

He was so engrossed with his own stories that he’s forgotten that while he loves each of his past friends equally… not all are so easy to talk about.

The others must sense his inner struggle, as none of them call out his sudden silence. He knows that if he decided to stop now and not tell them of his last blessing… they would not argue. They must know this pause is similar to when Twilight stops talking about his adventure when he reaches the point where he meets a mysterious companion. Similar to when Time pauses in his magical tales of his childhood. Similar to when Sky looks off in the distance with his voice trailing off as he tells of special places in the sky.

It’s a pause of loss. A pause of something cherished. A pause of something that you fought so hard for, but will never come back.

A hand falls on top of his own. He recognizes the shape of Twilight’s calluses without having to look up at him. “You do not have to force yourself to continue,” he says.

Wild shakes his head. “I’m alright. I can continue…”

A beat of silence. Wild takes a breath.

“Last is… Mipha. Not only was she the most beautiful Zora I’ve ever met, but also the most beautiful soul. She… would always be there for me… whenever I got hurt. She could heal my wounds better than any potion. I…” his throat bobs, the words are no longer coming. “I cannot bring myself to tell of her gift. It’s too special. I pray I never have to use it again, nor must any of you witness it.”

-o-o-o-o-

Twilight didn’t know what to think when the attack had begun. It didn’t start with a shout. It didn’t start with the enemy running screaming out from the shadows of the trees with swords raised. It didn’t start like any kind of monster attack that Twilight had grown so used to.

It’s probably why they were unprepared for an attack by something smarter than monsters. Something that has no problem sitting quietly in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He’s heard that there’s a group of former Sheikah in Wild’s world who have it in for the hero’s life, he just never really expected to meet them.

That’s probably why the arrow met it’s mark too. They’ve all grown accustomed to the sloppy ambushes put together by monsters. It’s the only thing Twilight can think of to justify how none of them saw it coming until there was a thwip of a feathered arrow flying through the air… and landing with a thunk in Wild’s stomach.

Wild fell to the ground, and with a flash of cards and light appeared several Yiga Clan members. Nobody stopped to stare. It was pure rage from the heroes at that point, and as soon as it began the Clan members all put their hands together and retreated into seemingly thin air. It all ended about as soon as it began.

And the only thing he could think about now is Wild laying there on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. The arrow still sticks out of his midsection, undoubtedly having hit something important judging by the trail of red going down the corners of his mouth.

Twilight is the first to run up to his side, but thanks to the quick thinking of Warriors, he’s not the first to offer a way of healing.

However, by the time the bottle of the red potion reaches his life stained lips… it’s too late. Twilight can only stare in horror as the light leaves Wild’s eyes.

The Yiga Clan… they’ve succeeded… and everyone knows it when Warriors falls backwards in defeat to sit on his heels, looking down at the full bottle of healing in his hands. Sky falls to his knees. Hyrule chokes a cry. Twilight's sure the rest of them are feeling their own reactions of grief, but he can no longer pay attention to anything but his own.

He’s… he’s failed. The one person he swore he would protect… pass on his ways… his stories… his teachings… it’s all for nothing. All it is now is a gaping hole in his heart. His cheeks are wet with tears that came too quickly.

Suddenly, something happens. There’s a flash of teal, and somewhere behind him someone gasps. Twilight can only watch with wide, tear-drowned eyes, as the teal swirls around into the glowing form of a beautiful Zora.

All eyes are on her, but hers are on Wild. There’s a fondness to her face that could be mistaken for sadness. Her hand brushes his cheek, and to Twilight's surprise Wild blinks and breathes in a soft breath. The hole in his stomach glows bright blue… and the arrow dissipates in shining bubbles.

“I will always heal you when you need me, my love.”

Then, she’s gone before anyone, including Wild, can respond.

Wild slowly raises himself to his elbows, blinking and smiling sheepishly like he’s never gotten even a scratch.

“I’m sorry you all had to-” he begins, but Twilight cuts him off by launching himself forward and wrapping the idiot in his arms. Mipha’s gift, the one he wouldn’t tell them about because it was too special, the one he never wanted them to witness…

He’s such an idiot.

“Shut up,” Twilight says through a tight breath. “Thank the spirits… just let me hold you.”

Wild doesn’t say anything, he just returns the embrace and the hold just as tightly.

Thank Hylia and all of the goddesses for this miracle. Wild clearly has friends that care so much about him that they would protect him fiercely even after their deaths. Twilight knows that from now on, he will spend his nights praying thankfulness to them. Wild is a formidable hero, one of the best in fact, yet Twilight can only imagine where he would be without these gifts. Imagining it makes his gut twist, however, so he squeezes his hold just once before letting go.

He smiles at the younger boy, and Wild smiles back, everything that needs to be said being translated there alone. You scared me. I’m sorry. Don’t apologize, just be more careful. No promises… but I will try.

The wordless conversation passes between them in a moment, and the moment is broken by Wind pouncing onto Wild. Wild, the poor boy, is shoved straight onto his back from the force of the tackle, yet he’s laughing as Wind calls him an idiot over and over. Everyone else gathers as well, to tell him they’re glad he’s alive in their own ways. Time places a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and shares a knowing look.

“Let’s set up camp early tonight,” he says, and Twilight cannot help but agree.

As Time announces the plan to the others, separating the others and telling them to give Wild some space, Twilight lets his heart calm. Wild always says he was alone in his adventures, but now he knows that that wasn’t all true. He also knows now why Wild doesn’t abuse the abilities his friends gave him.

With a silent vow, he promises Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, and Mipha that he will work harder to protect their boy. For now, Wild has been barred from making dinner tonight, and Twilight has to be sure that Hyrule gets nowhere near the cooking pot.

[marvelfansince08love]

Hey Neighbour! - Part 5

Word count: 2.5k

Pairing: Ally Mayfair-Richards x Reader 

Warning: Flirting with a huge side order of fluff 

A/N: Enjoy loves! I don’t know how well this chapter is but I hope you like it x

Tags: @waitingfortheendtocome @natasha-danvers @creepingwolfberry @coconutlipss @saucy-sapphic @minavenable @pearplate @r0an0ke @mssallymckenna @grilledcheeseandguavajelly @venablemayfairgoode @veteranwerewolf95 @chewbacca0805 @pluied-ete @supremeinlilac @nyx-aira @witchxaf @black--widxw @fireflyglass @cordeliafoxxe @d14n4ol @bluevelvetbitxh @amethyst-bitch 

 Not my gif! 

Part 5 

Pulling up outside of Ally’s driveway you try to keep up with Ally’s rapid steps as she frantically opens her front door making a beeline to an upset Oz and a distraught Lily who seems to have tried her hardest to console the boy. You frown sympathetically knowing that at the end of it all only his mothers comfort will soothe his nightmares. 

“Oz! Are you okay baby?” Ally asks frantically, moving to crouch next to the boy cupping his full cheeks as she attempts to wipe away his tears. His low mumbles are too quiet from your position in the doorway but from the knowing look that passes through those mature brown eyes, you know this is a recurring nightmare. Ally quietly dismisses Lily thanking her for her efforts with a small squeeze to her shoulder as she rubs Oz’s back as one more attempt to comfort him but his attention is solely glued to his mother as he cuddles in close to her, his face tucked securely between her shoulder and neck. Leaving the two alone you move to walk Lily back to her car, allowing the mother and son a private moment. 

“I’m so sorry I ruined your date this evening with Ally,” Lily murmurs, guilt evident within her voice. You shake your head dismissing her apology with a wave of your head. 

“You didn’t ruin anything, Lily. Oz is the main priority here I would expect the same if Amelia had a nightmare and I wasn’t there.” you reassure, feeling grateful that when Amelia has nightmares it’s few and far between. Lily remains quiet for a moment as you go to open her car door for her. Her eyes find yours for a moment as she calculates her next words.

“It’s nice to see her so comfortable around someone again,” she pauses for a moment as she tries to find the right words. “You all seem to fit well together, you're good for each other. I hope you guys get another chance to go out again and I promise not to cut it short this time,” she murmurs sheepishly, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. You fluster over her words, your lips fighting the urge to smile wide at her observation. For someone so young she definitely doesn’t miss a trick. 

“Does that mean you’re offering to look after Amelia as well? Because I gotta admit her current babysitter's a bit of a dismal,” you joke, looking around as if your brother could hear you. Lily laughs no longer feeling awful about the situation. 

“I’ve seen them two together, I think I’d need double the pay and counselling after that ordeal” she jokes back, before her eyes widen as she realises her words. “Not that Amelia is a bad kid I-” you stop her from her ramblings as you laugh patting her shoulder in reassurance. 

“I know Lily, you get yourself home now and drive safe okay. Text Ally once you’re home I know she worries,” you insist. Lily nods her cheeks blushing red as she hurries inside her vehicle, waving sheepishly at you as she sets off. 

You make your way back into the house amused at the shy babysitter before suddenly feeling awkward as you watch Ally rock Oz in her lap whispering soothing words to the boy who smiles and laughs at his mothers attempts to make him smile. You can’t help the small smile that graces onto your lips watching the private moment, you suddenly realise that you may be trespassing on the intimate moment which makes your shuffle on the spot debating on letting your presence be known by the two or allow them a few more moments. Your decision is made as Oz’s eyes find yours from across the room, he grins sheepishly at you from his mothers shoulder. 

“Hi Y/N,” he mumbles tiredly. His greeting makes his mother turn to face you as well, identical brown eyes taking in your form you can see the apologetic gaze from your position by the doorway. You smile widely at the young boy before winking subtly at his mother a silent reassurance passes between you both at the gesture as Ally seems to relax. You move to crouch in front of the boy by the sofa holding your fist out for him to bump which he does happily. 

“Hey, bud. You had a nightmare huh? That must have been scary,” you sympathise with him, watching him nod in agreement at your words shivering slightly as he recalls his terrors.

“Super scary,” you nod, understanding the small boy’s fears. After everything he went through a few years ago with his other mother and the cult that terrorised his family, the poor boy is bound to be imbedded with nightmares. 

“You know what I tell Amelia when she has a nightmare,” he nods silently waiting for you to continue. “I tell her to imagine me next to her holding her hand because as long as I’m there with her no one will ever hurt her,” you pause as your gaze meets Ally’s. “Just like with your mommy, she would never let anything harm you because you’re her baby and she loves you very much and love is the most powerful thing, it can conquer any nasty monsters in our dreams,” you explain watching his innocent eyes sparkle at your words. 

“Mommy always looks out for me!” he exclaims, the remaining essence of his nightmare no longer in his mind. Ally cups the side of his head and holds him close, her glossy eyes stare right back into your own. A look of gratefulness passes across her beautiful brown eyes as she mouths her thanks. You nod once, smiling at the brunette as you go to stand brushing your fingers through his thick blonde locks in comfort before subtly moving your hand to tuck Ally’s brown strands behind her ear, her eyes flutter briefly at your light touch feeling her press slightly against the palm of your hand briefly. 

“I’ll see myself out, thank you for a wonderful evening,” you whisper, your eyes meeting Ally’s as she debates with herself. 

“Let me walk you across at least,” she fights, looking down briefly at the half sleeping boy in her arms. Squeezing her shoulder gently you reassure her that you can make it across your lawn without any trouble and to get her tired boy to bed. Ally stubbornly stands adjusting a now sleeping Oz in her arms as she stands close to you, her side that is not holding Oz leans close to your side as her lips graze softly against your warm cheek. 

“Good night, Y/N. Rain check?” her voice hopefully, as her raspy voice becomes deeper the night's events finally catching up with her. Your lips hover close by her ear.

“Oh most definitely, Senator.” you husk, watching her gape at your braveness with Oz so close. You can see the mischievous glint in her eyes but she remains silent, her lips quirking in anticipation. Stepping from within her space you move for the front door, smiling widely at your neighbour taking in her form and her son who rests close against her chest and shoulder. 

“Sweet dreams you two,” you mutter, winking once before heading out into the dark outside leaving the small family to rest for the night. Excitement bubbles through you as you count down the minutes to see her again. 

***

You woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes and burnt bacon, startling awake as you come around from your dreamy haze. Racing down the stairs you sigh in relief as you take in your brother and daughter plating up breakfast, you had thought your brother left not long ago assuming how much work had picked up for him in the last few months. 

“I thought you were out early today?” you ask, rubbing the sleep from your eye as you move to greet your daughter who sits nicely at the kitchen counter waiting patiently for the sugary goodness. 

“Hey baby.” you mutter into her hair, as you take a seat next to her. Rupert places a freshly brewed coffee in front of you making you smile gratefully for his thoughtfulness. Your smile turns into a scowl as you watch him grin mischievously. 

“What and miss out on the details of your evening?” he teases, quickly diverting from your hand that swings for his bicep. He chuckles as he brings over the plates handing Amelia her orange juice. You fluster at his pinning gaze, knowing that with Amelia here you have to be careful on what you reveal. 

“It was nice actually, really nice.” you murmur before taking a sip of your morning coffee. He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively above Amelia’s head making you scowl at his immaturity. 

“I bet,” 

“Not like that you idiot, we made cookies at her restaurant,” you elaborate, as Amelia’s gaze shoots towards you, a pout in place. 

“I wanna make cookies at Ally’s shop!” she whines, sulking slightly as she munches on her pancakes. 

“Well maybe you and Oz can come next time and we can all make cookies,” you suggest, knowing how much she enjoys being in the Mayfair-Richards company. Her eyes sparkle at the idea as she grins rambling on about the different types of cookies you could make. Your brother grins from beside her before whipping his hand forward in a ‘whipped’ motion, the movement startles Amelia next to him who tries to copy him by making the whipping sound. 

“That’s right Amelia-cakes, your mom is whipped.” he jokes further as your daughter laughs nodding in agreement with his words without fully understanding them. A knocking sound from the front door startles you all from your moment, as you frown in confusion, certainly not expecting anyone this early. 

Standing you make your way to the front door, glancing through the peephole to see blurry blonde hair. Smiling you open the door and come face to face with the young boy from next door who you have grown fond of. Oz stands wrapped up warm in his coat and beanie hat that looks similar to Amelia’s, as he grins softly and waves. 

“Good morning Oz, does your mom know you’re here?” you ask, leaning against the doorframe as you glance over towards their driveway searching for the familiar brunette. You finally spot her by her car carrying two brown bags up the driveway, she must sense eyes on her as she turns slightly meeting your gaze. Her lips twitch into a small smile as she attempts to wave, she holds out a finger gesturing for you to wait a moment while she settles the bags down by the doorstep before making her way over. Your eyes widen briefly as you remember your attire, folding your arms across your slightly exposed chest, brown eyes trail up your form taking in the thin piece of material noticing the small dip by your chest. You clear your throat startling her intense gazing. 

“Good morning Ally,” you voice lower than you expected as you shuffle in place. Her lips twitch as her brown eyes sparkle.

“Good morning indeed,” she murmurs, biting her bottom lip briefly. Your eyes lock with hers for a moment as that familiar tension between you manifests, like metal to magnets you’re drawn to each other's space and presence. 

“Ozzy!!” Amelia’s voice screeches from behind you, making you cringe at the loud volume. Ally laughs in understanding as her gaze finally leaves your own and zones in on a running Amelia. Oz beams at her as she rushes forward hugging her best friend, she pulls back and pats his head inspecting the new piece of clothing. 

“Your hat is like mine!” she exclaims, as Oz grins sheepishly his pale cheeks blushing. 

“Your beanie is really cool, so I asked my mommy if I could have one as cool as yours,” he explains, as Ally smiles fondly down at the two. At the mention of the brunette, Amelia turns her gaze to your neighbour and launches forward wrapping her arms around her legs as Ally chuckles in surprise before bending down to greet her properly. 

“Well what a lovely way to be greeted in the morning,” she comments, brushing the few stray pieces of hair out of Amelia’s face. 

“Can we bake cookies at your shop!” Amelia asks, her eyes growing big and round as she pouts at the poor woman who seems to be struggling under her endearing expression. That face has been known to get away with anything. 

“Of course you can sweetheart! How about next weekend?” Ally suggests, her eyes seeking out yours for permission. You happily nod along, excited at the idea of spending more time with the brunette. Amelia cheers holding onto Oz’s hand as she pulls him deeper into the house to go and tell her uncle and to introduce her new friend to him. Ally goes to protest but the two disappear out of sight before she can breathe a word, leaving you alone together at the front door. Her dark eyes admire your form slowly, taking in every curve and exposed skin. 

“I’ve never met someone who looks this good after just waking up,” she murmurs, her eyes never drifting from your body. You fluster at her words, biting your bottom lip feeling shy by her gushing compliment and intense gaze. You decide now isn’t the best time to continue with this back and forth flirting in case prying ears were nearby and you don’t just mean the children. 

“Would you like to come in? I was just thinking about taking Amelia to the park if you wanted to join us?” you offer, hoping she would say yes but the small frown that appears onto her dark brows vanquishes any hope you had for spending more time with the brunette today. 

“That sounds wonderful but I have a campaign meeting in about an hour and with the election in less than two weeks-”

“Oh god yeah, honestly don’t worry about it maybe next time?” you suggest hopefully, Ally nods and promises next weekend you can do something together and with the kids. You continue to talk briefly at the door realising the meeting is being held at Ally’s house, you offer to look after Oz for the day while she attends to her campaign meetings. Ally shakes her head insisting that Oz would be okay and can entertain himself while she works but you insist that since Amelia doesn’t seem to be letting go of her new friend anytime soon, you were sure they’d appreciate the run around at the park. 

“Are you sure? Honestly, I’m fine with keeping Oz at home with me. I don’t want to disrupt your day with Amelia,” you lace your fingers through hers to stop her from her ramblings.

“Ally, it’s okay I would love to take Oz out with us. Besides it takes a bit of stress off your shoulders for a few hours,” you reassure, squeezing her hand. Her bright smile makes you melt on the spot feeling your chest flutter at the sight. 

“You’re too good to me,” she whispers, brushing your cheek with the tip of her finger, her eyes full of gratitude and fondness. You shrug feeling sheepish at her physical gesture of thanks muttering a ‘no problem’. 

“Would you like to come in for a moment? I think they’re in the backyard,” you assume, sharing a small smile with Ally as you refer to the two best friends. She nods brushing herself past you, making sure her chest brushes briefly against your own, your eyes flutter for a moment enjoying the way your body reacts to hers. That exciting spark that radiates throughout your body whenever you’re near her it both excites and terrifies you. 

You follow close behind her as you enter your kitchen area, you relax when you notice the empty area catching glimpses of your brother outside with Amelia and Oz keeping them entertained. 

“You have a beautiful home, Y/N.” Ally comments, her eyes taking in the newly installed kitchen counter and sink. You smile as you thank her, feeling proud of your new home, Ally moves towards the backdoors watching the two run around after your brother. Ally smiles fondly as she takes in Amelia’s pyjamas under her coat and wellingtons enjoying how carefree the two are whenever they’re around one another. You stand next to her for a moment enjoying the same view in front of you. 

“I should call them back in, Amelia’s gonna end up with muddy pyjamas and she’ll only be upset for ruining her favourite set.” you explain, muttering to yourself. Ally chuckles quietly next to you. 

“Probably for the best,” she says, laughing as they both managed to finally tackle your brother to the ground. You can faintly hear him call for help, as his eyes find you both by the backdoor. 

“Please come and get your children, they are both menaces,” he complains, grunting as Amelia accidently knees him in his stomach trying to get back onto her feet. You shake your head at their antics before stepping forward and begrudgingly helping your brother. 

“Come on you two, leave him alone. You guys are far too strong for him,” you tease, reaching a hand out for Amelia to take. Oz runs to your side, laughing at your brother's offended expression. 

Ally places her hands on top of Oz’s shoulders as he enters back through the house, you following not far behind. 

“Oz, how do you feel about spending the day with Amelia and Y/N?” she asks him. His eyes widen in excitement as he nods. 

“Yes! What are we doing Y/N?” he wonders, Amelia steps up next to him and explains your plans of playing at the park and picking some ice cream on the way back. 

“Aw man, I’m missing out on Ice cream?!” Rupert exclaims, pouting at his niece and her new friend. She pats his back in some form of comfort. 

