#the only downside is it made me give up on a town i wanted to keep playing because i got hit with a tsunami

[mokeonn]

I finally got really into City Skylines recently and I have to say, if you get the game you NEED the natural disaster pack. If not for the new gameplay features and the chaos of natural disasters, get it so when you make a city and you know you're not gonna play it again. There's nothing more fun to decide that you're done for the day and then unloading 15 meteors on your city.

[bigfatbimbo]

I love you like an Alcoholic

2.1k words,, Bill x Reader

a/n — You did it, you saved the town.

warnings — NSFW, dom!reader, sub!Bill, toxic relationships, book of bill time era, orgasm denial, ambiguous superpowers, NOT PROOFREAD**

summary — Bill goes to his incredibly powerful (moreso than him) business partner, you, to try to get him out of theraprism. Things take a turn.

“I had to pull a lot of strings for this Bill,” you cross your legs and lean back in your thrown. 

Bill straightens his bow-tie, “Well toots, what if I told you I can make it worth your while?”

You breathe and then get up from your chair, “I’d tell you to stop floating in my lair. It’s distracting.”

Snapping your fingers, a bar appears in your otherwise empty room. While pouring yourself a drink, you can feel Bills eye-roll from across the room.

With a tip of his hat, his more human form appears, and sits down at the bar stool next to you. “Better?”

“Could do with more abs.”

He laughs but doesn’t change his appearance, “So, y/n. We go way back, right? I’m not gonna sugar code it, you’ve always been one of my favorites to do business with, doll. Wanna know why?”

“The fact i’m always so interested in what you have to say?”

His eye practically twitched at your indifference. Your attention was never payed in full. “Ha! Don’t flatter your self, pal. No, i’ll tell you why: did you know out of everyone in the galaxy, you’re the only equal I do business with?”

Your eyebrow arches, “equal?”

“Humor me,” he doesn’t give you the chance to reply before continuing. “Now, given my current position in ‘necessary therapy’—“ he makes a point of doing obnoxious air quotes, “—I don’t have much to occupy my days. And we both know i’d be of better use to you out here, right?”

You took another sip of your wine before getting up from the bar and walking over to your throne. The bar disappears behind you, leaving cipher ass-flat on the ground.

“Oh come on—“ His open eye turns red momentarily, before he dusts himself off, “Look, it’s hard being a god, y/n, I know that much. With that responsibility, I think a business partner would do you good. And all you’d have to do is bail me out, that’s practically no downside for you at all, buddy.”

Your patience had been wearing thin, and without further consideration you let out a larger grown from your chair, “Cipher, you’re a liability. I don’t want you. I’m honestly struggling to find enjoyment in sharing a drink with you, despite our history.”

A flick of your hand lifts him off his feet and brings him over to you, “Thought you had a no floating policy, eh?” There’s no fear in his voice, but there is in his eye. He’s losing.

“I’m gonna make this clear to you. You’re gonna take your disgusting human form, and you’re gonna march your happy ass back to theraprism, and you’re gonna stay there. Want my advice? Stop being so damn pathetic.”

A portal opens to take him back and he struggles in your invisible grasp, “No, wait! Please, I’ll do anything, just wait!” 

A human form was already a disadvantage, one he’d accepted in order to strike a deal, but a disadvantage still. And he hadn’t had any contact in a long time, aside from various psychiatrists telling him what’s ’wrong with him.’ 

So, you being someone he has history with could have contributed to his annoyingly human problem. Maybe it was the excitement, your attention or the lack there of, but something terrible happened at that moment. 

“Jesus, Bill. You really have hit rock bottom,” You murmur to yourself as you pull his floating body closer to you, your fingers dance around the bulge without touching it.

“Hey, hey, watch it— Your the one that made me have this stupid fleshbag, anyways— cut that out!” He struggled in the air, finding that he just couldn’t turn back into his normal form. You’re doing, he’d assume. 

To his dismay, you giggle and lean back, “Well now i’m enjoying myself. Now this I could help with, Cipher,”

“Ah, ah pass! Just get me down from here and—“ Back to prison? He’d have to swallow his pride on this one. And besides, it’s not like he wouldn’t like it… “Whatever you want, doll. I’m here all night.”

You examine him further, “Is that so?” 

Before he can answer, you drop him to his knees in front of you. “Ow! Careful with the merchandise, sweetheart. I’m not in mint condition these days— ah!”

Your foot presses down lightly on the bulge in his pants, and your fingers grab onto his chin, “Been a minute since we’ve done this. Huh, Cipher?”

He nods, going to say something, before you interject, “So i’d be good if I was you, baby.”

You press down on his hard-on with more pressure, watching Ciphers face flicker, biting his lip, before letting on a whimper. 

Despite not being his first encounter, so to speak, with you of this nature, it never failed to eat as his pride. And furthermore, despite this, it felt good. If Bill was anything, he was selfish. He could admit he was letting it happen for himself, instead of in spite of himself. So it can’t be that humiliating?

But in this position, there’s always shame.

“Y/n — give me a break—“ He breathed, eye twitching. 

You rolled your eyes and snapped your fingers, with that, his pants were gone and his dick was exposed. That’s another thing he could do without: your unpredictability 

“Next time, say please. Asshole.” You say, lifting him up with your powers once more.

“Wow, buddy. I’m not the one being the jerk here—“ It came out quick, as Bill words often did. But these ones he regretted immediately.

Your eyebrows furrowed, “Tough crowd?” He felt a sensation tugging at the base of his dick, indicating the start of mind games that wouldn’t end anytime soon.

He backtracked. Play it off. “Yeesh, you’re a tough crowd! Did I say jerk? You heard me wrong, I meant lovely— Ah, wait! Wait!”

A wave of pleasure flooded his senses abruptly, followed by a short pinch of pain, similar to what a mortal feels when they prick their finger on a piece of metal. Does that happen a lot? They’re all so clutsy, can’t be that out of the ordinary—

“Smooth talk your way out and maybe I’ll lighten the blow, yeah?” You smile cruelly, hand dangling out, flexing as if teasing what you could do to him.

“I— I know we’ve had our disagreements but I— augh!” A spike of pain, his eye rolled back a bit, “You— I’ve always admired your work— Yes! Respected you even, you’re an idol, sweetheart, ah, yes!”

With each compliment a burst of pleasure would go through him, landing at his unnatural dick, now leaking with precum. He was nearly babbling, but he was as aware of that as he was aware of the fact it was dearly encouraged.

“Very good, Billy. You’re too sweet, really.” Your voice was smooth and you bit your lip, watching him writhe with pleasure mid-air.

“A-anything for you, toots! Ah, more, more!”

He didn’t notice he said anything wrong this time until it was too late, but your face had noticeably darkened at the statement. 

“That’s awful demanding for someone in your position, dontcha’ think?” You weren’t actually mad, of course you weren’t. But you loved to you with him, and you took every opportunity. One of the reasons Bill tried to avoid you when he could; you were far too similar people, dealing in cruelty for the sake of entertainment.

“Wha- No wait!” The attention to his dick ceased to exist, and he was left with only aching for attention again, despite the fact you never gave anything physical in the first place. 

All mind games. “That’s- That’s not fair!”

“I’d watch who you were talking too, baby,” You flick your hand, spreading out his body parts mid air, hard leaking cock protruding out, crying for any kind of sensation. 

“You know what I can do. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you,” You sigh expectantly.

Bill tried to speak to defend himself, to talk his way out, but he found his ability to gone.

“I can make you do what I want, Cipher. Can make you feel whatever I want. Extraordinary pain—“ He cries out for a split second, eye flashing with fear, “—Or overwhelming pleasure.”

This time his eye rolled back, and he moans in wonderful agony, unable to move expect for wriggling his body parts weakly. His dick twitched.

“You like that feeling?”

He nods weakly, eyes fogging up, letting a small whimper escape.

“Don’t want me to hurt you?” Another nod, “Want me to make you feel good? Think you deserve it?”

“Ah— y/n, I need…” He swallows, revising his words in his mind, “Please, I need this.”

It’s true, Bill had never reached such a low in his entire existence. And he wasn’t sure if this interaction was pushing him further down or making him feel better. Now, however, he was struggling to think.

“Aw, baby. You have taken your punishment well? Been having a rough time too..” Your tone switched to something softer, almost to a condescending note.

His pathetic appearance did him justice, he pretended this was on purpose. 

