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mastermindmiko · 2 months

Note

hi,

i’m currently in my bill weasley phase aha

i was wondering if i could have gut wrenching angst and maybe fluff i need something to just cause pain aha

it’s okay if not :)

Hey, I know this is very long overdue but it's finally here! You asked for angst, and angst you shall receive. I hope I did it justice. More (Bill Weasley Fanfiction)

content warnings: none I believe, but lmk, kissing maybe? not edited Pairing: Bill Weasley + fem!reader word count: 9201 (sorta got carried away) Summary: You and Bill were always friends, until there was something more.

a/n: Trying my best to finish all the requests I've got and simply just posting more. Also, I tried this little thing were I did a sort of rhyming (don't want to call it poetry cause that's too big a compliment) to start off the ff, you can sort of see it like a summary maybe too.

It all starts out the same way, with a girl and a boy that meet when they were small then grow until they’re tall. They grasp each other's hands, holding their stance as their friendship solidifies until there’s a shift, a switch, a fully expected change that takes things from where they were to where they are now.

There were only ever a few things that I cared about; My family, my friends, my future and my Bill. He never fit into neither the first nor the second categories as it was simply just different with him. Living only a few kilometres away from the Weasleys ensured that I spent most of my time with him, and as we both went to Hogwarts it only made me want to sew him to my side even more.

“Hey, why do the Weasleys call you Honey?”

“Ummm, it involves an incident where I ended up being a large tub of honey.” I explain as vaguely as I can, still trying to erase the embarrassing story out of my head. Tonks looks at me weirdly before waving her hand, “I don’t even want to know.”

I spent ten years of my life being Bill’s friend, best friend even, watching as his family got bigger and so did he. He developed his interests and I developed mine when all I thought of him was a friend, and none of that changed until-

“Do you think Bill’s hot?”

Nymphadora- Tonks asked me one day. I look up from my lunch and ask her, “What?”

“You know Bill- you’re friend, tall, ginger-”

“I know who Bill is…” I trail off, and I think of what she just asked, now that we were fifteen (practically adults), everyone started falling for people left and right, while I just focused on Quidditch and OWLs. Bill was doing the same as me, we would study together, practise together, there just wasn’t enough time building a future and also doing normal typical teenager stuff.

“You gotta admit, he’s gotten mighty fit over the summer.” Tonks said, and I looked at the girl who’s two years younger than me disapprovingly. Despite being in different years and houses, we shared the same lunch period. I scold, “Aren’t you a bit too young to be thinking of things like that?”

“I just call it like I see it.” She replies, and then eyes me up and down with a grin on her face. I blush and push her shoulder. She laughs and I smile a bit myself. There’s a beat then she asks again, “You didn’t answer my question…do you think that Bill’s hot?”

I look around trying to recall in my memory the most accurate picture of Bill I could conjure up. He’s definitely gotten taller. I remember how I used to be able to ruffle his hair without having to step on my tiptoes- and his hair’s gotten longer, much to Molly’s disapproval. He’s gotten a bit more tan from spending all that time out in the sun, making his freckles more apparent.

All that time in the sun playing quidditch also changed his physique a bit. His shoulders are broader, his biceps and thighs thicker. Hands are larger and stronger. I recall the last game of the summer, only a few weeks ago, where every member of the Weasley family was playing, Ginny being the referee as she was still very small. I was the beater, as always. Bill was the chaser, and we were on opposite teams. Halfway through the game, two hours in, we were still playing and Bill decided to throw some water over his head, cooling him off. The water soaking his hair, arms and shirt, making it cling to his body-

“You totally think he is!” Tonks exclaims, and brings me out of my daydream. I feel my face flare up and I stutter as I defend myself, “It’s not that, it’s just yes, he’s fit but he’s my friend, so he’s just that, he’s just fit.”

Tonks is still giving me that cheeky grin when I decide that that’s enough of that interaction, so I stand up, deciding to just stay in class for the next fifteen minutes till class starts. I say, “Well, I gotta go. Bye Tonks.”

She shakes her head, and waves while I headout of the Great Hall. I pull out a piece of paper from my bag as I look at my schedule, I turn around to move the other way, when I see Potions scrawled up on the parchment. I shiver as I enter the dungeons and hope that Professor Snape doesn’t mind me waiting till class begins, I could prep the cauldron while I wait.

I walk through the dark silent hallways, hearing the echoes of each step I take. A large hand encompasses my shoulder, and I turn around quickly lifting my wand from my waist band. I point my wand to the face of my attacker and I meet with the grinning face of Bill Weasley. I relax as Bill takes the wand out of my hand and places it inside my belt loop, a normal occurrence, if it weren’t for the fact that his face is close to mine and I notice just how sharp and angular it is.

“Tonks told me you were heading to class, what are you doing going to potions this early? Snape barely tolerates Gryffindor’s when he has to.” Bill says, and push his hand off my shoulder, and he chuckles. I say, “Snape actually likes me, and don’t act like that when you're practically his favourite.”

“It’s only cause I’m the best.” He grin, cockily, and he taps his head, pointing towards his brain. I push his shoulder playfully and reply, “Second best.”

***

The Gryffindor common room fills with the sounds of both Muggle and wizard music. The smell of alcohol and sweat from the mixing bodies encases the area. A muggle born brought a machine that flickers light in different hues of different colours, having the lights bounce off the walls, as people dance in the centre of the room, and the chatter fills.

I’m standing against some wall, holding a cup of butterbeer that was gathered from an illegal trip to Hogsmeade only a few hours ago after the win for the house. I never did drink much alcohol and especially not during Quidditch season. This was the first year I’ve been able to participate in the parties that Gryffindor house threw, and it was exciting, but much more boring than I expected.

I’m watching the room, looking around, seeing a young Percy trying to make his way up to the boy’s dormitories as swiftly as he could while carrying two books that are twice the size of his head. Some drunk seventh years, push him, unintentionally, Percy glares at them nonetheless. I move towards him, pushing away the couples that might as well just get a room. I fling my arm around Percy’s shoulder, nod my head towards the stairs. I carry one of the books from him and we walk towards the dormitories.

He rushes up the stairs as fast as he can as soon as he’s out of the sea of bodies. I call out his name, and despite the loud music, he turns to me, guiltily. I say, “We’ve told you a million times that you can’t stay out this loud, especially after curfew, even if it is to study.”

“I know, I know…you won’t tell Bill?” Percy asks, lips pursed and ashamed. I sigh and give him the other book back and reply, “Not if you don’t do it again.”

He grins from ear to ear, large glasses slipping off his nose. He laughs, “Thank you, Honey!” He wastes no second before running up the stairs once again, and I can just barely hear the sounds of the footsteps fade away before I walk away.

I drink the last bit of the butterbeer in my cup. I go to the opposite side of the room, grimacing as people shove me around. I stand by the drinks table and start to look around for the butterbeer bowl, when I notice a mop of red hair, reaching for the firewhiskey. I shake my head and sneak up behind the unsuspecting Weasley. I reach forward and grab a handful of his hair, and pull him back.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Charlie chants, while I pull him by his hair. His hands lift up and try to loosen the grip that my fingers had on his hair. I threaten, “Put the cup down.”

He frowns but (reluctantly) puts it down. I pull him by his hair once again and push him towards, once again the stairs of the dormitories. The place is quieter there, and I can scold him properly. We reach near the top of the first year boy’s dormitories, and I leave his hair. He rubs his head, and looks at me with a frown.

“What in Merlin’s name did you think you were doing?” I say, while placing a soft (sort of) slap on the back of his head. He swats my hand away after, and continues to rub his head. He pouts, “Stop ruining my best feature.”

“No, your best feature is your Quidditch skills, not your stupid hair that needs to be cut.” I scold, and look at him, disappointed. I continue, “What did you think you were during? Trying to drink Firewhiskey of all things!”

A drunk seventh year passes us and shouts, “Yeah little Weesilie, you should try something lighter for your first time.”

“Bugger off!” I shout at him, and I turn back to Charlie. I rant, “There’s a reason why people below fifth year aren’t allowed to be at parties and being at parties includes alcohol, so until a few more years, you’re not allowed to have any-”

“A few more years! I’m fourteen as soon as I hit that big 15 like you and Bill, I’m gonna have some.” Charlie says, and he complains, “All my friends have some, and so do you and Bill, why can’t I? It’s just one year.”

“A year is a long time, Charlie, and so what if all your friends are doing bad things, doesn’t mean you should to, besides Bill and I don’t even like to drink. Even when you turn 15, you’re not going to be able to drink a lot because you’re a seeker, Charlie!” I reply, and he huffs and folds his arms together.

“That still doesn’t mean that I won’t try it.” Charlie pouts, and he looks down at the floor. I start to feel a little bad for being too hard on him, so I pull him in for a hug, surprised as to how he’s my height now. I say, “If you want to, you could, but until then, it’s off limits.”

I smile at him, and ruffle his hair a bit. I pull my hand back then put it back on his hair again, and play with a few locks. His face flushes, and he grins at me when I say, impressed, “You weren’t lying, you definitely have the best hair.”

“You must be lying because you’ve seen my hair.” Bill interrupts and he walks out of the first year boy’s dorms. Charlie looks at me with a panicked look, and I contemplate if I should tell Bill about what just transpired. I play, “No, I have, Charlie’s hair is just better.”

Charlie pokes his tongue out at Bill, and I grin, and Bill slaps the back of Charlie’s head. Charlie grimaces and mumbles, “You two really are best friends…”

“Go on, back to your dorm, now.” I say, and he rushes up the stairs. Bill sits down on the stairs and he pulls me down by his hand. I notice how large his hand is compared to mine. I sit down beside him, on the other side of the steps and he sits opposite to me, backs against the walls of the spiralling staircase. Bill asks, “What was he doing down there?”

“Got lost, I guess…” I trail off, deciding that Charlie’s learnt his lesson. Bill looks back at the first year dorms, and he explains, “One of Percy’s friends, Oliver, found me and said that he couldn’t find Percy, he was afraid that Percy got trampled or squished by the people at the party-”

We both laugh, and he continues, “Then a few minutes later, Percy walks in, alright and everything…so, thank you.”

“Hey, I had nothing to do with it, Percy’s very smart.” I say, keeping Percy’s secret. Bill fiddles with the carpeted floor of the stairs and he replies, “I know you he is, but I also know that you helped, he was out at the library again, just like you helped Charlie.”

I don’t say anything and so, Bill smiles at me, and he says, “You don’t have to take care of them, it’s my responsibility, I can do it myself.”

“I know you can, but they’re sort of like my little brothers too, so I want to.” I reply, and we sit in the silence for a bit. It was a completely normal moment, Bill and I never felt the need to fill in the silence, but for some reason, he asked, “Does that mean that you think I’m your brother too?”

The question takes me off guard, and my heart lurches to my throat. My eyes flicker between his, searching for the right answer. Maybe for the first time ever, I find Bill hard to read. I choose to give him the truth, so I think of what that is. I couldn’t classify Bill as a sort of family, but I also don’t know where I would put Bill. I opt for the simple answer , not wanting to think about more. I didn’t even know if there was more. I replied, “No…”

He shuffles a bit closer and the air is charged between us. I pull my knees together and pull them to my chest, to make way for him to come closer. I brush an annoying lock out of my eyes, not wanting to spend a second not looking at him. He says, abruptly, "You're very handsome…”

He notices what he’s said and he flushes, I let out a small laugh and notice the way his face heats up, and how mine is also red. The contrast between his brownish red freckles and his skin and the way his nose seems to be at a perfect angle, Bill honestly was just so- “You’re pretty too”

He smiles at my comment, and he looks at my eyes, and I wonder what he’s thinking. Why can’t I understand what he’s doing? When have I ever not understood what he’s doing? Ever since Tonks made me realise how drop-dead gorgeous Bill is, I-

“If I’m not your brother, what am I then?” He asks, and he searches my eyes for the answer that I don’t even know myself. He isn’t my friend, it feels wrong to say it, and I don’t know what other thing Bill could be for me, but we’ve been friends for a decade now. I answer, “I don’t know.”

“Friend?”

“I don’t know.” I repeat, and I look down at the floor, not being able to stand his piercing blue eyes trained on me anymore. His hand grazes my cheek, pushing the hair behind my ear, the contact makes me shoot up to look at his eyes. It feels different, so much more different than any other look we’ve shared before. He adds, “I don’t know either…”

His hand cups my cheek, and it feels so much more, but what even is more between Bill and I? He brushes his thumb over my cheekbones, and he leans in. My legs part slightly, so he can shift closer. I didn’t even realise what I’d done till he was only a few centimetres away from my face. He looks at me, searching, and then down to my lips.

My breath hitches, and I can see his chest heave. My lips part under his gaze, and he leans closer. Maybe this is what more means for us? I don’t know what could happen after but I know this-I lift my hand up to encase his wrist. His eyes flicker back to mine, and I say, “You’re never going to be the same to me after this.”

“You haven’t been the same to me in a while.” His last words before he gives me one last look before he kisses me.

***

The summer passed by in a blur where it’s nothing but hazy memories of Bill. It’s not a surprise that I spend most of my summer at the Weasleys with my parents working all around the world. The surprise is the way Bill grasps my hand under the table, and the whispers between us are now sweet not taunts and games.

He would send me cheeky smiles and flirty grins across the room. He would wake me up in the middle of the night and take me from Ginny’s room so we could go watch the stars outside the Burrow, laying on the grass, just like now…

“I can’t believe that we’re about to go back to Hogwarts in two days.” Bill says, as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me impossibly close to him. Contact has never been unknown between us, but this was entirely new. I run my hands through his long hair, and I sigh, “Yeah, two more years and we’re out of Hogwarts.”

“Everything will change…” I trail off, scared of what’s to come, when we’re getting real jobs and we’re not sheltered anymore, out to fend for ourselves. Bill looks at me and I can see the stars shine from his eyes, and it’s a mesmerising sight. Bill pecks my lips before saying, “Not us, never us.”

I smile as he nuzzles his face into my neck, and I wrap my arms around his back. I hope he’s right, I really do hope he is. I don’t know what I could do without Bill. I wonder if his family knows about us, if they feel what’s changed. The only one who does know is poor Percy when he wandered off in the library only to find us snogging in between the bookshelves.

The other person who knows about us is Charlie but that’s because the boy was smart when it comes to things like these. He noticed the blush on my cheeks first then Bill’s smiles and then one day he dropped his spoon under the table during dinner and he saw our legs intertwined. He didn’t mention it at first until the next day, when he did the same thing on purpose, and he noticed Bill holding my hand.

He spent the entirety of that week trying to find us doing something. When we were together, he would suddenly burst through the door screaming, ‘AHA!’, and then he’d find us playing cards on the floor. We realised what he was doing early on, but we let him have his fun, until one day, he gave up and burst through the door once again, and said, “Why won’t you guys tell me that you’re dating?”

I answered first, “Because we aren’t…”

Bill nodded along, but Charlie looked beyond confused. He questioned us; Do you hold hands? Spend time together? Act all cute and annoying? Kiss each other? Bill replied yes to all of the questions and then Charlie asked us why we weren’t dating already, and I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing as well.

I run my hands through his hair and I ask, tentatively, “Bill…”

He hums, and I try to find the courage to ask before it’s all gone and forgotten because I need to know. I try to ask the most dreaded question in the world, in a confident matter like it didn’t matter at all to me what his answer might be, instead I stutter, “I-What are we?”

He pauses, tenses, a few seconds pass then he lifts his head out of the crook of my neck and he hesitates, “I don’t know.”

A beat passes, and I press, “I mean, when we go back-to Hogwarts, and some girl asks you out, what will you say?”

He reaches the hand that was wrapped around my waist and rubs the back of his neck. He replies, “I don’t know.”

“What if a guy asks me out?” I ask, scanning for answers in his eyes, hoping to elicit a reaction that he would care if he were to share me with someone else, that he’s mine and I am his. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “You’ll just say what you want to say.”

He puts back his arm around my waist and he puts his face back into the crook of my shoulder. I sigh, unsatisfied with the answer. I place my hands back into his hair and play with the long ginger strands. His breath tickles my neck and he starts planting kisses on my shoulder. He trails them up to my neck and I sigh, contently. He begins to nibble and suckle the skin while I begin to tug on his hair.

He lowers his hand that’s on my waist, bit by bit till he reaches my butt. He squeezes firmly causing me to gasp and press my hips forward towards him. I feel it, I feel him and Merlin, he’s- His hand trails lower to my thighs and it encourages me to sling my leg around his hip. His mouth moves up to my jaw, and then to my mouth. His tongue slips inside my mouth and he pushes his hips against mine. He groans and I pull away, I ask, “Here?”

“What if your parents wake up, or someone notices? We can not traumatise someone else like we did with Percy and Charlie-” Bill silences me by pressing his lips against mine and that’s when I feel him start to harden underneath me. I moan as I wrap my legs more firmly around him as I press our hips tightly together. Bill pulls back this time, and he looks over at me, my hair sprawled everywhere and I feel the heat in my face. I press my hands to my cheeks feeling the difference in temperature. I ask, “Is my face red? It feels like it is.”

Bill smiles and pulls my hands down and kisses me. He replies, “No, it’s perfect.”

***

Bill Weasley is my first everything, kiss, first time, first whatever this thing was, and first heartbreak even if we technically didn’t stop. I was alright with it, I was because it felt like he was just as into me as I was into him. Just because we didn’t label the thing that we had doesn’t mean that we have to. It’s Bill, and I trust him.

It was all going alright, more than alright, it was great, there wasn’t a moment that I didn’t spend with him, and I was so sure that I was falling for him, if I hadn’t already. I was on my way to Ancient Runes when I heard Bill’s voice, I perked up, until I heard another female voice with him. I slow down and I overhear the conversation.

“Do you?” The female voice asks.

“No, I uh, I don’t.” Bill

“So, you don’t have a girlfriend?” I can hear the grin in her voice

“Nope, I’m single.”

I feel my eyes well up and I take a few deep breaths willing them away before deciding that I’m going to be taking a different route, and I end up late to class. The thing that I was worried about happened, and ugh, what am I going to do with myself if he does end up getting a girlfriend and it’s not me?

I avoided Bill like the plague for a week, the only Weasleys I’m speaking to were Charlie and Percy, but even then it hurt, they looked so much like him. I cried more than I’m proud of, and even when Bill did try to talk to me, I would simply just walk away.

It’s been exactly a week since I overheard Bill and I’m on my way to ancient runes once more. Someone calls my name, and Edgar Bones walks over to me. I wait for him to catch up and he smiles at me with a boyish grin. Bones asks, “You need a walk to class?”

“Umm, I’m alright.” I reply, and walk on, but Bones follows. He walks along beside me and says, “Well, I’d like to give you one if you don’t mind.”

I don’t reply and simply make my way to class, hoping that Bill wouldn’t get the wrong idea seeing me and Bones- wait, why should I care about what Bill thinks? He’s not my boyfriend as he’s made it very clear to some girl. I take Bill out of my mind and walk on. Bones walks beside me, an appropriate distance away. Halfway through the walk he looks towards me and asks, “Would you like me to carry your books?”

“No, I’m alright.” I reply and adjust my bag over my shoulder and the books that are on my arm. I wonder what he might be doing walking me to class. Over the past six years, we’ve only had a few conversations all involving school or Quidditch. Nonetheless, he reaches over and grabs the books out of my arm, and I mumble a thank you at the kind gesture.

We reach the door of the class, and I stand there. I look around while noticing Bones shuffling on his feet. I decide to be blunt and ask, “Bones, we’ve talked about four times since we’ve known each other, why are you walking me to class and holding my books?”

“I-uh, I know this is out of the blue for you, but I-” He cuts himself off and looks around nervously. His gaze falls on something behind me and I look around to see McLaggen giving Bones two thumbs up, I look back at Bones confused and he clears his throat. He asks, “Would you like to go out with me?”

It’s my turn to look around nervous, and shuffle awkwardly on my feet. I reply, “It’s just that we don’t know each other that well.”

“I was hoping we’d get to do that over some butterbeer.” He says, and I notice the red tint on his cheeks. The silence is tense. I think it over; Bones is quite fit, and he’s one of the smartest people in Hufflepuff, I’ve heard he’s actually quite kind also. Besides, not like anyone is holding me back anymore. I say, “Sure then.”

He beams and he raises his hand up in a thumbs up, no doubt to show McLaggen, it’s sort of cute, if you think about it. He plans, “How about tomorrow? I’ll pick you up at eleven and we’ll head over to the three broomsticks?”

“That sounds good.” I say, and he grins. He hands me my books back then says quickly, “Well, I’ve got class in two minutes, so I have to run. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

He breaks off into a run, McLaggen following behind him, and I head inside class. I sit in the middle beside the wall where I usually sit, and think about this date. I don’t like Bones, but most people don’t have feelings for the person that they’re going on a first date with. After the date is when the feelings pop up. It’s actually nice to be asked out, and not to be kissed once everyday when no one’s watching.

I was getting excited about the prospect, thinking about what to wear, how to style my hair, when Bill walks in. He looks at me with a deep frown and heads off to sit beside someone else. I expected him to try to talk to me like he has in all of our classes, but he didn’t. He stares out the window for the entirety of class, which is unlike him, especially during the class that made him realise that he wanted to be a cursebreaker.

I take a few notes, more than I usually do without noticing just in case Bill needed some after class. He would do the same when I would doze off during class or when I was sick. The bell rings and I put my books in my bag and sling it over my shoulder, holding a few on my arm. I barely walk out of class when someone pulls on my bag, pulling me back as well. I say, “Hey!”

“Is it true?” Bill asks, just as I register that it’s him and not someone that I don’t know. His cheeks are flushed, but in the way that makes him seem agitated. I look at him confused and I ask, “What?”

“You’re going out on a date with Bones? Is it true?” He asks, and I find myself pursing my lips and avoiding to answer. He runs a hand through his hair frustrated, and then continues, “Cause maybe, you didn’t know it was a date? Did you know?”

“Can we not do this here?” I ask, when I see people stopping walking around and looking at me and Bill instead. A few whispers follow, and Bill grabs my hand to lead me somewhere more crowded. We stand in front of a large window with the sunlight beaming through and it’s near a hidden alcove where no one comes often. The hallway is empty and Bill doesn’t say anything before he sighs and asks, “Are you really?”

“Yes.” I reply, and I can see his shoulders fall. He takes a few steps closer to me and asks me, “Did you know it was a date?”

“Yes, I did, I’m not an idiot.” I snap, and his shoulders tense over and his frown deepens. His stance becomes defensive and he folds his arms over his chest. He says, “Bones is a dick, he just uses girls for sex, and he’s a big jerk.”

“No, he’s not-”

“He’s mean to his family and he treats his friends badly-”

“No! He doesn’t, Bill.” I shout, “Stop making him try to seem like a jerk just so I won’t go out with him.”

He bites his lip and looks away. His chest is heaving and his jaw clenches. I take a step back and I whisper, “You don’t have a say on who I go out with, you’re not my boyfriend.”