“It’s okay Uncle Rupie, I’ll save you some for next time!” she promises, before coming distracted with talks of favourite slides and swings with Oz. Your brother eyes Ally who stands close to you as she watches the two move towards the living room. 

“So you must be Ally, I’m Matt this one’s handsome brother,” he charms, grinning from ear to ear. Ally smiles amused at his charming ways, but her eyes fall onto you.

“He’s a real charmer huh?” her question directing towards you, as you grin playing along with her teasing mannerisms.

“Oh yeah a real stud, also your name isn’t Matt jackass,” you joke back, as his eyes glare at your smug form. 

“Your name isn’t Matt silly! It’s Uncle Rupie!” Amelia exclaims, entering back into the kitchen with Oz in toe. Your grin widens further as your brother flusters. 

“Oh yeah I forgot, Matt is your name when you’re trying to hit on the ladies,” you joke further, as Ally’s eyes sparkle with amusement. He puffs out his chest in defence before deflating.

“Rupert doesn’t work well with the ladies okay? Matt does. Rupert is an old man’s name,” he explains, as you all laugh at his sad expression. You move forward and pat his cheek mockingly. 

“I don’t think either works well with them, brother.” You smile innocently, as you move to make Amelia and Oz a drink. Ally’s lip twitches in amusement as she watches you move around the kitchen but startles out of her daydreaming remembering what she needs to do before the meeting starts.

“I better get going then!” she announces, turning her attention onto Oz as she crouches down to hug him goodbye. “Be good okay, I’ll see later on.” she promises, kissing his forehead and standing. Ally smiles at your brother and holds out her hand for him to shake which he takes happily. 

“It was nice meeting you… Matt,” his cheeks flush at her teasing tone as you laugh at his embarrassment. Rupert glares at you before turning his attention onto his niece leaving you with a free moment to walk Ally over to the front door. She turns to face you by the door and lightly kisses your cheek. 

“Thank you for doing this,” her voice full of warmth and gratitude. Your lips twitch fighting back a wide smile. 

“Of course, I’ll see you later on.” you whisper back, her lips an inch from your own. The silent urge to kiss her lips again burns strong within you but you resist knowing a rude interruption is possible. A knowing look passes between you both as Ally steps back and smiles once more before rushing back across to her porch to collect her grocery bags by the doorstep and with a final wave in her direction you head back inside to change for the day. 

She’s going to be the death of me. 

***

The day passed by fast with both children slowly starting to tire out after a fun filled day in the fresh air, stomachs full with hot delicious food and yummy cold treats. Now back at your house as the bright day slowly fades into night, you look around the new makeshift living room taking in the twinkling fairy lights that dangle around the made up Teepee giving the room a bright orange glow, pillows stacked all around with thick duvet covers spread out inside the Teepee. You stand holding the bowl of popcorn by the living room doorway watching as the two lie on their stomachs chattering away, laughing at the silly yellow creatures on the TV. 

“I got popcorn!” you announce to the room, both heads turn quick in your direction at the mention of popcorn wide smiles spreading across their youthful cheeks. Moving forward you flop in between the two placing the bowl in front of you allowing them both to grab a handful. The movie continues with the three girls finally finding their home with their new father and his yellow minions, you watch as Amelia’s eyes flutter as her chin resting heavily in the palm of her hand, Oz following close behind. 

“Alright you two, I think it might be best if we walk Oz back home now,” you mutter, looking over to the clock on the far wall you frown as you take in the time, realising that it’s getting late and still no word from Ally. 

‘She must be really busy with this campaign’ you wonder to yourself, moving to get rid of all the empty bowls of sugary goodness hearing the collective groans and moans from two very tired children. You shake your head at their protest continuing into the kitchen, you look across through your window in hopes to catch a glimpse of her in her own kitchen and frown when you notice the lights off and the house in darkness. A loud knock startles you from your curiosity as you head quickly over to the door and open it wide. Ally stands slightly out of breath, her eyes apologetic as they meet yours. 

“I am so sorry, everything got really hectic so fast and we were missing a few locations from the campaign tour and i-” you hands on her shoulders makes her pause as you smile at her chuckling softly. 

“Ally it’s okay, we’ve had a great day today!” you reassure, watching a small pout play on her lips.

“I wish I had a fun day with you,” she grumbles slightly, making you laugh fondly at her. Your hands move from her shoulder to cup her cheeks briefly rubbing your thumb along her cheekbones. 

“Next time, Senator.” you vow, before ushering her into the house. Her brown eyes widen as she takes in your neat little set up in the living room. 

“Wow you guys have been busy today,” she says impressed by your hard creative work, a hint of sadness evident in her voice. You lean against the doorframe watching as she crouches down to see into the teepee as the small whispers of young voices escape the tent. 

“Mommy!!” Oz exclaims, launching forward into his mothers arm who manages to hold his weight against her even in those heels. She laughs as she rubs his back pulling back to move his shaggy hair from his face. 

“I love the little set up you guys have here,” she compliments, as your daughter's head pops out of the teepee. 

“Come join us Miss. Ally, I have a star nightlight and fairy lights!” Amelia informs her with enthusiasm. Ally smiles fondly at her and cups her cheek briefly. 

“Sounds wonderful, sweetheart.” she mutters, warmth evident in her tired voice. The two entice the brunette into the tent as she tries to protest. Her gaze searching yours for help, you laugh and merely shrug your shoulders. 

“If I had to get in there, it’s only fair that you do too.” you chuckle at her glaring expression but you can see the bright glint in her eyes. She removes her heels as crawls into the teepee giving you a nice view of her behind for a moment before she disappears completely into the makeshift tent. Amelia’s head pops out again as she looks at you with a confused expression, tilting her head slightly.

“And you mommy, come on come on,” she rushes, waving you over. You sigh and begrudgingly crouch and crawl inside the teepee. The extra body doesn’t leave much room for you all to sit around which forces you to lie down onto your back next to Ally, Oz on her other side with Amelia on your other. You and Ally remain silent for a moment as the other two tell Ally about their day in hushed voices, you both grin at their words and storytelling while watching the twinkling lights above. You tense for a moment when you feel a hand brush against your fingers that rest at your side, brown eyes rest upon your face with a small smile in place making you match her expression. 

“Mommy’s good at making days special,” Amelia informs Ally from your other side, as she snuggles into you. Ally raises an eyebrow and answers your daughter, her gaze still locked with your own. 

“Yeah, she’s amazing Amelia-cakes,” her voice no more than a whisper, your head turns towards hers at her words making you flush. A moment of silence settles across you all, but Ally’s eyes say plenty of words that are left unspoken making your heart flutter and burst as you both come to the realisation. 

‘I’m falling for this woman’ 

Ally lays her head against your shoulder, as you all bask in the quietness of the room watching the twinkling lights scatter across the inside of the teepee. Your eyelids begin to flutter as you fight to stay awake and bask a little more in this close embrace but sleep starts to win as you succumb to the darkness. 

***

The different weights that lie against your chest startles you awake from your peaceful slumber as your blurry eyes take in the different coloured hair on either side of your chest, a small foot sticks up across Ally’s hip as you blink a few times regaining senses. The small shift stirs Ally awake as she moves her head from your chest, your hand still resting a top of hers that lays against your stomach. 

“Good Morning’,” you whisper, feeling a small smile play against your lips. Her eyes lift to meet your gaze as she greets your good morning with a breath-taking smile. 

“Yes, definitely a good morning,” she whispers back, reluctantly removing herself from your chest to help settle Oz next to her who seems to have slept in an eagle position, his knee digging into her side. You focus your attention onto your daughter who seems to still be in a deep sleep brushing the hair from her face. You settle her onto the pillow allowing her to sleep further as the sun starts to stream into the room. 

You both crawl out of the teepee without disturbing the two, tip toeing your way out of the room and into the kitchen. You laugh quietly as you take in Ally’s attire, still dressed in her formal senator wear that’s now crinkled from sleeping in it. 

“Nice outfit,” you tease, grabbing the coffee mugs from the cupboard to make you both a fresh cup. She glares playfully at you as she makes her way over to you, with your back now turned as you concentrate on making the fresh beverage the weight of her front against your back startles you slightly as her warm breath hits against your neck. 

“It would look better on your kitchen floor,” her sultry voice vibrates against your skin as her teeth nip briefly at your earlobe making you suppress a moan. 

“Ally I-” 

“Mom!” The distant sound of Oz’s voice startles you both from your heated moment as you both sigh in disappointment. Ally looks at you for a moment before squeezing your hand. 

“Maybe next time yeah?” her teasing voice, leaving a low heat in your navel as you nod mutely. Ally saunters away making sure your gaze is on the sway of her hips as she leaves to see to her son in the other room. 

Well fuck. 

[awanderingdeal]

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time [Part 3]

Back, back, back again. This time we have Christmas O’Knutzy for you!

Happy boxing day! Happy 2nd Christmas! Happy 26th December. 

This one is dedicated to those of you of who are perhaps not spending Christmas in the way that you would like this year. I hope this brings you a little bit of Joy. Please note that this fic is filled with happy Christmas people so if that is going to make you feel worse then please avoid.

Look, don’t ask what is going here. It is the weirdest mix of ‘Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging’ type diary entry and fluff. If anything, hopefully it will make you laugh.

Rating: T(+) - A couple of mentions of sexual acts. 

CW: CHRISTMAS, FOOD TALK AND A BRIEF MENTION OF MEDCATION

Last, but most certainly not least - these boys and this universe belongs to @lumosinlove​. We are just mere peasants destined to fall in love with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Knutty! Leave the kitchen! I’m tired,” Finn yelled from the bedroom. 

“I’m not in the kitchen. I’m writing,” Leo yelled back. It may have been a little white lie because Leo was in fact, pouring steaming water over tea leaves. He was nearly finished though and going to head through to the library to complete his nightly ritual of writing in his diary. 

“Liar!” Finn replied, but there was no heat in voice. “I can hear the kettle.”

Leo rolled his eyes fondly. He put the kettle down and headed towards the bedroom where he found a pouting Finn. “Just go to sleep. I’ll be back soon,” Leo said.

“But I need bedtime kisses. It’s Christmas, I can’t be deprived of bedtime kisses,” Finn whined.

Logan’s features knitted into a frown, “Et je suis quoi ? Une grenouille?”

Finn’s eyes widened, “Why are you talking about frogs?” 

“Why do you know the word fr-” Logan started. 

“Fish, Lo can give you kisses.” Leo cut him off, knowing if he let them start on this line of conversation he would still be standing there in an hour's time. 

“Logan kisses are good, but I want Leo kisses too,” Finn argued. 

Leo pushed himself off the door frame that he had been leaning on. “I’m sure Logan can keep you thoroughly entertained,” he drawled. “I’m going now,” he added with a lilt, but Finn and Logan had already occupied their lips so there was no reply. 

25th December 

Dear Diary, 

I’ll try to keep this short because Finn is screaming at me to come to bed, but I didn’t feel like it was fair to neglect you on what may go down as my favourite day ever. I know that I say that at least once a week but I might really mean it this time. 

Let me give you the top 5:

1.Christmas Day 2020

2. First time Finn and Logan said I love you (I refuse to choose. It’s my diary you can’t make me.)

3. First time Finn and Logan met Mama and Dad

4. First NHL game.

5.That time Logan told me that my soup was better than Celeste’s. He might have been high on pain meds but I’m taking it. 

Anyway, why was it the best day ever I hear you ask? Let me tell you. Actually, let me show you. I made an amazing schedule that was greatly underappreciated by my boyfriends (damn, it still feels good to say that) so maybe you can appreciate it.

It is now 23:49, if that tells you anything about how off schedule we got. Not that I mind, it was a perfect day. Everyday with these boys is. I’m so lucky. 

I’m so glad that we decided to stay here, just us, for our first Christmas. It’s been a manic December fitting in visits to everybody and we still have Canada for New Years, but it was so worth it. 

Anyway, enough of the mush. I’ll see you tomorrow. 

Signing off,

Leo.

Leo gave a contented sigh as he finished up the entry. He had taken a lot longer than he had planned to write. but he was so full of thoughts that evening. He needed to get them down on paper if he had any hope of sleep that night.

He tiptoed back into the bedroom, assuming that his boyfriends would be asleep by now. However, as he pulled back the sheets he noticed that Finn was still awake.

“Hey,” Leo whispered, mindful of Logan. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be up.”

Finn looked up at him with big wide eyes and a sleepy smile, “Needed my Leo kisses.” 

“Oh.” Leo stilled for a beat as he climbed into the bed. He probably should be used to Finn saying things that made his heart melt by now, but somehow, it felt like the first time, every time. Finn had a thousand different ways to say ‘I love you’ and Leo heard every one. 

“I’m here now,” Leo replied, pressing a gentle kiss to Finn’s lips. 

Finn nodded his head and pulled Leo closer. “Hmm, much better.”

[coin-writes]

stellar bouquet: tessember 2021

read ch 1 on ao3!

Summary: A collection of one shots featuring Tess, who also goes by Space, experiencing all kinds of things in the inherently vast universe. Loki, Avengers and Infinity gang are not the main focus—they'll come in and out as I please. Will be combining hard and regular mode prompt lists together.

Chapter One: Space Summary: A surprise for Tess.

you can also read the fic under the cut!

“How much longer?” Tess murmurs, lowering her eyelashes and trying not to flinch at the bright glare of Reality’s camera. Repetitive clicks sound, and Tess remains still and posed, feet gliding over water.

“Don’t talk,” is what Reality says, crouched in front of her with their large camera. It’s so large it covers their face so only their long red curls are visible, bouncing as they take shots from different angles of Space.

Space, who stands over a lake, one hand on a hip jutted out (one of Reality's numerous poses), modelling in Reality and Soul’s recently made dress. It’s a dark, flowing gown coloured in night’s colours; blue, black and purple being some of them, and it's embroidered with sparkling jewels that appear rather stellar on the dark background. “And if you keep asking that, it’ll feel much longer,” Reality continues, coming towards her to adjust the gown for the umpteenth time. “Move your chin up a little. Don’t hunch and don't flutter your eyelashes like that, please.”

Tess scowls at the multitude of instructions. Someone's feeling especially bossy tonight. “Like what?”

“Like you’re about to sleep,” says Reality, tucking a few folds of her gown in a way that highlights a few of the larger jewels they embroidered. “And remove that scowl off your face.” At Space’s indignant look, they sigh, face slipping into a tired but determined expression as they move back to their camera. “Just one last set, Tess. And then you can relax all you want — I promise.”

“No more weird poses, though,” Tess agrees with a low sigh.

Reality nods, moves back into position, making an effort to fix the camera at another angle.

They sigh internally.

What Tess doesn’t know (but Reality does), is that this is all a vivid effort to distract Tess from wondering what’s going inside their house or wandering into there.

And stumbling into the chaotic environment they must have created, Reality thinks internally, eyes squinting at the camera's screen. Tess looks great, and Reality has enough photos already, and they can sympathise with Tess's tiredness and lack of enthusiasm for another set, but this is all for good. It will pay off.

Hopefully.

Reality laughs in mind, as the camera clicks, thinking of the frenzied state Time, Loki and Power must be in, as they arrange Tess’s gifts, prepare the halls, cook the dinner, bake the multi-layered cake, clean Time’s room, et cetera et cetera. There were a ton of things that had to be done in such a short time and while Soul and Mind had the ability to remain calm in almost every situation, the same could not be said of the rest of them. Which is why Reality, being exceptionally clever (or so they liked to think), had taken the first opportunity to be the one to distract Tess.

“Are we done yet?” comes another whine from Tess, and they almost regret taking this job. Almost.

Ten minutes and fifteen similar questions later when Reality says, “Yes,” Tess's eyes almost bulge from her sockets.

“Really?” she asks, her limbs tired in a way she isn't used to.

Reality gives her a sardonic look. “Really.”

“Oh, yes.” Tess whoops. “Finally!”

“Careful,” Reality says, watching Tess do somersaults in the gown itself with a fond look. “Don't tear that. And I didn't realise you disliked my company that much,” they remark, assembling their camera, not really hurt.

“Oh, no, it's not about you, Alit,” Tess turns to smile at them. She looks a little weary. “It's just been a long day.”

“I see,” Reality says. They flash a smile at Tess, white teeth sparkling, contrasting against their red lips.

The two walk back side-by-side on the stone pathway leading to their large house, Tess holding the trails of her gown and Reality their camera. “You did agree to do a hundred poses.”

A pained look flashes over her face. “Urgh, hundred. I regretted that already. It felt like a thousand. Some of them were weird, though. Like the one on the tree...” She frowns pensively.

“I was just experimenting,” Reality says quickly, not wanting Tess to suspect something. “It looked much better in my head.”

Tess nods slowly. “Hmm. I want to see those photographs though. You owe me big time.”

“Noted,” Reality says wryly.

“Like seriously,” Tess insists. “If I didn't know better, I'd say this whole thing was a scheme.” Reality stills. “An evil plot. Or like, a plot which is not really evil. Like the ones Thor reads about in those papers.” She waves her hand around. “Just a way to get me. Most of the time it's about a lost bet or a dare. Did you lose a bet with someone?”

At Reality's frozen expression, them not knowing what to say, Space laughs. “Relax. I'm just kidding. I know you wouldn't trick me.” She smiles.

“Of course,” Reality laughs nervously.

They stop at the door, Reality's hand on the knob. “Are you prepared?”

“For what?”

The door swings open.

“SURPRISE!”

Tess's eyes turn wide at the well-dressed ensemble gathered—only her family, but as they are in a cluster with arms spread wide they sure do look like a crowd. “Wow,” she breathes at them, at Soul dressed in golden, arm tucked in Loki's, dressed in an appealing silver. Mind's hair is in a frizz, Time's clad in red, Power has an attractive solid combination of purple and silver and the decorations—silver hangings, silky floating balloons, planet-like balls hanging off the ceiling, threaded sparkling stars—oh squeezed starry skies they're wonderful.

And, she sees, awestricken, as they usher her into the hall, a giant, multi-layered (four layers? five? dear universe she can only guess) sitting on the middle of the table, sparkling blue and white and silver and green. It looks like chaos incarnated into a food and she bets it tastes like that as well.

(“Who made it?” she'll ask later, pieces of cake all over her nose and mouth. “I'll kiss them on the lips,” she manages to say clearly even with her mouth full, and Loki's cheeks turn an interesting shade of red.)

“All of this, for me?” she says now, hushed, voice raspy in awe and wonder and as her heart overflows with love.

They nod, and Tess's eyes glimmer, because this is just, so exciting and kind of them, what a turn of the day, she's had a bad day and they noticed, of course they did; she sees the amount of effort they put into the surprise, the decorated halls and the lovely dinner and the beautiful dress she's wearing and this just uplifts her mood, makes her forget of all the problems in the universe—it's exactly what she needs.

She stands up from her seat, her vision filmy yet immediately noticing the looks of worry shared between them and she can almost read their thoughts—what if Space didn't like it, what if it wasn't up to her tastes, they should have done harder—

“Aww, you guys,” she wipes a tear, and her heart will surely burst any moment now, ”Group hug!”

Squeezing all of them with her long arms, her cheeks aching with her smile and their mushed faces, she declares, “I love you all so much,” and tears stream down her cheeks at their answering chorus, bright and wonderful: “And so do we, Tess.”

[myidlehand]

Writing Prompt: Geralt/Jaskier/Eskel - fluff / hurt/comfort please - Jaskier gets hurt somehow, Geralt & Eskel take care of him - you can decide on details :)

Hello!

And here it is this blog has hit 1000 followers! So here is another prompt! This one is prompt 3/7 for my followers celebration.

I originally went with Jaskier burns his hands but it was turning way too dark and bleak so I wrote something fluffy instead. I hope you’ll enjoy this silly piece anyway.

Thank you @simeramise for helping and finding me a pun for the title (apparently every prompt in this series gets one, oops)

Cold you feel the love tonight?

“Ar-r-r-re  w-e-e-e-e  close… clos-s-s-s-se  ye-e-e-et?” Jaskier stutters, burying a little bit more against Eskel’s front. Eskel tries to readjust his cape around Jaskier as best he can with only one hand free, the other holding on to the reins.