Either way, a whine slipped from his throat and he shut his eyes, playing into it. You cooed in response, bringing him closer to you in order to run your hand along the side of his cheek. 

A spurt of pleasure shoots through his dick once more, and now he can’t help but yearn for something more. “Touch me— I need it— Please.” He threw in, trying to help his chances, despite the struggle at forming a coherent thought other than need.

“Hm,” You consider. Finally you reach out, running a finger along the base of his cock, to the tip. “You really want me to?”

He nodded desperately, mouth falling open to let out a small whine. Swear bedded his hot, red face, and dripped down, make his multiple chins glisten. Ugh, you preferred him further away. His already greasy looking hair was now slick against his forehead, and his eyes were glazed over. 

You slowly shift all of your fingers onto his shaft and then saintly drag them up and down for the first few strokes. A gutteral whimper falls from Ciphers mouth, “Oh, yes!”

“What do we say, baby?” You ask, grip tightening suddenly as if to bring him back to reality, but not too tight. 

“Ah— Thank you!” He’d almost forgotten to detest you for making him say that. And he’d almost forgotten to remind himself to be mad after he was done feeling good.

He used to daydream about taking you down after these sessions. Rising to power and having you at his feet. But now he only wants to keep your attention on him. Now it’s all he can think about. 

You continue to stroke his leaking cock, leaning in to kiss his cheek fat, “Good boy.”

He moaned, “Don’t do that-“

“I’m not patronizing you. I mean it, you’re acting better than usual and i’m glad. Maybe you’re more desperate, or touch-starved, but you’re doing good. I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Ah—“ He would have came right there if he could. And in the most literal sense, he couldn’t. You weren’t letting him. “Please, let me come. I can’t do this, have mercy, I’ll do anything—“

“I don’t know, I’m having a good time. Why should I?” Another desperate need to release wipes over him, an uncontrollable need that was actively being controlled. 

Despite himself, he teared up. His fingers rose to touch his face, which he realized, was now damp with falling tears, “No, no, no! I can’t- I’ve never- Human bodies— I need to. Please!”

You look at him and smile. 

“I’ve been good,” He reminded you.

With that, you have in. Your other hand moved away to snap your fingers, a gesture that wasn’t need to carry out the action, but to show that he’d earned his reward. 

“Yes! Thank you! Oh gods— Oh-“ He leaned back, finally having the orgasm that was being withheld from him. And god, it felt good.

You felt good, and he hated that. 

[sunderwight]

SV AU where Shen Yuan transmigrates into a dragon.

It's not so bad, at first. He's an extremely magical sort of dragon so he can easily take on a humanoid shape, and he has dominion over an entire mountain, with a magical gate that leads to his palace. Said palace has a fully stocked treasury, a library, garden, etc, with the only real downsides being that the place is kind of huge and very difficult for a neet with limited housekeeping or landscaping skills to keep up with. The original dragon had enslaved a bunch of fairy spirits to do it for him, but since Shen Yuan has moral objections to that, he'd let them all go and they'd run off before he could even think to offer to hire any of them as paid employees instead. Not that he can blame them for being in a hurry to get gone.

He does his best, and generally enjoys being a dragon lazing on his mountain, or wandering the beauty of his palace and investigating the books and scrolls kept there. He doesn't actually seem to need to eat or drink, so that's not really an issue, and nobody looks keen to bother him. But after a few months the dust starts to really pile up, and trying to figure out how to do his own laundry without modern equipment leads to several disasters, and even though he doesn't need to eat he's starting to think it would be quite nice to have a fancy sit-down dinner and enjoy it for its own sake anyway. He has an enchanted larder but his food prep skills aren't up to much.

So, Shen Yuan ventures away from his mountain. He keeps to his human disguise when he's not traveling, and at first tries to hire on some help from a nearby city. But when he explains that he lives on the mountain, he realizes the difficulty, because everyone in the area knows that only the dragon lives there. So they all think he's either a liar or a fraud, or some servant of a nefarious supernatural creature angling to trick and possibly devour them.

Shen Yuan tries approaching another town in his dragon form, to see if anyone will actually deal with him if he's being upfront and honest about the situation, but the townspeople just panic. He returns to his mountain to rethink his strategies, and in the meanwhile the alarmed locals hire a swordsman to go after him. The guy gives him a few very painful cuts before Shen Yuan mostly-accidentally sends him careening into a boulder. One broken arm later the swordsman is gently persuaded that the pay he was offered isn't worth the effort on this job, and leaves.

Discouraged, Shen Yuan decides he's gonna give this one last try. He picks the second closest city, flies up, and is like yes hello, yes I am indeed a dragon, no I'm not trying to burn down your walls, yes it would be excellent if you stopped shooting arrows at me, look they don't even get past the scales? It's kind of silly? Okay, yes, thank you very much. Good. Now, the thing is, I'm looking for some people. I want to take them back to my mountain with me, to my incredibly nice palace, and -- what was that? A princess? No no I don't want a princess, what would I even do with one? If anything I'm looking for the complete opposite of a princess!

Anyway, the locals take this to mean that the dragon is demanding a sacrifice in the form of a pretty boy of no particular pedigree, and Shen Yuan takes this to mean that he's finally made his case clear and they're going to dig up someone who is willing to overlook his being a dragon in exchange for free room and board and fair wages out of his massive treasury.

SY's a bit disheartened when the entire city could only apparently turn up one such person -- an underfed teenage boy who looks at Shen Yuan like, despite the situation, he is still expecting to be eaten at any moment. Poor thing! But at least having one servant means he can potentially get more, especially if it all goes well. The lad can tell others that working for a dragon isn't so bad! Well, provided that he doesn't give up in alarm at the state of the mountain palace.

For his part, Luo Binghe at first thinks he's definitely going to get eaten, and then that this dragon is weirdly nice about planning to eat him, and then that maybe the dragon has other (even less savory!) plans for him, until finally he sees the state of the dragon's laundry and the foot-thick layer of dust in the corners, and gets completely distracted. Mortal terror forgotten, those floors should not be that filthy, Lord Dragon respectfully that isn't how anyone should prepare rice either, but oh Binghe has never seen a kitchen so nice before in his life...!

Anyway, needless to say, it works out just fine.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I expanded on this.

The gate to hell was closed, and Vecna was dead. Unfortunately, Max and Eddie were still in a coma. Things were starting to change in Hawkins, and for a lot of people, it was a welcome change. . .for the more conservative, however, it was almost like the end of the world. While Max and Eddie slept, several people packed up and left the town they no longer believed was safe. They simply refused to believe that Eddie wasn't the killer or that he wasn't possessed by Satan.

In their place, freaks like Eddie started moving into their homes. It was metalheads who wanted to support their fellow comrades, and it was nerds who wanted to know that people like them no longer had people coming after him. It was also people like Eddie, people like Robin, and people like Steve who came to support someone who they felt like he was one of their own even though they had no way of knowing. Soon, it became a safe place for metalheads, nerds, and for the queer folk. It became such a safe place for them that Robin, Steve, and Will felt comfortable enough to come out to the party.

The only downside were the conspiracy theorists that followed everyone else and the insane people who believed that they were in love with Eddie. The overwhelming number of people who moved into Hawkins became too much, even if they meant well, even if they wanted to show support for Eddie. They needed more people on the police force, which meant bringing Hopper in back as Chief, something Powell had been grateful for.

"I still can't believe it," Robin rambled as she stacked videotapes. "Who knew that Vecna tearing a hole in the middle of Hawkins would lead it to becoming, like San Franciso?"

"Yeah, did you know the Hideout is basically a gay bar now?" Steve asked.

"What?! No!" Robin shrieked as she dropped a tape and then she narrowed her eyes. "Wait. . .how do you know? . . . Steve Muriel Harrington, did you go and have a one-night stand?"

"Shut up, I should have never told you my middle name. I couldn't sleep, okay?" Steve blushed.

"Okay, so, how much did this guy look like Eddie?" Robin asked.

"Not at all," Steve scoffed. "Okay, a little bit . . . a lot! He looked a lot like Eddie, but he was mean. I know that Eddie could be an asshole, but he was too mean. . . too rude to the bartender who was serving him drinks. It made me feel good about giving him a fake number and a fake name."

"So, how often did you call him Eddie while you were pounding away inside of him?" Robin said.

"You ever think we should consider the whole boundary thing that Nancy says we should have?" Steve asked.

"Okay, so several times then," Robin grinned. "Nance is joking because where is the fun in having boundaries?"