Bill eyes me for a moment, and I try to stand my ground. He sighs, before turning around and leaving in a huff. I can hear his angry footsteps even after he’s out of my line of sight.

***

The entire time when I’m getting ready to go out on a date, I think of Bill. Bill always said he liked my hair up, so I’m keeping it down. He liked me in red, so I’m wearing blue, anything to keep him out of my head. It’s my first ever date with a guy who might actually want to be my boyfriend instead of Bill who would kiss me and leave.

10.55

I walk downstairs and decide to wait the last few minutes outside the common room while I wait for Bones. I’m just about at the end of the stairs when Charlie rushes over to me. “Hi, Honey!”

“Oh, Hi Charlie.” I wave to him while he walks over to me. He smiles and he walks over to me, way too slowly. He reaches me and asks, “What are you doing dressed up so nice?”

“Nothing much, Charlie.” I reply, not wanting to tell the boy that things with Bill and I are what they are. He looks me up and down, and narrows his eyes at me. He asks, “Are you going out on a date?”

10.57

“I uh- yeah.” I say, reluctantly. Charlies purses his lips, thinking. He looks at me, confused. He thinks out loud, “That’s weird, Bill told me that he wasn’t going to Hogsmeade today.”

“I’m not going with Bill.” I say, and Charlie’s face falls and he’s looking at me with those heartbroken puppy eyes. My heart aches, and I can’t stand it much longer. I rush, “I’ll talk to you later, Charlie.”

10.58

I look up from my watch as I make it to the door of the common room when a small little redhead steps between me and the door. Percy grins up at me, and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He holds a book out to me and he asks, “Hey, honey! Could you help me with this potions chapter?”

“Of course, Percy just when I head back, it’s hogsmeade weekend.” I explain and his smile falls. I wonder why I am breaking all of the young Weasley’s hearts today. Percy asks, “Where are you going at Hogsmeade?”

“I’m not sure you’d know what I’m talking about Percy, you’ve never been there before.” I reply and look back at my watch.

10.59

“I still wanna know.” Percy insists, and I reply, “I’m going to this place called ‘the three broomsticks’ where I’m going to have some drinks and stuff like butterbeer.”

Percy nods his head, looking intrigued. He strokes his chin like an old man deep in thought. He says, “Tell me more about it.”

“I would love to, Percy and I will, but I have to get going now.” I say, and he frowns, I ruffle his hair and try to soften the blow, “But how about, when I get back, after lunch maybe, we can go to the library and I’ll tell you all about it and I’ll help you with potions.”

He nodded and then quickly ran back up the stairs…weird. I finally open the door to the common room and I see Bones standing a few feet away from the door. He waves to people in our year as he greets them.

11.00

I look at my watch and I smile at his punctuality. He grins when he sees me and I offer a polite smile back. I walked over to him and he met me halfway. He tells me that I look pretty and I tell him the same. He loops our arms together and we walk through the castles to where the carriages are being pulled towards Hogsmeade. We talked a little most of the time but a lot at other times. We sat watching the snowfall on the ground from the window. He tells me his favourite season is spring, I tell him mine is autumn.

He told me how this is his first date and I told him the same. I can tell that he’s itching to ask Bill and I’m dying for him not to. We drink butterbeer and he offers to pay. We talk about our plans and how he wants to be a healer. I tell him that I’m not sure. He said that it’s okay. I smile at him as he tells me that he loves Potions and he does the same when I talk about Arithmancy.

When we’re in the carriages heading back when there’s about an hour left till lunch, he tells me he’s had a great time and I tell him the same. He pulls his jacket around my shivering arms, and then leans forward to kiss me. I reciprocate and then he tells me that he wants to hold on to the date a little bit more.

We hop off the carriage and it takes us the better part of an hour to walk back to the castle ourselves. We talk for most of the time, the other half just listening to the sound of our footsteps on the snow. He trips over a branch on the ground and falls face first into the snow. His face leaves an imprint on the snow and I bend over laughing. He throws a snowball at my face, and that’s when the snow fight begins.

We fall on the ground when he asks if I like Bill, and dreadidly I say yes. He assures me and tells me that he’s still happy to have known me better. We decide that if he’s ever in need of an Arithmancy tutor that he can come to me, and his door is always open when I need help with potions.

The date ended and it was a good first date even if it didn’t end with a new romantic prospect. Lunch is almost over, so I grab a few snacks from the Great Hall before heading over to my dorm to change before meeting up with Percy in the library. Charlie stops me as soon as I enter the common room.

“I need your help!” Charlie exclaims and I get worried very quickly. He drags me by my hand up the staircase to the boy’s dormitories and I hope that the staircases don’t turn into a slide beneath us. He leads me up and up and up the stairs till we reach the fifth year boy’s dorms. Bill’s dorms. On our way there, he asks, “You said Bill doesn’t like alcohol.”

“He doesn’t.” I reply and Charlie tuts before he opens the door to Bill’s dorm. I smell the alcohol before I see Bill. He’s lying on the floor, with his hand wrapped around a bottle of Firewhiskey. I hear some tiny sobs before walking over to him, falling to my knees in worry. I wave over to Charlie, motioning for him to leave while I take care of Bill.

Bill beams when he sees me. His hand reaches over to cup my face, and he stutters, “You’re very very pretty, honey.”

I press a tiny kiss to his forehead to soothe him, and he closes his eyes in momentary bliss and I can see the tears streaks running from under his eyes and over his cheeks. I lean to grasp the bottle of Firewhiskey from his hand, but he tightens his grip over it. He protests, “No!”

“Come on, Bill. You don’t even like this thing.” I insist and pry the bottle out of his fingers. I put it away on one of his other roommates' nightstands. Bill frowns, “I know, I know, I just need it today, just today…”

He lets out a sob, and I push him up so he can sit upright and rub circles on his back. He leans his head on my shoulder and he holds my hand. He sighs softly and I ask, “Why do you need it today, Bill?”

“Cause you’re o-on a date.” Bill says, and my heart pounds under my chest. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Bill like this. He rambles, “You went out with someone else, you laughed and you went to the three broomstick, and he kissed you-”

“Wait, you followed me?” I ask, anger bubbling. Bill notices and he quickly lifts his head from my shoulder and looks at me, eyes wide. I still push a strand of his long hair over his eyes. He grasps my head from his face and he chokes out another sob, “I couldn’t help it, I love you!”

I gasp, and Bill sobs covering his face with his hands. I look away, feeling my eyes water, why couldn’t he feel those emotions when sober? I blink away the tears and I pull him to my chest, and he wraps his arms around me, hugging me tight that I might fear for my ribs. I pet his head and whisper, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“You can’t like him, I love you!” Bill repeats and I can’t help but start to let a few tears slip. Bill shouldn’t be spilling anymore thoughts when he’s like this, especially if they might not be true. I say, “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Only if you stay.” Bill says, and I nod my head. I help him up and he falls. He starts tripping over his feet, as I lead him to his bed, the one with the photo of his face on the nightstand beside it. I cover him with a blanket and I move away from him. He grabs a hold of my wrist. I reassure him, “I’m only going to get the trash in, just in case you decide to throw up.”

He nods, and then lets go of my wrist slowly. I grab the trash bin and a glass of water, and set them both beside him. He grabs me again, and he pulls me on top of him. He smiles when he sees my face. He cups my face and rubs his thumb across my cheekbones. It felt nice, like it wasn’t complicated at all. It felt the same way it did during the summer, and I covered his hand with my own. His smile dropped and he asked, “Why did you have to go away?”

“What are you talking about, Bill?”

“You haven’t talked to me in a while.” Bill says, and I clear my throat before correcting him, “A week isn’t a while.”

“A few minutes not talking to you is agony enough.” Bill says, and I sigh. He looks up at me with those bright blue eyes, and his other hand goes to my back, lifting up a slight part of my shirt before settling down on my warm, bare skin. I answer, “You told a girl that you didn’t have a girlfriend.”

He frowns and purses his lips, thoughts travelling throw them, slower than they would if he were sober. The pieces joining together before his lips part in astonishment. He asks, “You want to be my girlfriend?”

It takes me a moment. I didn’t know at first, but the feeling of it, of having him call me his, kissing him whenever I can. I still don’t think that would be enough, I want more, so much more than just that. I reply, “I want to be more than that with you Bill.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

***

“We’re just so proud of Bill for taking this step forward.” Molly gushes about Bill to me. We’re all sitting at the dinner table just a month into the summer before our seventh and final year. The Gred and Forge, Ginny and Ron are on one side of the table. Arthur sits at the head at the table Charlie opposite to him while Molly sits next to Bill who sits next to me.

None of the kids care about the conversation, just eating little chicken nuggets and some fries with chocolate milkshakes, playing with each other. As Fred and George tell eachother jokes, while Ron munches on his food. Ginny just plays with her hair trying to braid tiny strands of it without looking.

Charlie is just rolling her eyes at how much Molly is gushing about Bill, while Bill flushes trying to get her to stop, embarrassed. Arthur is making sure that Fred and George don’t set the table on fire, due to previous experiences. Molly says one thing that peaks my interest, “I mean taking an internship that could lead to a job in Egypt, obviously he’ll visit a lot-”

“What internship?” I cut Molly off asking, tense, and the table went silent. I look at Bill questioningly. Bill swallows his last bit of food before turning to look at me. Molly exclaims, “Oh, I’ve said something wrong, Haven’t I? I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright, Molly.” I reassure her from behind Bill, while he pets his mother’s arm. Bill clears his throat and looks at me explaining, “I didn’t take it, I still have to get accepted.”

“In Egypt?” I ask, frowning at the far off place, in an entirely different continent. He says softly, “Yeah.”

“It’s a curse breaking internship, and who knows maybe I’ll be working there around tombs and mummies and-” Bill explains, and I question, “And you’re just going?”

“If I get accepted-”

“And you’re gonna leave.” I point out, and he looks around awkwardly as Ginny starts asking Arthur where Bill is going and why he’s leaving. Molly and Aurthur usher everyone out of the dinning area just leaving Bill and I there. We sit in silence, and I don’t know where to even start. Don’t go, stay. How could you leave? I start, “Were you going to tell me about this?”

“I didn’t want to tell you before I got it, would’ve been a lot of worry for nothing.” Bill says, and I turn around my chair to face him. He does the same. Our knees touching and legs intertwined. I ask, “And if you get it?”

I wait for his answer as he looks down at the ground and I put my hand out grabbing his hand in mine. I play with his hand with both of mine and I place it on my lap. HE stays silent and I ask, “Would you go?”

“I-I don’t know, probably.” Bill says, and I feel pieces of my heart start to crack off. My hold on his hand tightens and I question, “What about your family? I’m sure Molly needs a helping hand around here. Charlie and Percy need their older brother, Who’s gonna keep Fred and George in line? Ron looks up to you, and Ginny loves you so much-”

Bill cuts me off with a strong kiss on my lips while his hand encases my face. It’s the first one in a while and I relish in it. When Bill woke up after my date, he couldn’t remember anything but through a heated discussion we decided to take a few steps back. He was just my friend again. I hold his face in between my hands, and I whisper softly, “I need you to stay.”

Bill places some more kisses onto my face and he hugs me tightly. I pull him closer, and think of how he could go. Go and be so far away. I ask from the crook of his neck, “How long would this internship be?”

“A year.”

“That’s not a long time…” I convince myself and him. He grabs my waist tighter and he says, “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that I won’t get it.”

But he did.

***

After a year of not seeing Bill, my first year working as the new professor of Arithmancy at Hogwarts, I might as well be jumping off the walls, bursting from excitement just to see him again. We had spent our seventh year in agony waiting to see if he got the internship or not, and when he did, I spent the last of the year, holding onto him until he had to leave.

He didn’t kiss me once that year, except when we were on the train for the last time, heading back to platform 9 ¾ . We stayed as we were, except I stayed true to my word. I couldn’t see him as simply my friend anymore. Whenever he hugged me I wanted to savour that feeling forever. When he talked I wished I could listen to him talk forever and have those lips on mine. When he held Ginny and played with her hair, braiding it, I couldn’t help but picture a future like this, with him.

When he came back, flew in through the Floo network from the ministry, I wasted no second in running towards him and wrapping my arms around his neck. The sounds of his siblings cheer loudly and they push me aside to hug their brother, and I chuckle at their love for him.

He flicks Fred and George’s hair telling them to stop getting so tall or they might catch up to him. He tells Ginny that she’s still as beautiful as ever, and for Ron to set up the wizarding chess board for a game later tonight. He asks Percy to get all his books ready so he can tell him an in depth description about all of them, and for Charlie to start stretching so he can beat his ass in quidditch. All the while, he shoots me looks from over their shoulders.

Molly kisses her son and scolds him for not writing more often, he tells her that there simply wasn’t enough time, and then Molly, ushers everyone out. I stare at Bill and notice how his arms got larger and he became more chiselled (if possible), I point to the most notable difference. I point to his hair that’s currently in a low bun, making him look so very handsome. I ask, “You grew your hair.”

“Yeah, Mom’s already begged me to cut it twice already.” He chuckles, and I take a few steps forwards towards him. I hug him and put my arms around his neck, and he moves his head to kiss me instead. Kissing me hard, and passionately. It takes me by surprise and I gasp, “Bill, what?”

I don’t get a chance as his lips are back on mine, kissing me harder. I chuckle at his intent, and he wraps his arms around me. Our chests pressed against each other. I breathe him in deeply, and I realise how much I missed him. Every little thing about him too. I pull away to breathe and Bill chases after my lips. That’s when I realise something’s wrong. He’s kissing me because he needs to, he’s holding onto me.

“They’ve given me the job full time-” Bill says and I immediately frown. I start, “I-”

He cuts me off with another powerful kiss and another few seconds of silence where I can hear my heartbeats in my ears due to the lack of oxygen. It felt so blissful despite the ache in my chest because of the lack of air and Bill’s words. Bill starts, “They want me to take the job and move their full time-”

“Bill-”

“But I won’t go, if you ask me to stay.” Bill finishes, and I’m struck by his words. He pecks my lips once more, and I’m left reeling with all this information. I smile, bittersweetly, “You got your dream job…”

“But it’s so far away.” I say, and he nods his head. He pulls my hands in his and he can already feel where I’m going with this. He rants, “You asked me what we are, and I said I don’t know, I never knew, but now I do.”

“You can’t turn down your dream-”

“I know now, I know that I want you, and that I love you, and if you tell me to stay I will. I’ll stay, just tell me to. Tell me that you’ll be mine.” Bill says and he lifts his hands to cup my face, looking at me as if I was the most precious thing in his life, but I’m not. He says, “I never wanted to tell you because I was an idiot, an idiot who was scared that you didn’t want him, an idiot who thought that he would lose you, if he told you he loved you.”

I counter, “This is your dream, Bill. Your future, what you’ve always wanted-”

“No, you’re my future and I’m sorry that I didn’t know it before, but I do know. Ask me to stay, please.” he begs, and I pull his hands down. I look at him cause this might just be one of the few times that I’m going to see him for a long time. I’ve long had the image of his face pressed into my mind. I need to make sure that it withstands the test of time. I reason, “I-I’m not going to make this decision for you by asking you to stay, you might regret as time goes on-”

“I can never regret you.”

“I’m not going to stand in the way of this opportunity for you…you need to make it by yourself. And I’ve always been yours…” I trail off, and press a kiss on his lips. He looks at me dejected and helpless. I say, “Now, let’s go back in, your family’s waiting for you.”

***

Bill’s heading to the ministry any second now to head to the Floo network so he can go to Egypt. His family is going with him, so they can watch him Floo away, and they asked me to come, but I couldn’t because seeing his face before he goes, I might do something stupid like ask him to stay just for me, or maybe go to Egypt right with him.

Molly said she’d come and see me after, they all will definitely be in need of a hug, especially Ginny who’s not going to bear being the only one at the Burrow anymore. I prepared a lot of food for everyone to come and get while they all cope with having Bill move away. I’m not sure I’ve copped myself, I don’t think I ever will.

Knocks echo on my door, and I wave my wand pulling the food out on the table that I’ve arranged mishapely to gather enough chairs for the entire family. I arrange a few more things with the flick of my wand and I realise that I’ve forgotten the cups. I head over to the cupboard, and I flick my wand over to the door, making it fly open.

“Just let yourself in Molly, I’m just putting down the cups!” I pull out eight cups and I hold them in my arms haphazardly, I make my way to the table and start arranging them. I put down all the cups, until there’s two left- “I’m not Molly.”

I looked over my shoulder to where Bill was standing, bags at hand. He smiles at me and I smile back. I look at the clock, and I say, “Couldn’t do without a goodbye? But you’ll miss your Floo time, and you have to go where you’re supposed to-”

“I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” Bill says, and my bittersweet smile drops. I look at him questioningly. He couldn’t possibly mean- He answers my thoughts, “I’m not going.”

He sets his bags down and I put the last two cups randomly on the table. I fiddle with my fingers anxiously. I say, “I don’t want you to throw away your dream for me.”

“It’s more like picking one dream over the other.” Bill says, still standing by the door. He continues, “I want to be a cursebreaker, and I still can be here in England, but I can’t have the life I always wanted with you if I’m miles away, and that’s what I want more than anything.”

It’s the last of the confirmation that I need before heading over to him, rushing into his arms, as he finally holds me, and he whispers that he loves me. He kisses me and I forget to brace myself over how dizzy and giddy he makes me, finally as my own.

a/n: hope you liked it!

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 8 months

Text

Second Best 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Lee Bodecker

Summary: The newly-single sheriff sets his eye on an unexpected match.

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You stomp up the porch steps as your dad rocks in the wooden chair, in his usual meditation over a can of Molson. He grunts in his way, acknowledging your return and you shoot back a sharp, ‘hey’. Inside, your mother crochets in front of a soap opera, not looking over as she clacks her needles together. You know better than to try to start a conversation during her programs.

You go to your room behind the stairs and keep yourself from slamming the door. Greta always knows how to ruin your day. She might be right about being your only friend but maybe it’s time to make new ones. This town isn’t just the two of you.

You flop onto your bed sideways and stare at the ceiling. You can’t let her spoil the whole day off. That’s bullshit. What’s the point of spending hours caring about her nonsense. Tomorrow, you’ll be back to cleaning up hotel rooms and wishing you could just lay in bed and do nothing.

You sit up and shake off your agitation. A thorn sticks in your side but you try to ignore it. You could work on your embroidery. The Summer Solstice is coming and you might just talk yourself into sharing a booth with Hilde again. You sold quite a few patches last year.

You pull out your sewing kit and the box of half-finished patches and make a nest on the floor. You turn on the old CD player and listen to the same disc you always do. You set to work as you try to tune out the world.

You poke through the patch and jab into your fingertip. Shit. You growl as you wish you could stab Greta in her stupid little eyes. She’s such a bitch. You hope she has fun with that pig. She’ll be right back at The Horn scavenging for one night stands.

You’re not judging her, you’re judging this place. There really isn’t much to choose from. It’s the exact reason you have a vibrator hidden under your mattress. You’ve seen the men around here and you’ve talked to their girlfriends and wives.

You blow a raspberry and suck on your fingertip. There’s still a hint of vanilla on your skin. You drop your hand and lean back against the dresser.

Something’s gotta give. You’re so fucking bored of this town. There’s nothing to do. Greta just wants to drink and fuck around. If that’s what she enjoys, power to her, but you’re about to glaze over. You want something, anything to change.

🍦

You yawn as you walk up Thunder Lane towards the B&B. Another shift, another dollar. It’s minimum wage but better than nothing. You don’t have the education or the experience to demand more. Besides, the Odinsons aren’t bad employers. Usually you get a free meal or two.

You enter through the front door and greet Darcy as she droops over her coffee. She chirps as she sits up, startled by your sudden appearance. She relaxes as she realises you aren’t a guest or her employer.

You stop by the breakfast bar to grab a cup of your own before you head down to the laundry. You’ll try to catch up on the towels before check-out begins. There aren’t too many of those anyhow. Not yet. Midsommar usually draws in the tourists as a sort of novelty.

You load a washer and set it to spin as you restart a dryer left full from the day before. You give it ten minutes to fluff the towels and start folding. You sip your coffee between towels, drinking it away from the so you don’t stain the pure white.

You load up the cart with fresh towels in preparation for your daily route around the hotel. As you bend to grab some extra wash clothes, you’re started by a deep hum. You stand up straight and turn to face Thor as he looms in the doorway. Gods, he scared the piss out of you. How can a man that big sneak around like a cat?

“I heard there was a broken machine,” he drawls as he leans his elbow on the doorframe.

“Uh, yeah, that one again,” you point to the corner as you add the washcloths to the cart. You feel him watching you still.

“Ah,” he clucks, “and how are you today, lady?”

“Eh, just another day,” you shrug. “You?”

“Hm, as you said it. Another day,” he remarks, “we have a guest.”

“Oh?” You turn the cart around.

“In the Berkano suite,” he explains.

You nod, “right.” You mark the chart pinned to the handle of the cart.

“She is very demanding,” he muses, “from the city.”

“They usually are,” you give a tiny chuckle. You wish he wouldn’t stare at you like that, or that he’d at least move out of the way.

“Not like you village girls, eh?”

“I guess,” you furrow your brow.

“Mm, how’s Greta?” He winks.

“Fine, I don’t know,” you sniff and grab the handle of the cart, rolling it forward.

“My birthday’s coming up. Maybe she’d come?” He suggests.

“I don’t know,” you murmur as you stop, blocked from leaving by his burly form.

“You’re invited too, of course,” he grins and his eyes dip down for a moment, “is that a new apron?”

You have to hold back a scoff. You know better than to mess around with Thor Odinson. It’s more than just the Confucian philosophy of not shitting where you eat, it’s good sense. You’ve heard the stories. Aside from that, he’s a bit above your age range.

“Nope,” you answer flatly, “anyway, I should get started.”

“Well, are you coming? To my party?” He asks.

“I’ll see if I’m free,” you deflect.

“Bring Greta,” he slides out of the way, “and whoever you like. Any pretty girls you know.”

You bow your head to hide your disgust. You don’t think you’ll be feeding anyone to the wolves, especially not yourself. You pass through the door and feel a brush against your hip. You ignore it and roll down the hallway. You wouldn’t even hand over Greta to that beast, for more than the fact that she is excommunicated from your life.

#lee bodecker x reader #lee bodecker #dark lee bodecker #dark!lee bodecker #drabble #au #series #the devil all the time #second best #backwoods au

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night-raven-tattler · 9 months

Text

I need just one thing...

Summary: You're having a hard time and need a bit of a positive push. Your friends are ready to support you.

Characters: Ruggie, Vil, Ortho, Grim and GN!Reader (separate, platonic)

Warnings: sewing needles (Ruggie's part), food (Vil cooks), mentions of signs of distress (Ortho's part)

By opening the document, you agree to Mx Tattly's terms of source confidentiality.