“The cave is a bit further ahead.”

“I’m so-o-o-o  co-o-old”. Jaskier’s teeth clatter too loud for Eskel’s sensitive ears.

“I know”, he says, kissing the top of Jaskier’s head. “You need to hold on just a little bit more, sweets.” 

Jaskier doesn’t answer but shivers violently. Eskel tries his best to lead Scorpion as safely and quickly as he can to get Jaskier somewhere comfortable, but the sun has almost completely set by now and the path is narrow. Geralt rode ahead of them, to clear the cave they passed by that afternoon. Jaskier’s head falls slightly forward and to the side and Eskel holds onto him a little tighter.

“Stay awake, Jask.”

“‘M tired.”

“I know, but you can’t sleep right now, we need to get you warm first.”

“Sounds nice”, Jaskier replies sleepily.

“Come on, I can smell a fire, we aren’t far.” Eskel pushes Scorpion to just go a little faster. It’s not safe but Jaskier won’t last a lot longer like this.

Finally, Eskel sees the light of the fire and exhales loudly, relieved to finally find safety for his bard. The cave isn’t a cave per se. It’s more of a deep nook in a cliff, but it’s dry and protected from the wind and the cold rain. It’s not ideal, but it’ll be much better than sleeping on the humid ground. Eskel dismounts first then helps Jaskier get off the horse. A small fire is already going, and clothes have been laid around it, just close enough to make them warm. Geralt and Jaskier’s bedrolls have already been pushed side by side on the ground as well. As soon as Jaskier is off Scorpion’s back, Geralt emerges from the forest with an armful of wood, hopefully dry enough to last them the night.

“The wood’s clear,” he says immediately, dumps the woods and goes to them. Eskel pushes Jaskier towards him a little, enough for Geralt to grab him close and start rubbing his arms up and down.

“How are you feeling?” he asks gently.

“So-o-o-o co-o-o-old“, Jaskier answers, trying very hard to keep his teeth from clattering and shivering.

“I know, let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”

“Oh Geralt if I kn-e-e-e-e-ew you wanted me naked I’d… would have fall… fallen into a frig-i-i-id river so-o-n-n-n-er”, Jaskier answers with a chuckle and a wink, shivering uncontrollably. Eskel snorts and leads Scorpion away, to secure him for the night and get the rest of their stuff to the little fire camp.

“You’re such an idiot sometimes”, Geralt answers with a fond eye-roll.

“But you love me anyway”, Jaskier grins at him, and Geralt takes his hand to lead him to the fire.

They go in stages. As soon as his soaked doublet and shirt come off, Geralt dries him off with warm rags he’s put near the fire and wrestles him quickly into a warm shirt and gambeson. By the time his boots, pants and underthings are off, Eskel is back by their side, putting his own bedroll next to theirs. When he’s settled, Eskel comes to help dry Jaskier’s hair as best they can then leads him to the bedrolls. Jaskier goes down, immediately going under the blanket and grabbing at the nearest Witcher he can find. Eskel joins him easily enough and Geralt is not far behind, joining them as soon as he’s done laying out all of Jaskier’s wet stuff. Eskel rearranges the blanket on top of all three of them, while Jaskier presses his back to Geralt’s front. Geralt throws an arm around his middle and kisses Jaskier behind the ear, where he knows it will earn him a little appreciative noise he loves. Even in warm clothes and between his two big Witchers, Jaskier is still quite cold and keeps on shivering.

“Try to relax”, Geralt says. “You’ll shiver less if you do and your teeth will stop clattering.”

“That doesn’t sound right", Jaskier responds dubiously.

“Try anyway“, Geralt whispers in his ear, breath hot on his skin and a very different kind of shiver seizes Jaskier’s entire body. 

But Geralt is right, of course. After a while, the shivers stop coming, and Jaskier starts to feel better and a little tired again. It’s nice being surrounded by his lovers heat and smell, wearing their clothes. Jaskier his pretty sure the pants are Geralt’s. They are quite narrow at the waist so definitely not Eskel’s. The smallclothes and one of the two pair of socks he’s wearing feel like they are his, but the shirt is a little rougher than what he’s used to. It’s quite big in the shoulders, and it’s either dark red or black, Jaskier can’t quite tell in the low light. It’s probably Eskel’s shirt, but it smells like Geralt. Geralt must have grabbed whatever he could find in Roach saddlebags. It’s quite late in the year, and the three of them have been travelling together since mid-summer, so most of their stuff is mixed together by now. The gambeson is definitively Geralt's, it’s the warmest he has, and he was wearing it that morning. Jaskier has a pang of love when he realises Geralt must have changed into something thinner just so Jaskier could wear the warmest top they own.

“How are you feeling?” Eskel asks quietly when Jaskier’s scent turns a lot less miserable and a lot more content.

“I’m much better. But my hands and feet hurt a little still.”

Eskel grabs one of Jaskier’s knees under the blanket, inviting him to slide his legs up so his feet can come rest between Eskel’s parted legs. Next, he takes Jaskier’s hands in his and starts massaging every finger and blowing hot air on them. Geralt presses a kiss on his neck and Jaskier sighs contentedly.

“Thank you-”, he says after a little while when his fingers are warm and tingly. Eskel doesn’t release them, but instead, he presses them lightly against his chest, his thumb gently stroking small circles. “-for taking care of me tonight. And for…” Jaskier hesitates a second. He takes one of his hands away to link his fingers with Geralt’s on his waist and the other comes to stroke Eskel’s cheek. One of Eskel’s hand finds both of theirs as well. “And for making me feel happy and loved even when you have to fish me out of a stupidly cold river. I love you, both so much” he adds quietly.

Eskel kisses the inside of the hands Jaskier has on his cheek and shuffles closer, putting Jaskier’s hand on his chest again.

“Love you too, sweets”, he answers, content.

Geralt doesn’t reply, but Jaskier doesn’t need him to, the small smile he can feel at the back of his neck is loud enough.

***

I know it’s not the best and it’s a bit silly and it’s been done a million times, but I hope you’ll still enjoy it a little. I'm putting these in AO3 too cause Tumblr won't format right.

Now the thing is, I messed up. Cause I thought I would have loads of time to fill the seven prompts I received before hitting this milestone. Which I didn’t so this is only prompt 3/7 when I should have posted the last one when I got to 1000.

I will definitively answer all 7 but the I’ve been having a rough time lately and while the first 3 prompts came quite easily I haven’t had the mental energy to sit down and properly think about the other 4. I have an outline for 2, I just need to find the words. So please be patient with me if you sent a prompt? It will get answered I just can’t say when exactly. Sorry about that.

[purplesunrisefanfic]

Just Relax (F!Eivor/GN!reader hurt/comfort)

Masterlist

The morning after your night with Eivor doesn’t quite go as planned. Follows on from Stay.

AN: This was written for the wonderful @kittycat-beans. I am still not that familiar with the fandom but I hope y’all can enjoy it nonetheless.

Warnings: It doesn’t dwell on being super graphic but there is violence, death, burns, medical details, trauma. Because it’s me, I’m also gonna warn for lack of smut 😅 Apologies for any typos et cetera.

Translations: (Hopefully accurate)

Min skatt - My treasure

bare slapp av - just relax

søte drømmer, krigeren min - Sweet dreams, my warrior

Elskling - Darling

Pusen - My kitten

“Good morning, pusen.”

She murmurs into your ear as little kisses on your jawline help stir you awake.

“I wish I could let you sleep, then make good on part two of last night, elskling, but it will have to wait, you’re needed in the village.”

You sigh wearily as you recognise the need to rush the process of waking up instead of having the leisurely morning your scheduled day off should have allowed. “Who is griping now?” You can’t help but wonder, imagining someone who could easily wait an hour or two but hasn’t thought to consider your needs. But you’re about to become very grateful that you thought about the question and didn’t actually ask it aloud.

—

Eivor has put together a respectable breakfast, and you are so groggy you don’t notice that she holds back from telling you more than that you were “needed,” she has a good poker face too, so you don’t suspect that inside she is nervous, struggling for the words and hoping you don’t hate her later on for letting you eat without telling you. She thinks it’s best to let you get your energy while you still can, and silently prays you will forgive her slightly paternalistic deceit.

It’s only once you have eaten that she begins to rush you. She’s polite and somewhat indirect about it, bringing you clothing and fiddling with helping you get it on in a way that doesn’t feel like naughtiness or affection. You then start to wonder what’s going on.

“Is something the matter, my wolf?”

She nods grimly. “It is not a minor matter that you have been called out for, come, quickly and I will show you.”

—

The charred bodies aren’t as harrowing as the sight of the living. You are relieved to discover that all the dead had their throats slit before the fire — it appears the enemy had the honour not to burn your people alive, at least — but those that ran in, fearing people trapped inside, were burnt horrifically. Several of your people had even been caught up in collapsing tents with severe burns.

For a warrior, Eivor astounds you with her willingness to be all-but a lackey in this time of need. Somewhere in the background of your mind, past the conscious attempts to ignore the mayhem and focus on your patients, you are soothed to know that the woman you spent the night with isn’t vain. Throughout the day, it becomes clear to you that her pride isn’t the least bit threatened by being a fetcher and carrier for you. She doesn’t think twice about her elegant clothes when she scrabbles around in the dirt to pick out the precious roots of healing plants that you need. She doesn’t sneer once at the task of scrubbing dirt off of them, nor protest when you have to send some back to her for further cleaning. She doesn’t demand that you explain anything: not what the plants do or are for, not whether you “really need” so very much of them, nor why a scrub that would be more than adequate to safely eat a root vegetable won’t do for your purposes. You find out, but not until much later, that she was plenty curious about this while she worked, but felt she must shelve her curiosity to support your work.

—

Late in the day, you have plentiful supplies and only one patient left to see. Eivor perches a respectful distance away, but from the corner of your eye you notice she seems fascinated as she watches you delicate clean your patient’s wounds, mix up a painkilling herbal drink for them and then begin to freshly grind the roots into a paste, eventually applying the paste as delicately as you can to cool and soothe the wounds your final patient has suffered.

When you are finished, it suddenly hits you: the pain you’ve witnessed, the pain in your body after far too many hours of work to be healthy, the aching fatigue in your body. Dazed, you flop to lay on the ground. The cold does you no favours, but thankfully your time there is short-lived. Strong, warm arms slide under your body and pull you up into a fireman’s lift, and you look up to see Eivor looking down at you with something between awe and affection.

—

While you were working, Eivor had not only been busy with your errands. When she knew you had enough to ride you over a slightly longer wait until the next batch, she took the chance to get things arranged. She spoke to your friends to ask more of your preferences and called in some favours with her own. The result was that you returned home to find Eivor’s bathtub warm and filled, a delicious platter of vegetable-based foods ready for you to eat, and a bottle of your favourite wine chilled for you to relax with.

You’re too exhausted and emotional to take it all in, and a gentle hand covers your mouth after you stutter for a few seconds trying to find the right words of thanks.

“Hush, min skatt, bare slapp av.” Eivor whispers to you.

Eivor undresses you carefully, but doesn’t take too much time over it, focused on getting you bathed and nurtured over seducing you. Little does she know she’s doing both at once.

She carries you into the bath and you sleepily notice the scent of your favourite soap. Whenever you try to protest her doing everything — not because you don’t like it, purely out of guilt — she just repeats her earlier words, “Hush, min skatt, bare slapp av,” in a hypnotic whisper. She dries and dresses you and brings you supper in bed, along with a glass of wine. The nausea you’ve suffered all day at all you’ve seen has finally abated enough that you nibble away at the meal. You notice Eivor is pleased by this, which spurs you on to eat a little more until the plate is clear. You finish off your glass of wine and then attempt, once again, to thank Eivor.

The attempt doesn’t last too long, with her cutting you off before you can get into a long-winded speech about how you don’t believe you deserved all this care. She insists that you have been a hero today, a warrior as resilient as any other. While others cried or froze or vomited in horror at the sights, the smells and the screams, you got to work and eased more suffering alone that the rest of the large village put together. You don’t easily accept the strength of her compliments, but listening to her words soothes you a little. She’s delighted at how easily you fall asleep in her arms.

“Søte drømmer, krigeren min,” she whispers with a kiss on the hairline of your sleeping face. And despite all of the horrors of the day, your dreams are indeed sweet.

[incidentreport31]

Episode One: In the Middle of the Street TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts.]

[Intro music players.]

ANNOUNCER:

Three-Eyed Frog Presents: Incident Report Number 31.

[Theme song fades to a stop.]

[click recorder on]

ARCHIVIST:

Test. Test. One, two, three. (mutters) Bloody hell, why does it smell like something died in here? Well, guess we can’t prove something didn’t, eh? The recorder seems to be working, at least.

My name is Val West. I’m the newly appointed head archivist at The [REDACTED] Institute, which documents people’s possible experiences with the supernatural for both emotional support purposes and to get recovery time off of work, school, et cetera if the trauma is deemed severe enough by their employers or other supervisory staff.[beat as they scoff] Supernatural doctor’s note, innit...

The Head of the Institute, Mr. Neil Banks, has asked me to record these accounts because, well, there actually isn’t really a good reason. [mutters] Didn’t spend eight years getting a masters in library sciences to read stories into a dusty tape recorder, but, we all have to get by.

I do, at least, have people to assist me: two researchers: Zach Zamuel-Imogen Baker, and Christine Lewis, along with, I’m told, a very well-respected psychologist: one [hesitant] Dr. Oliver Possum, who will be advising me on any cases where there is necessary psychological follow up. I haven’t actually met any of them yet, but hopefully they will be helpful.

I was also explicitly told not to look behind the bookshelf to my left, so I will be looking behind the bookshelf later today...right. Guess I should get started, then.

[Sound of papers tapped on desk to organize them]

ARCHIVIST:

[They clear their throat.] For the consideration of Ortolan Bunting Law Firm: Ayla Stephenson’s encounter with a house that did not exist and her subsequent request for thirty hours of paid time off. No date given. Fine by me. Not gonna lose sleep over improperly filled out paperwork. Well. Start? I suppose? Yes.

[ACCOUNT.]

I feel the need to start with this, so you fully understand what I’m trying to say. I have a feeling you’ll just dismiss my story otherwise. I’ve lived here going on ten years now. Moved here on the promise of a job from the same company that I still work for today: Ortolan Bunting Law Firm. I drive the same route to work every day. I mean, I looked up the quickest way on the map when I first moved to town, and hey, who am I to question that? If it works it works. No need to make something difficult when the map’ll just figure it for you that first day, right?

I guess I’m getting a bit off topic here, but my point is that I’ve been going the same way for a decade, which is to say that I know the route to and from work like the back of my hand. Sure, maybe I don’t pay attention to every detail every day, I mean after ten years, the drive is almost an unconscious thing-

ARCHIVIST:

(mutters) Not a great way to build up your story’s credibility but, I digress.

[ACCOUNT.]

-but I still know all the road’s quirks, even if they don’t stick out to me after all this time. I know that the first left turn light on the way lasts for about two seconds and if you’re more than two cars behind in line, you’ll have to wait a whole cycle to go. I know there’s a business center that, god knows why, has their logo done in comic sans just off to the right before I merge onto the highway. Once I’m on that freeway for about fifteen minutes, I can see this drive through coffee place on one of the adjacent streets. Every single morning the line’s backed up out to the street- you’d think there’d be a better way to do that, but that’s more of a personal gripe and certainly not the point. On my way back from work, I take a few side streets to avoid rush hour traffic on the main road- just the way the map recommended on my first day, of course, I’m not looking to get lost in the backroads. There’s a few old houses, sometimes I see elderly couples sitting out on their porches. Sometimes they wave and I do have the decency to wave back, though some of my colleagues might not believe you… I’m afraid I’ve been a bit put off by this whole experience and have been taking it out on some of my coworkers. All the more reason to give me the [THE ARCHIVIST sighs this last part out as they are once again pulled out of the story] time off that I so kindly requested.

ARCHIVIST:

That last line is crossed out. It appears that Ms. Stephenson was reluctant for her Firm to read that bit if this ever got back around to them. To be honest, the way that this is going, I’m not so sure that plea would have done anything for her, but I am, of course, to remain the impartial academic in my work here, so I suppose I’ll allow the defacing of Institute paperwork just this once, even if the scribbles are rather unprofessional.

[ACCOUNT.]

There're a few empty lots there too. I think at one point, the city wanted to buy them up and make a park, but I don’t think they ever got around to it. Really don’t think they will now. I’m getting ahead of myself. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’ve been going the same way day in and day out for ten years… I’d notice if something was different.

ARCHIVIST:

I’m assuming… that is the point of this report yes? [beat] Continuing on.

[ACCOUNT.]

Nothing that day was really any different, I’d say. Just drove to work, hit all the usual landmarks: waiting to turn at the light, glancing at the comic sans sign, thinking that that coffee shop is definitely obstructing traffic, the usual. Went to work, got through the day with… minor amounts of stress… I mean it’s legal work, it isn’t fun, but somebody’s gotta do it. Got off right at five, gathered up my things and left. I took my usual streets, not really minding anything, but I noticed no one was out on the porches. That’s not unusual, I know, people can be inconsistent, it’s not a big deal, but looking back? Maybe they knew something was off… I mean if I’d lived in that neighborhood I certainly would have.

[Eerie music begins playing.]

I always drive with the radio on, can’t stand being alone with my thoughts on a busy street where road rage can make its way into my thoughts. Guess I should’ve mentioned that earlier, huh? Either way it seems important that I say it’s part of my daily life. I do it every day, and I’ve never had a problem with reception in that area, so when the sound started to glitch out, I thought something was wrong with my car. It was frustrating, sure, but not a big deal, even if I don’t necessarily enjoy the sound of static more than the average person.

I went through the usual useless attempts to fix it, of course. Smacked it a few times, turned it off and on again, but nothing changed. In the end, I just turned it off as I kept driving. Figured my own thoughts were better than the white noise that faded in and out of my speaker at an unpredictable volume. Things were fine for a few minutes. I’d almost gotten to the end of the street when I realized something wasn’t quite right.

At first, I thought maybe the light was just reflecting into my eyes weird. Maybe I’d just seen something out of the corner of my eye that there was a fine explanation for. Because… I knew this road. And there had never been a house there before. I was sure of it. A whole house isn’t something that could go up in a night, but you know that, you aren’t an idiot.

[Record scratch, cutting the music off.]

ARCHIVIST:

[pretentious bastard] I’d certainly like to think so, yes.

[ACCOUNT.]

But there it was. It wasn’t right next to the other houses, a few lots down the road instead. Other than my knowledge that it wasn’t there before, though, it could have blended into the neighborhood without anyone noticing.All things considered, it was a pretty nice house. Sure, it was done up in that fancy Victorian style and therefore inherently a little unnerving, you know how those old places just seem a little haunted even if they’re perfectly put together?

Still, beyond that, it was fine. Not broken down in that sort of creepy ghost way that you see in movies, or anything. The paint was pretty well done, only a little aged from the sun, and all the wood on the wrap-around porch was together. I mean if I was building a murder house, I would’ve splintered the boards and peeled up the exterior wall a bit, something along those lines, you know? It looked like someone could have been living out of it. Totally normal.

I know what you’re thinking, that I got out and had a look, but I can’t say I did. As the sun was going down? While I was all of a sudden unsure of my own thoughts? Really? No way in hell. I’m not an idiot either. So I kept driving. As I passed by, I got this strange feeling… like I wasn’t alone on the street. I don’t know if I imagined it or not, but with how much I was already questioning what I knew, I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer, and I sped away, not wanting to stick around any longer than I had to. Now, when I got home, I went through stages of denial before realizing that, hey, it wasn’t my damn neighborhood, and therefore not actually a problem that I would have to deal with.

At least until I was driving back from work the next afternoon. Funny how that works… your problems don’t just disappear because you’ve chosen to ignore them. Although ignore is a strong word considering I spent all day at work worrying about whether or not I should trust myself and whether or not I would see the house again when I drove home… I could’ve gone another route, of course. Could’ve gone even one street over and left it at that.