"By the way, there was no . . . um, you know. . .," Steve said, blushing.

"Penetration?" she asked.

"Nope," Steve replied.

"You're hoping to save that for Eddie, aren't you?" Robin asked, grinning and then looked at him softly. "He's going to wake up, you know. So is Max. Being possessed by an evil wizard takes a lot out of people. It has to. They just need to rest."

"I know," he said.

The bell above the door rang, and Vickie burst through, her face shining in excitement. She ran towards Robin and didn't skid to a stop in time, causing the tapes in Robin's arms to spill onto the floor.

"Sorry," Vickie squeaked.

"It's not a problem. I've done worse," Robin said with a wide grin, her eyes as shiny as Vickie's face.

"I got asked out by a woman! Though she wasn't the one that I wanted to ask me out or the one that I wanted to ask out, actually. Though she was hot, and I definitely have a thing for women with pretty blue eyes," Vickie rambled. "Anyway, after I rejected her, but I did it very nicely, I came here because I wanted to ask you out. I understand if you don't want to. I totally would get through it because I'd want you in my life no matter what. Yeah, right, I actually have to ask you out. Will you go out with me?"

They were still kneeling on the floor in the middle of a bunch of video tapes. Robin stared at her for a moment before grinning.

"Yeah, I would love to!" Robin exclaimed.

"Great!" Vickie exclaimed and surged forward to kiss her.

The kiss was quick, and she broke it to help Robin pick up the tapes. Vickie mumbled something about heading to work and kissed Robin again before rushing out the door. Robin gaped at the door before turning to Steve, who's mouth was also opened. They moved towards each other at the same time. They screamed and started jumping at the same time. Steve hugged Robin tightly. She pulled back and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Steve. If it happened for me then it's going to happen for you," Robin said. "That's how platonic soulmates work, right?"

"Duh," Steve rolled his eyes affectionately.

The bell above the door rang, and they turned their heads at the same time. Hopper walked in. Steve frowned. Was he really expecting Eddie to walk in and ask him out?

"Am I interrupting something?" Hopper asked.

"Vickie asked me out!" Robin blurted out.

"She the girl you kept going on about?" Hopper asked.

"Yeah," she said dreamily.

"I'm happy for you. You know, uh, that Gareth kid asked out Will," Hopper replied.

"Gareth and Will? I didn't even know they were friends," Steve said in surprise.

"Yeah, Gareth was upset about Eddie, sitting by his beside. Will was volunteering as usual and he comforted him," Hopper said.

"Will is such a precious angel," Robin said fondly.

"Yeah," Hopper said, a proud look on his face.

"Aw, proud dad," Robin said.

"Isn't Gareth a little bit older?" Steve asked.

"Only by two years," Hopper scoffed. "I like the guy. He's pretty respectful of Will and the three inches rule so I'll allow it for now."

"As long as it's not Mike, right?" Steve asked with a grin.

"Hey, I like the guy as long as none of my kids are dating him," Hopper said. "Which thankfully none are. I actually came here to talk to you, Steve."

"Look, I think of you like a dad and I like Joyce too much so I'm going to have to turn you down," Steve quipped and Robin snorted with laughter.

"Don't make me shoot you, kid," Hopper said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I'd hate to kill a potential deputy."

"What?!" Steve and Robin asked.

"Look, as you know, we're kind of overrun over there even with Owens providing some agents as deputies," Hopper said. "I know you don't trust anyone of those goons, neither do I but we need the help and I kind of need to someone else that I trust around there. I know you guys have a thing about cops too but sometimes the best thing is to fix it from the inside, and I trust what you have to say. You're a good kid, with good instincts, and I think you would make a good cop. Just think about it."

"Well, then we wouldn't be working together," Robin said with wide eyes.

"You're welcome to help out around the station part time, kid. I'd hate to break up the set," Hopper said. "Your mom told me you were looking for a second job. What do you call each other again? Oh, yeah. Platonic soulmates."

"Platonic with a capital P!" they said, leaning their heads together.

"Let me confer with my soulmate for a moment," Robin said.

They moved to the back to the store and pressed their foreheads together, whispering. It was only a couple of minutes later before they were back again.

"We'll take the job!" Robin and Steve exclaimed.

Now, here they were several weeks later, and Steve had settled into his role as a deputy pretty well. It was hard work and a pretty good distraction from the fact that Eddie, as well as Max, wasn't awake. Now that school had let out for the summer and Robin had graduated, she was now working part-time at the station. The crowd outside the hospital was still sitting in wait for the day their lord and savior, Eddie Munson would awaken. Some days, they were quiet and settled. Other days, they grew quite rowdy, and there are more days now where they were restless. Hopper swore they would get bored eventually, and it wasn't like they were violent. . .well, aside from a rare few. So far, they were just eager to know that one of their own was okay, which Steve thought was kind of sweet. Steve was filling out paperwork at his desk, ignoring the balls of paper Robin was throwing at him, when Hopper came barreling out of his office looking pale.

"Chief?" Steve asked.

"They're awake," Hopper said.

Steve didn't hesitate to follow Hopper out the door, and Robin followed quickly behind him. They went to see Max first, and they her sitting up slightly, her new glasses on her face. Lucas, El, and Susan surrounded her bed.

"Did I miss anything?" Max asked and then grinned. "Ew, Steve, are you a cop? Disgusting."

"I'll forgive you for that, but so you know, once you are up and moving around, I'll have something to say," Steve said. "I might even get a lawyer because I believe that's slander, Mayfield."

"If your lawyer is Dustin, he's not going to do well against Nancy," Max laughed.

"Ooh, your lawyer is Nancy? Yeah, Dustin's toast," Robin said.

"You make a good cop, Steve," Max said softly. "If anyone can make those lazy cops get off their asses, it's you. You're an example of what a good cop should be, Steve."

"Thanks, Max," Steve said, looking touched. "Glad you're awake, kid."

"So, I have to ask. . .the full grown mustache. . . Are you trying to look like Hopper?" Max asked.

"What? No?!" Steve exclaimed.

"He does think of Hopper like a dad," Robin pointed out.

"Aww, Steve, do you want Hopper to be your dad?" Max teased.

"Leaving now," Steve said, rolling his eyes.

He made it to Eddie's room and stood in front of it. He was trembling in excitement, but he was also nervous. Before he became a cop, he was here almost every day holding his hand. In that time, he got to know Wayne and Eddie's friends. He also got to know Eddie some more from the stories they told. They were weary about him at first, but once they saw how much he cared, they accepted him easily. Once Steve got them talking about Eddie, they couldn't shut up. Steve took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. He pushed open the door and strolled in. The members of Hellfire and Corrded Coffin had surrounded Eddie's beside. Wayne wouldn't be there yet, seeing as he was stuck at work. Calling him had been the first thing he had done when he got to the hospital. Eddie was sitting up, grinning, and then he spotted Steve. Eddie frowned in confusion.

"Harrington! You've been working so hard we were starting to forget what you looked like," Jeff said. "Damn, baby, you fill out that uniform good."

Jeff started wolf whistling, and the other boys soon followed.

"Alright! Cut it out!" Steve laughed. "What did I say about flirting with me to get my grandmother's brownie recipe, Jeffrey?"

"To keep doing it," Jeff grinned.

"No, no, I did not say that besides, I know I'm not your type," Steve laughed.

"What? Since when is a man with good hair and meaty thighs not my type?" Jeff cackled.

"Argyle doesn't have a problem with it?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, Argyle doesn't have a jealous bone in his body. Besides, so far, it's just sex," he grinned. "Really good sex."

"Wait. . .so, Steve knows about you? You're flirting with Steve. . .wait, are you friends with my friends?" Eddie asked.

"Actually, they're my friends now, too, Eddie. We share custody," Steve said proudly.

"Aw, Dad, we finally have a mother, and he makes the best brownies," Gareth said, leaning heavily onto Steve’s shoulder.

"Fuck off, Emerson," Steve laughed.

"By the way, since when are you a cop?" Eddie asked.

"Things around here have gotten a bit overwhelmed since you've been asleep," Steve shrugged.

"Yeah, Hawkins has gotten a lot more interesting since you decided to be lazy, Munson," Frankie said.

"It's very, very good," Gareth grinned.

"What the hell does that mean?" Eddie asked.

"You'll never believe it until you see it," Frankie said.