-ˋˏ’✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Ruggie's laughter could be heard from the furthest corners of the campus, and he was too agile for you to catch him and cover his mouth

You were already embarassed, yet he had the audacity to put salt on the wound

It all started when you discovered a wide tear on your uniform jacket sleeve, only after walking around with it for the whole day

It was the only uniform jacket you had, so you panicked at the prospect of having to fix it or walk around without it

And you didn't have Leona's apathy or Kalim's status to walk around without a full uniform

So fixing it was your only real option

Problem was... you didn't know how to sew

You went to your jack of all trades friend, Ruggie, for some help, but he laughed in your face

"Wow, none of the people here know how to fend for themselves, not even you! Shyehehehe...!"

So you sat next to him, hiding the tear on your uniform and blushing from embarrassement until Ruggie managed to calm down

Ruggie wiped a few tears from his eyes and reached his hand to you

"Alright, hand it over. Limited time offer!"

Hesitantly, you took the jacket off and handed it to Ruggie, who pulled out of his pocket a small box with sewing supplies

"Spelldrive pracitices get really nasty sometimes, you have no idea how many fixes and patches my P.E. uniform has. Shyehehe!"

He expertly pulled some black thread through a needle and went to work

"You gotta use a thicker needle for this uniform, the material is super thick and a small one will barely be able to get through it."

Ruggie sew the tear and, after making sure it wouldn't fall apart, he handed you the uniform to admire his handiwork

You had to hand it to Ruggie: his work was durable and hardly noticeable, you wouldn't be able to tell there was a tear in the first place

"Thank you Ruggie! What do I owe you?"

Hearing your question, Ruggie feigned contemplation by rubbing his chin for a few seconds before he just shrugged

"Nah, you just owe me a favor for now. Shyehehehe!"

You accepted Ruggie's price and walked away in higher spirits that before

Who knows, maybe you'll just owe him a back massage after a day of being pulled through the wringer by Leona, shyehehe!

『••✎••』

The other Pomefiore students were giving awestruck looks and flabbergasted gasps to their housewarden as they watched him cut up some vegetables, carefully yet slowly

It was almost as if, to some, the idea of Vil getting his hands dirty was inconceivable

Vil couldn't be bothered by the shock of his students, however

If he were honest, he was actually quite insulted at their indignation

"Have you never seen anyone perform a basic life skill? If you have nothing productive to say, leave."

And, with a few words, he shooed away the students from the Pomefiore kitchen

Vil took a mental note to have a dorm meeting later that day and redefine his students' definition of beauty...

He recognised the beauty of his friendship with you and the trust you've developed with each other

And he recognised the beauty in the vulnerability you showed him not too long ago

His search eventually lead him to your dorm, where he found you trying to manage a nasty cold all by yourself

Vil dropped by your dorm to check up on you; he didn't see you around campus, and your friends said they haven't seen you all day either

You were caught in the rain the other day, and you couldn't change into dry clothes right away, so you were nerfed soon enough

Vil was not the nicest person out there, but he was kind, and you knew that

But you still were surprised when he asked what you needed, and not if you needed anything

And you also knew that if you tried to argue with him and deny his help, he'd dig his heels in and nurse you back to health all by himself

"...Just some soup. I miss my family's homemade soup..."

He wasn't the best cook, but he knew the basics, which were enough

And so he let you rest while he went back to his dorm to prepare the best soup he could

Fortunately for him, he bumped into Epel in the kitchen, who recommended him a few recipes from his grandma and gave him some pointers before running to his spelldrive practice

Vil chopped the vegetables from Epel's recipe and put them in the boiling water, gradually adjusting the food to your tastes

In no time, the soup was done, so he put some into a container and headed straight to you

Vil recognised the beauty in many things, especially when it came to you two

And currently, he couldn't deny how beautiful your genuine smile was as you sat comfortable in bed and slowly sipped his offering, one spoonful at a time

All while you listened to him talk about his experience with cooking and that new potion study he's been waiting all day to share with you

『••✎••』

The moment Ortho's eyes fell onto you, his scanners told him how bad your day was

You had low levels of energy, hydration and focus

On top of that, your uniform had its knees dirty and a small rip on a sleeve

At least you had no physical injuries

However, you made it your personal mission for the day to talk to as few people as you could; not even your best friends were with you

Ortho figured he'd approach you during your shared potionology lesson you were about to have in the botanical gardens

But you never showed up for the lesson

No one knew where you were, they only saw you enter the building

So Ortho decided to skip class for the first time of his short student life and look for you

It wasn't too hard for him to do so, and soon enough he detected your presence behind a few bushes in the subtropical zone

...he also detected the muffled sound of sobs, paired with an increase of distress and elevated blood pressure

He silently approached the bushes

And you raised your head at the sound of his jets

You quickly wiped some of your tears, putting a wobbly yet sincere smile

"Hello, Reader!"

"Hi, Ortho..."

Ortho sat himself next to you and, before you could think of ways to deal with the slightly awkward silence, he spoke first

"You are in distress."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his bluntness, especially since his assessment was, as always, correct

"...Yeah, kinda."

He knew he should've looked up how to comfort you, it was unlike him to not use the readily available search engine he was built with already

And yet, he found himself saying words he's never spoken before

"Offering comfort is an appropriate response for someone in distress. How do you want me to offer it?"

He waited patiently for you to wipe your tears and give him your answer

"Just a hug..."

Your shaky voice carried your plea, and Ortho was faced with what he could only describe as surprise

Ortho was not in the appropriate gear to fulfill your request

His "body" was hard and cold, the worst for the task you gave him

But he never left tasks unfinished, so he hugged you as tightly as he thought was humanly acceptable

And you held him just as tightly, if not more, as the dam broke and you cried your tears

Ortho hesitated before he started playing calming music from his speakers as he hugged you just a little bit tighter

『••✎••』

It was that time of the week when Grim walked to you on his back paws with a comb in between his free paws, ordering you to brush his fur

Usually you were more than willing to accept the job: ever since you've been living together and participating in Grim's maintenance, his fur became shiny, smooth and blissfully soft

It was part of why he started to enjoy the routine, and even kept track of it

But that day, it was... just not a good time

You just had a long day, and as much as you would've loved to do nothing but brush Grim, you had no energy left in your body

"Sorry, Grim. I really can't. Tomorrow?"

You didn't even change out of your uniform, you just plopped onto bed and laid there, fully expecting Grin's usual complains

But you heard nothing but the sound of metal touching wood

Your were barely awake when you felt the mattress sink into the bed slightly, followed by a few small feet climbing on your back

...and claws sinking into your jacket comfortingly as a certain someone was kneading into you

A small purr started rumbling from above you, and you started drifting off...

You woke up in the middle of the night

You tried to get up, but you had something heavy on your back

After rolling it off you, you realised it was Grim

You smiled towards him and pet him, and he curled into himself, sighing contentedly

You changed into your pyjamas and set up an earlier alarm so you could brush Grim's fur in the morning before crawling back into your bed and falling back asleep

『••✎••』

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #ruggie bucchi #vil schoenheit #ortho shroud #twst grim #twisted wonderland grim

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forgave-me-not · 3 months

Text

I DON'T THINK I LIKE YOU ANYMORE ☆ B.S.

Ben would sew you into the fabric of all of his clothes if he could. But alas, he cannot, so kissing you is the next best thing. Now he just has to figure out how to do it. word count: 3.2k warnings: fluff, like two curse words, a bit suggestive at the end

There's flying - with its long lines, endless bag checks, whining children - and then there's waiting on a flight. Today, you've been placed in the latter category, patiently waiting for your best friend to come home. How long had it been since you'd seen him? Two, three months? It didn't matter. What you did know is that his presence was sorely missed.

You and Ben had managed to do almost everything together - from growing up to playing sports and attending the same college. But that was before the world was big, before things were different. He had his own thing now, something you could only observe from afar. And as much as you loved that he'd found success in his niche, you were glad he was taking a break and finally coming home.

You'd paced the waiting area near the terminal for nearly 45 minutes. I look antsy as hell, you thought as you glanced at your watch again. You weren't nervous. That's impossible. It was just Ben. You simply hadn't seen him in a while. It wasn't anxiety; you had a lot of pent-up enthusiasm that needed to be let out in one way or another. Still, you looked wound up. You sit down and look around at the people around you. A mother feeds her toddler some animal crackers. Hmm, maybe she's waiting on her part-. Before you can finish your thought, you see that familiar form striding its way over to you, and you're back on your feet in a flash.

He's wearing a baseball cap, typical Ben, but you can see his face perfectly fine. Eyes just as bright, smile just as toothy. He's been just fine.

You walk around the young man, looking for any discrepancies.

"Why are you appraising me like some prize-winning bull," Ben said, slightly amused at you circling him in close inspection.

"I've gotta make sure you're all here," you declare, looking up at him. "Did you get taller?"

"I dunno. Let's get outta here, you little scumbag," Ben says with a laugh.

"Anything in baggage claim," you ask in an attempt to check off all the boxes he could miss.

"Nope."

"Alright then," you say with a smile. Ben wraps one arm around your shoulders and pulls his carry-on with the other as you lead him toward your car. You lean into him, wrapping an arm around his waist. He smells familiar with his sandalwood cologne and shea butter lotion. Oh, how you missed that smell.

The two of you make it to your car, an older model SUV your dad had handed down to you once you'd turned sixteen. There were a lot of memories in that car, some you and Ben swore to never speak about again. The sound of the trunk slamming snapped you out of your thoughts.

"Geez, Benjamin. Always so rough," you remark with an eye roll.

"My bad, my bad," Ben says defensively, putting his hands up to show he's genuinely sorry. You shake your head and lean against the driver's side door.

"The sky looks beautiful," Ben says quietly, leaning beside you. He was right. The red, orange, and pink shades made the surrounding area look otherworldly; not even the sounds of planes taking off and the nearby highway could detract from it. Ben tore his eyes away from the sky and glanced over at you. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Pretty," he whispered, not meaning to say it aloud. "Hmm? What'd you say," you said, taking your eyes off the drifting clouds. Ben froze, feeling his face get hot. "Um, nothing. The sky's pretty, that's all."

"Oh...alright. Well, B, the sky is wonderful, but I've gotta get you home." You turn to open your car door, but a firm hand reaches over and closes it. "I don't want to," Ben whines. Sometimes, you're shocked he's actually twenty-one years old. You cock an eyebrow at the hand on your car door. Ben quickly removes his hand and clears his throat.

"We haven't seen each other in a while, and besides, I have like two weeks to be home. Let's do something." His arms are crossed, Ben's signal that no will not be an answer that comes out of your mouth.

"You sure? Not too tired from your flight," you say with furrowed eyebrows.

"Nuh uh. Besides, I need a burger."

"Ugh," you groan. "I oughta make you drive." Ben lets out a laugh and spins you around in excitement. He quickly trots to the car's passenger side, opens the door, and plants himself in the seat, adjusting it for his long legs. You laugh. Like a child. "You're a punk, you know that, Shelton," you say accusingly as you start your car and back out of the parking spot.

The two of you sat in one of those authentic American diners. There was a coffee pot on every table, paintings of the food they served on the windows, and floors that were a bit slick from the kitchen grease. Ben had smashed his burger in five minutes flat; he'd said something about missing seed oils and red dye. You'd snorted and told him he better appreciate it since you were paying.

The waitress came over with the chocolate milkshake you had ordered. You thanked her and stirred the drink. Ben was attempting to build a pyramid out of toothpicks. You smile at him.

"So, how's the tour going," you ask, sipping your drink.

Ben leans forward against an elbow and begins to trace the squares of the checkered pattern on the table. "Good. You win some, you lose some, but it's fun." He picks at the fries he didn't eat and flicks the salt off his fingers. "But we always talk about me. What's up with you?"

A grin spreads across your face. "Well, there's this guy," you start. Ben's nostrils flare. He sees a flash of confusion on your face and tones down his obvious displeasure. You let out a slight cough and continue. "He's in my World Philosophies course this semester, and uh, he's pretty cool." You say the last bit quietly, sensing that Ben is judging everything you say and do. Honestly, you only brought it up because it was the first thing to come to mind. You didn't want to discuss the guy anyway, so you changed the subject.

"I kept the letter," you said casually before taking a long slurp from your milkshake.

"What?"

"Remember when you had that phase of sending people handwritten letters?" Ben nods. I only wrote you letters, though, is what he wanted to say. You always talked about the men in those classic books you love to read writing letters.

You smile and reach into the pocket of your jean shorts. Out came a folded, yellowed piece of paper.

"I usually carry it in my wallet, but I wanted to remember to show you. God, your handwriting was so funky."

"Was not," an embarrassed Ben responded, putting his head in his arms so you wouldn't see him blush. The tips of his ears were still red, though. You giggle.

"Was too, you bum."

"I was nervous, okay. What 19-year-old is sending handwritten letters nowadays anyhow," Ben stated, rolling his eyes. You tilted your head and pointed at yourself. "Uh, this guy." Ben let out one of his signature laughs, and one of the veterans sitting at the counter turned to look at the two of you. Ben shot him an apologetic look and turned back to you.

"I'm ashamed to admit that I barely even remember what I wrote," Ben said, running a hand through his hair. The waitress came by and placed the check on the table. Before you could do anything, Ben put his card down.

You chuckled. "Well, let me read you my favorite part to jog your memory then." You cleared your throat and began:

"Something you said once popped in my head after the win today. You told me that when I matured, I'd be a great; how do I do that? I know that we're thousands of miles away, and you'll probably be asleep or out to lunch when this makes it to you, but I promise now, right now, that I'll be great, for you, ok?

And I wanted to say that I miss you — like, a lot. Take care of yourself; I'll be home soon."

You didn't even need to unfold the paper; it was imprinted on your brain from reading it over and over.

"Wow. I really wrote all that, huh," Ben murmured with a smile. Damn, she really likes that letter. Didn't even glance at it. He picked up his card off the table and signed the check. "Huh, maybe my handwriting is a little funky." You grinned, threw a ten-dollar bill on top of the tab, stood up from the table, and headed out of the restaurant. Ben jogged after you.

"Wanna do something fun," Ben asked, a little out of breath from chasing after you.

"You wouldn't know fun if it spit in your face," you quip back, letting your Southern accent come through.

"What about, I don't know, carnival fun?" He smirked and pointed at a sign across the road. You stood on your tip toes to look over his shoulder.

CARNIVAL IN 3 MILES!

"Good grief, always dragging me into something. You're driving this time, by the way." You threw your keys at his chest and tried to hide your smile.

All carnivals smell alike. Animals, fried food, sweat, and vomit will always produce the same odors, no matter where you are. But the scent that hit your nose, nor the joyous screams and yelling, didn't dampen your mood. The multitude of necklaces you wore clinked as you bounced on your toes.

Ben hands the man at the ticket booth a twenty, and the two of you make your way inside. "Here." You hold up Ben's hat. "Might wanna put this on."

"Oh, thank you," he says as he bends down. Understanding the message, you push his hair back and snugly put the hat on his head. "There you go, B."

Neither of you wanted to do anything particular, so you just milled about looking for things to do. Ben beat you at the high striker, but you got him back with your perfect shot at the duck shooting booth. He was now, begrudgingly, lugging around your three-and-a-half-foot panda for you while you snacked on cotton candy.

The sun sank behind the treeline, but it was still sweltering with the humidity and the other sweating bodies surrounding you. Ben watched as a bead of sweat rolled down your neck. He swallowed thickly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. After meandering around a bit more, both of you grew tired of walking around and decided to sit down. The benches near the food trucks make for a perfect spot; you could watch people, Ben could watch you.

You scanned the area. A little girl wailed at a game booth nearby. Ring toss. But she's so tiny. You looked at the two adults beside her, most likely her parents. They appeared at their wit's end and on the verge of breaking down themselves. You glanced over at the bear. He still needs a name. Oh well.

"I'll be right back," you told Ben, who looked at you confused. Grabbing the panda from the spot next to you, you adjusted the straps of your tank top and made your way over to the family. Her parents noticed you first. "Is it okay if I talk to her," you asked with a sheepish smile. "Be our guest," her mother said, surprised.

"Hi there. What's your name?"

The girl sniffled and wiped her nose. "Maia."

"That's a beautiful name. Well, Maia, I won this panda right here, but I think you could use it more than I could. You have to promise me one thing."

Maia nodded enthusiastically, very ready to receive a stuffed bear almost as big as her. "Promise me that you won't give up so easily. And don't make things too hard for your parents," you said with a soft smile.

"Yes, ma'am. I promise," Maia said sweetly, tears all dried. "Are you a fairy," she asked as you handed over the bear. You barked out a laugh. "I guess I am now, sweetie. Bye for now. And be good." Maia grinned up at you and hugged your legs tights. You bent down to hug her back and glanced at her parents. "Thank you," her father mouthed at you. "No problem," you whispered back. Maia waved at you and skipped back to her parents. You waved back and turned around to where you were sitting.

Ben sat with his head against his hands, grinning like an idiot. "What are you looking all dopey at," you asked him. He stood up and looked down at you. "Just watching you. It was cute, that's all."

You chuckled as you walked away. "You sound like a creep out of context," you called over your shoulder. You walked for a bit and then stopped in front of the Ferris wheel. The bright lights and colorful seats swinging caught your attention. The sun had set, and the wind was finally picking up. You closed your eyes and rocked back and forth on your heels, humming a tune. Ben studied you from the side. All of your piercings. How your thumbs hooked around the belt loops of your shorts. That tattoo on the back of your elbow.

"Shit," Ben sighed. "I'm not sure I like you anymore."

Your eyes snap open as you turn to look up at him, the colored lights of the carnival dancing across your face. "What," you say incredulously.

"I said," he says with a drawn-out breath. "I don't think I like you anymore." A mischievous smile spreads across his face, adding to your confusion.

"What the hell is he on today," you murmur. Ben steps in front of you and places his hands on your shoulders. "What the hell am I on? You're what I'm on, that's what." He sighs. "And I'll shout 'Hey, I love this girl' from the rooftops if I have to. What can I say? I'm in love with you. Who in their right mind wouldn't be?" You push him off of you and put your hands on your knees. Ben's face drops from excitement to worry, worry that you might hate him and never see him again after his very public confession. But all of his anxieties are soothed once he hears your laugh. "Ben," you say through incessant giggling. "You're such a dork." The man frowns at you like a sad child.

"I'm sorry for laughing, B," you say, looking at him. "Come here." And it's the first real hug either of you have had all day. Ben feels you press your ear into his chest. "Are you listening to my heartbeat," he asks with a confused smile. "Yeah. Just want to make sure you're real before I say anything else." You give him another quick squeeze before stepping back. "I love you too, Ben. With all my heart."

"Promise? You're not lying, are you?"

"Pinky promise, baby. You know I don't lie to you."

"Yeah, I know." He had that dopey look on his face again. He really is in love. I got lucky.

"Let's continue this conversation in the car, shall we?" Ben asked as he wrapped his arm around your waist and kissed your forehead.

"We shall," you said with a smirk.

The cooler temperatures of the night had brought out the crowds. Still, neither of you would be there long enough to experience the carnival full of people. Not that it mattered anyway. There were more important things at hand.

Ben held your hand and led you through the droves of people back to the entrance. You watched his broad shoulders move under his t-shirt as he uttered his apologies and excuse me's to passersby. When you made it out of the gate and to the parking lot, which was really just an empty field, it took everything in you not to break out into a sprint. You wanted to scream and dance and cry all at once, but you suppressed those feelings and calmly walked to your car.

Ben led you to the front of the car and patted the hood, requesting that you hop up. You obliged and sat face to face with your best friend, the man you loved. He smiled and bit his bottom lip. "You're so pretty," he whispered before taking your face in his hands. "Hmm, you should see yourself," you hum.

"What? You think I look pretty?"

"I always think you look pretty."

You caress his face and look into his eyes. The two of you stare at each other for a beat. Ben quickly gazes at your lips, breaking eye contact first. Having had enough of the silence and suspense, he leans in and kisses you. You snatch his hat off and throw it on the windshield behind you to keep it from being awkward. Ben smiles against your lips. The kisses are soft, like he doesn't want to break you. His lips trace your cheeks, jawline, neck as you whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears.

"Could y'all get a room or something," a voice calls out, bringing you back to reality. Ben bristles, and you hide your face in the crook of his neck from embarrassment.

"Jesus Christ, Robert. Leave them alone; they're just kids. Besides, you're the one invading their privacy. This parking lot is empty, hon." The man mumbles something to his wife.

"Sorry, dears. This old man won't bother you anymore. Have fun," the lady says as she drags her husband to the ticket booth. You lift your head from Ben's shoulder and wave at her shrinking form. You turn back to Ben, who's trying his hardest to stifle his laughter, and you smile. "Here, I have a better idea," he says. Ben helps you down from the hood of the car and leads you to the rear door of your vehicle. You grabbed his hat off the windshield before either of you could forget. He opens the door and swivels his head to face you. "Only if you want, of course."

You looked down at the ground, suddenly shy, and nodded. "Yeah. I want to." Ben beamed at you before moving over to let you clamber in ahead of him. He climbs in and shuts the door behind you. Once again, you two are side by side, face to face. Ben's fingers snaked under your tank top and traced patterns on your lower back.

"So, what exactly is the plan," you asked softly, gazing into his eyes.

Ben leaned in to kiss your neck. "I was just going to figure it out as we went," he said, kissing behind your ear. "If that's ok."

"That's perfect," you hummed, running your hand through the hair at the nape of his neck. The two of you were in your own little world, and neither had to tell a soul. It would end up as just one more secret that your car would have to keep.

author's note: finally getting this out of my system lol. can't believe I wrote all of this, geez

#ben shelton #ben shelton x reader #ava writes!!#fluff #ficlet #my writing #txt post #atp tennis #tennis #tennisblr #as always #I think it kinda sucks #but we move!!

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the-possum-writes · 5 months

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I loved the fire fin stuff you wrote, Can you write more headcannons about him and the reader trying to keep finn distracted while also trying to turn him back, pls

Subdue the Flame

➼Character: Fire Finn (Finn Mertens)

➼Tags (warnings): headcanons, canon typical violence, gender neutral reader, mentions of servitude, sloppy kisses, misogynistic comments

➼Synopsis: Fire Finn headcanons about distracting him in a fight during the Elemental special.

➼With the fire citizens heading for the Candy Kingdom it's up to you and Lsp to try and de-escalate the situation, mainly with you trying to defeat Flame Princess's newest champion while Lsp retrieves the jewel from Princess Bubblegum.

➼"Are you sure you can handle him? I mean he already beat you once, it’s like a more intense version of Finn... It’s lumpin hot." Lsp mutters as the two of you scout the area.

"Yeah, we just gotta improvise a bit. At least knock him off his sense until I use my secret weapon and defeat his hot headed butt for good!"

"You sound way too eager about this. But no dude you got it all wrong! the real Finn is still in there somewhere you just gotta play into his hero heart ya know? pull one of those 'I know the real you is in there somewhere' kind of speech."

It's hard not to roll your eyes at Lsp's dramatics, but if she's trying to tell you to solve things pacifically first, then sure why not. Like don’t get me wrong, of course saving Finn is a priority but knowing this prick fire version of him, it’s gonna take more than heartily speeches to subdue him.