But that isn’t how it works, is it? I was so unsure of my own thoughts that I’d rather put myself in a situation that seemed potentially harmful than not know if I was wrong or not. [beat] So I went down the same route, just like I’d been conditioned to for the last decade. Once again, the couples were inside. They had to know something was wrong, I mean I was able to realize the house shouldn’t have been there and I didn’t even live in the neighborhood. I slowed my car to a snail’s pace as I inspected all about the street that I could. Not really sure what I was looking for if I’m being honest, but when I got to the house, I’d convinced myself that, yes, in fact, it was as real as the rest of the places on the block.

I don’t think it was really a conscious decision when I stopped the car. I’d just been going so slow already and… well I’d reached my target, hadn’t I? I sat and gazed over the house for a few moments. Looking over the perfect condition it seemed to be in, to no avail. It seemed to be perfectly normal. Maybe… Maybe I was really just in my head about all of this. Was it really that hard to believe? I should’ve just left, stopped staring at this place. Sitting there wasn’t going to change the fact that it was there, whether or not I could really trust my mind.

But… then I saw the curtains in the front window move. I snapped my gaze over to where I’d seen the motion and there was a little boy staring at me through the glass. He looked off to something behind the curtain before looking back over and waving, grinning a gap toothed smile at me. I... Well I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that so… I waved back. What else was I supposed to do? In an instance, I became convinced that I’d really just made the whole thing up. If there really was someone inside and nothing untoward seemed to be going on, the kid had seemed perfectly happy after all, then it had to be a real house. And really, if it had been some big spooky master plan, then why would he have acknowledged me? I’ve been to the movie theatre. I know children in horror flicks can be creepy, but just straight up waving at me like I was just another neighbor and nothing was going on? Didn’t exactly set up the sinister mood that I figured would have come from the place.

And then a hand shot out and. The kid recoiled as it shut, looking disappointed that he’d been caught doing something it was evident he wasn't supposed to. And I snapped back into trusting myself and sticking with my gut. I didn’t like the look of that. At all. Unfortunately, my whole life, I’ve generally been prone to the third fear response rather than either of the useful ones: I freeze. This time was no different. I couldn’t bring myself to drive away.

[In the background, eerie music begins playing.]

I sat there in dead silence for what felt like hours with a vague feeling of unease hanging in the air when the door opened. A man stepped out, wearing this fine tailored suit that I’d seen clients wealthier than I would ever be wear into my office and carried himself with the confidence of a person that knows no one is going to cross them. Despite all that, his face was soft. Approachable. Kind, even. Seemed like the kind of guy that knew he had money, but was willing to help you if you’d just say thank you afterwards.

As he approached my car he called out to me: “Hello there!”

Nice and friendly. Even with the strangeness of a few moments ago and my lingering unease, I could hardly bring myself to believe that this man would do anything to me. Sure, I was still stuck to my seat in fear, but he seemed perfectly safe. Maybe that’s just what it’s like to be charismatic though, looking back. I wasn’t sure what to do at that point, but my pre-programmed social response got the better of me and I rolled down my window to meet him.

“Hi.” I said. Just a simple greeting until I could really figure out what was happening.

He put one hand on the top of my car and leaned down to meet my eyes. As he spoke, his smile never faded: “So… I take it… you can see this place?”

Well, I was so taken aback I wasn’t really sure what to say, so I just nodded. And the next thing he said, well… threw me a bit off. He stood up, brushed off his pants calmly, turned back to the house, began walking, and he just said-

[Record scratch, cutting the music off.]

ARCHIVIST:

Now there’s a profanity here that I will not repeat, but it seems Ayla’s statement finishes there.

[The Archivist sighs and shuffles their papers.]

ARCHIVIST:

There’s not much followup to be done here. Ayla gave us a street address, but didn’t actually tell us which house it was. [mutters] Perhaps she’s more of an idiot than she claims to be.

Regardless, upon investigating the street, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, though none of our staff were familiar enough with the area to tell which houses should and shouldn’t be there. In my personal opinion, this is a mere case of a poor attention span. I can’t blame Ayla, I suppose, but was it really worth coming here and telling a whole dramatic story over it?

[scoff] There are some other areas of this statement that leave room for questioning and research, such as the radio static and the house’s residents. For now, however, I will be filing this one under “Irrelevant” in my mind. End recording.

[Recorder clicks on.]

[Recorder clicks back on.]

[There’s footsteps as HR walks down the hall. They knock on the Archivist’s office door. Meanwhile, the Archivist can be heard moving something.]

HR:

[muffled] Uh, hello? I’ve got something for the Archivist.

ARCHIVIST:

Oh, uh, yes, of course. Just let me— [They curse as they are heard tripping over piles of statements.]

[A pause.]

HR:

...should I come back at a later time, or—?

[The door suddenly swings open.]

ARCHIVIST:

Right. Blimey. Sorry about that, mate. What’s all this, then?

HR:

Er, are you the head archivist?

ARCHIVIST:

That depends, who’s asking?

HR:

Your HR. I’m also an intern under Mr. Banks, which brings about a whole array of other useless titles, but for your purposes, I’m just HR. My name is Luca.

ARCHIVIST:

Oh! Lovely. Mr. Banks told me I’d be seeing you. Um, pleasure to meet you.

HR:

Thanks, you—wait, wh—?

ARCHIVIST:

[trying to change the subject] Say, why are you here, Luca? Any plans for after your internship? I mean, surely, you have a field of study, a career plan?

HR:

[slowly, growing increasingly confused] Oh, um, yeah. I, um—well, I started here—um, yeah, after my internship, I. Uh.

ARCHIVIST:

It’s alright if you don’t have a plan, y’know. Took me a while to figure all my stuff out, and, well, I got out alive, didn’t I?

HR:

No, it’s just—I know I have something, I just. Um. [desperately trying to change the subject] What are you doing in there, exactly?

ARCHIVIST:

[beat] Oh, just some housekeeping.

HR:

...and that required you to move an entire bookshelf?

[A long pause.]

ARCHIVIST:

Listen, I know what this looks like.

HR:

Doesn’t he have a weird thing about that?

ARCHIVIST:

[passionate] Which is exactly why I did it! I mean, they’re not the heaviest bookshelves in the world, so it’s certainly not a matter of safety.

HR:

[mutters] As if Mr. Banks has ever valued the life and safety of his employees.

[Both are heard walking back into the office towards where the bookshelf was.]

ARCHIVIST:

[cont.] Which means there must have been something weird about the bookshelf—and I was right. See, look, there’s like a weird...hole. Thing.

HR:

...I’m guessing that’s why Mr. Banks made me bring you a shovel?

ARCHIVIST:

Hm? Oh, right, the shovel. Kind of forgot I had asked for that.

HR:

How did you not notice I was carrying it when I came here?

ARCHIVIST:

You see, within the hole, there’s this big mound of dirt, and I have reason to believe that there’s something hidden beneath.

HR:

[They sniff, then, disgusted] Oh god, why does it smell like something died in there?

ARCHIVIST:

That’s what I’m trying to find out.

HR:

Look, can’t you just...I don’t know, leave it? Like, just put the bookshelf back, spray some air freshener, and then be done with it? I really don’t want to have to write this up.

ARCHIVIST:

You expect me to work under these conditions? Having a mysterious hole in my wall with no idea what’s lurking within?

HR:

Look, I just think this is a really stupid idea. If Mr. Banks finds out—

ARCHIVIST:

He’s not going to! You— [they huff a sigh.] Would you just hand me my shovel? I’m going in!

HR:

Whatever you say.

[HR hands the Archivist the shovel.]

ARCHIVIST:

Thank you.

[They are heard shoveling for some time, before the Archivist finally seems to hit something.]

HR:

Is...is that…?

ARCHIVIST:

My god.

HR:

That’s a dead body.

ARCHIVIST:

Appears to be. [beat.] Do you know who it is?

HR:

I mean, they’re sort of hard to recognize now.

ARCHIVIST:

Perhaps the previous archivist?

HR:

I dunno, I never knew them.

[A long pause.]

ARCHIVIST:

Right, then. Back to work. Mind helping me move this bookshelf?

HR:

(under their breath) God, I’m gonna have to write this up, aren’t I?

[Recorder clicks off.]

[Theme music plays.]

[CREDITS.]

Incident Report Number 31 is a podcast made by Three-Eyed Frog Presents. This episode, “In the Middle of the Street,” was written, directed, and produced by Val West and Luka Miller with sound design by Luka Miller. This episode featured Val West as the Archivist and Luka Miller as HR. Music is produced by Luka Miller. To keep up with the show and find transcripts, make sure to follow us on our Twitter at @IR31Pod and on tumblr at @IncidentReport31. To contact us with any questions or concerns, feel free to email us at incidentreport31@gmail.com. Thanks so much for listening!

[kumeko]

For @dickgraysonexchange2020, for courage_boss! I had a lot of fun with this one.

Prompt: Dick gets a coupon book for his bday and uses all but the last one.

…

…

…

…

If there was one good thing about Bruce Wayne’s string of adoptions, it was that events were never a quiet affair. No matter how much Jason or Damian might have wanted them to be. Dick, on the other hand, embraced the fullness of the manor. The place felt too empty and stuffy on a normal day, what with most of the family out and about.

 It was only for special days, like his birthday, that everyone gathered together again. Between his friends and family, every room felt full, the manor bursting with sound and life. A far cry from the dreary dinners when it had just been the three of them, with Bruce awkwardly figuring out parenting and Alfred kindly filling in the gaps.

 Walking around with a slice of cake, Dick spotted Alfred and grinned. He meandered over. “Alfred, one of these days, you’re going to realize just how much you’d make running a restaurant.”

 Alfred chuckled. “Perhaps, Master Richard, but the last time I left, the manor collapsed.” His expression was fond. “It’s too much work fixing it after.”

 “That…” Dick couldn’t even argue. Anytime Alfred left on vacation, sabbatical, whatever, nothing went right. The kitchen burned. Bruce forgot to eat or sleep. Mold and dust became new tenants. “It’s all a ploy to keep you here longer.”

 “Then it is certainly working.” His smile looked more amused than weary. “You certainly do keep me on my toes.”

“Dick!” Tim poked his head out of the study. Spotting him, he gestured for him to come. “Got a sec?”

 “It’s only a party,” Dick teased, nodding to Alfred before going. “Not like I have anything important to miss.”

 Tim rolled his eyes. “You could have been talking to someone.” Despite his cavalier words, his cheeks reddened from embarrassment.

 Dick didn’t press the matter, storing it away instead for later teasing. “What’s up?” he asked as he stepped into the study.

 There was no such thing as a small room in the Wayne manor. Yet, crowded with Damian, Cassandra, Tim, Bruce, and Jason, the study suddenly felt cozy. Dick grinned, unable to help himself. “The whole gang’s here!”

 Jason clicked his teeth. “Let’s get it over with.”

 “For once, I agree with the failure,” Damian added, crossing his arms.

 “Aww, don’t be like that.” Dick sidled up to them, planting himself in between. Before they could react, he loped an arm around their shoulders. “You both came, after all.”

 “I made sure of it,” Bruce said simply. Dick wasn’t sure what that entailed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

 Damian squawked. “I didn’t—”

 “Don’t you—” Jason growled, tossing off Dick’s arm.

 “We got you a gift!” Tim interrupted, before a fight could erupt. He held out a small, neatly wrapped box. The wrapping paper and ribbon were a soft blue, matching his Nightwing costume. “Everyone chipped in.”

 “Chipped in?” Dick reluctantly let go of the two to accept. Ignoring how Damian and Jason immediately escaped to the other side of the room, he carefully pulled the ribbons and unwrapped. What could it possibly be, if everyone chipped in and it was so tiny? Tickets? A gadget? A thick wad of cash?

 Oddly enough, none of those. Instead there was a small book inside, roughly the size of a chequebook. Scrawled neatly on the top was Coupons.

 “A coupon book?” Confused, he looked up at Tim. “You guys chipped in for a coupon book?”

 “Look inside,” Tim encouraged, his smile so wide it nearly split his face in half.

 “Okay…” Still bemused, he quickly flipped through the pages. Defeat your enemies. Do a chore. Take the night off. Massage. The writing differed from page to page, from Damian’s neat, cramped writing to Cassandra’s messy flowing one. Most of them were made by Tim though, and they were of course all the normal ones.

 It was better than anything he’d imagined. Feeling utterly soft, he quickly hugged Tim. “Thanks.” Without missing a beat, he pounced on Damian and Jason. Despite their protests, they didn’t squirm out of his grip. Finally, he rounded on Cass and Bruce, both of which hugged him back awkwardly, as though they weren’t sure quite how.

 “I can’t believe you made this,” he said, finally untangling himself.

 “Well, considering everything we have, it’s hard to buy gifts.” Tim shrugged. “Steph had the idea, actually.”

 Well, that made sense. She always had the fun, interesting ideas.  Dick made note to thank her later. “I can’t believe you two agreed to this,” he said, looking at Damian and Jason.

 “A little strong arming from Cass,” Tim explained.

 “I did not get threa—” Damian protested, glaring at Tim. Hopefully this didn’t lead to the two of them stabbing each other in the batcave later. Then again, there was a clean the batcave ticket too, maybe he could have them clean up after their mess.

 “I did not have to…convince Damian,” Cassandra replied stiffly. Despite how much time had passed, words were still her second most fluent language. “He was…agreeing to this.”

 “Really?” Jason guffawed.

 “That’s because no one can strong arm me,” Damian growled, his lips curling into a sneer as he glared at Jason. “And that means she did strong arm you.”

 “Stop,” Bruce warned, rubbing his forehead. “We’re in the middle of a party.”

 “Oh, don’t worry, I have that covered.” Dick whistled as he flipped through the coupon book, stopping at one of them. Tearing it out, he grinned. “Now, one of you two has to compliment me…who should I pick?”

 -x-

 “You…want me to cook?” Cassandra’s brow furrowed as she stared at the little slip of paper in her hands.

 “More or less.” Dick grinned as he led the way to his kitchen. His apartment was a small thing compared to the manor, but it was home, and there was something energizing about having someone over. If there was one thing he loved about the coupon book above all else, it was that it gave him an excuse to invite his far-flung family over.

 She cocked her head, still looking troubled. “I am not…good at it.”

 “That’s fine!” Dick hummed as he pulled out two aprons from his cupboard, handing one over to her. “As long as it’s edible.”

 “You…have one too?” Cassandra awkwardly stared at the bird-print apron, then at him.

 Laughing, he slowly put it on, demonstrating how to tie it all together. He should have expected that; his family was more comfortable fighting than they were in the kitchen, and it showed. “Yeah, we’ll cook together. It’s more fun that way, right?”

 Cassandra smiled, a small thing, and nodded. “Yes.”

 -x-

 Standing next to the old grandfather clock, Bruce crossed his arms. Honestly, he didn’t need to wear a mask to intimidate; his scowl was more than enough to scare off any random two-bit goon. “This isn’t what they were intended for.”

 Despite his words, he still hadn’t opened the passage to the batcave, and Dick considered that victory. It at least meant that Bruce was willing to hear him out. Holding out the paper, he shook his head. “How? I’m using them.”

 Bruce’s frown grew deeper. “Dick, that is supposed to be a night off for you.”

 “No, it just says night off.” Honestly, Bruce should have known better: Dick loved arguing semantics. Finding loopholes in Bruce’s rules was what he lived for. “So I’m giving you a night off.”

 “I—”

 “Babs and the Birds of Prey agreed to cover.” Dick pressed the coupon on Bruce’s chest confidently. “You’re not in the middle of a case. Perfect time for a night in.”

 “Dick…” Bruce ran a hand through his hair. Another push and he’d cave in. “Look, I appreciate it, but…”

 “Master Richard, Master Bruce.” Alfred stepped into the room and while Dick would never accuse him of something as underhanded as eavesdropping, the timing was suspect. “I have prepared the living room for your marathon. Master Timothy and Miss Cassandra are already there, though Master Damian has refused to join.”

 “Et tu, Alfred?” Bruce sighed, giving in. “Fine, but drag Damian down too, Dick. He’s not allowed to worm his way out.”

 “The if I go down, he goes down with me gambit.” Dick grinned. “I got it covered.”

 -x-

 Tim stared at the fruity mocktail he was holding, worrying his bottom lip. “I don’t think this is what Jason had in mind.”

 “I never go by what Jason has in mind,” Dick countered, drinking his own cocktail. Sipping from his ridiculously curly straw, he leaned back in his seat. “It’s always more fun that way.”

 “That’s…true,” Tim reluctantly agreed, surveying the rest of the batcave.

 Honestly, there couldn’t be anything better than relaxing by the computer, eating popcorn, and watching Damian and Jason handle all of the cleaning. Sure, they had automated robots and machines to handle this. This chore had been struck from the list years ago, after Bruce had upgraded the whole cave.

 Yet, sometimes Dick just wanted to see things done the old-fashioned way. Like Jason washing the batcar. Or Damian scrubbing the costumes. Both of them were quietly swearing as they worked, occasionally shooting him a dirty glare. He didn’t have to read their minds to know he’d have to watch his sleep for the next week; if they could murder him, they would.

 “Don’t forget the bat droppings,” he added cheerfully.

 If he was going to die young, might as well go out with a bang.

  -x-

 Dick sighed as he stared at the coupon book. In the span of a month, he’d managed to use almost all thirty of them, most of them in the most frivolous way possible. He didn’t regret it; it had been fun. No matter what ridiculous thing he came up with, his family had done it. Begrudgingly, at times, but they’d still done it.

 The whole thing had given them so many excuses to hang out, no matter what else was going on in their lives. And now it was all over. All he had left was a single Do whatever you say for a day ticket. One last one and the gift would be done.

 He sighed again. This gift was far too precious to use on a passing whim. Carefully, he folded up that last coupon, tucking it in securely into his wallet. Dick would save it for the best opportunity, for the final memory that couldn’t be replaced. A rainy day when he needed a pick-me-up.

 More importantly, it literally would force someone to do whatever he said for a day. Power like that had to be considered before he used it.

[breakyeol]

Heart Glow | 01

masterlist

01 | 02

☆ pairing: chanyeol x reader | ft. baekhyun

☆ genre: alien AU, fluff, smut (next part)  

☆ summary: No, you didn’t witness an alien spacecraft crash in the middle of the woods. No, a half dead person’s heart did not start glowing. And no, that person was not an alien. Because aliens don’t exist… right?

☆ word count: 7.3k 

A/N: shiiii hello. so... i did this. I did a crap job editing so sorry for any grammar or spelling errors in advance. this is the first part of a two or three part series, depending on the length of the next part. ALSO, i made the moodboard thingy so plz don’t repost w/o crediting me :( thank you lovelies, hope you enjoy! 

“I can’t believe you tricked me.” 

“I didn’t trick you!”

“You said we were going to get ice cream!” Baekhyun hissed from the passenger’s seat, arms crossed angrily over his chest as a pout teased his bottom lip. 

You gestured towards the empty ice cream carton sitting in his lap. “Which we did! And now we’re going camping.” 

“You conveniently seemed to have left that part out. This could be considered kidnapping, you know. I could probably sue you.” 

A deep scowl contorted your features as you swung a brief glare in his direction. “Hey! This was my last resort, okay? You promised to go camping with me a while ago! But every time I tried to bring it up you suddenly had plans.” 

“What can I say? Byun Baekhyun is a man in high demand. It’s not my fault I’m so popular.”

A loud scoff had him pinning you with a stinging glare. “You don’t even have any other friends besides me, Baek.” 

“Not true!” 

“Name three.” You retorted swiftly. 

“Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Minseok,” he smirked triumphantly. 

You took a big breath. “Kyungsoo literally can’t stand you because of that one time you dropped his new phone in your sangria. Jongdae only tolerates you because you work at the same company. Minseok is my friend, not yours. And he doesn’t like you either because of that time you dyed his hair hot pink,” you exhaled, matching his smirk with one of your own, “Try again.”

He spluttered in disbelief, at a loss for words before he finally managed to spit out some form of a reply. “That last one was an accident! It was meant for you!”

“Exactly why I’m your one and only friend.,” you snapped, detaching one hand from the wheel so that you could reach over and flicking his forehead, “because I’m the only person on this planet that can tolerate your bullshit.”