Hopper popped his head in for a moment and whispered in Steve's ear. He smirked and looked over at Eddie, who was staring at them in confusion. Steve wiggled his fingers at him. Hopper tipped his hat at Eddie before leaving. Steve leaned down and whispered in Gareth's ear, and he grinned, jumping up.

"Alright, boys," Gareth said. "Teddy wants to talk to us. He's probably quite eager for Eddie to start playing at the Hideout again!"

They said goodbye to him one by one, and then they were gone. Steve went to take Gareth's seat but was impeded by the crumbs he left behind. Steve started muttering as he turned around to clean it off, giving Eddie a clear view of his ass. Suddenly, Eddie's heart monitor started beeping a little louder. Steve whirled around.

"Eddie!" Steve exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I accidentally, uh, messed with one of the wires," Eddie blushed.

"Okay," Steve frowned, looking at him, thoughtfully.

He turned around again and started swiping off the crumbs. Eddie's heart monitor went off again, and Steve turned around again.

"I swear! I am trying not to touch them!" Eddie shrieked. "Just sit down, man! Forget about the crumbs."

Confused by his reaction, Steve sat down, crossing his legs like he usually did. Eddie groaned and leaned his head back.

"Your uncle wanted to be here, but unfortunately, he missed a lot of days sitting by your beside, so he can't get away. The compensation money only went so far, and you guys also got a house out of it," Steve said, grinning.

"Wait, an actual house?!" Eddie asked.

"With your own rooms and everything," Steve replied. "Of course, you'll still be living next door to the Mayfields. I think Wayne insisted on it."

"Really?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, Susan and Wayne have gotten friendly over the last few months," Steve shrugged.

"How friendly?" Eddie asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, he is the one who pulled Susan's head out of her own ass. Her drinking got worse after Max went into the coma. It nearly killed her. I was visiting with Wayne when I decided to go check in on Susan, and we found her unresponsive. When we finally got her sober enough, Wayne gave her quite the talking too," Steve said, and then he deepened his voice to sound like Wayne. "I ain't gonna yell at you, but I am going to tell you God's honest truth. I heard a lot about that husband and stepson of yours to know that you put that little girl through hell. You didn't lift a single finger to stop it. If you die now and that girl wakes up, it's always going to hang over her head that she wasn't enough for you to do better, that she deserved the crap you put her through. You owe it to her now to prove to her that she is enough and that you can do better. I expect you to be clean and waiting by her beside when she wakes up. Don't do it for me, don't do it for you. . .do it for her."

"Damn, that sounds exactly like Uncle Wayne," Eddie said, blinking back tears. "It worked?"

"Yeah, she's even therapy now working on her issues. She's really grateful for Wayne," Steve smiled.

"Good for her, I'm glad it worked on someone's parents," Eddie sighed.

"Yeah, Wayne's the best, I wish my dad was more like him," Steve said.

"Dads can be such assholes. Guess it's not just mine?" Eddie asked, and Steve shook his head. "So, when can I leave here? The food here is just awful. . .company isn't so bad, though."

"Once the doctor clears both you and Max, you guys should be able to go home by this evening," Steve said. "By the way, you are in luck. I'm the one who's going to be taking you home."

"Lucky me. . .so we won, huh?" Eddie asked.

"In more ways than one," Steve grinned.

Once they were ready to leave, Steve wheeled him out to the back of the hospital.

"I guess the protesters are out front," Eddie muttered.

"Something like that," Steve said and wheeled him over to his car.

He helped Eddie out of the wheelchair, catching him around the waist when the metalhead stumbled. They were really close now, their noses practically brushing up against each other's. Steve could feel Eddie's breath against his lips.

"Uh, I'd like to sit down," Eddie said awkwardly.

"Right, right," Steve said.

He cleared his throat and set Eddie in the passenger's seat. He pulled out of the hospital and frowned. For once, the usual people weren't there. Where the hell did they go? Steve got his answer a moment later when he saw them lined up on the sidewalk leaving the hospital. Eddie had to do a double take when he saw them walking down the street.

"What the fuck?! Steve. . .where the hell are we?" Eddie asked.

"We're in Hawkins, dude," Steve replied.

"Um, no the fuck we're not. What did I just see? There's more of them!" Eddie exclaimed as he stuck his head out the window.

"Oh my God! ls that Eddie Munson?!" A girl shrieks, and Eddie freezes. "EDDIE! I LOVE YOU!"

"Oh my God! Steve. She's chasing after the car like a goddamn dog! Steve! She's fucking fast! You tell me where the fuck we actually are right this instant, Steven, because there is no way this is fucking Hawkins! Are you - are you laughing at me? Steve!!" Eddie shrieked.

Steve pulled him down by his belt, and Eddie glared at him as he rolled up the window.

"Okay, so, after you slipped into your coma, the gates closed, and you were cleared of all charges, a lot of people started to leave. Most of them were uptight conservatives, of course. Word started spreading about you and how you were framed for murder. Slowly, it started off with the metalheads coming to town to support one of their own, then came the gays, the lesbians, and the bisexuals as well as a few transgender people. It was enough to kick out more uptight assholes but there are some who are refusing to leave. At first, they protested, but now they're slowly coming to terms with it. It's funny watching them have to sort of adjust to our way of life instead of the other way around," Steve said. "And these people, they all love you, Eddie."

"Our way of life?" Eddie asked.

"Well, for me and Robin, I don't know about you, but she's a lesbian and I'm bisexual," Steve said.

"Yeah, me too," Eddie said softly, and then his eyes widened. "I mean, bisexual, not a lesbian. Not there's anything wrong with being a lesbian but it's not who I am."

"Eddie, I got it," Steve said, laughing.

"So, what? After being nearly swallowed up by hell, Hawkins is a safe place to live now?" Eddie asked. "I woke up expecting to be chased out of my own hometown like they've been trying to do with me my whole life. This is just. . . What the fuck?"

Eddie looked down at his lap, his eyes filling up with tears. Once Steve managed to get away from Eddie's admirers, he pulled off to the side and parked onto the shoulder. He leaned over and pulled Eddie into his arms, hugging him gently. Eddie wrapped his arms around, his hands digging into his back as he cried.

"It's okay, I've got you. You're safe," Steve whispered in his ear.

Eddie clung to him as he calmed down. Once the tears stopped and his body was no longer shaking, he pulled away from him. Steve pulled a tissue out of the glove box and gave it to him. Eddie thanked him, and they drove the rest of the way to his house. They finally arrived at Eddie's house. It was in a secluded neighborhood, two houses at the end of the street, and blocked off by trees from the rest of the neighborhood, which meant that Eddie could probably play his music as loud as he wanted to. Although Max might have something to say about it. Eddie's house was a modest one story with white shudders and pale blue walls. The paint was peeling a bit, but overall, the house was nice, and it was a lot better than the trailer.

Eddie started struggling with his seat belt, which was perfect because Dustin's face appeared in the window, and the curtain pulled back. 'Not ready,' he mouthed. Steve sighed. That meant distracting Eddie. Steve grinned. He leaned over and started helping him with his seatbelt. They got it unstuck, but Steve didn't move from his position once the seat belt was removed. His face was rather close to Eddie's.

"There's something that I've been wanting to do since you woke up," Steve said.

"Kill me?!" Eddie yelped.

"What?! No!" Steve laughed. "Close, though."

He captured Eddie's perfectly plump lips with his, kissing him softly. At first, Eddie didn't respond, and Steve was worried that he misread the signals. He started to pull away when suddenly Eddie grabbed him the back of the neck and pulled him back in. Suddenly, his soft kiss had turned into a bruising, desperate kiss. Steve returned it with the same amount of enthusiasm, hand in Eddie's hair. Eddie broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

"Maybe we should take this inside," Eddie gasped.

"Or maybe we take this to the back seat, and you shackle me with my own handcuffs," Steve said and attached his lips to Eddie's neck.

Eddie groaned as Steve kissed his neck and let out a guttural moan when Steve started nipping at it, his mustache tickling his neck.

"You're killing me, Steve," Eddie said. "I fucking knew you would. Robin?"

Steve broke away and looked at him.

"Okay, I have to say calling me by my best friend's name when I'm trying to put the moves on you is a little weird," Steve said.

"What? No! She's just popped her head out of my new front door, looked at us, rolled her eyes, and went back in. What is going on?" Eddie asked.

"You'll see, come on," Steve said and climbed out of the car before helping Eddie.

"You were distracting me," Eddie said, narrowing his eyes at him.