"By all means, be my guest."

➼It goes as expected, Fire Finn just walks past her spewing something about war drums and threatens to slice her down if she tries to stop him. This is where you come in.

➼You're the only one who can confront Fire Finn either cause you're physically strong enough to match him in a fight or you have the mental fortitude to deal with the stuff he'll say in hopes of saving him.

➼Like, the guy was pulled in and created in a toxic and violent environment so that leads me to believe he's bound to say some hurtful things and make fun of you with low hanging fruit. For example, if you're a gal (or female presenting) he'll spew some misogynic comments about how he's biologically stronger "You don't stand a chance against me, I'm all hardcore muscle." or "You'll regret leaving your sewing room this morning."

➼If not, he'll still boast about how he's stronger than you and will wipe your face on the dirt.

➼Uses insults too. Mainly stuff like: nerd, loser, mouth breather, girlie, wimp, roach, useless scum, motherless bastard, to think of a few.

➼I don't know if he'll fight honorably (since the other fighters have kinda roman gladiator inspired designs) or fight dirty, but now that I think about it he'll most likely do the latter. He'll kick you in the shins and throw sand at your eyes, that's how he gets the upper hand when fighting you.

➼Dominant, ruthless and a huge show off. Overtime he gets too cocky.

"You're too much of a wimp, I bet I can beat you with nothing but my hands."

➼To mock you further he kicks away your bag and your main weapon but not without stabbing his own sword into the ground before approaching you with cracked knuckles, wrestling you into the ground as he continues to belittle you- albeit with suggestive undertones. "Once we're done with these candy nerds they'll be nothing left but cinders and ash. Maybe then I'll take you back to the fire kingdom as my personal training dummy... All for myself~"

➼You don't know if you're reading too much into this whole fight, but It's now that the physical contact makes sense. He tightens his hold on you, purposely grabbing you where you're most sensitive (that would make you blush any other day) before tossing you around like a sack of potatoes, the pain is real but it started giving you an idea.

➼If there's one mistake he's actively making it's that he's completely underestimated you and your brain power that compensates your lack of extra brawn to beat him on a one on one.

➼"Oh woo is me, you're obviously the better opponent. Might as well start getting used to serving you as you deserve." you cry out, causing Fire Finn to quirk a nonexistent eyebrow. He grips your hair by the back of your head, purposely raising you to his eye level.

➼"And how would you start serving me?" He asks, suspicious of your change of attitude but quickly allured by the promise of servitude.

➼You momentarily lick your lips, it's subtle but hypes you up for what's to come. "Like this," and you lean forward to kiss the fire elemental on the lips completely unprompted. It's a risky move, and considering Fire Finn isn't returning the kiss you're 90% certain that he's gonna slap or throw you away but the second you attempt to remove yourself from him he instead tightens his hold on your hair and pushes you back into his eager mouth, opening it up as his tongue dwells all around yours in unexpected wanton. You try your best to reprocitate but he's completely controlling in this situation as well, now holding your face with both hands as he gives you the sloppiest kiss you've ever had.

➼Underestimating how sharp his teeth are, you cut your tongue on it and has you groaning at the unpleasant metallic taste in your mouth, fidgeting in the spot as you try to pull yourself from his hold but it only served to rile him up further, running his tongue over the wound.

He eventually pulls you away to catch his breath, completely devouring your breaths as you exhale to take in the fresh air.

➼His reaction is more enthusiastic than you expected. In fact it's his crazed expression that ultimately snapped you out of your foggy daze, immediately taking advantage of his unguarded walls and you kick him where he counts.

➼Now he's the one falling like a sack of potatoes.

➼You suddenly rush to your discarded backpack as you hear him shout angrily behind you.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! I WILL MAKE IT TORTUROUS FOR YOU! I WON'T REMOVE MY HANDS FROM YOU UNTIL YOUR WAILING AND BEGGING FOR RELEASE BY THE TIP OF MY SWORD!"

➼There's no time to ponder what kind of punishment he's talking about since he's immediately back on his feet and just a few steps away from you, but the second you grab your hidden weapon it's over for this fire elemental. You pull out a plastic water gun and spray it all over Fire Finn, watching him shout in agony as he steps back as you blast him into submission until he lays beaten on the ground. "This is why you need a safe word my dude." You finally spew a well deserved taunt.

➼And to make matters worse and more humiliating for the fire kin, you snap a fireproof collar around his neck, courtesy of Wizard Betty.

"What is this contraption?!"

"It's a little something from a friend, a temporary solution until we find out how to turn you back to normal."

➼With a sigh, you sit back as you watch the fallen warrior attempt to rip out the collar only for it's safety mechanism to activate and spray him with cool water, like one of those automatic car window things.

"I DEMAND YOU RELEASE ME!!"

"You're not in a spot to make demands my dude, so unless you wanna turn into a popsicle you'll have to follow me." You eventually stand up with a more nonchalant attitude compared to earlier, still wincing a bit since your safety now doesn't take away that Fire Finn pulled a heavy number on you.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" He threatens, but the collar activated again before he could lay his blue hands on your neck.

"Maybe, if you say please~?"

"DIE!"

#adventure time x reader #adventure time imagines #finn mertens x reader #finn the human #finn the human x reader #adventure time

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dinosaurcharcuterie · 8 months

Text

10 days ago, I decided I would get started on that linen summer dress with the swooshy skirt I've had all the materials for since last summer. So, naturally, 9 days ago, I did unspeakable things in a text editor software to reformat this free Apex Legends Nessie pattern by Jackalodreams on Deviantadt so most pieces fit on less pages. Then I printed it at 200%, taped the pieces together and... Things got a bit out of hand.

Long story short, I've got a new purse, and it made at least three separate adults who saw it smile squeal in public.

Construction notes after the break!

I think it only took me an evening or two to make, the main thing was getting all the materials. Zipper is from a duvet, all other hardware, eyes included, are 3D printed with PLA. (Pro tip: don't size up safety eye STL files unless you have a way to size up your fabric thickness accordingly.) Patches are mostly from stash, as is the lining (just some random jersey) and belly fabric (basic double gauze). Body is a fuzzy blanket I found on clearance. Tag is a piece of cotton calico with some quick and dirty hand embroidery on it.

Getting the tag, zipper and D-ring caught in the butt seam made me fear for my little Brother sewing machine, so maybe don't do what I did there. I didn't have the patience to figure out something else, and I didn't not want to put in a tag. Still, all the fabric edges are finished, every seam is locked, the patches are sewn on instead of ironed on, so this thing, when empty, should be machine washable at 30°C.

This deceptive little beastie took an entire 400g bag of polyfill to get structurally sound, even with the pouch pre-filled with way more things than I expected would fit. It's a pretty practical size inside for everyday errands. It came out extremely squishy, to the point that I could probably use it as a pillow on a long drive or train ride. The different textures of eyes, patches, tag, body and belly go together nicely.

The shoulder strap was borrowed for about an hour from my wife's purse (thank you, sweetie!) when Hermes smiled down upon us and had us catch one market stall selling fashion straps that was several hours late in packing up and closing. (Lesson learned: drinking a can of Monster before running small errands is a good thing.) Don't have pictures of the new one yet.

It's the size of a medium-large plush, so not ideal for tiny stores while wearing a thick winter coat, but otherwise it did quite well on its first outing.

Just gotta attach the zipper pull with a jump ring, as the sewed on McGyvering I've got right now isn't the most practical.

#nessie #sewing #plushie #handbag #bag #free pattern #working from stash #mostly from stash anyway #learning new things #3D printing #apex legends #patches #it's not dumb if it brightens someone's day #it's SO SQUISHY #no I have not started that dress yet

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karmashatty · 1 year

Text

Javier Escuella x F! Reader

Pairings: Javier Escuella (Red Dead Redemption 2) x Female!reader.

Warnings: Jealously, rough smut, arguments, language.

Side note: I haven’t wrote smut for awhile, so I do apologize for that.

With a tug of the thread, you finally finish the shirt you’d been working on patching for the last hour or two. Hands aching, mind shut down from not being used; after sewing for this long it was more muscle memory than anything.

Holding the shirt out in front if you; you take a final look over it. With a tired sigh you fold the worn shirt carefully, the blue fabric used beyond its years. With a boost, you stoodup. Your eyes scanning around the camp to find the owner of the material.

After a minute of searching, your eyes land on the tired man to go along with the shirt. Sitting up against the tree with his journal being his main focus in the moment.

You smile softly, walking over to the man. He seems to be aware of you before you make it to him, as he looks up at you. “(Name).” He greets in a airy voice. “Hello Arthur, I got ya shirt patched.” You say, holding the material down to him.

Arthur offers a thankful smile, taking the folded shirt into his own hand. “Thank you sweetheart.” He muttered, with a tip of his head, before he started to cough.

You immediately frowned, and leant down to pat his back. “Arthur… are you sure you’re ‘lright?” You ask, concerned for your friend’s wellbeing. Your hand still resting on his shoulders as he was still folded over a bit.

“‘M fine, don’t go worrying about me.” He murmured, bringing his hand up to wipe his mouth. A few small specks of blood staining into his palm. Your brows furrowed slightly. "Arthur..." You whispered a bit, putting the pieces together quickly once you saw the blood.

"Learned when we were down in Saint Denis..." He gave in quietly. "Why didn't you tell me? I knew you were sick, but not like... this." You asked softly, your hand still resting on his shoulders as you spoke.

He shrugged. "Like I said: I ain't need no one worrying 'bout me, especially with all that's going on now." he pointed out. You nodded slowly, your eyes drifting away as you thought. "Thanks for fixin' my shirt though." He lauded softly.

Arthur tucked an arm under himself to push himself up from the sitting position. You quickly reached an arm down, and locked it around his to help him up. As he straightened up he smiled down to you sadly.

You could feel your lip quiver looking at the man in front of you. The man who you'd came to look at like a brother, and so sick. It was agonizing. Not thinking you quickly wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

He returned the hug gingerly, keeping his head turned away from you. "Whatever happens... you gotta get out of here, alright?" he said, holding onto your shoulders as he pulled away.

You took a deep breath and nodded. "Just.. be careful, please. No one is right these days, I wish Hosea was still here." you plead, muttering the last part to yourself. Arthur sighed. "I know, me too, me too." he nodded. He looked away for a moment, before back to you.

The two of your shared a last smile. "Well Miss (Last name), I believe I told Charles I'd meet him so we could go help some people." he said, tipping his hat in a bidding of farewell.

As he walks off you stand there, spaced out in not-so-happy thoughts. You sniffed slightly, before turning back to walk into camp. You lifted your skirt slightly as you walked across to your tent.

Your faced scrunched bit seeing Bill, Micah, Javier, Cleet, and Joe sitting at a table. The camp had almost been split into two sides. Your lover; Javier, was on one. But, everyone you could trust right now was on the other.

Suddenly all five of the men looked at you, Micah whispering something. Bill looked at you almost disgusted, and Javier was just straight pissed. You furrowed your brows in confusion, but continued back on your trek to the tent.

You ducked into your tent, noticing some of Javier's clothes strung around; probably another one of his tantrums while he looked for specific piece.

With a sigh you carefully picked up one of the shirts, straightening it out before folding it. You set it in the messed chest, pulling out the rest of the crumpled fabric, setting it on the makeshift bed.

After a few minutes of continuous folding, the sound of the tent flaps moving caught your attention. You shifted slightly to look over your shoulder. "Javi." you greet quietly.

Javier doesn't respond, rather just looking at you with an unreadable expression. You start to sweat slightly, clinging at the shirt in your hand. Feeling uncomfortable and awkward, you turn back around.

"Are you trying to be a whore?" he asked out of nowhere behind you. Freezing from shock, you look back at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Micah said he saw you 'n Arthur getting all close." he muttered bitterly. Your eyebrows raise even higher. "Arthur... and me?" you clarify, Javier rolled his eyes. "Yes, you 'n Arthur." he huffed.

Your face goes blank for a minute. "And... what are you thinking happened with Arthur and I?" you ask dryly, Javier started to grind his teeth slightly.

"All I know is you two have been whispering and running around together lately. I think you forget who you belong to." He hissed, you look back at him again, dropping his jacket that was in your hand.

"Who I belong to? Who would that be?" you ask in a deep tone, standing up and walking over to stand in front of him. "Me." he responded, matching your tone. "Or do I need to remind you of that?" he prodded, taking another step towards you.

Your eyes squint, and you cross your arms in a challenging manner. "And how would you do that? Talk to me about 'loyalty'?" you tease with a face of mockerism.

Suddenly Javier pulled you into him, roughly kissing you. The anger and annoyance obvious as he grabbed a fistful of your hair, his other arm wrapping around you to keep the two of your bodies flushed against one another.

It takes a minute, but soon you kiss back. Your hands resting on his chest, a few groans escape you as he tugs at your hair. His teeth gently pull at your bottom lip, his tongue poking into your mouth after you open it in retaliation to his actions.

His tongue swirls around your mouth, obviously to angry to take his time. It was almost uncomfortable to feel the two muscles in your mouths against one another. Though his mouth soon left yours, instead going down to your neck to suck and lick at the skin.

Now it was your turn to cling and tug at his hair. Tipping your head to the side a bit to offer more of your neck, you shiver. He grins against your neck tauntingly as he hits a sensitive spot on your skin. "Lay down on your back." He ordered, pulling away from you.

You hesitate for a minute, before stepping back and gingerly laying down like he said. Javier slid off his vest, and started unbuttoning his shirt as he kneeled down in front of you.

He widened your legs before he slid his hand up through the few layers of your skirt, soon meeting the fabric in between your legs. "I can feel you soaking through the fabric.. Mi Puta. You like being treated like a bitch, don't you?" he grinned.

You rolled your eyes. "I ain't no whore." You mutter, widening your legs a bit more as he thumbs around your nether regions over the fabric. He hums, moving his hand away after a moment.

His hands take off your boots, before he loosens your skirt, pulling it down and tossing it to the side. His eyes dark as his hands ran up your legs. You squirmed slightly, feeling him lift a hand up to push your hips down. “Stay still.” He muttered.

A puff escapes your lips. Your eyes watching him come up to unbutton your shirt, which his took his time with. You could tell his mind was at war of taking too long, or just straight up destroying you.

Javier carefully slid the shirt over your head, before he wrapped an arm around you, roughly flipping you over onto your stomach. You grunted, twisting your head to the side as it was just slammed into the ground.

“Now, are you going to be a buena chica, or are you going to make this hard?” He asked against your ear as he loomed over you. His shallow, unhinged breathing fanning over your neck.

You grumbled something quietly, followed by a slap across your ass. Your eyes widened a bit, your hands clutching at the blanket under you as you looked back. “What the hell Javier?” You muttered. “Watch your mouth, speak up.”

Straightening your head back you rolled your eyes. Javier reached up, and pulled the straps of your chemise off your shoulder, sliding it down over your chest and stomach.

As the last layer of your fabric came off, your nipples went fully pert from the sudden cool to your skin. Javier bent an arm to snake under your stomach, and pushed up. You hesitantly bent your knees, your ass sticking up in the air.

He slid your chemise the rest of the way off, picking up one leg at a time to get it off fully, throwing it somewhere in the tent; leaving you fully bare.

Both of his hands rested on your ass, your right cheek a bit red from where he had punished you. “Now, again; are we going to be good, or bad?” He asked tauntingly. His hands went down to the inside of your thighs.

“Define ‘good’.” You muttered with a sass, Javier let out a huff. “Bad then.” He said, grabbing your knees to pull your legs apart more. “Very well then. I’m not gonna go easy, Hermosa.” He purred, “You need to remember who you should stay loyal to.”

You could feel yourself growing wetter as the clank of his belt, your insides clenching with need, but left to squeeze around air.

One of his fingers ran up in a line between your labia. He let out a soft groan, “So wet, all for me? I’m starting to think you like being treated like this. You like being my whore?” He crooned darkly, leaning in to kiss on the back of your neck, nipping slightly.

“Y-yes.” You agree, giving in, knowing you weren’t going to get out of this. “Yes, who?” He prodded, playing with your entrance.

Sucking in a breath you locked your jaw, “Yes sir.” You muttered with a flushed face, red in embarrassment and arousal.

“Good girl.” He cooed, pulling his finger away. Javier shuffled closer, leaning over you a bit and placing a hand on your hip. You could feel the hot head of his cock pressing at your entrance, Javier watching you carefully as you leaned back a bit.

Suddenly without warning, he slammed into you roughly. A sharp moan left your mouth as he started to thrust in and out of you at a quicker pace, Javier letting out pleasureful grunts and moans into your ear. He always had been a more vocal lover, so this wasn’t anything new.

Breathy moans left your mouth as you shoved your head into the pillow; attempting to quiet them. Javier lifted your head up, pulling it out of the muffling material. “No, let them hear you.” He grunted.

He continued to thrust erratically, the sounds reverberating throughout the tent(and camp, probably.) Your pussy squelching loudly as it was penetrated roughly. A high gasp leaving your mouth as he hit your G-spot.

Javier reciprocated the sounds you were making, letting his own run wild. “F-fuck..” you moaned, clenching your eyes shut. “You like when I fuck you like this? All rough and dirty, huh?” He asked darkly.

“Yes sir..” you nodded quickly. “Who’s name are you gonna be calling when your so sensitive you can’t sit down?” He asked, pushing on his ego. “Yours!” You cried out.

He chuckled into your ear, reaching a hand in between him and you to rub your clit appreciatively. You back immediately arched at the added pleasure, his hand on your hip gripping so tight you knew it was going to bruise.

“I want Morgan to know who’s you are…” he hissed in your ear, rubbing circles more rough across your sensitive nub. “Yours!” You moaned in a pleading voice again, burning in embarrassment knowing you’d probably already disturbed most of the camp.

“What’s my name? I want you to scream it.” He pressed, his dick twitching inside of you as it slammed into you, filling you to the hilt.

“J-Javier!” You gasped loudly, your walls constricting around him as you grew closer. “Again.” He pressed, thrusting rougher if possible into you. “Javier!” You complied, your throat becoming sore from all the noises escaping you.

“Again.” He ordered, his balls drawing up as he threatened to empty inside of you. “Javier, fuck!” You cried out as your body shook. Javier didn’t slow down as you climaxed, your body trembling as he continued to fuck you.

His own face pace began to fumble after a minute, his dick twitching in you as your walls continued to milk him. “Fuck…” he breathed, giving a last thrust before he filled you.

You laid limp under him as you were still on a high, eventually turning your head to look back at him. Finding him with his eyes closed as he panted, both of you equally as sweaty in the humid air.

“God that was a lot…” you muttered, your hips already started to burn in protest. You could feel him softening inside of you, Javiers hands both resting on your hips.

“Don’t be saying that yet, we aren’t done here.”

#i cant write smut #javier escuella #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #reader #female reader #rough smut #arthur morgan #jealousy #javier escuella x reader

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eiraeths · 9 months

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more assorted 141 headcanons

idk what really is considered a trigger warning or a content warning but there’s mentions of ocd tendencies and trauma responses. also the impending feeling of doom that comes with being a solider at war.

soap is a dirty charlatan. going back to my previous headcanon of him being a punk teenager he might of shoplifted from big companies and what not anyway since he’s an adult with responsibilities he doesn’t do that anymore. instead, it turned into making elaborate schemes whether it be a game of cards or pilfering random items from people only to give it back to them to see the shock or confusion on their face

ghost can pickpocket. him and soap once had a long game of who could steal the most stuff off of each other’s persons before the other notices. price had to put a stop to it after they got a little too over-zealous with it

ghost can sew and uses this skill for evil. he find out someone he doesn’t like is superstitious and he’s making a miniature effigy of them and terrorizing them with it. not in an explicit way either only implicit. probably makes it look just like them and leaves it where they can find it and its just mini them in a hazardous situation. no one but price knows it’s him.

gaz is super into formula one racing. he gets soap into it and tries to get price into it but price would rather watch football/soccer. price will still watch it with them but doesn’t understand a damn thing going on

soap is good with cars. bro is a full on mechanic. this may be because he wanted to see how many different ways he could turn a vehicle into a bomb and got really into the mechanical aspects instead. he still figured out the bomb stuff though

soap is very number oriented. counts ceiling tiles and passing cars religiously. may of stemmed from running out of bullets before. this could be seen as a trauma response compulsion or ocd compulsions tbh. feel like its not really an active thing he does but rather an action without conscious thought behind it

gaz once wore eyeliner and everyone short circuited because god DAYUM he’s hot. it was definitely lower lid heavy and pointed down or followed the tilt of his eyes

ghost is a bird freak and can mimic a lot of different bird calls. oh side snippet time y’all know that nursery rhyme about counting magpies? the one for sorrow two for joy? anyway thats very ghoap coded now i gotta write something with that. anyway ghost uses his powers of mimicry (its echolalia and we all know it is) to distract enemies in the field. like the assassins creed whistle except its just bird whistles. he definitely loves infodumping to the 141 when different birds cross their path. when soap learned about birds like great tits or blue tits he had a field day. ghost still hasn’t told him about other birds with vulgar sounding names for that very reason.

a nod back to my previous headcanon about soap collecting pretty rubble from explosions, the team adds onto this for him when they can. price finds him rubble with specific shapes (there was in fact a cock shaped one and price had an internal debate if he really wanted to give it to him knowing what it’d spark. never in his life had he heard so many dick jokes in such a short amount of time. he considered separating gaz and soap because of it. ghost ended up doing it for him by manhandling soap into a different seat and staring at him until he closed his mouth) gaz gets him rubble with specific patterns on them like mosaics and tile. ghost tries to find him specific colors whether it be one of each color of the rainbow or a single color with various shades and hues

ghost separates stuff by color. he mostly wears black but also has some clothes that are like dark blue or green. i don’t see him wearing warm colors at all no matter the shade

price once received a present of cigars from around the world and it’s one of his most prized possessions. even if he sticks to one brand (og price smoked villa claras so we’ll go with that)

gaz and soap make plans to build a race car despite knowing they’ll never get the time to do so. an entire journal of soap’s is dedicated to this car. its got blueprints of the body, motor, and electrical system.

ghost makes soap a quilt with the mactavish clan pattern (i forgot what the actual term is. tartan?) being the key focus and soap cries

all of them try to carry gum for soap (bro definitely got an oral fixation)

okay thats all for headcanons for now. any of y’all got headcanons for price or gaz i can steal and add onto cause its harder for me to come up with mundane things for them

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jjkamochoso · 6 months

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The Perfect Fit

Story Overview: Levi Ackerman begrudgingly finds himself falling in love with the Survey Corps’ seamstress. Will they be able to own up to their feelings for each other? Or is their love doomed to fail before they discover the truths of each other’s hearts? This slow burn reader insert story will be filled with angst, yearning, and a bit of mystery as we slowly unravel the truths behind Y/N’s past… and explore her and Levi’s future!