“Whatever,” he scowled, and, knowing he wasn’t going to be winning this argument, smoothly changed the subject, “What’s with the sudden camping trip anyways? You barely ever even want to leave your bed.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. 

In the past, the idea of camping would not have been very appealing. You would have much preferred the warm company of your bed to a thin, cold sleeping bag.You weren’t the type to step out of your comfort zone too frequently. You enjoyed your little bubble, it was safe and happy and familiar. There was no reason for you to go out of your way to try new things or explore the world. You had everything you needed with your job at the bakery, your cozy apartment, your close knit circle of friends. You were content.

But for whatever reason, your head had been feeling rather off these past few months. Like there was something that you were missing. Laying in bed all day was no longer fulfilling, only leaving you drained, dissatisfied, and scoured with the feeling that you’d just wasted precious hours of your life binge watching unrealistic shows and movies. 

This sudden change left you confused and grasping helplessly for answers. 

You’d tried changing little things at first; redecorating your apartment, going out more often to bars or clubs, buying a membership to a gym, et cetera. It was satisfying for a moment, a short lived gratification to make a difference in your life. But it all just felt pointless in the end. It all ended up feeling like white noise. And that little nagging voice in the back of your head grew more and more relentless. 

Figuring out what could possibly soothe it proved to be the biggest challenge you've faced since trying to figure out what college you could attend in your high school years. 

Until you had an epiphany. Maybe it wasn’t something you needed to change… but something you were missing. What exactly it is that you’re missing, you’re still not quite sure of. But hopefully getting away from the noisy city and getting some fresh air and a much needed escape into nature would help clear that up, especially with the help of your beloved best friend Byun Baekhyun at your side. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. I just felt like it was time to do something a little out of my usual daily routine,” you paused, brows furrowing as a sudden thought struck you, “you ever get that feeling like you’re going in circles?” 

“Circles?” He repeated, confusion clear in his voice. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean—“ you stopped abruptly and chuckled softly, shaking your head as you realized it would be impossible to try and untangle the mess of thoughts in your head and lay them out for him, “never mind. It’s too hard to explain.” 

“No, tell—”

“We’re here!” You exclaimed loudly, voice bubbling with excitement as you spotted the sign indicating the beginning of the camping grounds. Pulling into the parking lot, you were shocked to find it completely empty. “Are we… the only people here?” 

“Are you surprised? Who the hell camps anymore?” You decided to ignore his remark, instead, parking and hopping out of your car, before looking over at him with an excited grin. 

“More forest for us then,” you chirped happily, and he groaned, “Come help me unload the trunk. I want to have everything set up before it starts getting dark out.”

Baekhyun scowled as you slammed the door, before sighing dramatically in defeat and unbuckling his seat belt. “This is going to be a long night.”

“When the hell did you have the time to go buy all this camping shit?” Baekhyun grunted, face red with sweat glistening on his brow as you hauled the equipment up a particularly unforgiving hill. You’d somehow convinced —ahem, threatened— him to carry the bulk of the stuff you’d brought, while you got off easy with only carrying your bags and a folding chair.

You shot a light grin at him over your shoulder, shrugging vaguely. “You’d be impressed by how much free time I gained by not sleeping in until two in the afternoon.” 

Baekhyun chuckled dryly, shaking his head as he peered after you in wonder, “you amaze me.” 

You grinned as you looked back at him, only to see that he’d begun to fall quite far behind, exhaustion clear on his features. “Pick up the pace slowpoke! We’ve still got a little more ground left to cover!” You called, laughing as he groaned dramatically and staggered on forward, trying his very best to catch up with you. 

“You enjoy my suffering, don’t you?” He huffed.

“Mm, you know I love it, baby.” You winked, biting your lip as your brows wiggled suggestively. He picked up the first thing his fingers could find off the leafy ground (luckily a small twig and not a rock) and chucked it at your head. 

“Hey! Throwing things is not a solution for your inner rage,” you scolded, squeaking in surprise as he suddenly surged forward, trying to make a grab for you. You dodged out of the way just in time and began booking it up the hill as fast as your admittedly sore legs would carry you, Baekhyun close on your heel with determination burning in his eyes. 

You all but flung yourself to the ground once you reached the peak, laughing breathlessly, sweat glistening on your face, body aching and tired from the exertion, but the feeling of accomplishment warded away any negativity that threatened your mindset. 

Baekhyun staggered up after you, looking even more exhausted than before, face also completely red and knees visibly weak under the weight of his body combined with the mass of the equipment. When he saw you laying on the ground, he dropped everything he’d been carrying and collapsed beside you, trying to catch his breath as he blinked sweat away from his eyes. 

“Are we…” he swallowed as his raspy voice cracked faintly, “here?” 

A grin broke out across your features as you turned your head, finding him already looking at you hopefully. “We’re here,” you confirmed, heading shifting so that you could stare up at the beautiful blue sky peering shyly through the thick green canopy above you. 

“Thank fuck,” he croaked, and you cackled. 

For a few minutes, you laid in comfortable silence (a rare blessing when hanging out with Baekhyun), catching your breath and recuperating from the hike to this special little spot in the woods. 

“Have you been here before?” He suddenly asked, turning to look at you, dark eyes blinking curiously. 

You nodded, smiling nostalgically. “Yeah. My dad and I used to come out here once a year during the summer for a day or two.”  

“No wonder it seemed like you knew where you were going,” he chuckled softly. 

“We came to this exact spot, you know. Because when the sun sets, you have the best view of the stars,” you sighed dreamily, hands rising above your face as you pictured the midnight blue sky riddled with winking stars, “it’s seriously beautiful, Baek. One time I even saw a shooting star.” 

“Did you make a wish?” 

You scoffed in disbelief, turning to look at him with a lopsided grin. “What do you take me for? Of course I did.” 

He laughed softly, “did it come true?” 

You sighed thoughtfully, eyes squinting against the bright blue sky. “No. Not yet.” 

Looking back, you still remember exactly what you’d wished for. But you’d been so young then, so naive and hopeful and, admittedly, pretty dumb. 

It was an unrealistic wish. 

But you couldn’t stop your heart from wanting it, even now. You’d wished for something that most people found unattainable, something only the luckiest of the lucky were able to have, and able to keep. And, especially in these past few months, the universe seemed astonishingly adamant on showing you just how mind bogglingly unlucky you were. 

“Okay!” You exclaimed abruptly, and Baekhyun jumped in surprise, head swinging around to watch with wide eyes as you pushed yourself off of the ground, swatting any dirt that clung to the back of your black leggings. “That’s enough time wasted. Time to set up.”

“Y/n~” Baekhyun whined in protest, flopping back onto the ground as a heavy pout tugged at his lips, “can’t we rest for a little more? My legs still feel like they’re about to fall off.” 

“Nope!” You sang, grabbing his wrists and pulling him upright, ignoring him as he objected loudly. “There’s much to be done before we can relax. Here, we'll set up the tent first and then the fire pit. It won’t take too long, I promise.” 

“Not long my ass.” Baekhyun snapped, glaring at you. 

“Hey, it’s not my fault you don’t know shit about how to properly put up a tent!” You hissed, thrusting an accusing finger in his direction. 

“Why the fuck would I need to know how to put up a stupid tent? You’re the one that dragged us out here in the first place! Take responsibility instead of blaming me!” He bit back harshly, arms folding stubbornly across his chest while he sassily cocked a hip. 

You rolled your eyes, exhaling heavily at his childishness. “We got it done. That’s what matters.” 

Well, you got it done– but you weren’t adamant on starting any more unnecessary arguments with Baekhyun. You’d gotten more than a day’s worth or arguing done in just the last hour while trying to set up your campsite. You dragged him out here to relax, to take a break from any and all things stressful and annoying. You probably should have kept in mind that Baekhyun was, in fact, one of the most annoying people you’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. But you loved him, so it was okay. 

You flopped down on one of the log benches encircled the fire pit, letting out a long breath as you tilted your head back and inhaled deeply, a nostalgic smile flickering at the corners of your lips. The musky scent of the smoke you brought back memories you’d thought you’d long forgotten, if the long nights spent laughing and joking with your dad into the early morning, until you both collapsed from exhaustion with bellies full of s’mores and cheap hot cocoa. They were nice memories. But they made you sad. The kind of sad that felt like a heavy stone had been dropped on your chest. 

Baekhyun dropped down beside you, and you felt his shoulder nudge up against yours. Peeling open your eyelids, you glanced over at him with a raised brow. 

“What did you mean earlier?” 

You blinked at him. “What?”

“When you said the thing about circles?” He elaborated, throwing in a circular hand motion for good measure. 

“Circles?” You pondered for a moment before finally recalling the conversation you’d been having in the car before you arrived. “Oh. That. Well… I don’t think I can really… it’ll just sound stupid once I actually try to say it out loud, and explaining it would be too complicated—”

“Try.” 

You opened your mouth, about to give a smart aleck reply, but then you met his gaze. There was something so sincere in his dark eyes, something pleading. He wanted to know what was on your mind, what was bothering you. He wanted to help you. You felt an unexpected warmth in your chest, a gratefulness swelling up inside of you. 

In spite of his obnoxious, playful nature, Baekhyun was one of the most genuine people you’d ever met in your entire life. He was honest, thoughtful, and loving. He had a good heart. And although you’d never admit it out loud, because you’d never hear the end of it from him, you were very glad to have him as your best friend. Maybe one day you’d tell him everything he meant to you. One day, when his incessant teasing wouldn’t be so brutal and he wouldn’t rub it in your face with that stupid lopsided grin on his face every chance that he got. 

And so, regardless of not quite understanding your internal turmoil yourself, you tried your very best to explain it to him. To put into words the confusing emotions and thoughts that were running amuck in your head. You bore your every thought, every worry, every trouble, not missing a single detail if you could help it. You laid it all out for him, as best you could without sounding completely insane. 

There was a brief pause when you finished, the only sound was the low cracking of the flames as  they playfully danced before your eyes. It made you feel anxious. But there was also a sense of unparalleled relief to have finally gotten all of that off of your chest. 

“Maybe you’re lonely.”

You were surprised by the suggestion, turning him with brows furrowed in confusion. “Lonely? Why would I be lonely? I’m not lonely.”

“It sure sounds like you’re lonely.”

You immediately shook your head, rejecting the idea. “That doesn’t make sense. I have plenty of friends, I’m surrounded by people all day at work. I also have your annoying ass with me twenty four seven,” you teased. Baekhyun scowled. 

“Not that kind of lonely, dumbass. Romantically.” He paused, searching your face for any kind of understanding. But, he could only sigh in frustration as he saw the look of pure confusion in your eyes, making it very obvious you didn’t understand what he was saying whatsoever. “When did you and Junmyeon break up?” 

“I don’t know. A year ago, maybe? But why are you bringing him up?” 

Disregarding your question, he asked another one of his own. “Have you been with anyone else since then?” 

You paused, trying to recall if you’d had any flings or short lived romances with anybody after your breakup, but could call none to mind. “No. I don’t think so.” 

“Well… have you been with anyone since?” 

You gasped, shocked he’d ask you something like that so outright. “Baekhyun!” 

“Oh my gosh, just answer! It’s not like we haven’t talked about our sex lives before.” He rolled his eyes at the flabbergasted expression on your face, shoving your arm lightly. 

“You mean you talking to me about your sex life,” you corrected, stabbing an accusing finger into his chest, to which he swatted your hand away with a pointed glare. Huffing, you swung your gaze away from him, choosing instead to focus on the flickering orange flames in front of you. “No. No, I have not been with anybody since Junmyeon.” 

You jumped as he suddenly clapped his hands together, eyes wide like he’d just discovered the solution to world hunger, “Therein lies your problem! You just need to have sex!” You rained down a vicious attack of hits on his arm and chest, spewing curses at him until he finally relented, “ow! Ow! I’m joking, y/n, joking! Stop hitting me!” 

“You’re disgusting, Baekhyun.” You spat, frustrated beyond belief as you pushed yourself off of the log and stood up, “Why’d I think you’d actually try to help me?” 

You turned, about to leave, when he suddenly grabbed your wrist and tugged you back. “Wait! Wait, I’m sorry. I’ll be serious. Sit back down,” he gave another pleading pull at your hand, looking up with what you hoped was genuine sincerity in his eyes, “please?” 

You hesitated for a moment, before huffing in defeat and dropping back down into the chair. He smiled faintly, adjusting his hold on your wrist so that he could play with your fingers. There was a brief lull of silence before he finally spoke up. “I was serious about the lonely thing. Even if you do have people in your life all the time, and my annoying ass hanging around,” he added playfully, and you chuckled, “it seems like you miss that more intimate part of being in a relationship with someone.”

“The intimate part?” You repeated, looking over at him with furrowed brows. He nodded in confirmation. 

“It seems like you miss knowing someone inside and out, and someone knowing you just as deeply. You mentioned having nightmares more often than before, right? It sounds like you miss sharing your bed with someone, I think that gave you a sense of security.” You listened intently as he spoke. It still surprised you at times when your best friend, your goofy, annoying, yet somehow lovable best friend, dropped heavy wisdom on you out of the blue. Sometimes, you forgot how deep his mind and heart actually were. 

Maybe you were lonely. Maybe you’d been lonely for so long and had gotten so used to the emptiness that you didn’t even realize that it was loneliness you were feeling. Maybe this whole time, that something you’d been craving and subconsciously searching for, was actually someone. Maybe more than anything in the world, you wanted somebody to fill up that hollow place in your heart, somebody to hold, somebody to kiss, somebody to love. 

And maybe you wanted it so badly that you’d take it just about anywhere you could find it. 

That last bit probably wasn’t true. You weren’t desperate for affection by any means. But, at the very least, it would explain why you found yourself staring at Baekhyun’s lips for a few seconds longer than a friend probably should. Just long enough for him to notice. His voice fizzled off into the night air, the only sounds left surrounding you were the gentle crackling of the orange flames and the sensual song of the cicadas hidden in the trees. 

You watched as he blinked, confusion and intrigue gracing his gentle features in the form of a warm pink blush and fluttering eyelashes. You felt your heart start to pick up speed. 

“Baekhyun,” you murmured, voice almost quiet enough to be lost amongst the hushed rustling of leaves. 

He swallowed, and you watched with unfamiliar intensity as his Adam’s Apple bobbed. “Yeah?” He whispered, his own voice strained and heavy on his tongue. His hands curled into tight fists on his lap as you subconsciously licked your lips. 

“Can I…” your stare flickered up to meet his, “try something?” 

His face reddened as he glanced briefly at your mouth before hurriedly meeting your eyes, giving a single, faint nod in response. “Okay.” At his consent, you shifted closer to him, until your thigh gently bumped his, your shoulders nudging up against one another. Up close, it seemed as if you could see every detail of his face. Every stray freckle, every delicate eyelash, 

It was strange. But familiar. A nervous sensation bubbled up inside of you when you met his wide eyed gaze, and you found yourself faltering. 

“Can you close your eyes?” 

The request was met with hesitance at first, understandably. But soon enough he was nodding, eyes squeezing shut obediently. He pursued his lips, brows furrowing as he breathed unevenly through his nose, 

You suddenly found yourself being reminded of a night long ago. When the two of you were still teenagers, young and reckless and hormonal. 

He’d been over at your place. You’d talked and laughed late into the night, even stolen a glass of your mom’s prized wine just to try. You hadn’t been too fond of the flavor, though Baekhyun loved it. You remember laughing at how quickly he got himself tipsy, cheeks going a soft pink, eyes becoming hooded, lips pulling into a hazy little grin. You’d listened to him babble aimlessly for almost an hour before he’d finally fallen asleep, slumping unexpectedly against you mid sentence, head falling onto your shoulder, hands wrapped loosely around your waist. 

You can still remember the warmth of his breath against your neck, the softness of his cheek on your shoulder, the faint tickling sensation of his hair under your chin. He’d looked so innocent then, features washed in the delicate grey moonlight, making him almost seem to glow. You remember looking at him— really looking at him for the first time in your life. You’d always known he was considered attractive by many, the subject of several girls’ fantasies, but you saw him differently that night. Just as you were seeing him differently now. 

Only now, you weren’t in your bedroom wrapped up in your warm comforter, but washed in the throbbing heat of a campfire. And it wasn’t the moonlight that made him glow, but the flickering yellow flame that doused his entire body in the hellish radiance. 

You couldn’t help but to wonder when exactly he’d become a man. It seemed like it wasn’t long ago that he was that goofy little boy with the weird haircut and a mouth that could run for hours without becoming exhausted. How had you not noticed him changing before your very eyes? 

He shuddered when your fingers suddenly raised, ever so gently feathering over his cheek, and you saw his eyes squeeze tighter. You let your hand settle around the back of his neck, cupping it loosely. He leaned forward ever so slightly, and you felt the side of his chest pressing against your arm. You tilted your chin upwards. You felt his breath tickle your upper lip. The faintest of chills rolled down your spine. 

Were you really about to do this? Were you really about to kiss your best friend? It definitely wasn’t a good idea. But you couldn’t really bring yourself to care. 

Your train of thought was unexpectedly halted by an odd noise. A faint humming or whistling, you couldn’t quite make it out. But, it was enough to have you leaning away from Baekhyun’s puckered lips, just in time to catch a streak of white light piercing the midnight blue sky. For a moment, you thought it might’ve been a shooting star. But, shooting stars are there then gone in the blink of an eye. Whatever this was, wasn’t vanishing. In fact, it seemed to be getting closer.

“What the hell?” You muttered, face contorting in confusion. 

Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered open, his brows furrowing as he caught sight of your unsettled expression. “What? What’s wr—”

And then, all at once, it felt as if the air itself had come… alive. 

It vibrated around you, buzzing excitedly. Warm and energized, it sent something equivalent to jolts of electricity shooting through your veins. The hair on your arms and the back of your neck stood on end, skin rippling with goosebumps. An unfamiliar anticipation seized you violently.

It all happened so fast.  

There was a flash of white in your peripheral vision, and the whistling sound progressed into a low, prolonged shriek. Confusion and fear ripped through you. “Baekhyun—” you tried to reach for him, but next thing you knew, you were knocked flat on your back by a sudden sharp rush of wind, leaving you gasping and heaving desperately. You recognized the feeling of not being able to breathe. The air had been knocked from your lungs. 

A skull splitting screech tore through the night sky. Your hands leapt to cover your ears, eyes squeezing shut in agony, the sound making your head feel like it was about to explode. There was a flash of something bright behind your eyelids, and then an unearthly howling, before a deafening explosion flung your writhing body across the damp earth. 

The last thing you felt was a pain equivalent to receiving a knife to the back of head before a deep, inky blackness consumed you.

“Y/n!” 

Your eyes snapped open at the sound of someone calling your name, ears ringing faintly, vision blurry for a moment before focusing on the familiar, worried face of your best friend, Byun Baekhyun. 

“Baek?” You muttered softly in confusion, throat feeling dry and raw. 

“Thank god. You scared the living shit out of me,” he laughed, but you could just make out the glistening reminisce of tears clinging to his eyelashes. The ground felt as if it might fall out from underneath you as you pushed yourself upright with a low groan, trying your very best to ignore the dull throb in the back of your skull. “Are you alright? You hit your head really hard.” 

You carefully touched the back of your head, drawing away sharply as the faintest pressure sent a shock of pain shooting through the area. “Did I? Shit. What happened?”

His eyes went wide, trembling hands shooting out to grab your shoulders. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Look for yourself.” He gestured with a sharp nod of his head at the large grey rock you just realized you were tucked safely behind. Glancing at him skeptically, you crept forward on your hands and knees before slowly leaning up and peering over. 

The first thing you saw was flame. Dull orange flames flickered lazily, some scattered in the wet grass, others clinging onto the shredded silver metal of the massive contraption that had broken through the treetops and created a dent in the earth. 

“Holy shit.” You blinked in disbelief, jaw going slack as you stared at the scene before you, an equal amount of both horror and curiosity flooding through you. “Is that… is that a—” 

“An alien spacecraft? Yes indeed.” 

“Don’t be fucking stupid.” You hissed, smacking the back of his head. “That’s impossible.”