"I really did want to kiss you," Steve said sheepishly.

They started walking towards when Eddie stopped him.

"You threw me a welcome home party, didn't you?" Eddie asked.

"I might have, for both you and Max," Steve said. "Planned the whole thing while you were sleeping."

Eddie grinned at Steve and wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He broke it, leaning his forehead against Steve’s.

"This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," Eddie said and paused. "By the way, you're absolutely killing me with that uniform. It should be illegal for anyone to look this good. You're going to have to arrest yourself because, baby, you're breaking quite a few laws."

Steve giggled and kissed him, not caring if anyone else was watching them. They broke apart when they heard Max's front door open. She came out and started walking towards Eddie's house, leaning on her cane. She narrowed her eyes at them, looking much like a bug with her new glasses. Her mother followed behind her.

"Dustin called and said he wanted us to come over," Max said. "He threw us a party, didn't he?"

"I'm not saying anything," Eddie said, and Max rolled her eyes. "It was all Steve!"

"Nice," Steve scoffed.

"Thanks, Steve," Max said softly.

She wrapped her arm around his waist, hugging him. She leaned against him and let him help her inside. His free hand wrapped around Eddie's. They all walked into the small but spacious living room where everyone jumped out with noisemakers. Steve, Eddie, and Max jumped. Max stuffed her face into Steve’s side.

"Surprise!" Dustin shrieked. "Welcome home!"

"Oh my god!" Eddie exclaimed. "I am so surprised!"

"Oh, Goddamnit! Steve told you, didn't he?" Dustin exclaimed and Eddie shrugged, grinning.

"He guessed," Steve shrugged.

"This is still pretty nice, Henderson. Thank you all," Eddie said, and he started hugging everyone. "Max is crying, by the way."

"Fuck off!" Max exclaimed.

Steve watched as the party took off, and Eddie mingled with everyone. For the first time in a long time, Steve felt at peace, and he felt safe, especially when he looked at Eddie. . . When he looked at what this town had become. At some point during the mingling, Eddie came over and nestled himself into Steve’s arms. Yeah, everything was perfect.

[lqveharrington]

Dust Storm | W.H.B.

summary: You and Billy get caught up in a dust storm while on a horse ride.

pairing: William H. Bonney x fem!reader

includes: slight angst, fluff, you and billy are engaged, not a lot of warnings 🤷‍♀️ let me know if i missed any !!

a/n: i had this sitting in my drafts for a billion years 😭 my bad bookies

It had been days since that last dust storm blew in and the spirits in the small county of Talihina, Oklahoma were high. However, there was no rain insight. And with no rain, it left many farmers with empty fields, covered in dried-out dirt and sand. It especially hit the Ashford farm and ranch the hardest.

The Ashfords were the wealthiest family in Talihina. They were well known for being able to run a horse ranch and a healthy farm. The father, James Ashford, was in charge of both the ranch and farm, making sure everything ran smoothly. His wife, Josephina Ashford, better known as Jo, was known for helping around the town and giving to those in need. Luckily for the couple, they had two children who helped them with their work. They had a daughter and a son. You were the eldest Ashford child, and you had a bright future. You resemble your mother in all ways. You were the kind of woman to make young men turn their heads just by walking by. Unfortunately for them, you were happily engaged to one William H. Bonney. On the other hand, your younger brother looked like a replica of your father. Adam Ashford was eight years old with the same determination as his father, hoping to take over the farm and ranch when he got older.

But because of the dust storms starting up two years ago, it was harder to tend to the crops that would grow and bring the horses out of their stables. Before, you would help your father to tend to the horses when you weren't doing volunteer work, but with the constant dust blowing around the whole country, he banned you from leaving the house unless it was absolutely clear from dust. And for the first time in two years, James let his daughter out of the house. Only to run her mother’s errands, of course.

“In case of emergencies,” James tied a red bandana around your wrist as you took your mother’s list and woven basket from the kitchen table. “Wrap this around your head and cover your mouth and nose. I don’t want you to get hurt. And remember to come straight back from the markets—”

“Pa, I’ll be fine.” You squeezed her father’s forearm, kissing his cheek. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

He sighed and shook his head, “Okay.”

You squeezed his arm again before leaving, silently reassuring her safety. You took quick strides to the town center and watched the dust kick up with every step you took. The walk going to town wasn’t bad. The only downside was that there was no shelter for any incoming dust storms. Fortunately, the blazing sun was beating down on the earth and the wind was seemingly absent.

Upon reaching the town center you smiled at the sight in front of you. You found children running around with wooden toys their fathers made and their mothers gossiping about the recent family who left for California. It felt normal. For the first time in years, it felt normal to see mothers scolding their children for messing with drunkards sitting outside of the bars.

You shook your head before entering the town’s only grocery, the bell above the door ringing to alert the storekeeper. “Mr. Taylor?”

“Miss Ashford!” The storekeeper beamed at the young woman. “What brings you into town? I haven’t seen you and your folks for a while.”

You gave him a tight-lipped smile, “With all this dust, I would hardly expect anyone to be hustlin’ ‘round town.”

“What can I do for you?” He dismissed the comment.

“I’m in need of some of your delicious Fuji apples. My ma s'been craving them ever since Adam read a book about them to her.” You looked around the empty store. “Other than that, I can grab the res’ of the things myself.”

“I’ll be right back.” He knocked the wood on the counter, heading toward the back of the store. You watched him leave before heading into the different aisles, glancing at the brands and prices of the different items. In fact, you were so immersed in deciding which brand of vegetable oil would be best that you hadn’t realized someone new had entered the store until a pair of strong arms wrapped around you and spun you off the ground.

“Oh my god!” You clung onto the stranger’s arm, not wanting to fall face-first onto the ground. You glanced back at the stranger before gasping, eyes lighting up at the male. “Billy!”

“Afternoon, gorgeous.” He put you down and kissed your cheek.

You felt your face warm at the name and action, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “What are you doing here?”

“My ma sent me into town to get money from the bank.” Billy followed you around the store, his gaze flickering across your face. “Then I saw my favorite woman walk into town. I decided I could spare some time to talk to her.”

“Uh-huh.” You spun on your heel and peered into his eyes. “Did you get the money for your folks? Or did you forget?”

“You think so low of me, sweetheart.” He tilted your head up with his finger. “Of course I got the money.”

You hummed, giving him a proper look now. William H. Bonney was once a lanky boy in grade school. But he had definitely grown into himself. He got stronger and taller over the course of two years. The loose clothes he once wore now perfectly fit him, making you flush red each time you saw him. Your eyes then traveled from his fit shirt to his tattered, dust-covered boots. You frowned at the state they were in, but no one could do any better from the current weather the states were currently facing. Finally, you shifted your gaze to meet his eyes once more. His crystal blue eyes were such a beautiful contrast to the dust coating his dark jeans and his wavy brown hair. You swore you could get lost in them if it weren’t for him pulling you back to reality each time.

“You’re staring, gorgeous.” Billy grinned, earning a small scoff from his beloved.

“You’re impossible.” You shoved two bars of soap into your basket, heading toward the counter where the apples were waiting.

Mr. Taylor suppressed a laugh at the young couple, taking the basket from your arms. “That all for today, Miss Ashford?”

You hummed as you took your wallet out of your dress pocket, “How much?”

“$3.42 is the total.” He read off the cash register as you handed him the exact amount, trading it for the baskets of groceries and apples.

“Thank you, Mr. Taylor.” You smiled at him and moved to grab Billy’s hand as you left the store, intertwining them. “What’ve you been up to since I’ve last seen you?”

“Since last week?” Billy pulled you closer to him, squeezing your hand. “ Not much has happened since I visited your place. Just helping my ma in the fields like always.”

You nodded and looked toward the ground, watching the dust cling onto your leather boots and the bottom of your maroon dress. “The dust storm affecting your folks’ farm badly?”

“It’s affecting everyone, sweetheart.” He pulled you away from a stampede of running children. “No one can get any crops.”

“I know…” You muttered, rubbing small circles into his palm. You peered up at the bright sun, squinting at the beam. “You know what I wish for?”

“What?”

“I wish for everything to go back to normal.” You adjusted your hat, the Ashford ranch coming into view. “The dust storms have ruined everyone’s crops. I can barely step foot out of my own house. There hasn’t been any rain since god knows when. My pa won’t let me tend to the horses. It’s madness, Billy.”