Chapter 4

Series Masterlist

Chapter 3 linked here

Chapter 5 linked here

Levi Ackerman x female reader

Warnings: cussing

Almost a week had passed since your horse died and now you were running out of food. You still hadn’t had any clients from the village come see you for their sewing needs so you figured you would question them when you saw them on your shopping trip. Walking into the quiet village, you noticed its inhabitants looked more pitiful than usual. The situation was grim out in the forest but you weren’t expecting it to be this bad yet. You could tell people were running low on food, the stalls barely selling any produce. You bought a few items you could salvage, but most of it was rotten.

“Haven’t seen your face in a while,” you said, striking up a conversation with the stall owner, a client of yours.

“I’m sorry. We have no money left to get our clothes fixed. None of us here do. If this continues…” He looked away and you noticed just how gaunt he was. His skin was starting to droop around his cheekbones and he was as white as snow. “You can no longer rely on us to make money. I suggest heading toward the interior. With your talent, I’m sure the nobles would kill to have you work for them. Someone’s gotta make it out of this godforsaken place and you have the best shot.”

You felt any words you tried to speak get caught in your throat. Opting to nod instead, you turned away to go back home when another stall caught your eye. Was that meat cooking? That was a rarity nowadays. As you got closer, you read the sign that told you what animal it was. It took everything in you to not vomit.

It was horse.

The villages must be truly desperate for food to chance eating your sick horse. You couldn’t take the sight any longer and rushed away, blinking away tears. Now that the villagers confirmed that you couldn’t make any more money from them, the seriousness of the situation dawned on you. Would you have to move? You most likely wouldn’t be welcomed back to your old home or else that would be an option. Would you have to join the military to have an income? You didn’t think you had it in you to make it through the training. Besides, if you failed out, you couldn’t risk hurting your hands in the meantime because you’d have nothing else going for you. All these thoughts buzzed around your head, distracting you from realizing you were home and you weren’t alone.

“Y/n! I’m here to rescue you!”

“Hange?!” You didn’t know what they meant, but you were glad to see your friend. You greeted them with a tight hug. “What are you doing here?”

“More like what were you doing not here? I thought you died or something. You’re always at home.”

You frowned. “Ouch! You came all this way just to bully me?” They laughed, clapping a friendly hand on your back as you continued. “Anyway, I was in the village. I was told my services couldn’t be supported anymore since the villagers had to save their money. Those poor people are starving, Hange. They were cooking my dead horse, for fuck’s sake.”

Hange’s eyes softened when they saw how distressed you were. “They’re strong people, y/n. They’ll get through it, just like in times past. Don’t be so hard on yourself. There’s nothing you can do to save them.”

You clenched your fists in frustration. You knew that, but it still shook you to your core. You were a woman of action, taking charge against the inequalities people faced however you could. You had a long history of doing charity work, especially when you were living with your family in Wall Sina. Seeing those around you suffer while you were comfy in your warm home with plenty of food made you sick to your stomach. That was one of the reasons you left…

“Well, I have better news for you. How do you feel about formally joining the Scouts?”

You felt your eyes almost pop out of their sockets. “Huh?!”

“You wanna move in with us? You’d be on official payroll, have a clean place to sleep. And we wouldn’t have to keep coming out to this dump to get our clothes fixed.”

You wanted to be offended at Hange’s diss of your house, but they weren’t wrong. Instead of living in a run down building, you would be a Scout? Have a steady income, reliable food source, (halfway) warm bed? You had to admit, it sounded better than being by yourself out here.

“I’m tempted to say yes, but are you sure it’s allowed? I haven’t gone through training or anything.”

“It’s fine,” Hange told you, “Commander Erwin already got it approved. When he caught wind of your horse situation from the kids, he weighed the options of either giving you a new one or having you join us. It made more sense for you to be with us instead of us come to you. So he got the paperwork written up, approved, and here I am. So, y/n, I ask once more. Wanna be a Scout?”

Eyeing your property one last time, you balled up your fists and gave Hange the salute.

“Yes, sir!”

It hadn’t taken long for you two to pack up your things. Everything fit in the cart Hange brought, with plenty of room to spare. Even though the place was pretty gross, you were still a bit sad about leaving it. However, your future would be much brighter following the Scouts from base to base and you were excited for a fresh start.

“I’m excited to be around people again. It was starting to get lonely out here,” you told Hange, watching the foliage pass you by as you made the move to your new home.

“I’m sure. And by people, you mean Captain Levi?” They wore a big, teasing grin.

“I want to deny that but you’re much too smart to trick. He’s an interesting man for sure. He was such an asshole when he first met but then he did such nice things for me! Is he always this confusing?”

“Yup,” said Hange, “but that’s part of his charm. He’s honest and no matter how hard he tries to deny it, he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a soldier, he’s hardened. He goes through so much yet he still can’t find it within himself to not give a shit. You’re both my closest friends and you’re more alike than it may seem. He’s a selfless person, y/n, don’t ever let him convince you he’s not.”

“Yeah,” you mumbled, deep in thought about the blue eyed man as your new residence entered your view. You entered the gates and you felt your heart beat a little faster. When you came to a stop, you were greeted by a familiar face.

“Erwin!” you yelled out, running over to give him a big hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You stepped away, giving him a salute.

“Y/n, welcome. I’m glad you and your things made it. I take it Hange told you everything?”

You nodded, smiling wide. “They did. I sincerely appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the years, but this is something else. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“No need. I just don’t want my good friend to be starving by herself in the woods somewhere. Having you here is repayment enough. These soldiers are reckless and I can’t have them running around in tattered clothes.” He examined your belongings in the cart and turned his attention back to you. “All of this will fit in your new office. Hange will show you the way. If you’ll excuse me.” You told him thank you one more time and he left while Hange took hold of your hands.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited to have you here! Your office will be near mine. Grab some things and I’ll lead the way.”

The first thing you picked up was the sewing machine gifted by Levi, your new prized possession. As you entered the castle, you were taken aback at how cool it looked. Sure it was in slight disrepair, but it was infinitely cleaner than your old place. When you got to your office, you let out a contented sigh. Anyone else would have called it simple but it was the most beautiful room you had ever been in! It was a big space, plenty of room for you to work and live out of. There was a big table for your machine to rest on and a small chest for your sewing supplies. There was also a dresser in another corner for your personal belongings and a small bed. You fully expected to share a room with someone in the barracks area, but you were glad to have your own space. When you and Hange finished moving in your belongings, they gave you the grand tour of the castle. You did your best to memorize where everything was, but you figured as long as you knew where the bathrooms and the dining hall were, you were good.

“Oh! One last thing,” Hange said, opening a dresser drawer when you were back to your room, “Since you’re part of the military now, you get to wear a uniform! Everything you need is in here. You don’t have to wear it every day, but it’s generally recommended when you’re working—which you will be starting tomorrow at 7 am. Erwin was able to give you the rank of Sergeant to make sure Privates couldn’t give you any trouble. Dinner is being served right now but I still have work to do. I’ll see you around!” They waved goodbye and you took the time to look around your room again. You had a nice sized window that overlooked the courtyard and you were excited to open it and get some fresh air in. You had a whirlwind day and you couldn’t wait to end it with a nice meal. Walking down the hallway, you thought you remembered which way to go, but it was starting to get dark and you were a bit twisted around. You would’ve asked somebody for directions but it was like a ghost town. All of a sudden, you felt a presence come up behind you.

“Lost already, Cadet?” A voice sneered behind you.

“It’s my first day and it’s dark as shit. Cut me some slack, Captain,” you replied to Levi. “Besides, according to Erwin, I’m a sergeant, not a cadet. I have rank now.”

The shorter man furrowed his brows. “The only rank you have that I care about is the stench coming off of you. Take a damn shower.”

“My apologies, Captain. It’s hard to bathe often when you don’t have running water. I was trying to get something to eat before I turned in for the night.” What was this guy’s problem? You tried to keep Hange’s words of advice in your mind but trying to see Levi as a friend was proving difficult right now.

“Tch. Your sense of direction is shit. Dining hall’s this way.” You trailed behind him, not attempting further conversation.

“Your fingers look better,” Levi observed after minutes of silence. He was right. The bandages had done wonders and you no longer had blisters gracing your skin.

“Thanks to you. I couldn’t afford gauze but the medic patched me up for free because of your note. You’ve really saved my ass these past few days. If there’s any way I can repay you, please let me know.”

“Don’t be stupid, Sergeant” was all he said, but you knew it was his way of saying, “don’t worry about it.” You smiled to yourself. You entered the dining hall at last, sniffing the air and practically drooling.

“Sorry about your horse,” Levi murmured, immediately walking off somewhere else. His behavior was strange but you didn’t think too much of it. He had proved his kind heart in his own ways over the few times you met him and you knew, from Hange, that he wasn’t good at hiding his true feelings. Maybe Levi wasn’t all that bad. Maybe he did like you, or at the very least, tolerated you. You could live with that.

Earlier that day, when Levi saw you greet Commander Erwin with a hug, he felt pangs of jealousy that he never knew he was capable of feeling. Didn’t you have any decorum with your superiors or respect for authority? Didn’t you give a second thought to how your actions were akin to yanking his plump heart out of his chest and stomping on it? Of course you didn’t— you were Erwin’s friend first, subordinate second, and you had no clue of Levi’s affections toward you. Not that he necessarily wanted you to know. Having a crush at his grown age was downright embarrassing and he hated himself for entertaining such childish thoughts. Your stupid pretty face hadn’t left his mind, taunting him when he closed his eyes. Not that being awake was any better. He imagined what it would be like to give in to such grossly human desires, feel your hand on his chest, your lips on his own—

Levi couldn’t do that. He wasn’t selfish enough to get close to you because it would only end badly for you. You deserved better than that. His plan of ignoring you wasn’t going to work now that you lived at the castle, not that he wasn’t relieved you left behind that falling down, dirty shack you called a house. Wasn’t that, coupled with trying to help your sick horse, why he ripped up his cape for you to fix all those days ago? Maybe he could rely on his shitty attitude to push you away? That would work. Or so he thought. When he found you wandering the halls, he knew it was the perfect time to make you feel small, weak, so much so that you would hate him and never want to see him again. Of course, it didn’t work out like that. You were too witty and kind to push him away while Levi was cursed with a heart that was too caring for others. In another world, you two would be a perfect match, but in this one… you were too precious to get wrapped up in his shit. As he ran away from you like the scared stray he was, Levi realized you would never cooperate in the way he needed you too. He was a strategist, though, skilled in warfare. He deduced that the least damage to either of your hearts would be if he kept you at arm’s length. No further, no closer. He was sure there’d be no casualties that way.

Chapter 5

#levi ackerman x female reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you #levi x reader #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader angst #levi ackerman x reader fluff #levi fluff #levi angst

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garbinge · 4 months

Text

Drunken Night

Jax Teller & Teller!SisterOC Joanne ‘Jo’ Teller (a little Chibs cameo too) 30 Day Fic Challenge (19/30)

Word Count: 2.4k A/N: Another slice of life fic for Joanne Teller outside of my multi-chap Charming life but as usual I'll still be using that tag list :)

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Drunkenness, drug use, drug selling, pining, hungover, alcoholism in a way.

Charming Life Taglist: @drabbles-mc @livingdeadblondequeen @justreblogginfics @chloe-skywalker @kmc1989

When Jax’s phone rang, he knew answering it was going to piss off pretty much everyone around him, but when he saw Jo’s name with the time in the top left corner, he walked away immediately and answered.

“Hey, what’s up?” He could practically hear the scoffs clear as day of the men who ranked a lot higher than him burning their glares into his kutte as he walked away. They were likely getting more mad as they stared at the fresh rocker that was sewed into the back of his kutte, since he and Opie just finished their prospecting period.

All Jax could hear on the other line was loud music, yelling, and then he heard Jo’s voice. “Jax?” It was extremely slurred, and very faint, like it wasn’t her who was on the phone. “You called Jax?!” And that remark confirmed it.

“Hey Jax,” One of the voices Jax knew as Jo’s close friend was calmly speaking into the phone despite the chaos going on in the background.

“Mare?” He asked, confused. “Where’s Jo?”

“Well um, currently? She’s making her way to the coffee table–oh no, she cut across to the keg to do a keg stand. She’s drunk, Jax. She won’t listen to me, I didn’t know who else to call.”

“Shiiiit.” Jax was laughing slightly. “C’mon Mare, give her a slide of bread to soak up the beer and a cigarette outside and you’ll be able to push her into a car and drop her in the plants on the side of my moms. She’ll find her in the morning.” Jax was laughing at his own joke.

“Jax,” She was cut off by a lot of noise which made Jax frown. “It’s bad Jax, I think it’s more than just alcohol, she was upset before, I don’t know. But I need help. We’re at Laney’s house.”

“Alright, yea I’m on my way.” Now he was more concerned, the idea of his older, definitely more responsible than him, being on drugs, and being taken advantage of at a party was off-putting.

“I gotta go.” He spoke up to the group as he walked back putting the cell back into his pocket.

Some of them groaned, some laughed, most were pissed.

“Nah, man.” Tig shook his head with a smirk.

“You’re not going anywhere, son. We’re on a run, we need you.” Clay’s tone of voice left little to be argued with, but that didn’t bother Jax.

“It’s Jo.” Jax knew those words were the magic ones.

Clay’s eyes closed in frustration and he brought his hand up to his head like a headache was forming. “Can’t you call Gem?” This time his voice left much to be argued with and was drowning in desperation.

“You wanna call mom at 1:30 in the morning to go to pick up a completely smashed Joanne?” Jax’s eyebrows raised.

The rest of the crew looked at each other knowing none of them would have wanted to deal with that or the aftermath of it.

“I can ride with him.” Opie spoke up, his hands resting across his chest.

“Nah, bro. I’m good.” Jax shook his head, knowing the likely reason Jo was like this right now was because of Opie.

“You gotta bring someone with you, it’s 1:30, you ain’t goin’ alone.” Clay pointed, his anger coming back out.

“Chibs.” Jax nodded to the man before looking at Opie who looked wildly confused. “It’s better not to have both our bright white brand new rockers driving through Mayan territory to get back home at 1:30, bro.” Jax scrunched his face up.

“Let’s go, Jackie boy.” Chibs slapped his shoulder as he walked towards the bikes.

“Take the tow, she’s probably not in the best riding shape.” Clay spoke annoyed. “We’ll load your bikes up in the van.”

The ride was quick, they made a 40 minute ride back to Charming, 20 minutes, without incident. Both of them stepped out of the truck as they stared at what was clearly a large house party still unfolding in the house.

“Alright, I’m gonna go in and find her, you stay out here, only come in if things get rowdy.” He turned to Chibs who was grinning and pointing to the house.

“Seems a bit rowdy already, lad.”

Jax smirked and waved him off as he jogged up the driveway. The door was open but it was still tough to squeeze through the crowd. He dodged spilling drinks, annoying drunk people, and ashes of cigarettes being discarded until he spotted his sister, face down in the sink throwing up.

“Jo.” He said as he pushed through the people now to make his way over to his sister.

“I’m fine.” She pushed Jax’s arms off her the minute they touched her.

“You’re clearly not fine.”

“Here, I got her a water bottle.” Mare, Jo’s friend, appeared on the other side and handed Jax the water bottle. “She’s been like this for the last 10 minutes.”

“Thanks, I got it from here.” Jax was shaking his head as Jo rolled her eyes clearly at the both of them. “C’mon, I’m gonna take you home.”

Jo wasn’t in a place to argue anymore, the spinning was taking over and she was wishing she was back home.

“Gemma’s gonna kill me.” Jo mumbled as she tried to balance herself against the counter.

“Gonna bring you to my apartment at the clubhouse, I’ll tell her you were hangin’ with Wendy or some shit.”

“She won’t believe that, she knows I got into it with your girlfriend last week.”

Jax recalled their little argument last week that happened in front of everyone, Jo grilling her about something with her current boyfriend Micky that turned heated. Just as Jax thought about his sister’s boyfriend, he was in the room, like he spoke him to existence.

As Jax closed his eyes in frustration, he mumbled under his breath. “Yea, not the biggest fan of yours either. C’mon, Jo.” He moved so that his sister was tucked under his arm and started leading her out of the party.

She was mumbling a lot of nonsense, Jax not only chose to ignore it but it was honestly too hard for him to understand anyways. It was like that until they reached outside when Jo panicked.

“My bag, I need my bag!” That was a sentence that came out clear as day. The panic in Jo’s voice meant there was something in her bag that she couldn’t leave without.

“We’ll come back in the morning.” Jax tried to convince her as she flailed around in his arms.

“I need my bag, NOW.” She was turning around, practically pushing Jax too go back inside.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go grab it, you go with Chibs.” He was looing down the driveway in hopes that the man would see his struggles and come help. “Chibs!” With one call of his name, the man was appearing and Jax was pushing the girl into his arms. “Put her in the car, I gotta get her shit.”

Jax was stepping back into the madness of the house party. His eyes immediately scanning for Joanne’s bag, her backpack was something that she’d bring everywhere with her since she was 12, and despite her being older now, he knew she still would have brought it.

He clocked it on someone in the crowd and as he followed it he realized it was Micky.

“Of course.” He mumbled before pushing through the crowd. “I’ll take the bag, Micky.”

He turned around, pretty quickly, ready to fight but then smiled when he saw Jax. “Jackson.” He nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep the bag safe for Jo.”

“Yea just like you did for her.” He puffed his chest out.

“I ain’t tryna fight you Jax.” The man escalated the conversation just by mentioning the word fight.

“Never said anything about fightin’ Micky, just give me the bag.”

“I ain’t given’ you shit, Teller.” Micky stepped to Jax who within the next two seconds, was ripping the bag off his shoulder and looking inside.

He let out a breathy scoff when he pulled the bag of drugs out of his sisters bag and held it up to Micky.

“I know for a fact this isn’t Jo’s.” He slammed it against his sister’s boyfriend’s chest.

“I don’t know, she’s been really in the dumps lately, maybe she’s self soothing.” Micky smirked as his hand wrapped around the bags.

“You know what, if that’s the case, I think I’ll take these with me.” Jax had started to think through how not only could he prove a point to Micky but also use this to get some quick cash for the club.

Micky didn’t say anything, just tightened his grip on the bag.

Jax pulled it out from behind his arms and stuffed it back into the backpack. His teeth sucking against his lip as he did it. “Stay the fuck away from Jo.”

“Can’t help that she keeps running back to me. You’ll get it one day, Teller. Maybe when I have that reaper on my back.” He poked at Jax’s kutte which Jax quickly brushed off.

“You’ll never be patched in Micky, you’re too much of a junkie creep to step foot in any SOA charter.” He was tossing the bag over his shoulder.

“When I’m Jo’s old man, it’ll be pretty hard to stop me.” He was taking a step back now. “Enjoy the cash my drugs bring the club, maybe I’ll tell Clay if I’m funding SOA, I deserve a seat at the table.”

Jax scrunched his face up at the comment but did the same as Micky and walked away. Moving the bag back down his shoulder to look through it. Finding a book, a notebook, and a makeup bag under the drugs. Inside the book, acting as a marker was a picture of Joanne, Jax and JT. Jax knew what it was before even looking at it fully. But when he went to place the book back in the pack, a piece of notebook paper fell out onto the driveway. As he moved to pick it up, he saw it was a note from Opie.

“Know you’re leaving for cosmo school, Gemma mentioned it last time she was at TM – wanted to let you know that Donna and I are planning the wedding in June, wanted to let you know ahead of time so you could be there.”

It looked like he had dropped it off or taped it to her door or something by the looks of the tape on the top of the sheet. He immediately knew this is what spiraled his sister. He pushed it back into the bag and made his way towards the tow truck.

“Here.” Jax handed the girl the bag in which she hugged it tightly. Chibs looked at both of them a bit confused when Jax spoke up. “It’s JT’s bag. Gave it to her when we were kids.”

That was all it took for Chibs to understand it’s sentimental meaning.

“Where to, kids?” Chibs pushed the car’s gear into drive.

“Back to the clubhouse, I’m not chancing dumping her at home and waking Gemma.”

The ride was silent, the only sound being from the loud engine of the tow truck. As they pulled into TM the jerking of the truck over the potholes woke up Jo and she came to.

“I feel like shit.” Her hand flew up to her head.

“You look like it too.” Jax teased her as he glanced over at her hair all messed up.

“Smell as well.” Chibs scrunched up his nose.

“Fuck.” Jo looked down and saw the dried up puke stain on her shirt.

“There’s clean clothes in one of our drawers. Gemma just did laundry. You’ll find something to change into.”

“Gemma.” Jo started to piece together things. “She’s gonna be pissed I didn’t come home.”

“Aren’t you leaving for cosmo school in like a week? She’s gotta get used to you not being home.” Jax said as he jumped out of the tow truck.

“I think that’s exactly why these last few days home will be so crucial for our loving mother.”

“I’ll tell her we were having a sibling bonding moment and drinking ourselves silly at the clubhouse bar.” Jax shrugged trying to think of something.

“Aye, I can back that statement up.” Chibs agreed as he jumped up on the picnic tables to wait for Ja so they could head back up to meet the club.

“Thanks.” Jo nodded in agreement. “You can go, I’ll be fine, I’ll take one of the prospect’s shirts, he keeps his things freakishly organized.”

“Ahhh, Juicey.” Chibs laughed at the thought of their brand new prospect.

“Did I say anything…” Jo whispered to Jax as her hands leaned against the clubhouse door to push it open. “..Stupid.”

“Nope, just your normal bitchy self.” Jax joked which earned him a push.

“I still feel so drunk.” Her hand moved to her head. “Thanks for picking me up. Mare call you?”

“Yea, she was worried.” Jax grabbed a cigarette to place in his mouth. “For the record, if Micky can’t be there for you in moments like this, maybe he isn’t a good match.”

“I broke up with Micky. Tonight. He’s dealing. Why I was fighting with Wendy last week.”

Jax sighed and nodded. “You got shit in your bag.” He pointed to it which caused Jo to drop it off her shoulder and look inside.

Her shoulders dropped, still being too inebriated and hungover mixed together to deal with it.

“Give it to me, I’ll handle it.” His hand was extended out.

Jo handed the plastic bag that was filled with a bunch of different pills and powders to Jax. “Can’t promise he won’t come looking for it.”

“He won’t.” Jax grabbed it and tossed it to Chibs who caught it as he laid on the picnic table. Jo nodded and went to go inside the clubhouse when Jax called her name one last time. “You know, it’s his loss.”

Jax wasn’t talking about Micky, but he knew Jo was assuming he was.

“Thanks little brother.” She tapped his arm before she disappeared back in the clubhouse where she’d spend the rest of her night, alone.

As she walked past the blue bike that was JTs, she stopped and placed her hand on it.

She mumbled as her hand glided across the bike and fell off as she stumbled down the hallway of apartments.

“Wish you were here.”