“Well the fuck else could it be, y/n?”  He laughed harshly in disbelief, throwing his hands up as his eyes took on a wild appearance. “Have you ever seen an airplane that looks like that before, huh?” 

You wracked your brain for some kind of rational explanation, spluttering out weakly, “maybe it’s some sort of satellite or something.” 

“Yeah–fucking–right.” Baekhyun was shaking his head suddenly, pulling at your arm as something anxious glinted in his usually playful gaze. “We have to get out of here. This is fucking insane. This is—” he froze abruptly, body tensing beside you, the hold he had on your arm tightening substantially, “what the fuck is that?”

“What’s what?” You murmured in confusion, head whipping around to try and find whatever it was that caught his eye. It didn’t take very long. 

There was a dark shape on the ground, a lump in the grass. You squinted, before your eyes widened in horror. You might’ve easily mistaken it for a rock in the darkness had it not been for the dull glow of the fire from the strange aircraft and the bright silver moonlight.

“It’s a person.” You murmured in  realization, slowly standing up right. Baekhyun was quick to snatch your wrist.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” He hissed, eyes looking about ready to pop out of his skull. 

“They look hurt! We can’t just leave them there!” You yanked your wrist sharply out of his hold, turning on your heels and cautiously making your way over to the unmoving person, completely ignoring Baekhyun’s frantic calls for you to ‘get your ass back over here’. 

You could admit that a part of you was scared shitless, but what kind of person would you be to just leave them here, completely defenseless. As you grew closer, the person's features gradually became clearer. It was a man. Washed in the pale moonlight, he almost appeared to be… glowing. Tanned skin, hair red as blood, body covered in nothing but bruises, gashes, and ash. Even in that state, you couldn’t deny how handsome he was. But that definitely wasn’t your greatest concern. No, your attention was captured more by the fresh wounds littered across his naked body. There was one especially nasty looking one across his chest. 

Unsurprisingly, you soon felt Baekhyun’s worried presence looming over your shoulder, spluttering out curses as he took in the state of the unconscious boy. 

“Oh my god. That’s a lot of blood. Is he dead? I think he’s dead. He looks really dead. What are we gonna do, y/n?” Baekhyun rambled, voice panicked and frightened as he paced anxiously behind you.

“He’s still breathing, shit head,” you snapped, shooting him a pointed look over your shoulder, “but we have to get him to a hospital, and fast. He’s bleeding a lot.” 

The amount of blood seeping from the gash in his chest was increasing by the second. You wracked your brain for a way to ease it up before he bled out in the spot. Inspiration struck you in the form of your best friend’s yellow and blue plaid button up. “Baek, quick, take off your shirt.”

His face twisted. “Excuse me?”

“Just take it off! We need something to cover him with and to stop the bleeding,” you explained hurriedly, not giving him a chance to respond before you were shoving it off of his shoulders and pulling it down his arms. 

“Hey! Hey! I’m not wearing anything under this! This is assault! Assault!” He shrieked, attempting to squirm away from you, when suddenly a loud tearing sound split the air. His jaw dropped, gasping as he stared in horror at his sleeve hanging limply in your hand. “Y/n! This is my favorite shirt!”

“I’m sorry! But I think he needs it a little more than you do right now. I’ll buy you a new one I promise, but can I please have it for now? He's completely naked,” you tried to reason, gesturing vaguely towards the man’s bare nether regions that were just somewhat distracting. 

“Fine,” he relented, albeit visibly disgruntled, “but you’re buying me dinner for the next month!” How he was making demands like that at a time like this, you’re not quite sure. Byun Baekhyun was and always will be a strange, strange man.

“Fine, whatever, just take it off already, Jesus,” you rushed. He huffed in annoyance, but his fingers made quick work of the buttons, not fighting you off when you pulled it off his arms completely and turned to get to work on covering up the large wound. 

“My decency…” Baekhyun pouted as he covered his bare chest. 

You rolled your eyes. “Is that really what you’re worried about right now? Seriously? I think we have bigger things at hand.” 

“Yeah, like the fucking spaceship that just crashed!” He thrust a finger in the direction of where the large metal aircraft had crash landed not one hundred feet away from where you’d set up your camp. 

You shot a brief glare in his direction, “It’s not a spaceship.”

“Really? Because I’ve never seen a plane that looks like that before. Do you know any flying vehicles that look like that? No! Because there are none! Not on earth at least.” 

“Baekhyun, please! Shut up for two seconds so I can focus!” You snapped, your shaking hands working anxiously to press the torn fabric  against the large wound to alleviate the bleeding. It was rather nerve wracking knowing that a person’s life could possibly be in your hands. 

“I’m sorry! You know I ramble when I get worked up.” He whined defensively. Ignoring him, you carefully tied the ripped sleeves tightly around the man’s chest, applying pressure to the injury.

“We have to get him to the car. Help me get him up. Grab his legs.” You commanded, grunting as you hauled his torso up so that you could hook your arms under his armpits. 

Baekhyun let out a sound of disbelief. “Why do I have to take the legs? You take the legs!” 

“I don’t want his junk all up in my face!” 

“And you think I do?!” He yelped out, giving a sharp shout of pain as you smacked the top of his head. “Fine! Fine! I concede! Gosh, you’re so violent. Hitting people won’t solve all of your problems, you know!” 

“True. But it’ll solve this one.” 

It took you less than half of the time it took you to trek up the steep incline of the hill to haul the limp body of the boy back down it. Most likely because the two of you were running like your asses were on fire, the threat of the odd aircraft possibly exploding at any given moment adding much needed encouragement to ignore the sharp burning of your sore legs and the notable aching of your lungs. 

By the time you reached the car, you were sweating profusely and heaving for breath. Your arms felt like they were just about ready to fall off, knees weak beneath you. Your fingers were shaking as you fumbled to yank open the back door. 

“You drive,” you demanded, maneuvering into the backseat with the unconscious boy, pulling his top half up so that he was positioned over your lap, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t bleed all over my leather.” 

Baekhyun would never step out on the opportunity to drive your car, nodding sharply in agreement. “Good idea.” 

Slamming the door shut, he scrambled into the driver's seat, the engine purring to life as he turned the keys in the ignition. The tires kicked up gravel as they swiveled, the car jerked backwards before Baekhyun was swinging the wheel to the left, and you were taking off down the same path you’d come in on. 

You watched through the back window as heavy grey smoke smothered the twinkling white stars, obscuring the bright moon from view completely. Your heart lurched in your chest, your throat running dry as you watched the tips of angry flames consuming the treetops, the heavy grey smoke throbbing with an under glow of orange and yellow. It was a terrifying sight. You’d never seen anything like it in your entire life. 

Your hands, pressed down firmly against the boy’s dressed wound, were shaking profusely. You could hear the sound of your blood pulsing in your ears, the thundering of your own heart a deafening echo in the back of your skull. 

Calm down, y/n. Calm the fuck down. 

Baekhyun glanced back at you through the rear view mirror, then at the receding flames. “Do you think it’s going to—” Any speculation he was about to offer was silenced abruptly by a flash of white light and an unearthly boom. Your entire body went stiff, your breath escaping you in sharp, uneven gasps. The hold you had around the unconscious boy’s body tightened. “Holy fucking shit, y/n. Holy fucking shit. What the hell is happening right now?” 

You shook your head, at as much of a loss for answers as he was. “I don’t—” you swallowed, your throat feeling unexpectedly dry and tight, “I don’t know, Baek.” 

“Did we seriously just witness an alien spaceship crash landing on earth? Oh my god. If the government finds out— they’ll kill us won’t they? Y/n, we’re so screwed! We’ll have to go into hiding. We have to get new identities. Y/n l/n and Byun Baekhyun have to disappear. We can’t—” you cut off his senseless rambling for the umpteenth time that night. 

“Baekhyun! No one is coming to kill us! We will not have to go into hiding or find new identities or any of that sci-fi bullshit because this is real fucking life and alien spacecrafts don’t just fall out of the damn sky in real life.” 

“Like you’d know! Remind me how many movies about aliens you’ve watched in your lifetime?” You rolled your eyes, not bothering to justify such a ridiculous inquiry with a response. But, he took your silence as a sign of you admitting defeat, “yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Baekhyun, just pay attention to the—” you cut yourself off as the hand you were holding over his chest suddenly began to feel incredibly warm, the kind of heat you feel when hovering your hands in front of a flame. Brows furrowed in confusion, you lowered your gaze. A warm, crimson glow was emulating from beneath your palm. Confusion swirling to life inside of you. Slowly, you removed your hand. 

“What the fuck.”

“What the fuck what? What what the fuck?” Baekhyun questioned curiously from behind the wheel.  

“He’s… glowing.”

“Glowing? What’s glowing?”

“He’s fucking glowing, Baekhyun!” You snapped. 

He tore his eyes away from the road, torso swiveling around to try and get a glimpse as to what the hell you were talking about. “What the hell are you—,” he did a double take, eyes bulging as his jaw dropped, “holy mother of shit.” 

You could only stare, completely awestruck as his chest was consumed in a deep, blood red glow, like there was a fucking flashlight shining from the inside of him. The glow intensified, and you drew away like you’d been burned. “Baekhyun,” your voice was shaking as you called for him helplessly, a heavy sense of fear settling into your gut, “Baekhyun, what do I do?”

“I don’t know! I’ve never been in a situation like this before!” His voice was panicked and pitchy, cracking every other word like it always did when he was on the verge of losing his shit. “Try s–smacking it or something!” 

“I’m not going to smack it! What if it’s radioactive or something and we blow up!” You hissed back, trying uselessly to wriggle out from underneath the unconscious boy’s suddenly stifling weight. 

“Oh god,” Baekhyun cried out distraughtly, “we’re going to die!” 

You opened your mouth to try and argue, but all at once, the brightness of the glow emulating from the boy’s chest increased tenfold, your eyes burning fiercely from the unexpected intensity, drawing a yell of shock from your lips. 

Okay. So maybe dying was a distinct possibility. 

But just as quickly as it had come, the glow suddenly vanished. “What happened?! What just happened?!” Baekhyun demanded from the front seat, head swinging back and forth frantically between you and the road. You couldn’t bring yourself to form a proper sentence. “Y/n? Y/n?!” 

You stared blankly at the makeshift wrapping you’d made from the sleeves of Baekhyun’s favorite shirt. You found your curiosity getting the better of you. You reached towards the fabric fastened securely around his chest. Slowly, you undid the knot you’d so deliberately made, watching as the sleeves went slack and fell limply across your lap. For a moment, you were at a complete loss for words. 

“I–it’s gone,” you breathed in disbelief, trembling fingers grazing over the smooth expanse of skin that was only seconds ago marred with a deep, jagged wound. 

“What? What’s gone?” Baekhyun questioned, turning around once again. 

“H–how…” you choked on your confusion, head slowly shaking in denial. All at once, a horrible realization struck you. There was no fucking way that it was a human being laying across your lap fucking glowing. Because humans don’t glow. Because humans don’t fall out of strange aircrafts that don’t exist on earth. Because humans don’t magically heal their own wounds. 

So what, the holy hell, was on top of you?

You didn’t have much time to try and process it, because suddenly, there was honking. Loud, incessant honking. When you lifted your head, you were shocked to be blinded by a pair of bright bright headlights. It took you less than a second to process that Baekhyun had swerved to the wrong side of the road and there was a massive truck headed straight for you. 

“Baekhyun the road—!” A scream ripped from your throat. 

His head whipped around, eyes going wide as his lips parted in horror. 

There wasn’t enough time to swerve. 

And for a moment, it was like time slowed down. 

You never could have imagined that your cause of death would be getting flattened by a truck. Damn. You’d really hoped that you would go out with a little more grace than that, preferably from old age. Poison would’ve worked too. How cool would you have sounded? 

But now, when people ask how y/n l/n died— “oh, she was squashed by a semi.” See? It’s just… meh. There just isn’t as much of a kick to it as, “she was mysteriously poisoned one day… people suspect it was the jealous pool boy.” See. That’s much more mysterious, intriguing, and suspenseful. 

Plus, there was always a jealous pool boy in your death fantasies. There’d never been a massive red semi, though. What a shame. 

You closed your eyes, body bracing for the impending impact. 

… but it never came. 

Confusion washed over you as one second after another passed and you didn’t feel your bones being crushed or your body being mangled. Hesitantly, you peeled open an eye. It took you a second to process what had happened, and why there was a dark shadow cast over the car. 

But once you had, for the second time that night, it felt like the air had been knocked out of your lungs. 

Looking up through the large sunroof that stretched across the entire top of your car, you were met with the underbelly of a truck. The intricate maze of  grey tubes, oil stained metal, and the insides of massive black tires were unmistakable. It was like it was happening in slow motion. Your eyes followed as the truck gravitated over your car, emulating an eerie red glow, before landing smoothly back on the road one hundred or so feet behind it, driving off like nothing had even happened. 

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, eyes just about ready to pop out of your damn skull. “W– what…” your voice escaped you as less than a whisper, eyes blinking slowly as your brain tried to process what it had just seen. A cold palm pressing against your cheek was what broke you from your stunned trance. Slowly, you turned your head. 

You were in such a state of shock that you couldn’t even bring your stiff body or distraught mind to react to the glowing red eyes that were staring back at you before they fell shut and a pair of warm, plush lips were being pressed to yours. 

Well… fuck. 

You can officially say that this has been the most eventful night of your life.

[chappedandfadedvds]

Jan 19th, Tuesday 18:08

„What would you like to drink?“

Jens went over towards the kitchen, followed by cautious feet behind him, as he tried to recount what Lies had bought on the weekend.

„We don’t have a lot of alcohol,“ the boy went on, „but I think we have some beer and there should be an opened red wine from Saturday, if I’m not mistaken.“ He opened the fridge, scanning the items, while his finger tapped across the cold frame of the door he hold onto. „Other than that, orange or apple juice, and like icetea or water.“ 

„Water will do, and some of the wine. We don’t want it to go to waste, right?“

„Of course not.“ Jens replied, grabbing said bottles to carry them over to the table. He took a deep breath. He closed the fridge. Jens was incredibly nervous. Had been for hours today. It just had gotten worse, once the doorbell had rung five minutes ago.

His father stood by the set table, tall and sturdier than Jens had remembered him to be. Still the man had the same face, the same wandering eyes, that constantly seemed to examine everything it could catch. Hendrik was older, his hair giving in to grey strands that fell into his face again and again, only to be tugged behind the ear.

His father looked lost in this house. Familiar and yet an intruder in the home, his mom had created for her and her three children. The image was off, tilted and skrewed.

„If she isn’t down in a couple minutes, I’ll go up myself. Seriously, ever since she started playing Mario Maker 2 with Olivia last week, she had barely done anything else.“ Jens complained, brushing off the slight discomfort, because what else was there to talk about. Everything he wanted to say, was too much, too personal to bring up over dinner. He’d ask his father to stay a little longer, once Lotte would be in bed.

„I’m trying hard to keep it in, but I remember another eight-year-old, who refused to put his gameboy away for anything but to sleep. Throwing a tantrum whenever it was gone.“ 

Hendrik laughed, his eyes crinkled in kindness despite the jab at his son’s expense. Jens felt the awkwardness rise to his cheeks, while he grinned back at the man across of him. He had a point, Jens guessed. 

„Do you still need help with anything?

„No. It’s in the oven to keep warm. Just waiting for Lotte.“ Jens explained and waved off the kind offer, that fell completely short in Jens’s eyes. He also viewed his father to be more a guest than a member of this family. A person who just dropped by as it was convinient. „You can already sit down, though, if you want.“

If Jens was honest with himself, he would have loved to despise his father and scream at the ease of the situation they found themselves in. It went against what Jens would consider to be the normal reaction. He shouldn’t be smiling with a man who choose his work over his children. 

But all these late night talks with his mom had somehow helped to accept it. 

Jens still felt anger, still felt the abondoment and sadness that came with his father’s leave.

He wondered if he should sit here at this table with the man, who even after everything made Jens more serene to know to have around than not. His heart was torn by the duality of his fellings.

„How long have you been on sea this time? And where have you beenin the first place?“ Jens asked, for a lack of a better topic. He also was curious to be a child again and marvel at all the things his father had heard and seen.

„It was the first part of an artic expedition along the Greenlandic coast. I was on this big icebreaker, crushing through the tall waves and large ice floes. Enwrapped in total darkness for the last couple of weeks. Any second spend in a night that never ended. But the stars on cloudless hours were fantastic to see. And the northern lights, I certainly have photographs with me to show you. I’ve seen them before, but it had been years and it completely captivated me again to see the colours dance across the black sky. Absolutely worth giving up the sun for a while.“

His father poured himself some wine and some more for his son, who had just brought them glasses to fill. It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy at least a little bit of gentle drunkness. At least enough to hopefully drown out the faint panic at the conversation ahead of them later that night.

„However, that were just the last three month. I was on a submarine before then. That lasted over the whole summer. I was assisting an old colleague of mine. He is from Irkutsk north of Mongolia in Russia. One of the most brilliant people I had the fortune to meet. He is studying deep sea creatures. And it allowed me to refresh some of my russian. So I obviously took six month of intensive deep diving lessons to further my skills and got my fitness up to be able to go with him. I can hardly put in words how humbling and how extremly frightening the whole experience was. Dangerous to be under so much weight of water and the pressure pounding in on the vessel. No light, only low rumble. Eery.“

His father’s pitch dropped as he spoke. It caught Jens to listen in to every word with intent.

„There was like this gripping loneliness at the bottom of the ocean. We just had each other in an environment that would be lethal for us to be in. Just narrow rooms and halles, wrapped in equipment. I am so grateful to have accepted to go. For a month we even had someone of the BBC with us to film some footage for a documentary.“

And there he was. Hendrik Stoffels. Always something to say, and show, and explain, and ponder over. Eager to get a grasp on the vastness of the sea and the depth of the water beneath him.

Sometimes Jens found himself wishing to be as passionate about anything in his life, like his father was about the marine wildlife and his adventurous expeditions. 

It was hard to hate someone, who has found so much happiness and love outside of traditional metrics. Hendrik hadn’t wanted to settle down and he hadn’t wanted fame nor monetary success. He wanted to explore, Jens’s mom had told him. That was what fullfilled his father, and Jens would be lying if he said he didn’t yearned to figure out what would make him feel like that too.

„Lotte.“ Hendrik proclaimed bright, ripping Jens out of his thoughts, as the girl appeared next to them to take her usual seat. 

She had the switch with her, but the screen was dark and she had placed it next to her plate. Her eyes were stuck on the strange man, she had no recollection of. She had been two when Hendrik had left, who could hold that against her. This man may as well be a random person Jens had picked up on the street.

„My god, Jens had grown, but you, you actually turned into an actual human being.“ Their father chuckled, his gaze transfixed on the girl in wonder. One day a toddler and the next an eight-year-old child. The six years almost non-existent, Jens guessed by the look in their father’s expression.

His words hold the same sentiment that he had brought against Jens on the doorstep into the house. When it had taken Hendrik a long minute to process to have found a young man in the place of his son he had left behind. 

If Jens would be asked, he’d say, that for once his father had been rendered speechless.

„Shall we eat?“ His father went on, when Jens had been to busy with his thoughts to pay attention to the reason they had met in the first place.

„Yes!“ Lotte loudly declared, already wiping the napkin off of her plate.

„One sec.“ Jens replied amused, before he turned to get the baking dish out of the oven.

__ __ __ tagged: @odi-et-amo85, @tayspots

[psycho-slytherin]

Bonus chapter: Truth or Dare

Thanks to @minprismpowermakeup for the idea~ <3

Context: This takes place around Strangers ch. 33, after y/n and Yoongi have begun filming Moon Over the Sea. This content is not relevant to the main Strangers plot. 

WC: 1.8k love it when a bonus chapter is longer than some actual content

|mlist|

A/N: Namjoon really wrecked me during the awards stages ok I’m not projecting I’m just projecting

“Okay, y/n, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” you yawn, making yourself comfortable. You’re sleepy, it’s past two in the morning, and you don’t wanna get up.