“M’sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed the side of your head. “I can’t promise everything will go back to normal, but in the meantime, I can find a way to ride horses with you. ”

“William, what’s that supposed to mean?” You squinted at him, his piercing gaze meeting yours. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably not a good idea—!”

“Come on. We can ride the horses and be back before your folks worry.” He pulled you into the Ashford stables, taking the baskets from your arms and tucking them safely in a corner.

You bit your lip, looking at the groceries and then back at the brunette, cursing him for being so convincing. “Fine.”

Laughter filled the air as you raced Billy through the back trails of Talihina, the generated wind blowing through your hair. It felt like you were both young teenagers who had no idea they were in love with one another, doing reckless activities until they were caught by one’s parents.

“Pick up the pace, Bonney!” You shouted as you saw Billy catching up, urging your horse to move faster.

A huge amount of dust kicked up with every stride the horses took, and if you looked back, you wouldn’t be able to see anything. Billy shook his head with a smile and copied you, finally riding beside the pair.

“Sweetheart, you know I can beat you in any horse race.” He chuckles as he brings his horse to a stop, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “You feel any better?”

You nodded and glanced to your left as you tugged on your horse’s reins, meeting his blue eyes. “I do feel better. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He tipped his hat in your direction. “Ready to go back?”

Your smile slowly faded but nodded, “Yeah.”

“Hey, we don’t need to rush. We can take as long as we want to go back if you want.”

“I’d like that.” You guided your horse to head back toward the ranch. “In the meantime, you can tell me all about what you’re gonna do when your ma finds out where you’ve been all day.”

“I can tell her I’ve been with my girl all day.” He bit back a smirk when he saw your cheeks tint pink. “I think my folks love you more than me.”

You shoved his shoulder, your engagement ring glistening in the sun. “They should love me more than you. I think my Pa loves you more than me.”

“Impossible.” Billy took your hand and kissed the back of it.

The young couple took short strides on their horses as the sun slowly faded away. One could argue that the sun was setting, but it was still much too early for the sun to set.

“What time do you have on your watch?” You looked back at the darkening sky, picking up the pace.

“3 PM,” Billy muttered, looking into your panicked eyes. “We gotta go.”

The both of you started to rush your horses back as the wind picked up, dust blowing around them which impaired your vision. You hastily removed the bandana from your wrist and tied it around your head, keeping your balance. Billy kept one hand on the reins and shoved his own bandana up, covering his nose and mouth. The sky was now covered with dust clouds and the wind blew harshly against your backs, the mix of dry dirt and sand hitting their exposed skin.

“Are you okay over there?” Billy shouted over the blowing wind. “Y/N?”

“I’m fine!” You blinked away tears from the dirt that stung your eyes, squeezing your legs to make your horse move faster. You could just barely make out your family’s farm, but with each passing second it became more and more obscure.

“Sweetheart, we have to go to the stables! It’s closer to us than your house!” He veered his horse over to the left.

“I can’t! My folks will worry and—”

“Y/N!” He snaps you out of your spiraling thoughts. “Please!”

You quickly followed him and turned toward the stables. Billy slammed the front doors open, causing chaos to erupt inside. The other horses stood on their hind legs, thrashing as the harsh wind blew the dust inside. You raced inside as Billy jumped off his horse and slammed the stable doors shut, grabbing bales of wheat and shoving them by the front. You took deep breaths as you tried calming your own horse, resting your forehead against the head of your horse.

“This dust storm ain’t gonna go away anytime soon.” Billy rubbed dust off his face, removing his mask. “We’ll be fine in here.”

You nodded weakly, combing your fingers through your horse’s dusty hair. “We shouldn’t have gone out— I-I promised my pa that I’d be back—”

“Hey, look at me.” He went over and took your fidgeting hand. “They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. When the storm eventually calms down, we'll head over to your place.” He slowly helped you off the horse and held your dirtied face in his hands, slipping your bandana off and wiping your muddy tears. “Okay?”

“Okay.” You took a breath, holding onto his wrists, following his breathing pattern. You rested your forehead on his, shutting your eyes. “Okay.”

The dust storm only accumulated as time progressed. The field and crops were covered in piles of dust once more and the automobiles were suddenly buried underneath the dried dirt. Those who were inside any buildings had dust seeping through the smallest slivers, despite the taped downed windows and towels blocking the doors. It was as if the storm would never stop, deeply worrying the Ashford family for their daughter’s safety.

“James, you can’t leave!” Jo whispered toward her husband, arms crossed over her chest in disbelief. “It’s late and you wouldn’t be able to see anything with all of that dust blowin’. Adam worries for his sister, but imagine the grief if he lost his pa and his sister?”

“I can’t sleep without knowin’ if my little girl is fine, Jo,” James argued, tightly tying a handkerchief around his head. “If Adam wakes, don’t tell him where his pa went—”

“James!” She held his arm in desperation, holding eye contact. “The storm might end soon, don’t risk it.” She looked between his eyes as he glanced toward the backdoor. “Please.”

His gaze softened at his wife’s demeanor and pulled her into a hug. “I’ll wait.”

“Thank you.” She murmured, wrapping her arms around him. “When the storm dies down, you can go. I won’t stop you then… I worry about our little girl too.”

The storm kept blowing until early morning. The crops were now either torn out of the ground or buried deep within dry dirt and families had given up on keeping the dust out of their homes. James and Josephina Ashford fell asleep at their kitchen table waiting for the storm to pipe down while you fell asleep in the stables in the security of your lover’s arms. William H. Bonney, on the other hand, stayed awake. He was constantly listening for the winds to quiet to let you know you could head home. In the early hours of the new day, Billy gently shook the woman beside him awake.

“Sweetheart, wake up.” He brushed the dust off that had fallen on you overnight, watching you shift closer to him. “Gorgeous.”

“Give me a minute, William.” You groaned, using his government name as a threat.

He chuckled and sat up straight, bringing you along with him. “The storm stopped, you can go home now.”

Your eyes shot open and you looked over at the male incredulously. “You should’ve said that first, idiot. Let’s go.”

Billy smiled as he stood, helping you up. He shook the final bits of dust off as best as he could and moved the hay bales away from the doors. Billy tilted his head toward you, silently signaling you to head home. You grinned and picked up your dress, racing over to the house without stumbling. You burst into the house and discarded the dust entering as well, finding your parents standing by the kitchen’s backdoor. James had his handkerchief tied across his face, triggering your tears.

“Y/N.” Her father let out a breath of relief and engulfed you in a tight hug. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry.” You sobbed into your father’s shirt, clinging onto him. “I’m so sorry, pa.”

“Why are you crying, sweet girl?” He rubbed your face. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t go straight home. I wanted to be out more, so I-I rode on the horses with Billy an-and then the storm started up. I shouldn’t have gone. I should’ve gone home right away. I should’ve stayed home. I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, you’re alright.” James sat you down in one of the wooden chairs, removing his handkerchief from his face. “You’re safe. You’re home.”

You sniffled, looking up at your mother who had tears in her eyes too. “I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t wanna worry you…”

“My baby,” She knelt on the ground, taking your hands in her own. “I’m just glad you’re safe. The worst didn’t happen. You’re here. You aren’t hurt.”

Billy knocked on the side of the wall, making his presence known. In return, all heads whipped over to him. “I brought the groceries your daughter bought the other day.”

“William, come over here.” Your father beckoned him over.

“Yes, sir?” Billy stood by your side, removing his hat.

James sighed, putting his hand out. “Thank you for watching over my daughter.”

“Anytime.” Billy shook his hand, bringing him in for a hug. “I would risk my life for your daughter every single time.”

You lightly sock his arm at the mention, lacing your hands together. “Thank you.”

“I mean, now that you’re here, why don’t you help clear the dust out of our house? I’m sure my daughter has brought in heaps of it from runnin’ in here.” Jo patted her future son-in-law’s shoulder.

You flushed red as Billy chuckled, feeling him squeeze your hand at the comment. “Of course, Mrs. Ashford.”

The young couple got to work clearing out the dust while Jo and James started preparing breakfast for the day. It would be a while until all the dust would clear out of the house completely, but it wasn’t the worst problem they had. The dust storm that day might have ended, but little did the Ashford family know that it would only be the true beginning of their hardships.

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[theforbidfruit]

Hit with Babality

[Gender neutral reader that is afab]

- What happened? Y/n got ambushed by Shang Tsung while tracking him. Before Y/n could take him into custody, they were hit with a spell. NOW THEY’RE A BAABYYYYY.