#Jax Teller #SOA #Sons of Anarchy #SOA fanfiction #SOA fanfic #Sons of anarchy fanfiction #sons of anarchy fanfic #jax teller fanfic #jax teller fanfiction #jax teller x oc #oc joanne teller #chibs telford #my writing #garbinge #charming life

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writingwhimsey · 4 months

Note

Hello! Can I just say I adore your writing? I’m too nervous to come off anon but I would love to request if that’s alright. #9 with Hideyoshi, some more suggestive fluff? He’s definitely gotta have freckles, and I want to kiss every single one and love all over this man 🥰 my apologies if I’m misunderstanding how to make requests, though! Ignore this if I’m doing it wrong <3 thank you if you consider this though!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this (and to get back to my smut is in the air requests). But here we are with some sweet and fluffy Hideyoshi! I hope you and everyone else enjoys!

Smut Is In The Air Event

Suitor: ikesen Hideyoshi

Prompt(s): "I want to count every one of your freckles with my lips."

Sweet and fluffy, slightly suggestive

Early Morning Kisses

The first rays of dawn’s light had barely started peaking through when I began to stir from my slumber. I rolled over, seeking the warmth of my own personal sun, only to find the other side of the futon empty. I mumbled incoherently in my sleepy state as I heard the sound of fabric rustling close by.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, go back to sleep.” The words were murmured from close by and I felt something warm brush against my forehead.

“Hmm, do you…have to get started so early?” I asked, cracking my eyes open, searching for the man I loved.

My bleary searching eyes were soon met with that familiar warm smile. “We have a new ally visiting. I have to make sure things are ready.” Hideyoshi replied, reaching his hand out to gently stroke my hair.

“But…he’s not coming for another few days right?” I asked. “You work too hard Hideyoshi.”

“Says the woman who was up all night working on her sewing.” Hideyoshi countered.

“Says the man who had worked all day and late into the night before coming home and putting me to bed.” I countered.

“I suppose you have a point.” Hideyoshi replied. “But still there are a lot of preparations to make. And I can’t leave it all up to everyone else.”

My vision soon came into focus in the low morning light. That was when I realized I had caught Hideyoshi mid-dress. He only had his lower half dressed. The early sun and shadow danced over his sculpted upper half. My heart picked up its pace a bit, just taking in how handsome he was. Every part of him was so perfect…and the freckles that dotted his shoulders were especially adorable.

“Your cheeks are flushing. You’re not getting a fever are you?” Hideyoshi asked, his hand coming to my forehead.

My face only reddened further. “No…” I was then pushing myself up into a sitting position beside him.

“I thought I told you to go back to sleep.” Hideyoshi said, his smile turning into hi scold face. “Especially if you’re getting sick…”

I leaned in and placed a light peck on Hideyoshi’s lips. “And miss seeing you?” I replied. “I’m not sick. No fever.”

“Then why…”

“Because my handsome and sexy lover is right here beside me, only half dressed.” I answered, giving him a coy smile.

Hideyoshi’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “Oh…”

My eyes drank in his form. “Don’t you have a little time to spare for me?” I asked with a slight pout.

“Not as much as I would need to spoil you properly.” Hideyoshi replied.

“Hmm, that’s okay…because I want to spoil you for a bit.” I told him. I followed my instincts and leaned in, placing a kiss on his shoulder. “I want to count every one of your freckles with my lips.” I kissed along his shoulder, following the trail of freckles up to his neck before going across his chest.

As I kissed across his chest, I could feel Hideyoshi’s heartbeat picking up its pace. Hear his breath catch in his throat. “You really have no idea what you do to me.” He murmured.

I smiled as I looked up at him, mischief dancing in my eyes. “I might have a few ideas.”

Hideyoshi reached for me, pulling me into his lap before opening the collar of my kimono. “If we’re counting freckles, I want to count yours.” He said before kissing along my shoulder.

I gasped. “Hmm…no fair turning my trick against me.” I replied, pouting up at him, though I could never be disappointed in having Hideyoshi loving and spoiling me.

Hideyoshi smiled at me. “You are the one who started it.” He reminded me. “Besides, I can’t let you spoil me without returning the favor.”

“But I barely got to spoil you at all…I didn’t even make it to the other shoulder.” I replied, turning to kiss his other shoulder.

Hideyoshi let out a groan as soon as my lips touched his skin. The next thing I knew he had me on my back and he was over me. “I guess I can start my day a little later today.”

I smiled up at him. “Good. I don’t think anyone else will be awake right now anyways.”

“You have a point.” He agreed.

I was smiling up at Hideyoshi as I pulled him close. “Now, let’s continue counting each other’s freckles.”

Our early morning soon devolved into giggles, breathless and loving kisses, a sweet passion building between us and leading to a great, but late start to the day.

Taglist: @limonzu @oda-princess @zulablaise @kisara-16

#whimsey answers #whimsey event #smut is in the air #ikesen hideyoshi #ikemen sengoku hideyoshi #ikemen sengoku #ikesen #hideyoshi toyotomi #cybird hideyoshi #otome hideyoshi #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #fanfic #ikemen series #otome boys #cybird #fanfiction #fluff

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dragon-creates · 6 months

Text

She Was Like A Sunflower

Read on AO3

Read Part 1 Here

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

“Just your imagination!”

“Trust your imagination…”

Jax and Pomni remember who they used to be, the childhoods they grew up from, the lives they lived and the love they shared. But it doesn’t mean their journey is finished yet. They still need to find a way to escape and return home. Things become more complicated in the real world when Riley starts to investigate further into the disappearances with the help of Samual. The more everyone tries to piece together the puzzle, the more C&A keeps breathing down their neck. But one thing is for sure, time is becoming limited each day. Will Pomni, Jax and the rest of the circus be able to escape before it runs out? Or will they fade away into nothing but pixels?

Bet ya thought this was gonna be Royally Screwed chap 5? Well guess what, I LIED MWAHAHAHAHA. THIS WAS THE REAL APRILS FOOLS JOKE ALL ALONG!!!

So strap yourselves in, cause if you thought chapter 5 was bad then you are in no way prepared for what I have planned. Chapter 5 was child's play my dude, we going straight into the deep end hehehehe

Hope you're prepared 😈

Willow

Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark

Show me the places where the others gave you scars – Willow by Taylor Swift

Three Months Ago

“Penny?” Amber knocked on the door of her daughter’s apartment. “Penny, it’s mom!”

Throughout the past week, Penny had been eerily silent. Normally she would let in her mother or sister, or occasionally answer the phone if they called. But every time Amber reached out, she never replied. She tried to cook it up to her daughter grieving, but she was a mother. Mothers worried.

So here she was, outside Penny’s home and trying to get her to answer the door.

“Look Penny, I know these past few months have been stressful,” Amber said, “But everyone is getting worried about you. I had to stop Riley from charging down here to get you out. We all just want to help you, please.”

Amber gave her a moment, to see if she would hear someone saying they were coming, or have the door unlocked and revealing a messy haired brunette. But nothing. Amber sighed, she didn’t want to do this, but she had to make sure Penny was okay. She reached into her purse and pulled out the spare key her daughter had given, opening the door slowly.

The apartment was in a state, dirty dishes and dust gathering on the countertops. It had been a while since the woman visited, who would usually help her daughter clean. Maybe she would do that today. “Penny!” Amber called out, still no answer. “Penny, we gotta try and get up today.” She walked to the bedroom, “Maybe we can get some coffee or go to the park or-”

Her stomach dropped. The moment she stepped into the bedroom, the bed was empty, without a body in sight. But what scared her more was the turned-on computer with nothing open and a damaged headset…just like Riley’s cases.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” Amber chanted, running out of the room, scouring every inch of the place. “Penny?!” She reached the bathroom, no one. “Penny?!” she checked her sewing room, still nothing. “Penny!” the centre of the living room and kitchen. Again, void of anyone there.

She went back into the bedroom, pulling off the sheets, praying her eyes were playing tricks on her. But deep down she knew the truth. She covered her mouth, tears stinging in her eyes. She was gone. Her baby was gone.

She reached into her purse and grabbed her phone, hastily dialling until an operator picked up. “Yes hi! My name is Amber Reed!” she cried, “I went to visit my daughter Penny Reed but when I got there she was gone! All that was left was a broken headset and computer just like…just like.” Her voice broke off into a cry.

The operator understood immediately, asking for an address and told the woman that the police would arrive shortly. Amber thanked them and hung up, before dialling a new number.

Riley’s number.

“Hello?” Riley answered, “Mom, is everything okay?”

“Riley…Penny,” Amber sniffed, unable to say the words.

“What?” Riley asked, her voice starting to lace with concern. “Mom what happened?!”

Amber gulped, “It’s Penny…she’s gone.”

Jax stirred, now that it was confirmed that he could actually sleep here, it was certainly something to get used to again. He didn’t mind though, it was something that made him feel more alive, more sane, more human. Especially now that he remembered who he was. Jack Bloom, he missed hearing that name. But he missed another even more.

A warm body stirred next to him. Penny he lovingly threaded his fingers through Pomni’s short hair. He still couldn’t believe she was here! That she went all through that for him! He was going to get them out of here, no matter what.

Pomni hummed at the sensation of his fingers, mumbling and kneading her pillow beneath her hand like a cat. Jax chuckled, he missed watching her do that, every night she would do it. It was the cutest thing to him. Her eyes blinked open, taking in the purple rabbit before her and smiled sleepily.

“It wasn’t a dream,” she hummed, “It was real.”

“As real as it can get sweetheart,” Jax pressed a kiss to her forehead. “God you’re so beautiful.”

She giggled as his fur tickled her skin, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him in for another kiss, “Not so fast bunny boy.”

He chuckled against her lips, giving her bottom lip a small nip, “I’m definitely not complaining.” He pulled her closer to him, revelling in her warmth. Jax missed this, he missed this so much. He missed her so much. How could he ever imagine losing all of this? He literally had the world in his hands and the future ahead of his path was a bright one, and because of Luke, he was so quick to throw it away.

He pulled his lips away, he almost lost his person. He was such an idiot. Jax buried his face into Pomni’s neck, breathing in as much of her scent as he could and keeping her close. He never wanted to lose her again.

“Jack?” Pomni brought her hand up to stroke the back of his head, “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”

He shuddered, he feared what to say next, feared that the next wrong move would ruin something. But he shook that thought away, those were the same things in his head that drove him away from Penny in the first place. He wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. “I shouldn’t have made that deal with Jason,” he murmured into her shoulder, turning his face to look at her. “I’m the reason we’re in this mess. You deserve to be home, with your mother and sister, making your dreams come true. And I…I’m really sorry Pen.”

“Hey,” she cupped his cheeks in her hands. “You didn’t know any of this was going to happen. There was no way you could have known that you were gonna end up here after putting on that headset. We fought, yes. But I know that if this whole place didn’t exist, we would have figured out the situation we were in. I put on the headset too, you know. I don’t blame you for anything. I love you so much Jack.”

He sighed, how did the world give him the sweetest soul ever created? She was perfect. “I adore you,” he pushed himself up onto his forearms, leaning over her.

“You’re trying to out do me mister,” she pouted.

“Oh am I?” he smirked, “Can’t I not express how I have the most beautiful, perfect fiancé in the world?”

“I know you mister,” she stuck her tongue out at him, “I’ve known you long enough when you’re trying to be a show-off.”

“So you think I’m being a show-off when I’m doing this?” without warning, his lips were fluttering little kisses against her neck, reaching all the spots where he knew Pomni was most ticklish.

“Jack!” Pomni snorted, trying to shove him off her, “You asshole! Don’t make me bite you!”

“Oh no,” Jax drawled, he knew he was pushing her, “Whatever shall I do?” He didn’t stop his kiss attack.

Just as they both expected, Pomni launched up and bite him on the shoulder, making the rabbit laugh out loud. There was a bit of rough and tumble, with both the rabbit and the jester fighting for control, until Pomni eventually pinned his arms down while straddling his waist. “You can sweet talk me all you want,” she jeered, “But never think that I don’t get even.”

“I mean, I’m definitely not mad about these current circumstances sweetie,” Jax grinned, “As long as I get to look at your beautiful face.”

Pomni groaned, shaking her head, “What am I gonna do with you?”

“Hmm, how about marrying me the moment we get back home?” the rabbit suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

The jester giggled, her annoyance vanishing, “Yeah, I guess that can be arranged.”

His hands were moving up to the back of her head, caressing the soft strands between his fingers. Her short locks were a contrast to her usually long hair that he loved to bury his hands in whenever they kissed, but she still looked beautiful, nonetheless. He lifted his upper body off the mattress, watching as her face softened with relaxation the more he massaged her scalp. His lips inched closer to hers, ready to press them together when-

“-Jax, are you in there?” Ragatha asked on the other side of Jax’s bedroom door, giving it three sharp knocks. “I need to talk to you.”

“Eep!” Pomni squeaked, rolling off her partner and buried herself under the covers. “She’s probably looking for me since I’m not in my room!”

“Shoot!” Jax cursed. Well, as best as he could without triggering Caine’s censorship feature. “This isn’t how I planned to tell everyone about us!”

“I didn’t intend on having a plan at all!” Pomni hissed, “Get in front of me! I’m short enough to hide behind you!”

She found herself regretting those words when she saw a smirk creep on Jax’s lips, “Oh so the little lady finally admits that she’s small.”

Pomni growled, “Keep talking like that and you’ll see how much damage a small person can do to your shins!”

“I’m coming in!” Ragatha called.

Jax immediately sobered up, using his height to cover Pomni behind him, he could hear the rustling of his sheets as she tried to cover herself up with them. He leaned his cheek on his palm, trying to appear as relaxed as possible as Ragatha cracked the door open. “Doll face,” he really hoped he sounded casual, “Don’t you know its rude to break into people’s rooms.”

“Look who’s talking,” she deadpanned, “Besides, you weren’t in your room when I went to check on you last night. I was gonna look for you but then Caine started pressuring us to get to bed at a ‘proper time’.”

Jax face faltered a bit, she cared enough to look for him? After he treated her like nothing but garbage? Little things like that made him all the more grateful that Pomni found her way back into his life. For those last few months and memories, she had managed to get him to open up in ways that no one else could. Maybe deep down it was him trying to get back out or her just being her most sweet and honest self that he couldn’t help but let his edges soften. But either way, it gave him so much more clarity with how he was with the others, and how ashamed that he was blind to the fact that they actually did want to help him. That it wasn’t a cruel trick that someone like Luke would pull. God he was an idiot.

“Guess I got tired of sleeping on a hard stage so I came back to bed,” he gulped down any nerves that were rushing up. “See, no big deal.”

“Well, I hope you’re feeling better,” Ragatha smiled softly. “Pomni was really worried about you when you didn’t come back.”

He felt the jester shuffle behind him when her name was spoken. He wanted nothing more than to smother her with affection right there and then, to show her how much he appreciated even the smallest pieces of kindness she had to offer. “Don’t worry, I’ll see her later and show her that I’m fine,” he told the ragdoll. “But…how was she? After the whole…”

He felt Pomni stiffen, Jax suddenly felt guilty about bringing it up. But seeing her scared little face, how she felt the sensation of dying…Even if she was alright now, it didn’t mean that the trauma of it all was erased. It was just another part of this hell that they were forced to be part of. A hell that Caine was either too naïve or stubborn to fix.

“I won’t lie, she was pretty shaken up. And that’s me giving the sugar-coated version of it,” Ragatha tod him, sighing. “You’d think that we’d be used to it all by now, or at least, we are. But Caine just has to one up himself every time. I know she didn’t – you know. But I was there once, I know how she felt and-” She stopped herself, her voice edging on sounding tearful. Jax watched as she danced the same routine that she always did when she felt as if she was about to cry.

Ragatha closed her eyes, breathed in forcefully and gripped her hands so tight that Jax swore that were almost about to rip. She beamed, as though she wasn’t even sad in the first place. But her smile was just too fake to be considered real, “Anyways, have you seen Pomni? I was going to fetch her for breakfast but she wasn’t in her room. Have you stumbled upon her while going back up to your room.”

Stumbled was definitely a loose term. I mean, if you believed tearful kisses, a long-awaited reunion, the bringing back of lost memories and the passionate promise to return to the real world was just a little stumble then yes, perhaps he did stumble into her. “Uh, nope,” Jax shook his head, “I haven’t seen her. But then again, she is pretty short. It would be hard for anyone not to see her.”

He bit his lip as Pomni kicked him in the leg. Despite her small and light structure, Riley had definitely taught her a thing or two about strength.

“Right,” Ragatha hung her head with worry. “I’m sure she’ll show up eventually. Oh and once you see her again, please be nice to her, for some reason she really likes you. If I didn’t know any better I’d think she has a crush on you.”

“Is that so?” Oh how Jax wished he could see how red Pomni’s face could be turning right now. “I did not know that at all.”

“Unsurprisingly, men are pretty dumb about that stuff,” she scoffed, turning before shutting the door behind her.

When he was sure the sounds of her steps were far away enough, he burst out laughing, echoing off the walls as he fell onto his back.

“Shut up!” Pomni’s was flustered head to toe, grabbing a pillow and smacking him. “So what if I was crushing on you before we got our memories back?! We’re already engaged!”

“It’s the principal little lady!” he snickered, grabbing the pillow and throwing it away. With nothing to hold onto, she fell forward onto his chest with a yelp while the rabbit encased her in his arms. “But I think it’s pretty cute that you were crushing on me even if you didn’t know me.”

Pomni whined, burying her face into Jax’s fluffy chest as she continued to mumble and groan with embarrassment. Jax patted her hair gently, deciding to take pity on her…for now. “There, there,” his fingers combed through her short locks, “I’m sorry for teasing you Penny.”

She went silent there, looking back up at him slowly, “Huh.”

Jax raised on eyebrow, slightly confused, “What? Did I say something weird?”

“You always say weird stuff,” she grinned, earning her a flick to the forehead. The couple giggled as Pomni snuggled up against him more, “It’s just…still getting used to hearing my name again. I feel like I’ve denied of myself for so long, it’s nice knowing that I am someone. And that I do have importance.”

Jax felt himself smile softly, looking at Pomni with all the love he could muster, “That’s my girl.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, “And I’ll say it as many times as you want as long as it makes you happy. Penny-Penny-Penny-Penny-Penny-” He started smothering her with kisses again as his fiancé squealed.

“Jack!” she snorted, “You can’t say it all the time! The others don’t know yet!”

“I guess that means I get to keep you to myself a little longer,” he chortled.

“Ugh,” she grumbled, “Dumbass.”

“Shortie,” he retorted as she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Well, I think ‘keeping me a little longer’ is gonna have to wait,” Pomni told him, “I gotta head back to my room so no one else gets any more suspicious.”

“You sure I can’t keep you for five more seconds,” Jax pouted.

“Jack Bloom you will learn to be patient,” she poked him on the nose. “Once today is over I’ll be right back.” She cupped his face in her palms, “As long as we see each other throughout the day, then that’s enough for me.”

He took her hand, kissing the inside, “And it’s enough for me too.”

Pomni smiled, pressing one last kiss to his forehead and began to swing her legs off the bed until a long purple arm pulled her back. “Changed my mind! I want five more seconds!” his lips began to attack her neck as she screeched and squirmed.

“Jack!” Pomni cackled, “You asshole!” She couldn’t stop giggling, tackling the rabbit to the bed again as the two began to scuffle about, kisses and laughter filling the room.

Five seconds turned to five minutes…then ten minutes. They made it to breakfast eventually, with Jax having to wait a while after before joining the table in order to erase suspicion. Everyone raised a brow at him, usually the rabbit would be there before anyone, ready with a prank and make everyone else’s morning more miserable. Yet he was late, with a carefree smile and said nothing as he sat down (he was grateful that he as least still got to sit next to Pomni).

It still didn’t stop everyone from raising an eyebrow at this sudden new development, and even whispering about it while eating. “See,” he spoke in a hushed voice in Pomni’s direction, “I knew we’d be good at this whole secret thing.”

Pomni never wanted the ground to swallow her up whole as she did now.

The smell of warm coffee filled Riley’s nose as she filled two mugs. Winter was still at work and now she had this stranger in her house. She was still trying to wrap her head around things, the whiplash of finally being able to get her sister back had thrown her for a loop. Did she trust this Samual kid yet? Not really. But she would wait and see if he was bluffing or not. As long as there was a chance to find Penny, she didn’t want to waste it.

She carried the mugs back through to the living room, where Samual was waiting patiently on the sofa. His eyes scanned the room, widened with curiosity. His gaze landed on a small picture frame with three women, two with red hair and one with brown hair-

“-Take it,” Riley shoved the mug in his face, the boy nearly jumping of his skin.

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” he apologised, taking the coffee gratefully. “I usually get distracted. Um, that girl in the photo, is she-?”

“-Aren’t we here to talk about why you should help me?!” Riley snapped. She didn’t mean to sound so cruel, but right now they were here to discuss business. They weren’t friends, and she certainly didn’t want him to familiarise with Penny.

“Sorry, you’re right, I-I’m sorry,” he cleared his throat, gripping the warm mug as the heat washed through his hands before beginning his story. “I always had a funny feeling about Jason since my parents disappeared. At first I thought he was fine. Whenever my aunt and uncle were unsure with how to help me, Jason was always there to try and cheer me up. Before they went missing, he was close with me and my parents, even letting me see games that weren’t finished yet. But when I started getting older things got…different.”

He shifted in his seat in discomfort, his hands tightening around the cup, “He became more controlling, restrictive. He was very vocal about the stuff that I should be studying like coding and computer science, stuff that my dad used to do. He also kept breathing over my shoulder with where I would go and why I wouldn’t spend time with him. Like, he was angry that I wasn’t always in the building. I chalked it up to thinking that maybe he just wanted me to take over C&A, like my dad did, and maybe this was his own way of grieving his loss. But whenever I tried to talk to him about my parents, he always shut me down. I remember this one time where it was just us, I was begging him to tell me at least one thing about my parents. I…I never saw him so angry in my life. It was the last time I brought it up. Whenever I tried to talk about them to someone else at C&A, they’d either bring up a different conversation or not talk to me at all. If someone did talk to me Jason would either get super pissed, and sometimes even fire them.”

His knuckles started to turn white, “I tried to talk to my aunt and uncle about him, how I didn’t want him in my life anymore. But he was always really good to them and helped them out since I was a kid so they didn’t see anything wrong with him, even saying that I was being dramatic. They even supported him when he tried to pick out what college I should go to and what I should study there! As if it wasn’t my choice!” He cringed once he realised the volume of his voice, shrinking a bit in his seat. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“It’s fine,” Riley muttered, gathering more information in her head while listening to him.

“Um, well. Everything kinda changed a few months ago, after Jack went missing,” he continued, “Before…well…your sister went missing. I started getting these anonymous messages. There was never any email address attached, just words on a page. I asked them who they were but they never gave me a proper answer. The only thing they mentioned was that they were trapped and needed a way out. I tried to figure out what they meant, asked questions about how they could get out. Anything else they told me was about bugs, keys and trying to find an escape. I don’t think they meant to be confusing, their whole tone made them sound really scared. However one day…there were no more messages. I tried to email them back but they never responded.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. “This was the last thing they sent me.”