“Anyone got a good one for the token ARMY?” Hoseok asks, looking around at the other members sprawled on various pieces of furniture and carpet. You stick your tongue out at Hoseok on hearing your title.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Seokjin asks from below you, tipping a mostly-empty beer bottle at you.

“I already answered that, and no.” You swat the eldest member, who’s laying on the couch with his head in your lap. “Bitch, I just ended a relationship and webcomics continue to convince me that men are trash. Besides, I barely get to sleep– when am I gonna have time to catch feelings?”

“Blehhh, boring.”

“I can drink if y’all can’t think of anything,” you say, already reaching for the bottle to refill your wine glass. Hey, you were feeling classy tonight.

“No, wait, wait, I have one!” Jungkook leans forward eagerly. “Have you ever written... fanfiction?”

Ah, shit.

You press your lips together to keep a straight face. Lately it seems you’ve been using more of your acting skills when you spend time with the boys than you do for school and work combined. “Have I ever, at any point, written fanfiction for any fandom? Yes.”

“Was it…” Jungkook leans even closer, his long hair almost hitting you in the face. “BTS fanfiction?”

You smile, choosing your words carefully. “Unfortunately, Kookie dearest, I already answered my truth.”

“She’s avoiding the question!” Jungkook hollers, far too loudly for the time of night. “You guys know what that means~”

It’s as though all signs of sleepiness have vanished– every member sits up, and with Jin’s weight off, you realize your legs have fallen asleep. 

“C’mon, guys…” you’re met with seven pairs of eager eyes, focusing on your favorite. “Et tu, Yoongs?”

A corner of Yoongi’s mouth turns upward in that oh-so-familiar smirk. “What can I say– I’ve got a cat’s curiosity.”

“Don’t let Holly hear that,” you reply, tossing a pillow at him. He snatches it out of the air without moving from his curled-up position in his favorite armchair. You’re reminded again of how he’s so adorable when he looks that small.

“So?” Jimin asks eagerly. “Have you ever written fanfiction about us?”

You could lie. God knows it would be easy. But the far more fun option wouldn’t be lying… it would simply be not telling the truth.

“I would love to answer that, but unfortunately it’s not my turn anymore,” you reply airily, delighting in the boys’ groans. “So, Joon, truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Namjoon replies, his eyes confident. He really could bring anyone to their knees with just a glance. As your first bias, Namjoon has always had a special effect on you.

“I dare you to let Kookie and Tae tickle you.”

“Wait, what?”

You check your watch. “For, say, one minute.”

Namjoon backs away nervously from the predatory advance of the maknaes, all signs of bravado gone. “C’mon… ah, y/n, this is too cruel…”

“Who was it that dared me to drink a shot of soy sauce?” You ask smugly. “And who dared me to catcall Jin?” Your plan is to distract the boys, and luckily you have plenty of material to work with. Namjoon especially always seems perfectly sadistic when assigning dares.

“As if you weren’t thinking that stuff anyways,” Seokjin says dismissively.

You roll your eyes, focusing on the leader’s imminent torture. “One minute, starting… now!”

At your signal, Taehyung and Jungkook leap like feral dogs upon Namjoon, who falls to the floor with a thump, laughing uncontrollably: “Ah! Guys! S-sto-ah!”

You sit back in satisfaction as the clock winds down, figuring you’ve suitably distracted your friends from their original prey. 

Your hopes are dashed soon enough. Namjoon gets back up, fire in his eyes. “Y/n.”

Dammit. “Yes, Namjoon?”

“Truth or dare?”

Well, what does he think? “Dare.” Obviously. You’d die before letting them read the stories that you, in your lust-addled fangirl’s mind, wrote so long ago. 

“I dare you to give Yoongi hyung a hickey.”

Wait, what? “Yo, Joon, that’s not cool–” Yoongi is quick to complain, but Namjoon silences him with a raised hand. Meanwhile you’re frozen to your seat, feeling as though all your blood has simultaneously rushed into your face and fled your body entirely. Sure, you guys have toed the line of what’s proper during these late-night games, and as the only woman you’ve tended to get the brunt of it, but to give Yoongi a hickey? To press your lips, your tongue, your teeth to his smooth skin?

Now that you think about it, you’re pretty sure you’ve written that into a fanfic at some point anyways.

“Dude. No.” You say, at last finding your voice. “C’mon, that’s ridiculous.” You spare a glance at Yoongi, who you can tell is trying to keep a straight face. Still his clenched jaw and rapid blinking give away his anxiety, and– no. You couldn’t do something like that to Yoongi, who so clearly would hate it.

Namjoon raises a brow, his expression void of mercy. “You could always choose truth.”

You laugh nervously. You didn’t anticipate this, and now… “Can I take a drink instead?”

The leader shakes his head. When he speaks, it’s as though his voice is made of steel. When did he become so intense? “Nope. Truth or dare. Pick one.”

You inhale deeply. Dammit, Yoongs, you owe me one. “Truth.”

Immediately all tension melts from Namjoon’s gaze, and he breaks into the dorky grin you’re so familiar with. “Yes! Quick, guys, before she changes her mind!”

Your eyes widen. “No, wait–”

Hoseok pounces. “Have you ever written BTS fanfiction, and if so, what was it about?”

Fucking hell. You’ll get Joon back for this. 

“Uh…” Should you lie? Every instinct is telling you to steer the boys as far from the truth as possible. Still, you’re buzzed, and it’s late, and–

“Yes. I have.”

Jungkook bursts out laughing, his nose scrunched as he slaps the couch. “I knew it!” The others celebrate in similar fashions:

“Ten bucks says it’s a ship fic!”

“Reader insert, it has to be.”

“Have you guys even heard Emo Y/n? I bet it’s super sad.”

You snatch Jungkook’s drink out of his hand and take a swig. You’re starting to realize you’re gonna need something stronger than wine if you want to survive the night. “How do you guys even know those terms? Who’s been corrupting you with Tumblish?”

“Twitter,” Taehyung replies, shuffling over and draping himself over the back of the couch, his head resting on your shoulder. “ARMYs kept tagging us, they thought we never saw.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Yoongi staring at the ground, smiling softly, his fingers laced together. Huh.

In the meantime, the remaining members have continued with their buzzword arguments. You begin petting Tae’s soft hair absentmindedly while waiting for the others to calm down and hopefully forget this entire conversation by morning.

“It’s probably crack.”

“No, fluff!”

“Angst, I told you!”

Jimin suddenly pipes up, his voice sleepy and soft. “What if it’s… smut?”

A hush falls over the room, and your breath catches in your throat. You don’t remember writing anything explicit, most romance scenes were mainly innocent, full of vague implications of other goings-on…

Wait. Your eyes widen. You did write that one scene, on a dare from Lisa… fuck. You rack your brain– what was it? You wrote it almost four years ago, you can hardly remember. It was about Namjoon, right? He was your bias around that time. 

“Y/n, would you ever write smut?”

“Ha, maybe if someone paid me!”

“Ooh! Is that a promise?”

It was all a joke, but you did end up posting it on your Tumblr at some point or another, classifying it as dumb and crackheaded. Regardless, that means it’s online. And that means…

They could find it.

“Y/n-ie?” Taehyung waves a hand in front of your eyes and you jump, nearly colliding with him. “You zoned out for a bit~”

“S-Sorry.” You notice the boys are all still looking at you. “What?”

“Your truth. What was your fanfiction about?”

You sieze on the vague question. “Well, funny you should ask, I think I wrote one about Hobi here going to space, which was–”

“The hell? Did I die?” Hoseok whines. “Y/n, you traitor–”

“Wait, so you’ve written more than one?” Yoongi interrupts.

“I mean…” that’s safe to say, right? “Yes.”

Namjoon taps your shoulder. “Have you ever written smut?”

Jeez, what was with his confidence tonight? “I–”

“If you tell us the truth, we’ll make Joon hyung rap Expensive Girl,” Hoseok sings, swinging a shoe in his hand. Wait, is that your-

“Huh? Hold up, hold up, that wasn’t part of the deal!” Namjoon’s facade quickly fades in liu of genuine terror. 

Yoongi slowly rises for the first time that night, his grin nothing short of malicious. “You wanna play sadistic games? If Y/n completes her truth, you have to do that dare.”

“Y/n, I changed my mind, don’t tell us,” Namjoon begs, turning to you.

Oh. Oh, the power coursing through your veins. Either way, you win. You could keep your dark secret, or torture Namjoon just a little bit more. What a glorious choice to have.

“You know what?” You drain your wine glass, the alcohol lending you courage. Namjoon wanted to make you give Yoongi a hickey, he deserves this. And you were younger, a simple fangirl– besides, it’s not like they’re going to ask you to read it. “Yes. I did write a smut fic once. And you know what, Joon? It was about you.”

You giggle and sit back as the members do the “OHHHHH!” thing that boys never seem to grow out of. 

Instead of going red like you expected he would, a shit-eating grin spreads across Namjoon’s face. He seems more… well, pleased than anything. 

“What was it about?” he asks.

“Joon,” Yoongi warns, his voice a note deeper than usual. You shoot Yoongi a grateful smile– how does he know you so well? As for the fic, you genuinely don’t remember, but knowing it was smut, and knowing it was about Namjoon…

“I dunno, dude, probably some daddy kink shit.”

Namjoon cocks his head. “Daddy… kink?”

You jaw drops, and in your bordering-on-drunk state, you can’t help but blurt out: “You don’t know what a daddy kink is? I thought you had one!”

The leader scratches his head. “What?”

You can’t help but laugh, the drinks finally hitting you hard. “Oh my god. C’mon, gather round, my students.” You reach out, clasping Jimin’s and Jin’s shoulders. “let’s teach you guys about fanfiction.”

[crysta-cub]

Crysta’s Lamia Experience: Looking for a Hero

It’s been a while since I last posted about our adventures on this blog. But I missed writing about my Lamia family. One that is ready to grow.

Since the time that the Lamia’s have discovered that I’m not exactly human, we have experienced loss, all three ferrets had passed due to their age and illnesses. It was a rough time for us all, Moonstone and Guardian took their passing hard, but I taught them about the human’s poem about Rainbow Bridge and that seemed to help them out. 

There was Guardian’s eggtastic find. Having Munchkin as a hatchling had brought a lot of warmth into the household, giving Alpha and Butterscotch a young one to care for as they struggled to produce their own young. Guardian and Moonstone excelled as older siblings, helping where they could. Guardian was especially proud of Munchkin, protecting him and teaching him how to swim in the bathtub. Maybe one day I’ll post pictured. 

We’ve even taken on the challenge of adopting a puppy named Eevee. This pup really turned the household around. Wrestling with Alpha and Guardian, providing rides for Moonstone and Munchkin and having cute naps with Butterscotch. She really fit right into our humble abode. She has also been a handful, an adventurous spirit who wants to get into everything and anything. Too smart for her own good at times. Took Butterscotch a longer moment to accept her ‘in your face’ approaches. 

Life has been great with this bundle of lamias. And soon our unit will be growing. After a dancing affair at Vex’s shop, something finally sparked for Alpha and Butterscotch and they are expecting their first clutch of babies. Apparently, whatever Butterscotch whispered to Alpha that night to cause the latter to flush so brightly, did the trick. But that’s a story for another night and the other blog. Alpha’s been doting on Butterscotch like nothing else, making sure he’s comfortable and not doing too much. Guardian and Moonstone took extra duty with Munchkin, especially since he’s now too big for either of the older lamia’s to carry. 

It's been a fulfilling life, this is the best family anyone could ask for. I do still feel something is missing, a connection that was lacking. I’m surrounded by all these loving lamias and yet, I feel like there’s still something more I need. I had originally wondered why I never felt that soulbond with Guardian. I read all the adoption stories on Chains and I never got that feeling of a tug on my soul, just the forever engrained memory of a panicked baby Chain tugging on my pant leg to get me to help his Papython friend. 

I asked him about it, about his soulbond. That’s when he revealed that he actually already had a soulbond with Moonstone. It explained so well why those two had always been so close, so intuned. Part of me was relieved. I don’t know how I'd feel if Guardian ever felt pain from me through a link. My life on this earth has been relatively peaceful, but I have known battle from my homeworld and some not so pleasant encounters from the humans of this world in times where my true self was revealed to a select few. Humans don’t take different well. It sucked to hide, but it was better than when trust was betrayed. And if anything happened to me, I’d hate for it to harm him, my little Guardian.

But I kinda still felt wanting, wanting of that close bond that other Chain owners had. Maybe another Chain would come into their lives, though I have been finding myself admiring the King form as well. Those heroic poses and grand stature and size. Ok, my mind was beginning to wander. 

I’m sitting here, rocking little Munchkin to sleep after his feeding. Such a sweet little Twister. I give him a little kiss on his head before placing him in his nest. I quietly left the room, kneeling down to give Eevee a head scritch in thanks for guarding the door before going into the livingroom to throw on some shoes. There were a few errands to run and a spot to check out.  Deciding against taking anyone along this time, just a little me time and maybe to get a little surprise treat for everyone. 

I left the house, telling the household to behave themselves before hopping into the car an driving off. A few stops here and there, nothing eventful really, a tasty cake in the passenger seat for the fam and a chew bone for Eevee. I pull up to the entryway to a trail I heard about, wanting to check it out before I bring everyone out there. It looks inviting and private, maybe a place I can shift into another form and run with Alpha, Moonstone and Guardian. Maybe Eevee too. The Lamias seem to love my snake form, it looked much like a mixture of this planet’s Cobra, Anaconda and Diamondback rattlesnake, but it was a bit too large to really shift into at home, but in open space, it worked well. 

With a large inhale as a strong breeze cut through the trees, I let myself relax. Close my eyes and take in the peak of sunlight escaping through the branches. I didn’t expect the presence of another coming up behind me and grabbing me, a cloth being placed over my mouth. I began to fight the stranger as my head began to swim. I nearly slipped out of his grasp before the world grew dark. 

The last thing I remember hearing is the person behind me calling out. “Wooowee, lookit here Mick, I caught teh Alien!”

Well Shit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Munchkin begins to cry, alerting the household. Being close by, Alpha and Butterscotch slither over and began trying to console the distraught Lamia. 

“shh, shhh, it ok Munchie, it’s ok.” Butterscotch cuddles close to Munchkin, rubbing his back, he glanced up at Alpha. The fact that Munchkin was crying for no noticeable reason was concerning. 

“Are you hurt? Hungry?” Alpha began questioning. Munchkin shakes his head, his tail thrashed in his tantrum. 

“Wan Mama Isssta! Wan Mama Isssta!” Munchkin bawled. This was odd of Munchkin, the young one never demanded, never complained, always a warm bundle of sunshine. 

“Shh, shhh, It’s ok Munchie. Mama Crysta will be home soon. She just went out to do a few things. You’ll see, she’ll be home any minute now.” Butterscotch continued to console Munchkin. Soon the baby Twister is brought down to sniffles. Butterscotch smiles and cuddles with him.

Moonstone and Guardian come in, while Eevee pokes her nose into the room through the small lamia door. 

“Is Munchkin ok?” Moonstone asks, coming over to pet the baby lamia on the head. 

“Yes,” Alpha answers. “Just got a little upset. Wants his Mama Crysta.” 

“Should we give Mama Crysta a call?” Guardian asked, his brow bone crested in worry.

“That should be fine. The phone is in the living room.” Butterscotch informs Guardian, who nods and slithers off to try to contact Crysta. He adjusts himself so that his gravid belly wasn’t uncomfortable. Munchkin snuggles close to Butterscotch, still sniffling but much calmer. 

Guardian slithers by Eevee, who playfully nips at him. Guardian giggles and pushes her muzzle away before going over the cellphone left on the coffee table. He presses the saved phone number labeled Mama Crysta and listened to it ring. He glances over at Moonstone who ended up following after him. 

“She didn’t pick up.” Guardian informed. 

“Maybe she didn’t hear it? Or accidently put it on silent again?” Moonstone offered, taking Guardian’s hand in his own. 

“I guess. Sometimes I wish I had a soul bond with Mama Crysta so I knew she was ok.” Guardian squeezed Moonstone’s hand, feeling his worry through his bond. “Not that I regret having it with you. I just worry when she’s gone so long.” 

Moonstone smile and brings Guardian in close for a hug. “I know. But Mama Crysta is strong, can take care of herself. I like our bond too.” It wasn’t unknown that the two young Lamias were developing a little puppy love for each other. They never considered the other a sibling but as their best friend that they got to grow up together. Though they were still merely young teenagers, their connection was obvious. 

“I’ll call Mama Crysta again in a bit.” Guardian pulled away giving the phone a glance. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up in a bright room, laying in a pad of a bed. I groan as I sit up, looking around, 3 solid walls and one glass wall. Cameras mounted at each corner, leaving no room for privacy. There’s a door at the far corner. I stretch from my stiff position. There’s something around my neck, kinda poking at me with cold metal. I lift my hands to it and feel… a shock collar… with multiple shock devices. 

What the fuck was going on. I get up and go to the door, testing it. Locked obviously. I look to the glass side of the room and I see a table and another door showing what I can guess is a hallway. 

“Hello? Is anyone out there?” I call out. 

It didn’t take long for a scraggly looking man to enter the room, head full of dreads, clothing looking unwashed. “Wooowee, look atcha. Well, miss alien, the name’s Tic. I’m so glad ta finally meet cha. Tis was so worth not going to that there Area 51 Raid. Yessiree.”

“I’m sorry, Tic.” Oh god, this guy was off. Hopefully I can reason with him. “There seems to be some kind of misunderstanding, I’m not an alien. Just a normal person. I kinda just want to get back home please.” 

“No Alien mam, You can’t trick me that easy. I’ve seen whatcha can do. That transformin’ thin’. Got it all on camera on one of my wildlife cams. Blew my mind. Was hopin’ for a Big Foot but got me somethin’ better. Was mighty nice seein’ ya handle that there couga’ when ya shift to a Lion.” 

There was a camera in that clearing? The clearing where Alpha got hurt when defending Guardian from the Mountain Lion? 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t do anything like that.”

“Nah, nah, You surely can. Wanna prove et to.”  He picks up a remote and turns on a projector. The projector shows a video of her confronting the Mountain Lion. Alpha getting hit and her reacting and transforming to stand protectively over Alpha and Guardian. Its a bit blurry and gets staticy during the transformation. It’s hard to tell that it is even me. 

“That’s some impressive CGI, that’s not me, I was never at that location. Dude, you have to realize how ridiculous this is. I’m not an alien. Please, I just want to go home.” I’m getting nervous. This guy keep replaying the transformation. 

“Nah, Yous an alien, gonna prove et too. Now we can do et the easy way and ya show me what ya can do or I’m gonna make ya.” Tic holds up another remote and my eyes widen.

“Please no, I can’t do what you want me to do. Please, you don’t have to aaaaaahhh.” I scream as the collar begins to shock me. These shockers were altered to deliver a higher voltage than those of normal dog shock collars. I reach up and grip the collar, trying to pull it away from my neck. It’s over quickly and I collapse to my knees, breathing deeply. This guy is insane and by the look on his face, there’s no convincing him. 

“Teh easy way out is still an option.” Tic begins writing something down. “But if cha keep insistin’ that cha won’t transform, well. That collar will go off every hour. I figured if anything, a little dangah will spark your transformation. After a few hours the power should increase. It should help in encouragin’ ya ability. I have video recording live and with a push-o-a button, I can reveal whatcha are ta tha world. I’ll be famous. Once you show whatcha can do” 

I look up and see a crooked smile, teeth yellowed or missing. I could almost imagine the bad breath. “No, you’ll kill me. Please, you can’t do this. I’m Human!” My heart dropped as I saw him shake his head and walk away. “No Wait, Please let me out.” 

Realization sets in, I’m alone, no one knows where I am, and I’m at the mercy of some mad man. I look around the room, taking a few calming breaths. I can either reveal myself and break out, giving Tic what he wanted and further putting my life and the Lamias at risk. Or hope somehow I am rescued, or the mad Tic would come to his senses. 

I just wish I could see my Lamias. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few phone calls with no answers and it had turned dark outside. Moonstone and Guardian go back to the lamia room where Alpha stood watch over the snoozing Butterscotch and Munchkin. 