Liu Kang and Geras

First of all, they were worried for Y/n to be cursed like this. Liu Kang is afraid that it could be permanent. The amount of attempts to remove the curse failed.

Guess they got a baby Y/n to take care of.

Liu Kang finds baby Y/n very cute and couldn’t bear leaving them with just nursing monks.

Liu Kang would have Y/n in his arms during training. Probably buys a baby carrier for walking around the academy

Geras takes on night duties. Tending to the hourglass while giving Y/n a bottle.

Once Y/n finished their bottle, they’re put right back into the crib. Geras made the crib out of sand and made sure they sleep comfortably.

The only downside they experienced is Geras not wanting to let Liu Kang take Y/n out for the day.

Geras: Y/n is safe with me.

Liu Kang: I know. Although I prefer to take them outside. It’s best for the baby.

Geras: very well. I created a schedule for Y/n needs. Their feeding time, when they need to be change and tummy times.

Liu Kang: I’ve already created a schedule for Y/n. They don’t need a changed schedule.

Geras: ……mine is more proficient.

Raiden and Kung Lao

Kung Lao didn’t want to hold Y/n. Saying stuff like ‘babies are gross’ or ‘they’re too noisy’. Raiden on the other hand, loves to hold babies. Keeping Baby Y/n in his arms and attach to the hip

Raiden and Kung Lao take turns watching Y/n if one of them has to do training. Kung Lao uses Y/n to pick up girls in town by creating a single father sob story.

Kung Lao: -and then the mother hands them over to me and said ‘I don’t want it anymore!’ My poor baby!

Raiden: Y/N DOESNT EVEN LOOK LIKE YOU! STOP LYING!!!

Definitely taking baby Y/n to Madame Bo’s tea house. Hoping that Madame Bo has some compassion to ‘two newly fathers’. Yeah it didn’t work but she hogs Y/n all the time.

Madame Bo: *holding baby Y/n* you are such a cute baby. I hope you stay like this…

Raiden: *chuckles* Yeah- wait no!

Tummy time are the best since it gives Raiden and Kung Lao a break to watch Y/n, even though it is a one person watch.

Kung Lao has a habit of over feeding Y/n which causes Y/n to cry to be burped or have their diaper change. And guess who has to change them- It’s Raiden.

Johnny and Kenshi

Now Johnny thinks that if he shows Y/n’s favorite things to do, their favorite songs or foods, Y/n would turn to normal. Kenshi just watches from the sidelines and judges Johnny.

Kenshi is the one that would make sure Y/n is safe from Johnny’s shenanigans. Often talking to the baby like Y/n is a grown person about stuff, only to be replied by babbling and coos.

Kenshi reminds Johnny that Y/n is a baby and not a grown adult. Johnny thinks otherwise but drops it momentarily. He just misses Y/n whole.

It may sound like they make a good duo. No. Nononono….no. With the two bashing heads, they completely forgot Y/n is there until it’s too late.

Kenshi: *Sets Y/n in a car seat in the back of Johnny’s Lamborghini* I can’t believe you told strangers that Y/n is ‘OUR’ baby!

Johnny: Hey! We got that nice family discount meal!

Kenshi: *turns to baby Y/n* please grow up fast…

The men bash and banter when they go up to the front doors to realize that they lock themselves out of the car. THEY LOCKED THE BABY IN THE CAR!!!

Kenshi: Y/n! You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get you ou-

Johnny: IM BREAKING THE WINDOW!

After that Fiasco, Johnny and Kenshi lost their ‘baby Y/n privileges’.

[henneseyhoe]

COUNTRY LOVIN’| Cookin’ Soul

1 2 3

✮✮✮✮

Sometimes Sorie hated admitting that she was the only one who cooked, but If she didn’t cook, Buck wouldn’t eat. Unless it was something simple like an apple, or cucumbers and vinegar, the man wasn’t gonna eat. He did attempt to learn how to cook, realizing that he came from a generation that believed men shouldn’t be in the kitchen, and he wanted to change that so his daughter never thought she was only limited to catering and baring children like most older southern women thought of themselves. Of course he’s a man, so he didn’t realize it on his own, his own divorce being what led him to open his mind a little more.

Ultimately, he failed at his attempts. Some people just aren’t meant to cook. Sorie had memories from ages as young as thirteen when he would accidentally burn the chicken and they’d just have to eat rice and beans instead. She never complained though, it was still good—alright eats, plus she knew how hard he worked.

Didn’t stop her from calling her mother just to gossip about what had happened though.

Sorie would be up half of the night telling her all about dinner, the woman getting a hoot out of her ex husband not being able to do something as simple as baking chicken. Wasn’t cause she hated him or anything, she just found it funny knowing he still couldn’t cook for shit after all these years.

At the end of the conversation, Shonda would apologize for her daughter not being able to enjoy a complete meal after a long day of farm work she was basically forced to do. She wished she could bring something else over for the young girl to eat, but she was an entire hour away. It was another reason she wished she brought her only child when she left town.

It took Shonda a long time to accept her daughter wanting to stay on the farm with Buck, but she knew how much her daughter loathed the city. She thought their air was too thick and weird smelling, and the people were rude for no reason. She couldn’t take a breath of fresh air without smelling something that made her nose scrunch. Shonda agreed. She guessed she felt that way cause she’s never really been outside the low country.

Shonda honestly didn’t wanna bring her into an environment she didn’t wanna be in either, nor did she really wanna be there herself, but it was either the city or find someone to build her a house on her grandfathers land, and that would cost an arm and a leg these days. She refused to ask for Bucks help to build one either. Once she had finally gotten a deal on a home, she moved, but she felt she cried for forty days and forty nights before anything got better.

Apart from the circumstances that led her to learning how to cook, Sorie grew to actually love cooking and other activities related. She loved trying new recipes and new flavors, anything that would give people a chance to praise her on her hard work. She thought if she worked all that while, somebody better give her a compliment or two. after all, she didn’t have to cook anything for anyone and could have just worried about herself.

She wouldn’t do that though, she loved her dad too much.

✮✮✮✮

Closing the heated oven, I let out a tired huff, leaning against the kitchen counter. I had been cooking for about an hour now, and I was exhausted. I honestly wanted to just say forget it and let my father take the macaroni out of the oven, but I already knew how that would go.

My hair had been tied up into a puff to help me not get hot too quick, knowing I would have started sweating and felt disgusting by the time it was time to eat if I didn’t do it, and there was nothing I hated more than that feeling. Only downside is that my edges started to curl up, the perfect swoops being ruined. sighing, I walk out of the kitchen, heading into the bathroom to quickly get myself together.

I began refreshing myself, laying a cold towel over my face to finish cooling off my head, then I redid my ponytail.

While in the middle of doing what I felt was needed, I heard three soft knocks on the front door. I couldn’t stop my eyes from rolling to the back of my head, another loud huff exiting my mouth.

‘Did people not have manners anymore? Who comes over to someone’s house, uninvited, all at 8pm? How dare they?!’ I thought, my eyebrows scrunching together as I tried to focus on getting my hair under control.

Three more knocks came after that.

“Daddy! Get the door, please?!” I shout, no response following apart from another set of knocks that had my patients, or lack there of, wearing thinner than a 35 year old white man’s hairline.

“Daddy!” I called again and sighed, attempting to toss my hair back into the puff that had failed, my hair sliding right out of the hair wrapper. I was completely irritated.

I grabbed up a brush and started brushing around the edges, hoping that’d be enough to make it stay put. The brushing was aggressive and so were the harsh bristles scratching away at my scalp. my arms were already burning from the constant flicking of my wrist, desperately trying to get that perfect puff I had earlier. It was complete sensory overload.

Tossing the brush somewhere back into my hair bin, I stretched and stretched that hair wrapper, getting it as tight as I could around my thick hair.

Then, POP.

The wrapped broke. falling into the sink as I watched it all happen. The scene replayed in my head, one in slow motion and the other in real time. Apparently my brain wanted to dramatize the already dramatic and stressful situation. letting go of my hair, I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head and stop the pressure rising in my throat.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

Knock, Knock, Knock

“DADDY!!” I yell, stomping out of the bathroom to see if the old man had made it to the door yet, and of course, he hadn’t. I jogged out of the halls bathroom and into the foyer, grunting while unlocking all the locks. “Hello?!” Flinging the door open, my eyebrows immediately knitted together as I looked at the pair of men, both faces looking like different versions of each other. Another embarrassing moment to add to the books, remembering how my hair probably looks right now. “Umm, can I help y’all?” I ask, my hand immediately going up to fluff out my hair into a decent afro instead.