He handed it to Riley, taking it carefully while still feeling slightly suspicious. The whole thing so far had sounded extremely bizarre. She unfolded the paper, blinking in shock at what she saw.

GAME

ITS ALL A GAME

TRAPPED

HELP

THE EXIT IS NEAR

WE NEED A KEY

C&A IS A LIE

FIND THE BUGS

It seemed to be written in a panic. Each sentence quick and at least trying to get to some sort of point. “You sure they didn’t at least have some sort of name?” Riley asked.

“Well, kinda,” Samual shrugged. “The only thing they referred to themselves as was Queenie. But that’s all I got from them.”

“Queenie?” Riley deadpanned. She sighed, running a hand over her face. As if it was realistic for a sane person to have that sort of name. “Look kid, I get your giving me what you know so far, but it’s not realistic for be to see if literally anyone has that name.”

“I know, I know,” Samual told her. “Believe me, I wish that there was more that I could tell you. But that fact that it stated that C&A did something raised so many red flags for me, and it would explain why Jason is so tight lipped about anything relating to my parents.”

“Do you even have proof that you didn’t just make these up?” Riley questioned, her tone harsher as she raised her brow at him.

“N-no,” Samual’s voice wavered slightly. “B-but! I can take you to C&A and show you that I’m telling the truth! I could say that you’re helping with the case and they’d let you in!”

Riley didn’t say a word, taking a long sip of her own coffee. She didn’t know what to believe, everything that this kid had mentioned just seemed off the walls insane! But he spoke to earnestly that a part of her almost felt inclined to believe him. “One chance,” she said, “Got it?”

He was practically radiating with joy the moment those words left her mouth, “Yes! Yes! Absolutely! I promise I won’t let you down!”

She nearly smiled at him, but she forced it away. She wasn’t going to celebrate anything yet until there was solid evidence that he was telling the truth. But she wasn’t going to lie, this was the first time that Riley felt a glimmer of hope with finding Penny.

After so many months of disappointment.

Much

Disappointment.

Three Months Ago

Riley was on a mission, her knuckles white as she gripped onto the steering wheel of her car. It was barely a day since Penny was announced missing, and she wanted to confirm that the worst-case scenarios didn’t happen before focusing on anything else. Did she like what she was planning to do? No fucking way. But if it meant getting rid at least part of her worries, then it was worth it.

The car pulled up on a shoddy looking house, the white paint on the bricks fading into grey with chips cracking along the surface. From the windows it didn’t even seem like the place had been cleaned, with grease marks all over the window and what seemed to be a pile of dirty clothes from the corner. She jumped out the car, slamming the door shut before going up to the front of the house.

Riley hammered on the door, not ceasing until she heard an angered, “Alright!” from a male voice.

After the sound of a lock turning, the door opened, revealing a haggard man in a tank top stained with sweat. He seemed like he’d seen better days. Riley cringed at the scent of cigarettes on his breath, “Is David here?”

“Yeah, so?” the man shrugged.

She shoved past him, ignoring his cursing at her. The stronger scent of whiskey and smoke hit her all at once, like a gentlemen’s club that served only the strongest of liquors and lacked any type of windows for air. If the house already seemed messy on the outside, it was so much worse on the inside.

On the floor was more dirty laundry scattered about, dust was collecting on the furniture and there was a build up of unclean dishes nearly covering the kitchen surfaces and sink. In what was supposed to be the dining area, a group of men were huddled round a table, with opened cans of beer, cigarettes and each one was holding a handful on playing cards.

She ignored them, there was only one person – hopefully two – that she was looking for. “David!” she yelled, venturing into the hallway.

“Woah, woah!” one of the men stood up, “Who’s this bitch?!”

“Dunno,” the man from the door scratched his stomach, “Just came in here liked she owned the place.”

The second man scoffed, “Listen lady, I don’t know who you are but you’re a real cunt for interrupting our-”

He tried to reach out and grab Riley’s shoulder, only for the woman to whip back round and grab his arm. She twisted it behind her arm, smirking at his yelp of pain, “Or what? What would you do to a member of the FBI?” That seemed to scare the others off, the men sinking into their seats with Riley’s silent threat. “That’s what I thought.”

She let the man go as he staggered back to his seat. “David!” she went back into the hallway again, stepping over the piles of fabric on the ground.

A body came hurling towards her, but Riley was quick to react as she pushed the body to the wall, the back of head hitting the hard surface. She sighed, she found the idiot she was looking for, “David.”

The man came to, a delirious grin spreading across his face the moment he recognised her. “Well, well,” he drawled, the stench of beer hanging of his breath, “Fellas! This is my oldest, Riley!” He was drunk, obviously. But it didn’t make it hurt for Riley any less, “Come here kiddo!”

He tried to reach in for a hug, but Riley was quick to push him back against the wall with a growl, “Where’s Penny?”

“The fuck are you talking about?” he slurred.

Riley rolled her eyes, if he was playing dumb then she wasn’t going to risk it, “Didn’t you even at least here from the news? She’s missing. I figured that could be the only way you would find out since you like to pretend she doesn’t even exist.”

“Yeah I did,” he scoffed. “She ain’t here. Why would I drag her sorry ass out here?”

That stung more than it should have. His daughter went missing yet he treated it as though as he had a speck of lint on his shoulder. “Dunno,” she scowled, “You always wanted to make sure she was miserable as possible. Wanted to make sure that she wasn’t here.”

“Riley you gotta stop being dramatic,” David said, “It’s a bad habit you got from your mom. You guys always freak out over Penny.”

“Right,” she balled her hands into fists, “Her daughter and my sister went missing and no one can find her but sure. We’re being ‘dramatic’.” She walked away from him, she couldn’t stop searching yet. “Penny!”

She searched through each room of the house, even checking in the wardrobes. Maybe it wasn’t plausible, but that fearful section of her mind wouldn’t let go of that fear until it was confirmed that her father wasn’t a complete monster to her baby sister. He still was, and Riley would never forget that. She could still hear him trying to get her attention, trying to give her some sort of ‘apology’ (which mostly resulted in him trying to avoid any type of blame whatsoever).

Once she made sure she didn’t miss anything from the inside, she ventured back out, gulping in as much fresh air as she could in order to erase the stink of cheap booze and smoke. There was only one more place she wanted to look. She went over to David’s car, unsurprised to find it unlocked, and opened the trunk. Was it a stretch? Honestly, she could never tell with him. The way he treated Penny was enough to make her this fearful. She could feel relief swarm her when there was no one in there. Penny wasn’t here, that’s good.

Worry was quick to fill Riley again, then where was she?

“You’re really being paranoid Riles,” David muttered, stepping outside.

“I’m doing my job,” she spat at him, slamming the trunk closed.

“Don’t use that tone on me young lady,” he scolded, “I’m just trying to help.”

“Seriously? You decide now that you want to attempt at being my dad?” she snarled, “Because that stopped happening the moment you wanted nothing to do with me and Penny after she was born! You held a grudge over a fucking baby! And if you really want to help, you can get off your lazy ass and help Mom with the search parties or even pitch in any ideas to help find your daughter!”

“Come on Riley,” he groaned, “You know your sister has had her freakouts before. She’s probably having one of those after her little boyfriend dumped her.”

Riley grit her teeth, no one spoke about her Winter’s brother like that, “Jack didn’t dump her, he’s missing too. And you’re seriously calling what Penny went through ‘freakouts’? Especially that you’re the reason behind most of them? How fucking dare you?!”

“Oh come on, the car accident was years ago, you should be over this by now,” David crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault your mother was too lazy to pick up that little brat. It was my day off but Amber just had to be a bitch about it anyway.” Riley felt her fist balling up again, her veins raising to her wrist at the intensity. “And if I’m being honest, it’s probably a good thing that she’s missing! It’ll finally teach her to stop being so fucking selfish-”

Riley’s fist collided with David’s nose, sending him to the ground. He screamed as he clutched the now bleeding appendage. Riley flexed her fingers, that felt good. “That’s all I needed,” she muttered, “See you around David.”

She ignored his cries, opting to go round the side of the house to reach her car. She sighed the moment she shut the door behind her and started the engine, not bothering to look back at the dingy old house.

Riley hated him, she hated him so much. She hated that she shared his blood. She hated that he threw away the chance to be her father because of his own entitlement. She hated that he made her baby sister so afraid of being touched despite him not laying a hand on her. She hated how he spoke about her kind, sweet mother in the vilest ways possible. And she hated for wishing for the potential of the relationship they could have had.

She hated him she hated him she hated him sha hated him she hated him-

SHE HATED HIM

The tires of her car screeched to a halt on the empty road. Riley let out a blood-curdling, painful scream, banging her hands on the steering wheel. This always happened whenever she saw David, all the anguish and hurt he fed to her over the years coming full front and forcing their way into her heart.

But this time it was worse. This time Penny was gone. Riley had spent the last few days burying down the panic, the fear, the intrusive thoughts that plagued her mind. Now it was rising like bile in her throat.

A tear ran down her cheek as she pressed her forehead to the wheel.

She just wanted her baby sister back.

“Uh, Miss Riley? Are you okay?”

Riley snapped out of her gaze. She turned to face Samual’s brown eyes. Huh, there the exact same shade as Penny’s- No! Enough! She wasn’t going to get soft on him. Where was she again? Oh, right. After the information that Samual gave her, they had driven up to C&A to carry out the kid’s plan. Right now they were parked outside, with Riley just snapping out of her daydream. “I’m fine,” she murmured.

“You sure?” Samual asked, “We can wait a few minutes in case you need a breather-”

“-I’m fine!” she snapped at him, his eyes widening with panic. Riley sighed, she didn’t mean to snap at him, but right now was more tense than she ever believed she could be capable of. “Just tell me what you want us to do.”

“R-right, okay,” he fidgeted with his hands for a moments. “Um, so I’m able to tell them that you’re still working on Jack’s missing case. You know since he used to work here and all. Then I can take you to where I found the emails, I still have them hidden.”

The plan seemed plausible enough, and Riley was still working on Jack’s case so her boss wouldn’t have any complaints with her being here. “Okay, let’s get started,” she stated.

Samual nodded eagerly, already jumping out the car. Riley sighed, this kid’s energy was too difficult for her to catch up to. She followed him into the building, taking in the familiar site when she first started working on the case. She didn’t think she would get used to the size yet, she knew this company was popular but it was definitely noticeable with the size of this place.

Samual walked up to the desk, Riley already reaching into her pocket for her badge. “Donna,” he greeted the receptionist, “I’m here with Agent Reed from the FBI.”

“Sorry to disturb ma’am,” Riley spoke, holding up her badge. “But I had to come back here to make sure there wasn’t anything I missed for the Jack Blossom case.”

“Oh, uh,” the woman seemed startled, her eyes almost panicked. It already raised a few red flags for Riley. Sure Jack’s case was still going but C&A seemed to have their hands clean so far. This didn’t seem like a reaction for concern, but rather like a child having their hand stuck in a cookie jar.

“Yes, yes of course,” the receptionist finally answered, running a hand through her hair anxiously. “Go right ahead agent, do what you need to do.”

Riley gave her a brisk nod, with Samual leading her further into the building. When they reached the elevator and the doors were shut did Samual begin to grin again, “Woah! That was amazing! Is this what it feels like when you’re undercover? You’re all mysterious and secretive, it feels like being in a play!”

“Easy kid,” she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Right, right, sorry,” he panted a little bit from the excitement. “I’ll be calm. It’s just – so freaking cool!”

Riley rolled her eyes. And if there was a smile slowly quirking at the corner of her lips then she was quick to get rid of it.

With a small ‘ding’ of the elevator, the duo found themselves on the floor they were looking for. Samual led her down a few hallways before stumbling into some sort of office. Samual looked back and forth in the hallway before shutting the door between them. “Okay, this is the place where I started getting the messages,” he informed her, “I kept them on this computer to make sure that it was safe.”

Samual logged onto the monitor, scanning through each folder until he finally found what he was looking for. He clicked on the first file, an email detailing the start of a conversation.

Hello?

Is someone there?

Please

You can see this

Can’t you?

My name is Queenie

I need your help

“You see!” Samual pointed to the screen, “I told you.”

Riley felt her heart flutter a bit, hoping filling it once again. Samual clicked on another email.

You’re back!

Something is happening with the insects here

They’re acting strange

What did you find?

Don’t worry it’s gonna be okay!

We’ll find something

He clicked on a few more pages, each one detailing something similar. Both Samual and this ‘Queenie’ person were trying to find something, something that could somehow set this mystery person free from whatever prison they were in. Samual finally clicked on one more.

It’s all a simulation

Like a game

I remember the headset

I know that I had a life

I know that I am trapped in the amazing digital circus

Riley raised a brow at that, it sounded familiar, “The amazing digital-”

“Samual! What do you think you’re doing?!” a male voice thundered.

Both Riley and Samual jumped, turning to the source of the voice.

Samual gulped, “J-Jason.”

Jason Wood stood at the door, his arms crossed and his face holding nothing but fury, “Donna told me that you were bring an agent here so I rushed out of my meeting to deal with this nonsense. You better explain the meaning of this.”

“I-I, y-you, um,” Samual stuttered, the words not being able to form.

“I can explain sir,” Riley walked over. “It’s for the Jack Blossom case, I got in contact with Sam to see if he could help me out since he knew Jack before he went missing.”

Jason’s eyes furrowed more, looking past Riley to deepen his frightful gaze onto Samual. The boy felt and looked smaller than he ever did, wanting nothing more than to disappear. Jason walked past Riley and over to the computer, “What is this?”

“I-it’s just something to help with the case!” Samual said, “I only wanted to help, I promise!”

“Oh, Samual, not this again,” Jason computer.

Riley looked to Samual, again?

Jason looked back to Riley, pity drawn all over his face, “He did this when his parents disappeared. He created an imaginary version of them to talk to out of grief, the poor kid.”

“Well, kids need to find their own way to grieve, right?” Riley pointed out, dreading that this conversation wasn’t going where she thought it was going.

“Sure for kids,” Jason nodded, “But not for teenagers.” He turned back to Samual, “This is probably another one of his episodes. Last time this happened we had to admit him to the psych ward. I really hope this isn’t another one of these situations, it nearly broke me, his aunt and his uncle seeing him like that.”

A pit formed in Riley’s stomach. Of course she was being naive! The recent cases must have been making this kid act up again, and she only made it worse by selfishly indulging in it.

“No, no!” Samual yelled out. “That’s not true! Riley this isn’t true!”

“So you weren’t admitted to the psych ward?” Riley demanded.

“Yes but not for the reasons you think?!” Samual sniffled. “It was him!” he pointed at Jason, “I stepped out of line and he punished me for it! That’s what he does!”

Riley pressed her fingers to her temples, massaging them. How could I be such a fool? “I’m sorry for wasting your time Mr Wood,” she sighed, “I should get going.”

“That’s quite alright dear,” he smiled warmly.

“No, no, wait!” Samual cried out, chasing after Riley as she went back into the hallway. “Riley please believe me! Those emails were real! I can help you!”

“STOP!” Riley screamed, “Just stop! I can’t believe I was so stupid enough to trust what random kid had to say in order to find my sister!”

“It wasn’t a mistake, please!” he begged, “Riley I can help you! We can find her! We can find Jack! We can find my parents!”

“Enough!” Riley growled, “Enough. You need help Samual, I’m sorry for what you went through but this isn’t going to bring your parents back.”

“You think I haven’t gotten help?!” his voice broke, “You think I didn’t want help?! I had to threaten to leave C&A in order for Jason to let me go to therapy before he weaponised the psych ward in order to get me out the way! This isn’t a deranged theory, this is me finally asking for help after months and months of denying it because I was scared people didn’t believe me! You were the only person I could trust who wouldn’t betray me! Please Riley! Please stay!”

Riley closed her eyes. She couldn’t make the same mistake, “Goodbye Samual, have a nice life.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to the elevator.

“Riley please!” she heard Samual sob. “I don’t want to be alone again!”

She walked into the elevator.

“Please! I can’t!” Tears were streaming down the boy’s cheeks.

Riley tried to ignore how much it reminded her how Penny used to cry for her as the elevator doors shut.

Seven hours should never feel this long!

Jax wanted to sob as the adventure finished up for the day. It was some sort of fast-food type of adventure, where he had to take multiple orders at once, get yelled at by an NPC manager, and wasn’t allowed to take a single break. Worst of all? He hadn’t seen Pomni once. It felt like some sort of crime to deny him of his fiancé’s beautiful face.

He laughed to himself, he wondered what the others would think of cruel, sarcastic Jax having such sappy thoughts about the love of his life. A few days ago, he would ignore these thoughts in order to keep up his act of the heartless joker. But now? He couldn’t care less. He loved Pomni and he wasn’t going to change that one bit. Not when he had been refused of her for so long.

Speaking of Pomni, she was currently talking to Gangle. The body of ribbons was held back by Ragatha while the former tried to give Pomni a hug, still clearly concerned for her after the pool incident the other day. Pomni smiled, stating that she was perfectly fine and that the masked lady didn’t need to worry.

Jax felt himself smiling. She was here, as hellish as today was, Pomni was all that mattered to him. He didn’t want to interrupt her yet, besides, the scene was quite funny to watch. Although it seemed to be only them and himself in the ring, he wondered where Zooble and Kinger…oh, right.

Kinger.

“Stop speaking to me as if you know me! You’re nothing but an insect-obsessed, stupid piece of wood who can barely remember his name!

He still remembered the sting of saying that. He wished he could take it back. He wished he took take a lot of things back. Before everything he thought he was fine. He was a prankster, sure, but he never wanted to be cruel like the people who hurt him. But here, without the memories, without something to lean on, without all he built after years of therapy – of course it would cause his scars to bleed again. But he shouldn’t have scarred others along the way.

Jax gulped as his eyes finally caught the chess piece talking with Zooble. He wanted to try and make this right. He walked up to the duo, “Hey hoo-haa, Zoobs. What dumb thing are you talking about now?” Seriously! You try and makes things right and this is how you start the conversation?!

“What do you want now Jax?” Zooble crossed their arms, already annoyed.

“I just wanna talk to the old royal over here for a sec, okay,” Jax replied, trying to seem his usual, casual self.

“Why? So you can kick him down another hole again?” Zooble questioned bitterly. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Jax looked to Kinger, the chess piece was avoiding eye contact with him. “Kinger, I wanted to say-”

“You don’t get to say anything!” Zooble growled, “Not after how you talked to him! Yeah, I overheard your conversation while I was giving Caine an earful! The f&*k did Kinger even do for you to say that?! He was just trying to help!”

“I know, I know!” Jax ran a hand over his face. “I know that I shouldn’t have said that I was scared and I lashed out. I didn’t think-”

“You don’t think at all Jax,” Kinger spoke softly. Both him and Zooble turning to face the chess piece. “You believe everything that you do here is just mindless fun for you. But every time you push us down, every time you call us names, every time you grin cruelly at us, we all remember it. But sometimes there’s a glimmer of hope in you, I saw it when you talked to me about - you know. And every time I see it, you always try to squash it, as though you’re afraid. As though it makes you brave to deny yourself the slightest chance of goodness, but it doesn’t…you’re a coward Jax.”

It felt as if all the air had been knocked out of Jax, he nearly stumbled on the spot. To hear that from Kinger, the only person he felt close to other than Queenie, brought him a shame that he never knew existed. “I…I really am sorry Kinger,” he said with all the sincerity he could muster.

Kinger sighed, “I wish I could believe that.” He pulled out a paper butterfly, red like the old cloak that Queenie used to wear. His eyes smiled softly at the familiarity. “But Queenie always had an eyes for the diamond in the rough. And I trust her more than anyone. I might forgive you, but not today.”

The chess piece’s eyes held the same wisdom as they did back when he and the rabbit built the fort together. A pair of years with decades of knowledge. But as soon as he blinked, he was back to normal old Kinger, “Oh look, a butterfly! That will be perfect for my collection.” He looked back up to the rabbit, “Oh hi Jax…bye Jax.”

With that, he turned away, leaving Jax starstruck again. Zooble gave him a final glare before walking away too. Jax sighed, while that conversation didn’t go the way he wanted it to, he wouldn’t lie and say that it wasn’t unrealistic. Of course Kinger wouldn’t forgive him right away, not after Jax had mistreated him and the others for so long. He felt a hand curl into his, he tightened his hold onto it.

“You okay?” Pomni asked.

He lifted his head to the side to face her, those beautiful and unique eyes already bringing him peace, “I will be.” His eyes scanned the room, everyone was gone. “Remember my promise with getting us out of here?”

Pomni nodded.

“I need to show you something,” he told her, guiding her back to his room.

He made sure the door was locked behind him, erasing the risk of getting caught. “I don’t show these to anyone else,” he said, walking over to a chest and pulling another key out. “But I think this might help with our situation.”

The lock of the chest clicked open, the lid falling back as a hundred of different golden keys were revealed. “Woah,” Pomni’s red and blue eyes widened, “That’s…that’s definitely a lot.”

“Yup, I told you I got keys everywhere here,” he smirked.

She nudged him slightly, “Could come in handy for us sometime.”

“Watch it little lady,” he snickered, his face falling serious again. “I’ve used these keys on every single door I could find but I haven’t found an exit. But with you here, maybe there’s a better chance of finding one.”

Pomni was lost in thought, taking out a singular key and fiddling with it in her hands. “Yeah,” she replied absentmindedly. “I think it might be closer than you think.”

Jax whipped his head round to her, “Come again?”

“Uh…” Pomni trailed off, realising that she had been speaking out loud. “So, remember when I said to Caine a while back that I stopped seeing exits doors? Well…”

Jax raised a brow at her.

Soon enough they were in her room, the chest of keys laying by the wall while both the rabbit and jester were pushing her wardrobe away from the other wall. Jax’s jaw dropped at what he saw once the wardrobe was pushed away. Right behind the piece of furniture was a bright red exit door, the green sign glowing above it. “It appeared here after my first dinner here,” she explained, “I tried to see what was behind it but all it led me to was another maze of weird office hallways.”

“Another?” Jax asked. “Wait, you really did see other exit doors when you arrived here?”

“Yeah, three times actually,” Pomni said. “The only time I went through one it led me to the maze I was talking about.”

“That’s…I,” Jax, for the first time here, was rendered speechless. He thought Pomni had arrived at the void some other way. But she really had seen exits doors and no one believed her, not even him. “There has to be a reason why you’re targeted. If it didn’t do this to us, why you?”

“I wish I knew,” Pomni glanced down, shuffling her feet.

“Hey, hey,” he took her chin into his palm, lifting her head up to face him. “Don’t feel bad, okay? Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as harsh.” He stroked her cheek gently, “We’re gonna figure this out together, okay? And with our memories back we now have an advantage.”

Pomni sighed, leaning into his touch. It had been too long since she last felt his gentle touch, “Yeah, we do. We’re gonna get out of here.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, giving her a wink, “That’s my girl.”

They settled there for a few moments before Pomni turned away again to look at the keys. Jax wanted to be greedy and pull her back, but right now there was business to attend to. “You said you tried every key with every door, right?” she asked.