“Anything?” Alpha whispered, moving a short distance away so not to wake the sleeping duo. 

“No, Mama Crysta hasn’t picked up or called back. The last call went straight to voicemail.” Guardian informed with worry in his voice. 

“This is very unusual of Mama Crysta. What if something happened to her?” Moonstone looked a little scared. 

“I agree.” Alpha glanced back at Butterscotch and Munchkin. He couldn’t leave them on their own. His instincts telling him he should stay close to his mate at all times. It was getting very close to their due date. He also didn’t feel comfortable about sending Guardian and Moonstone on their own to search for Crysta afterdark. They were still small enough that the threat of birds of prey was valid. The last thing he wanted to do was to put them in harm’s way. 

“We’ll wait til morning, If Crysta doesn’t show up, well give Miss Vex a call. She’ll know what to do.” Alpha decided that would be the best course. He had to believe Crysta was fine. Crysta has gotten herself distracted before, hopefully this was the case but the whole thing seemed off. “She’ll come home, we just got to believe in her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve woken up from another shock attack. Hours have passed since I first woke up in this place. I don’t know how long I can stand this. This human form won’t be able to take this very long. Everytime the shock collar goes off, Tic appears and writes something down. I plea with him, to let me go, that I’m not the alien he’s looking for. 

He still doesn’t listen. I pound on the glass wall and he laughs and says “It’s bulletproof, You can’t break it.” I sag against the glass wall. My body is shaking from the assault, add hunger, thirst and lack of sleep. I look over at Tic, watching him write. “What are you even writing?”

Tic smiles at me. “the difference tween screwin’ round and science is writin’ et down.” He jots a few things down and leaves. 

Did he just quote Mythbusters at me? I rub my face with my hands. I can hear voices from the hall. I strain to listen to Tic talking with the other. What was his name, Mick?

“Eh, Tic, wha if she isn’t one-o-those aliens? Wha if she es tellin’ the truth? 

“Ya saw the video, Mick. She really es one. We just gotta prove et. She’ll come around, just takes time.” 

“But wha if she does die? Wha then?”

“Eh, we’re in tah middle of the woods, ain’t nobody finding us out here. We just bury her a ways from here and move on. There’s still tah Big Foot to find.”

I can hear them moving away. Great. They don’t really seem to care that they could be killing someone with this ‘experiment’ they have, either I’m an alien or I’m dead. I begin to hope that something happens soon. My soul reaches out. All I need is a Hero.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morning dawns, and Moonstone brings the cell phone over to the group huddled in the Lamia room. Crysta still hadn’t come home. Alpha and Guardian are arguing about Guardian going out on his own during the night when Alpha explicitly said not to. 

Moonstone knows they’re worried, he is too. He presses the button to call Vex and turns on speaker phone. Both Alpha and Guardian shut up and move closer, waiting for the line to pick up. And once it did, Moonstone doesn’t even wait for who ever picked up to say anything

“Hello, Miss Vex.” His voice is shaking. “Mama Crysta didn’t come home last night and we’re worried about her.” A tear runs down his face as he speaks. “We think something is wrong and we need help.” His voice hitches as Guardian wraps his arms around him.

Alpha then takes over. “We need help looking for her. My mate, Butterscotch, is due to have our hatchlings at any moment and I can’t leave him alone. I also need help with Munchkin cause he’s too big for me to handle on my own. I can’t send Moonstone and Guardian on their own to search for her. We don’t know where she went or how far she’s gone. Her phone just goes to voicemail.” Alpha glances over as Moonstone begins to sob and can see Guardian trying to hide his own tears. He glances over at Butterscotch, still curled up with Munchkin. Their eyelights meet. He feels helpless. 

Suddenly Butterscotch gasps and clutchs his belly. Alpha drops the phone and rushes over. Guardian quickly picks it up. Waiting for a reply from the other end of the line.

Butterscotch looks up at Alpha. “They’re gonna be coming soon. I can’t have them without Crysta here. I need to know Crysta is safe, they can’t come without Crysta being here.” Butterscotch is beginning to panic and Alpha try to console him as Munchkin begins to whimper. 

Guardian looks between the minture Lamias and the phone. “What do we do?” his voice shakes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m shaking after the last shock. It’s gotten more intense and it’s starting to feel like it’s happening more often. I can only assume he’s getting impatient. I’m leaning against the glass plane wall, the cool surface giving me some relief. I’ve tried pounding on it, hoping I could call for help in the off chance anyone else was around. Maybe Mick would have a change of heart and go against Tic. It didn’t seem likely. 

My vision blurs before I see it. The slide of a distinctive large tail, glowing with magic.

A Lamia!

I begin pounding on the glass wall in desperation. I couldn’t tell if it was a King or a Chain but I didn’t care. It was a Lamia, and hopefully a way out. Hopefully it wasn’t blind to these insane peoples’ experiment. 

“Help, Help, please help me!” I call out, ignoring how hoarse my voice sounded. My vision is swimming and I’m feeling faint. I try to shoulder the glass, trying to make as much racket as possible. 

That’s when I felt it, another unscheduled shock. I cry out, leaning against the wall as I wait for it to pass. I can’t see the tail anymore, but my vision is darkening. The shock ended and I slide down to the floor against the wall. 

“Help, I need a hero.” I mutter before I lose consciousness. 

( @vex-bittys or @vexy-sins (not sure which blog this would be better for...since there is some element of torture of my person in the story.)

Yes this is a Lamia adoption scenario, I’m looking to be saved by my next Lamia. 

I had this Idea for a while and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I’m either looking for a (and leaning more towards) a large King-Chain Hybrid that can hopefully still do a soulbond, or I can be happy with just a large full size King (or both a king and a chain, so I can still get that soulbond? :P I’m indecisive). Also any other unique features or background for him (them) would be nice. This is going to be a love interest(s) for my character. I hope I’m not asking for too much. 

Also, I chose not to have a soulbond with Guardian as I could have sworn that I remembered that a Chain can have a soulbond with another Lamia and I kinda liked the Idea of him having one with Moonstone instead. I never got that soulbond feeling during their rescue/adoption. I just couldn’t find the post to confirm it. 

I do want Butterscotch to have his babies after I’m rescued. If you wanna throw me what they are having that would be great because I don’t even know what I want yet. So surprises are the best. Again, hoping I’m not asking for too much Please take your time in replying, I know you have a lot of asks in your mailbox and I don’t want to be jumping ahead of anyone… but this needed to be a story rather than an ask. I can be patient.)

[witchywccs]

                                 C A S S A N D R A   W H I T T L E;

                                                 Ancient Roanoke Witch  ⇀ 20/400+ ⇀ Ellie Bamber

ᴘᴀsᴛ |      The lost colony of Roanoke is one of the worlds oldest unsolved mysteries. An entire community of people vanishing without a trace, leaving behind a single word carved into the bark of a tree:  CROATOAN.  Cassandra Whittle was a young witch that vanished with the rest of them, or so everyone had thought. A vibrant, young spirit, whom always seemed so connected to nature. She was a beam of light, a powerful one; one who seemed to see light in everyone else as well. Cassandra fell in love with a vampire named Sebastian, an abomination of nature. It was the golden age of vampires and they were feared heavily. Part of the reason why her colony had relocated to Roanoke in the first place, to find peace away from the creatures of the night. She was the only one who knew of his nature and she vowed to keep it a secret for as long as she lived. She would never let anything happen to her sweet, sweet Sebastian.  When her community began to notice the decrease in human life, the hints of a vampire among them, she feared for Sebastians life. Their harsh words and hypocritical views towards Sebastians kind made her angry. So, she summoned a different creature: An even more powerful one. One that would feed on secrets and lies.  So that they would all see what monsters they had become. This plan backfired, as Cassandra and Sebastian were keeping secrets of their own. Cassandra then desiccated Sebastian in order to protect him. Before she did so, she linked their souls together, running away after cloaking them both and placing him somewhere. She then enchanted herself with a sleeping preservation spell, only to awaken when Sebastian did; and hopefully the monster she had created would be long forgotten by then,

                                                                                                   ❝  Phasmatos Somnus  ❞

ᴘresent |      It’s been nearly four hundred years and Cassandra is gasping awake inside of a magically sealed tomb, oxygen filling her lungs for the first time in ages. Her heart pounding against her chest and blood flushing her cheeks. Her brows furrow as she glances around the concrete castle, her dress centuries outdated but still just as beautiful as it was the day she laid herself to rest. Her vessel is overflowing with magic, having collected more and more over time. Emerald orbs are glistening as she stands to her feet, bare soles moving her towards the edge of her self - enchanted haven.  ❝  Phasmatos Salves Nas Ex Malon, Terra Mora Vantis Quo Incandis, Et Vasa Quo Ero Signos.  ❞  -  Her voice is honeyed, raspy from her ages of slumber as she chants the reversal spell.  The tomb is no longer sealed,  the wall separating her and the rest of the world exploding with the swift movement of her hand. A full moon now visible, reflecting off of crimson locks. She is now free, wandering through the forest with hope embracing her soul. She only wonders how long it’s been.

[bettsfic]

sleep!anon: (1) god it feels so good to have someone understand. i only realised at about 17 that i must have spent half of my life being tired and not knowing it. after that, i started sleeping more, and after some self tests, i realised about 10.5 hours seems to be the sweet spot (9.5-10 i can get by, but over time, it gets worse), which was perfectly feasible at school/uni, but 9-5 is more troublesome. i sleep about 9.5-10 hours, nap on the train over (about 20 mins)

(2) and even then, still have to catch usually at least one (sometimes more) discreet 10 minute nap at some point during work. like you, i usually REALLY need it around 3-4PM. and i hate feeling tired at work because then every mistake i make, i'm like is this me? or is this just bc i'm so f*cking tired? like, sometimes when i'm trying to nap at work, i can feel how tired i am and knowing i'm not alseep makes me want to cry. i genuinely feel like i'm halfway to having a breakdown sometimes

(3) i'm not surprised that feeling anxious/stressed means you need more sleep - it's really taxing mentally and physically to be stressed. now you've said that, i wonder if mine has been getting worse recently because of the stress/anxiety i have over mistakes and how tired i am etc... GOD don't get me started on people who call you lazy. i think some folks think it's a joke, haha ur so lazy lol, but i would give ANYTHING to be able to live like them. to feel rested after 7-9 hours.

(4, final) i can't even comprehend what life like that would be like. imagine not having to regiment my bedtime so strictly, actually waking up in the morning and not wanting to d*e. like, my life revolves around controlling my sleep, and then people turn around and call me lazy? do not like. anyway, sorry to go off, just feels so good to talk to someone who understands! in any case, how did you go about doing a sleep study? i've thought about it but not sure if it's worth it?

i’m not sure if you’ve considered it, but you might have sleep apnea. it’s the most common sleep disorder and it sounds like you have a lot of the symptoms. like if you’re asphyxiating in your sleep, you’re not hitting REM, so you need to sleep longer. if you do a sleep study, the apnea tests come first. for me, they gave me a take-home test which is cheapest and easiest, and i tested negative for that, but the home test has a lot of false negatives (but not false positives), so they had me come in for an overnight stay. i tested negative for that, and the narcolepsy test is during the day.

that’s it, that’s all they can test for. narcolepsy, delayed phase sleep, and hypersomnia all use the same test and all have virtually the same treatment. if you have apnea, you sleep with this machine thing on your face. a friend of mine uses it and it completely changed his life. for narcolepsy et al, the medicine is called nuvigil, which i’ve never taken because it was way too expensive, so my doctor put me on adderall instead. which, let me tell you, adderall was awful for me. i was operating at 200% and convincing myself it was my “true” 100% and basically my entire life had been a lie. but that wasn’t real at all. 

i’m going to caveat here that my sleep doctor was absolute garbage, totally incompetent, and i nearly sued him, so i’m hoping you’ll have a better experience. you usually need a referral from your GP, so i’d start there. hopefully you’ll get a newer tech test so you don’t have to go through what i went through. apparently you can do most of it from home now. the sleep study will be totally worth it if you test positive for apnea, and even more worth it to find treatment for narcolepsy et al, and most worth it to take it to your HR people and ask for disability accommodations. 

another thing to check for is carbon monoxide. i had a dude inspect my chimney at home and he said i’ve been slowly carbon monoxide poisoned for years now and i think that’s maybe part of my fatigue issue, because the *day* i moved to my grandma’s house, my sleep reverted to something sustainable. like i got tired at 10pm, fell asleep by 11, and woke up naturally at 8am. and it’s been like that now for a month (exception being EDS [excessive daytime sleepiness] due to aforementioned stress). chronic fatigue syndrome may also be a thing. so a good sleep doctor will take you through all of this and hopefully find you an effective treatment. oh! and idk how old you are, but if you’re under 25, there is a chance you will grow out of it, which sounds ridiculous, but developmentally your brain doesn’t get steady sleep-wise until then. THAT SAID, even if you are under 25, you’re unable to adapt to the environment you’re in, so you still need accommodations.

also keep in mind -- disordered sleep is extremely normalized, which is why the term “lazy” is tossed around so much. nearly all young people have disordered sleep because they’re forced into adult schedules. and most millennials have disordered sleep because of growing up with disordered sleep, and now because of a constant invasion of blue light late at night. i think i only know one person my age who doesn’t have disordered sleep, and she’s a middle school teacher. everyone else i know is delayed phasic, polyphasic, or chronically fatigued. it’s a serious, horrible issue that causes so much anxiety and depression, like you know how it feels to lay in bed at night, freaking out about the following day or all the stupid shit you said? that’s fatigue!brain. i’ve basically learned not to listen to any of my own thoughts between the hours of midnight and 8am. they’re all lies.

okay this is getting long. i do hope you find help and good treatment. i’ve heard good things about nuvigil if your insurance will cover it, and if not, i hope your workplace will allow you accommodations so you can nap in your car in the afternoon, have a flexible schedule/delayed start time, and/or work from home.

[xxdearlybeloved]

Among the Stars - Chapter 3

Peaky Imagine with John x Reader, where the reader is Jeremiah Jesus’ niece, forced to return to Small Heath from London I reallyyy appreciate all the love you guys! Hopefully you like this chapter, but let me know what you think!!! Thanks for staying with me :) Here is more of John and Et’s story, the first part can be found here. 

Chapter 3: Stellar Collision

 You were surprised at how natural it felt being back in John’s arms after all of these years. When he pulled away, you let your arms fall and he caught your hands. You looked into his eyes, still in disbelief that he was here in front of you, holding your hands in his. “Would you like a drink?” he asked and you nodded. He gave your hands a squeeze before letting them go and turning to move out of the door. That was when you realized you were being watched. Tommy, with that stupid satisfied smirk on his face, shook his head as he took a drink. Arthur looked at Tommy before looking at you again, smiling. Your Uncle looked as if he was waiting for an explanation.

“Seems like you know the Shelby’s pretty well,” he commented, crossing his arms.

“I knew John from the hospital,” you explained. “He was a patient there when we were kids.”

“Right, and they spent bloody every second together it seemed,” Arthur added and he and Tommy laughed, remembering the days they would know exactly where to find John. At that moment, he returned with a fresh bottle and a glass for you.

“Whiskey alright?” He didn’t wait for you to respond before he poured a glass for you and refilled his own. “So, what brings you back to Birmingham?” he asked, handing you your drink and taking a sip of his.

You weren’t sure how to answer. “London… didn’t work out.” You took a small sip of your drink before taking a longer drag, trying to distract yourself from the emotions that were spinning inside you. John held you with his eyes. He knew there was more to the story, you could tell by the way he watched you.

“Well, now you’re back home, ey?” your uncle said, patting you on the shoulder. You smiled and took another drink, surprised your glass was almost empty. “So, Tommy’s told you about his idea for Etta to help you around the house?” John raised his eyebrows as he sat in the booth.

“Our John was just complaining before you walked in about how he didn’t know if he could keep managing it all. A house with four kids and no woman. Ain’t easy is it John?” Tommy asked his brother. You were confused what he meant and looked to John for an explanation. He answered the question in your eyes.

“Martha passed right after Marge was born.” Instinctually, you felt yourself moving closer to him. “She just got sick,” he finished as you sat down next to him.

“I’m so sorry, John,” you said, putting your hand on his knee. You wanted him to know how sorry you were, you knew how happy he was to be a father and you couldn’t imagine what he was feeling.

He just shrugged. “It happens, you know. Death. I seen a lot of it with the war, but it happens to all of us.” You tried to read his expression, but he looked away at his drink before finishing the glass and pouring another. You finished yours as well, and he refilled it before putting the bottle back on the table. “So you’re really gonna help me round the house?” he asked you, smiling.

“I mean, I didn’t know it was your house. If you don’t want me to I can look for work elsewhere”

“Like hell! Tommy was right, I need the help. We’ll help each other, won’t we?” He was beaming at you and you could tell he was more excited than you were. What had you signed up for? “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

You smiled and they started talking about the betting house you learned they ran, and what they had been up to as of late. You asked the boys about their family and laughed as they told you stories of things you had missed. John was mostly quiet, pressing his knee against yours as he sat back and listened to the conversation. He couldn’t believe you were really there. When your Uncle was ready to leave, John offered to walk you home so you could stay. The conversation and drinks flowed easily, and you didn’t realize how late it had gotten until the bartender knocked on the door to tell Tommy he was leaving. You all took that as your cue to head home, so you finished your drinks and got ready to leave.

It wasn’t until you stood that you realized how drunk you were. John caught you by the waist as you stumbled, laughing at you. You were sure he drank more than you – how was it that he seemed to still be able to see straight? He guided you towards the door with his hand still on your waist. You wrapped your arm around him, and placed your head against him as he led you outside. After he said good night to his brothers, he walked you in the direction of your home. You were both silent for awhile and you used it to breathe him in. He still smelled the same and you wondered what else hadn’t changed.  

It was John who broke the silence. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” he asked.

“I don’t know, John. Maybe the same reason you didn’t tell me Martha died?” He stopped walking and you chided yourself for being too blunt. “John, I’m sorry” you said, reaching to hold his hand but he stepped away from you. Frustrated and unstable, you leaned back against a wall.

“I thought you were done with me. You told me not to write anymore.” He said, turning back to you.

“It was too hard,” you felt tears in your eyes and you looked up at the sky to keep them in. How could you ever forget sending that letter? You had given up the pretense of being just friends with John after learning he was married and expecting a child. It would be easier, you reasoned, to just cut him out and try to build a life on your own as well. He still wrote you to tell you he was going off to war. He even wrote you during the war; one letter left you in tears. After losing a close friend, he told you he felt as if his heart had been torn out of his chest. He said he felt empty, almost robotic, and that you were on his mind because the feeling he had reminded him of when you moved away. You didn’t reply after he told you he returned home. What point was there? You didn’t think you would see him again, but here you were.

“I know” he said, coming close to you again. Your eyes met his and the tears began to fall. He reached out and held your face in his hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs. Neither of you said anything before John closed the distance between you, placing his lips on yours. You didn’t move, too overwhelmed with the moment, and he pulled away placing his forehead on yours. “Et, I’m sorry. I never thought I would see you again.” Impulsively, you returned his kiss and he stroked your cheek. You tried to communicate everything you were feeling without words as you wrapped your arms around him, trying to pull him closer. Never would you have imagined being able to kiss John again, and you held on to him as if you were afraid he would disappear if you let him go. When you came up for air, you rested your head against John’s chest as he held you there.

You weren’t sure what this meant, you just knew you were glad it happened. Now you knew that his feelings for you hadn’t lessened anymore than yours had. Instead of fading over time, it almost felt as if they had grown. “I’ve missed you so much,” you said into his chest. He placed a kiss on the top of your head, before bringing his arms down to unclasp yours. You started walking again in silence, still leaning on John until you made it to your uncle’s. Before you went inside, he kissed you again, more softly than before, and you pulled away slowly before entering the house.

“See you tomorrow,” he said and you smiled before shutting the door. You felt your heart flutter as you tried to minimize your stumbling to collapse on your bed. You still felt his warmth and his lips on yours, and you sighed into your pillow as you drifted to sleep, that one beautiful word still ringing in your ear: tomorrow.

Continue reading - Chapter 4: Make Believe