“Yup,” the rabbit nodded, “Yet it always never worked. They would either be a room that was part of the circus or would never unlock.”

Pomni hummed in curiosity, picking up another one, “Maybe…” she peered to the bright red door on her wall.

Jax followed her gaze, a grin playing on her lips at what she was implying, “Maybe what?”

She rolled her eyes at him, “Maybe it could work on an exit door?”

“God I love your brain,” he exclaimed.

“Phhh, by making a suggestion?” Pomni snorted.

“By making a smart suggestion, like you always do,” he corrected leaning into her face and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

“Okay mister,” she retorted, pushing him away with her index finger as the rabbit chortled. She looked down to the key in her palms, it had a circular end with four holes in the middle. This no doubt had to be Ragatha’s key. She looked back to her fiancé, “May I have the honours?”

“It would be my pleasure little lady,” he bowed dramatically.

Pomni huffed, pretending to be annoyed but didn’t force away the smile that tugged at her lips. She breathed out slowly, her breath slightly shaking as she did so. She slid the golden key into the hole, turning it once as they door clicked open.

Jax’s tail twitched with anticipation, awaiting what could possibly be behind it. Pomni reached up to the handle, twisting it and pulling the door open slowly. Her heart plummeted when the familiar office structure appeared again. She shut the door, “I’m sorry I got your hopes up.”

“No, no,” Jax’s voice was gentle as he took her hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? Let’s try two more, how does that sound?”

The jester bit her lip, nodding quietly in agreement. Jax pulled out two more keys from the chest, the first had the shape of some sort of castle on its end while the second had a jester hat – Pomni’s key. “You’ll probably need this back once we’re done,” he told her, referring to the object. “In case you need your privacy, I know how Caine can be.”

“Aw, honey,” she cooed. “You’re playing favourites.”

He flicked her nose, the jester rubbing it while giggling, “Yeah, yeah. You get your wife privileges.”

“I’m not your wife yet,” she retorted.

Jax grinned, “But soon you will be.”

She shook her head, placing the next key into the lock. She felt a twinge of disappointment when it led to the same grey hallway again. Pomni closed the door again, taking her own key from Jax’s paw, “Maybe third time’s the charm?”

Jax gave her a gentle smile, wanting to keep her as hopeful as possible. But both of them felt the intensity of the situation, if this didn’t work then another dead end was hit, then neither of them would know what to do. Please, please work.

She slid it in, the lock clicked, the door creaked open.

Pomni shut her eyes slightly, she didn’t want to be disappointed again.

“Oh my god,” she heard Jax gasp.

She peeked one eye open, then the other as they widened at what she saw.

It was a hospital room, void of the cold grey scale of the office hallway. The walls were a warm light brown with a lamp switched on by a bed, contrasting with the midnight sky from the window. Pomni’s breath hitched when she saw who was laying on the bed.

“Mom,” she whispered.

A younger Amber was sat up in the hospital bed, her red hair was messy and bags were under her eyes. But she looked so incredibly happy. Next to her was a glass case with holes and inside a little baby with brown curls wrapped up in a pink blanket slept.

“Is that…” Jax trailed off.

“Yeah,” Pomni felt her spirits lift ever so slightly when she looked at the date on the small clock next to the lamp. “That’s me. This was the day when I was born.”

She watched as the woman’s fingers trailed across the glass, marvelling at the tiny human inside. “Hi Penny,” she exhaled happily. “Welcome to the world. I can’t wait for Riley to see you, she’s been so excited to have a little sister. I don’t know where your daddy went but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. When you get better, we’re gonna have so much fun together.” A tear of mirth ran down Amber’s cheek, “Look at you, you’re perfect.”

Pomni felt a tear of her own escape as she watched the scene in front of her. She had been told about how her mother was glued to her side as a baby, watching her every move when the doctors told her how sick and weak she was. Amber had spent every waking moment making sure her daughter was healing. It wasn’t easy with a sickly newborn, an absent husband and a rowdy four-year-old, but she did it anyway.

“I miss her so much,” Pomni sniffled.

“Oh, Pen,” Jax wrapped his arms around the smaller woman’s body, pressing a chaste kiss at the back of her neck. “You’re gonna see her again, I promise.”

She turned and pressed her lips to his cheek, agreeing silently.

Another door creaked open, drawing the duo’s attention. It was the door of the hospital room opening, but instead of leading to a hallway, it seemed to be leading outside instead. The rabbit and jester shared a look before moving ahead, for them it was the most plausible thing to do.

The moment they stepped out, they had to squint from a beam of sunlight shining in their eyes. It seemed like they were in some sort of back garden, with real soft grass beneath their feet and fresh air filling their lungs. It made them feel human.

Pomni let out a shocked yet excited laugh when she saw what was in front of her, this wasn’t any ordinary back garden. It was the one where she grew up in where she and Riley would play when the sun was shining and dried up the rain. The ground was scattered with toys, with a trampoline at the right-hand side and a swing on the left.

She gasped, for on the swing was a girl about ten-years-old, wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt and purple overalls with white butterflies on the pockets, her brunette hair was short and ended by hair jaw as she stared out into the garden with her chocolate brown eyes. “T-that’s me!” Pomni said, startled. “I remember this!”

Jax was going to say something, his smile widening seeing the jester so happy when another voice cut him off.

“Marco!”

The little girl snickered at the new voice, jumping off the swing, “Polo!”

A girl around fourteen years of age, with red hair tied into a ponytail, ran into the garden, dropping a school bag in favour of chasing the younger of the two. Pomni pressed her hands to her mouth, “Riley.”

The older girl snorted as the younger ran around the swing set, reaching out in order to grab her, “I’m gonna get you!”

“Nuh uh!” a younger Penny retorted, “You’re too slow Riles!”

“Oh, now you’re gonna get it!” Riley smirked, the two squealing as the chase continued.

Unfortunately it came to a halt when Penny tripped over a toy and landed on the concrete path leading to the house. Riley gasped, rushing over to her as the little girl picked herself up, her palms bloody and staining her skin. Fat tears ran down her cheeks as she began wailing, “Mommy!”

Riley wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her arm and rocking her slowly. Amber ran out of the door, kneeling down and gently taking her daughter’s hands, “Oh baby. Don’t worry, we’ll get these cleaned up.”

She scooped her youngest into her arms, walking back into the house.

“Mom I’m really sorry!” Riley panicked. “We were playing and she tripped, I should have kept a closer eye on her.”

“Riley, Riley, it’s okay,” Amber spoke calmly. “This was an accident, it’s not your fault, okay?” That didn’t seem to make the older girl feel any better. Amber hummed in thought, “How about you go get the bandages while I clean Penny’s hands, how does that sound?”

Riley nodded furiously, already running in and up the stairs. Pomni followed her mother and younger self into the kitchen, Jax tailing behind her. Amber sat Penny upon the countertop next to the kitchen sink, running the tap while Penny tried to gulp down her cries. “Oh Penny,” Amber ran her fingers under her daughter’s eyes, wiping away the tears. “We’ll get you fixed up, it’s alright baby.”

Penny shook her head, trying to quiet her crying as much as possible, “I-I’m being a b-baby! I n-need to be s-strong!”

“You’re not being a baby for getting hurt,” Amber’s brows furrowed, concern lacing her voice.

“B-but Daddy said t-that crying i-is w-weak,” Penny sniffled.

Amber inhaled sharply, her jaw tensing before slipping into her relaxed position again, “Your Daddy isn’t always right about a lot of things. This is one of them. Even the strongest people in the world need to cry Penny, never feel like you aren’t strong for doing so.”

Like a magnet, Penny clutched onto her mother, wrapping her arms round the tall women’s neck. Amber kissed the top of her child’s head, rubbing her hands up and down the little one’s back. There was probably blood on the back of her shirt, but she didn’t care, not when her child needed comfort. “How about we wash that blood off, okay?” Amber suggested.

Penny nodded against her shoulder, unwrapping her arms. Amber led her hands under the running water, Penny hissing at soon as the liquid touched her skin.

“I know baby, I know,” Amber ran her fingers through the child’s hair, “You’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

“I got the bandages!” Riley announced, running back into the kitchen.

“Perfect,” Amber switched off the tap once Penny’s hands were clean enough. She patted them dry with a towel and took the bandages from Riley. Slowly and carefully, she wrapped up each hand in the white gauze, finishing it off with a small bow on the top of each hand. “See, much better.”

Penny rubbed one last tear away, holding her hands out for her mother again, “Thank you Mommy.”

Amber cooed, picking her up and holding her close, “Always baby.” With a spare arm, Amber pulled Riley into the hug, rubbing the older girl’s shoulder, “Thank you for your help.”

Riley let out a trembling breath, burying her face into her mother’s shoulder, the woman holding her daughters in a vice grip as though they would disappear if she let go.

Pomni felt her stomach twist, Amber’s daughter did disappear. And her mother had no idea where she was.

Jax placed a hand on her shoulder, Pomni touched it as pressed her cheeks onto it, “It still hurts, knowing she doesn’t know where I am.”

“I know,” Jax agreed. “I know how much you mean to your mother. She’ll see you again, I know it.”

The back door creaked open like the hospital door did, this time is showed the inside of a living room.

Walking through, a wave of familiarity hit them both at once. It was their old apartment. Everything was the same, from the furniture to the wallpaper to even the starry mug that Penny loved to use all the time. Said mug was on the coffee table, steaming rising from the top.

Laughter broke the two out of their trance, for in the middle of the living room from was…them. Their human forms, engagement rings on their fingers as they danced while slow romantic music filled the room.

“Watch your speed!” Penny giggled, “I can barely keep up!”

Jack snickered, “Says you! You keep tripping over yourself!”

“It’s not my fault I have two left feet!” Penny retorted grinning.

Jack ran a hand over his face, another laugh escaping his mouth, “Imagine if we danced like this on our wedding day.”

“We’d certainly attract a crowd, that’s for sure,” Penny sighed wistfully, her arms curling round his neck, “How about we just settle for swaying?”

“Yeah, swaying sounds good,” Jack’s hands settled round her waist, the two moving from side to side. “I guess this isn’t so bad.”

Penny hummed in agreement, “Looks like our wedding dance won’t be a complete disaster after all.”

“It was never gonna be, I’ll make sure it will be the best day for you, promise,” Jack’s nose rubbed against hers, earning him another giggle.

Pomni looked up at Jax, the latter looking on longingly at their past selves. Life could have continued like this if he hadn’t been so selfish, so entitled, so cowardly…Kinger was right.

“Hey,” Pomni spoke up, it was his turn to listen to her. “It’s not your fault for what happened, okay? If you believe that we can get out of here, then so can I.”

Jax felt warmth spread about himself, this was why he loved Pomni so much. Despite her own fears and anxieties, when her kindness shone then it shone brightly. Many actions that she had done spoke loudly than any word she spoke. And if she couldn’t see how amazing she is, then he could do it for her. “You’re incredible, you know that right?” he said.

Pomni blushed, trying to hide behind her short hair, “Maybe.”

Jax chuckled, he never wanted her to change. The sound of another door creaking made them turn. Just like they did many times before, they walked through.

They were back in Amber’s house, though this time it had aged, they were in the living room instead, although furniture seemed more recent in memory than Pomni expected. “Is this ringing any bells?” Jax asked.

“No, no this doesn’t seem that familiar, aside from the room,” Pomni replied.

Footsteps entered the room. It was Amber, now older and more tired. Pomni watched as her mother sat on the sofa, there were bags under her eyes and dried tear stains on her cheeks. In her hands was a small pile of papers, Penny’s face printed on the very top and well as the words ‘MISSING’ written in bold black letters.

“This isn’t a memory,” Pomni murmured. “This is now.”

Jax let out a tiny gasp of realisation, they had come so far they were teetering on the border of the outside world, something that no one could possibly imagining happening in the circus!

But the circumstances weren’t as bright. Right now they were watching Amber mourn over her lost daughter, the one thing she feared the most.

Amber gripped onto the papers tighter, her lips quivering as more tears hit the posters. She let them go, each one scattering across the floor as she brought her hands up to cover her face, muffling her sobs.

Pomni’s heart twisted, she wished for nothing more than to reach out to her mother and engulf her in the biggest hug she can manage. “Mom, I’m here,” she spoke, “I’m okay.”

But nothing, it could be as though the wind had spoken. It was silence.

Pomni wanted to cry, to yell, to scream IM HERE. But it was pointless, wasn’t it?

The jester lifted her hand to a switched off lamp next to the sofa. When she was young, Amber would always turn on her bedside lamp, telling her that she would feel safe as long as that was on. Pomni’s fingers grazed the handle of the lamp, that was what she wanted for Amber, for her to feel safe like she did for her.

Without even realising, her fingers lightly pushed against the button, the pressure making it flicker on. Pomni jumped back, did she do that?!

Amber turned to the sudden light, sighing, “Lights are acting up, great.”

Pomni looked down at her hands, Amber couldn’t see her still. But what if…

She looked to Jax, the rabbit looking just as surprised as she did. He turned to the light switch on the wall, quickly moving towards it and flicking it on. Just like with Pomni, it shone throughout the room. He let out a strangled laugh, he could do it too!

Amber’s brows furrowed in confusion, “What is happening?”

Pomni held onto the lamp again, determination on her mind. She wasn’t going to leave until her mother knew that she was here and she was alive. She flicked the lamp on and off again, feeling guilty when Amber jumped in surprise. She did the same with another lamp on the chest of drawers at the side of the room, flicking it on and off while Jax did the same with the room light.

Amber whipped round, watching in shock as this bizarre event unfolded before her. She knew that lights had a habit of acting out, but never to this extent. “What’s going on?!” she exclaimed, “Is someone doing this?!”

Pomni bit her lip, she had to let Amber know that she was here. She scanned the room, trying to see if there was something, anything that could help. Her traveling eyes came to a stop when she spotted Amber’s computer tucked away into the corner, a printer next to it with missing posters on top of it. She must have moved it down here when making them.

Pomni rushed towards it, pressing the ‘on’ button and praying that her plan would work.

Amber yelped as she heard the sound of her computer switch on, panic rising in her chest.

The jester pressed a few keys on the keyboard, searching until she landed on a blank document, here goes nothing. And so, she began to type.

Mom

It’s me

Penny

Amber took a few steps back as her missing daughter’s name appeared on her screen, it felt like a horror movie unravelling in front of her. She let out a broken laugh, “Okay you got me! Whoever’s here better piss off with their sick joke before I call the police!”

Pomni winced, she had to keep trying.

It’s okay!

It’s Penny Mom!

You don’t need to be scared!

Amber shook her head, this had to be some sick joke. “My daughter’s missing!” she felt insane for talking back to the computer. “How could she be able to do this?! Whoever you are, you better show yourself!”

Pomni wracked her brain, she had to think of something, anything. A lightbulb went off in her head, she began to type again.

I was born on August 13th, 1999, at 11:59 PM

I was born too early so I had to be incubated at the hospital

On my fifth birthday you gave me a purple teddy bear and I named her Candy

You always sang ‘Silent Night’ to me to help me fall asleep even when it wasn’t Christmas

You brought a giant sign at Riley’s graduation saying ‘YOU’RE AN AGENT NOW RILEY’ when she completed her FBI training

Riley hates carrot cake but she always brings some for Winter whenever they go on dates

You took time off work just so you could help homeschool me when I left high school and helped me when I struggled to eat

I’m terrified of bees but I love butterflies

I hate the water, I always have

I always wanted to go into costume designing

When I finally felt confident in myself you asked me to make you a promise

I promised you that no matter what I am Penny Reed

I have a role in this world

I am worthy of greatness

And I have always mattered

Mom

It’s me

Amber’s breath hitched, nearly stumbling back a bit. No one could know something so personal about one person. Could it really be… “Penny?”

Pomni felt her own tears escape.

Hi Mom

Amber’s knees dropped to the ground, tears of relief and joy escaping. “Oh my baby!” she sobbed, “You’re here! Are you…Are you alive?”

Pomni sniffed, letting out a small laugh.

Yes Mom

I’m alive

Another cry tore from Amber’s throat, her daughter was alive. And somehow, she was here. “Penny where are you?” she asked, wiping away her tears. “What’s going on?”

It’s hard to explain

And I don’t know how long I can stay

“No, baby don’t go yet,” Amber begged. “Just stay, at least until Riley gets here.”

Jax’s ears twitched, a soft voice calling from the distance.

“Jax?”

“Pomni?”

He could recognise that voice from anywhere. Jax grasped Pomni’s shoulder, “Ragatha’s looking for us, we gotta go.”

Pomni was startled for a second, but she knew that he was serious. She turned back to her mother.

I’m sorry Mom

I have to go

“Penny please!” Amber panicked, “Don’t go!”

I’ll come back

I’m so sorry

But I’m okay

I promise

“Stay!” Amber cried, “Penny, stay!”

It felt as though Pomni’s heart was being ripped from her chest, but she couldn’t risk her or Jax’s safety. What if Caine was with Ragatha? Then they would really be in trouble.

She and Jax rushed to the door, the room outside of it reverting back to Jax’s bedroom. Pomni looked back to her sobbing mother, guilt stabbing at her. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised, even if Amber couldn’t hear her.

She forced herself to tear her eyes away and ran back into Jax’s bedroom, the rabbit closing the door behind her. “Hey,” he placed both of his hands on her shoulders, “I know that must have been really hard for you, but we can go back. We’re able to now, we finally have a chance to try and get out of here.”

“I just,” Pomni sniffled, “I just miss my Mom.”

Jax brought her into his arms, letting her cry out as much as she needed to. He wasn’t going to let go, never again. Both mother and daughter were terrified of this bizarre situation, the mother fearing that she would never see her child and the daughter wishing for her mother to hold her. Until they were back, Jax had to protect Pomni. It was serious now, bigger things were at play and everything was different. No matter what, her safety was his priority.

“Jax?” Ragatha knocked on the door. “Come on, open up please.”

Pomni let go, her eyes darting to the door with worry.

“It’s okay,” Jax reassured her, “Take the keys and hide behind the side of my bed, I’ll take care of doll face.”

Pomni looked to the keys and back at him, “O-okay.”

He kissed her forehead, stroking her cheek lightly before the two pulled away. Pomni picked up the chest, taking it and ducking behind the bedside while Jax pulled the wardrobe back over the exit door as silently as he could.

The door knocked again, he smoothed down the fur on his head I’m cool and collected, I’m cool and collected. Once he had slipped into his persona again, he opened the door. He gulped, apart from Caine and Bubble, everyone was there.

“So, Rags,” he leaned against the side of the door. “How can I help you?”

“Pomni’s in there,” Ragatha crossed her arms over her chest. “Isn’t she?”

I’M COOL AND COLLECTED, I’M COOL AND COLLECTED! Jax’s tail twitched nervously as he let out a laugh that seemed fake even to him, “What? No, of course not!”

“I saw you go in her room a while ago,” Gangle mumbled. “I didn’t know if you were pulling a prank on her but I had to get the others just in case.”

“And imagine my panic when I found out the door was locked!” Ragatha growled. “You better explain yourself, Pomni better be okay!”

“Ragatha,” Pomni peered above the bed, jumping over it and made her way towards the door. “Don’t worry I’m fine-”

“Oh Pomni you’re okay!” Ragatha gasped, reaching out her hand to the jester. “Come here, what type of prank did he pull on you?”

Pomni surprised everyone when she jumped back, opting to stand beside Jax instead. “Ragatha,” she spoke softly, “You don’t have to worry, I’m completely fine. Jax didn’t do anything.”

“T-then why is he in your room?” the ragdoll asked. “You two have been acting strange for the past couple of days and we’re all getting worried, what’s going on?”

Pomni and Jax shared a look, a silent conversation between the two. Pomni, without breaking eyes contact, nudged her head towards the group. Sparing the others a glance, he looked back to Pomni with a nod.

“You guys come in,” Pomni said, opening the door wider. “There’s a lot you gotta know.”

This had to be the second time Riley was emotionally exhausted while driving back home, the first was when finding out Penny was missing. But her hopes had gone up too many times and had blind faith in someone who was hurting like she was, maybe even more. It was strange, everything Samual said felt true, but Jason Wood was a prominent figure who helped raise him after his parent’s disappearance, who was she to have a say in that situation?

Perhaps the wish to have her sister back was overtaking her logic. But now anymore, she was going to put her headfirst and figure this out the way she always did. Her phone began to ring in the cup holder next to her seat, it was Amber. She put the phone on speaker, keeping her eyes on the road, “Hey Mom, what’s up?”

“Riley!” Amber panted over the phone. “Riley you need to get here now!”

Riley practically kicked the break to stop the car, ignoring the other honking cars behind her as she pressed the phone to her ear, “Mom! Is everything ok?! What happened?!”

“It’s about your sister!” Amber blubbered. “You need to get here as soon as you can, please!”

Before Riley could say another word, the line was caught off. She pressed on the accelerator, her heart pounding. If her mother was speaking in that panicked and it involved her sister, she was going to drop everything and be there first thing.

The car skid to a stop when she arrived at her mother’s house, running to the door as fast as she could and slammed it open. “Mom!” Riley called out, “What happened?!”

Amber was collecting posters off the floor, dumping them down on the coffee table before pulling Riley inside. “Riley!” she gasped, “You won’t believe it! I know it sounds insane but I saw it happen in front of my eyes!”

“What? What did?!” Riley was starting to worry now. “Mom you’re scaring me, what does Penny have to do with this!”

“Everything!” Amber bellowed, a wide grin forming while more joyful tears leaked down her face. “Penny was here! She’s alive!”

The whole world went still for Riley, “Penny?! She’s alive?! Wait-wait, what do you mean ‘was here’?! Where is she?!”

“That’s the thing!” Amber pointed to the computer. “She wasn’t ‘here’ here, she was speaking to me through that!”

Riley’s palms began to sweat, this was beginning to sound familiar, “What do you mean by through the computer?”

“She wasn’t here in a physical sense, but she was messing with the lights, writing to me on that computer!” Amber exclaimed. “I don’t know how it’s possible and I know it sounds crazy, but your sister is alive! My daughter is alive! And she needs our help!”

Riley nearly staggered on the spot, Amber’s concerned calling for her name falling on deaf ears. Her mother wasn’t someone who spouted nonsense (that was more of David’s thing) and there was no way this type of situation could be a coincidence, it wasn’t something that anyone could make up on the spot.

She looked past Amber and to the screen behind her. Her breath hitched, on the screen was basically what Samual had showed her. Someone trying to communicate through anonymous messages with no email attached. Except this time it was different, this time it described parts of her life that no one else could know about, this time there was undeniable proof that someone was talking to her mother, this time there was a name.

Penny’s name.

Riley gasped.

Samual was telling the truth…and she pushed him away.

#the amazing digital circus #jax #pomni #pomnijax #funnybunny #ragatha #gangle #kinger #zooble #caine #bubble #my writing #dragon rambles #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #jax x pomni #pomni x jax #jaxni

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