“Well, if dinner is ready, then yes!” Tony beamed happily, but my question was aimed more so for Trevante, as if him being with his father was a surprise. “And you?” I averted my eyes to Trevante, a bit of attitude in my voice. “It’s like that, huh?” The man mumbles, relaying the same attitude while ignoring my question and pushing passed me to walk into the house.

My face conceals the emotion I felt, but I really wanted to push them right back outside as they walked right passed me. “Finally y’all got here!” My father exclaims, coming down the stairs while finishing up with tucking his button up into his pants. Tony laughs and daps the man up with a hug to go with it, Trevante just giving him a handshake.

I shook my head at the scene and closed the door. “It would have been nice to know we were having guests” I say, crossing my arms. It was like I had whispered, neither of the older men turning or stopping their conversation to hear what I had to say. It stung.

I turn on my heels and walk into the kitchen to save me from saying anything I had no business saying because it would have for sure rose the dead with all the profanities waiting behind my lips.

While checking on the food, I hear laughter behind me, making me pop my head up from the oven. “You were just too cute as a baby” Trevante speaks, holding a picture of me when I was three. In the picture was me and my grandmother picking flowers from a field behind her house. We went back there almost every Sunday evening to do that, but with old age and her health on the line, we slowed down. We haven’t picked any flowers since I was a teenager.

I gasp and drop my oven mittens, speeding over to him with intentions to snatch my possession away, but he quickly held it over his head, his hand reaching and touching the ceiling. “Where’d you find that?!” I struggle to grab it from him.

“Where you think? Your room”

My eyes widened. If this was a cartoon, steam would have blown out of my ears right then. “You went in my room? How’d you even sneak in there?” I sneered. He obviously found humor in my agitation and confusion.

“Easy. My pops never pays attention, and yo’ daddy is blind” he smiles childishly and I suck my teeth. I stood on my tippy toes, even jumped a few times to get the picture back, but to no avail. “Give it!” I say, backing up from him and holding my hand out. he shakes his head, dangling the picture above my head.

“Trevante, give. It. Back. No-”

“Or what?” He interrupts, stepping to me. The smile on his face was wiped clean off as he stared down at me, my knees getting weak. I leaned on the kitchens island me, our eye contact never breaking from there.

I didn’t know what I would do, but I knew what I wanted to do. He chuckles at my silence. not even a breath from me being heard, but I was definitely breathing, taking in the sweet, yet spiced scent of him.

“Say please, ma”

Talk about a tease. Only thing that could get him to stop was the new feel of a presence behind him, interrupted by the two other men suddenly walking into the kitchen. I took my chance and jumped high enough to snatch the picture from his hand, then push him away from me, turning back to the stove.

“Woah! Y’all bet not be scrappin in THIS house like y’all two strangers” Tony said, raising an eyebrow at us.

“You only said that cause my baby would win” My dad says, Tony kissing his teeth. “Oh shut up. You just better be lucky I don’t got no daughters!” Tony argued, sitting at the dinner table, the two others following behind him. “Lucky?! They would have inherited yo’ skinny ass arms!”

“Skinny?! And what would you say bout Trevante, huh? The boy built like John Henry!” They all bursted into laughter and I chuckled, beginning to turn off all of the stove eyes to prepare plates.

“We all know he got all that muscle from Chrissy strong ass”

“Aye, man! That’s my momma you talkin’ ‘bout” Tre interjected, Tony shaking his head. “He only saying that cause my ‘strong ass’ wife decked him senior year for calling her fat”

“Man, my ears was ringing after that!”

Interrupting their trash talking by sitting the plates on the table, I set mine down first, then everybody else’s. I’ll be damed if I slaved away in the kitchen for them to get the first plate. I put Trevante’s down last, smiling proudly at my presentation. Macaroni, string beans, brown rice, and baked chicken. I knew exactly what he liked on his plate, and the proportions he needed to fill him, as I did everyone else’s.

“Thank you” He thanked simply, his hand softly grazing my thigh under my skirt, making me suppress a soft moan. Was I that touch deprived? Probably.

I smiled softly, sitting down next to him, a little hope in the back of my mind that he’d do it again.

“Babygirl, this looks amazing” my father compliments, Tony humming in agreement as he takes a bite of his chicken. “Y’all actin’ like it’s a surprise that she threw down in there” Trevante says, doing a quick prayer over his food before digging in.

“Right, y’all got me thinkin I lost my magic touch for a moment” I joked, starting to eat. “Never” Tony shook his head, licking the juices from his chicken off his thumb.

✮✮✮✮

“Tell that one story, buck! You know what I’m talking about!” Tony shouted, Buck shaking his head and dismissing him with the wave of his hand, knowing the story would never end if they started it. “No, Tony! Leave me alone!” It had been an hour after dinner and both the older men had spent that whole time roasting each other like usual, drunk on whatever Buck pulled out of his old cabinet.

Sorie looked between the two loud men, her head cupped in her hands as she half listened to them go on about whatever for the passed hour. Trevante, on the other hand was even less interested in whatever they were talking about, tired of hearing about their egotistical trips when they were his age.

“Sorie, you don’t know the story of how yo’ daddy got his name?” Tony questioned, leaning into the table intriguingly as if she had said something interesting. Smelling all the alcohol on his breath, she leaned back, not wanting to get a whiff of anymore.

“No? I’m supposed to?” She questioned, again half interested.

“Lemme tell you!” Tony shouts, excitement lacing in his voice. Sorie held in a loud laugh, rolling her lips inwards to stop it from slipping out and interrupting the story. Trevante sighs and takes a sip of his water, already knowing where this conversation was headed since he had heard the story 100 times before.

“Now everybody know Jeremiah got a big ass forehead like he got antlers attached to the muhfucka, but that ain’t why we call him that, so I digress! but listen,”

Tony started, laughter immediately being heard around the table.

“Not the government name” Sorie, giggled, Buck playfully hitting Tony on his arm as he continues the story without missing a beat. “Growin up, we was hardheaded. We wasn’t soft like some of this new generation, and Buck was the worst out of all of us!”

“I wasn’t that bad, don’t make it seem like that” Buck interrupts with his argument, which Tony disagreed with.

“You were horrible! You busted that boys head wide open for a damn bill you thought he stole, just for you to find out the fifty was in yo’ damn pocket the whole time!”

As Sorie listened to the story, she feels Trevante tap her leg, then pull on her skirt, attempting to get her attention. She looks over at him and he makes a gestured nod with his head for her to follow his lead, so she did. Getting up without another word for the current conversation, the two walk outside, neither of the other other men bothering to ask where they were planning to go since they were too busy debating on whether their actions back then were justified or not.

“Yo’ daddy sure can talk a head off” Trevante speaks, sitting on the porch steps. Sorie closes the screen door behind them to avoid letting in any unwanted bugs, then sat next to him, straightening her skirt over her knees. “Tuh, I know you not talkin’. Yo’ daddy just spent fifteen minutes talking about Cadillacs and the 80s for no reason” Shaking his head, Trevante starts to chuckle, and Sorie could just feel that he was gonna say something condescending about himself or something completely out of pocket. “His favorite typa truck, and his favorite decade before I ruined the fun”

Sorie looks at him with no expression, Trevante just he shrugging, taking a pack of cigs and a lighter out of his pocket. “Don’t say that, Tre. It’s not right, and it’s not true”

“Just cause it’s not right, don’t mean it ain’t true” he says bluntly, tucking the cig between his lips and lighting it up. She makes a face of both sadness and disgust. Disgust for the pack of cigs, and sadness for his attitude towards his relationship with his father. Sorie always tried to stay off the topic of Trevante’s iffy relationship between him and his father, but lately it seems to find it’s way into their conversations, plaguing whatever good vibe they had going. He always maneuvered around telling her too much about it, and she tried not to pry it out of him out of respect for his comfortability and boundaries. It’d been that way since their teenage years.

When they were up, they were up. Most likely because of some huge accomplishment Trevante had came across, but when they were down, they were separated so they wouldn’t kill each other. Right now, they seemed to be alright. Aware of their situation, but uncaring of it considering they were use to the behavior of each other. She felt bad for him, meanwhile he felt bad for her and the dynamic she had with her own father.

“Okay…” She whispers and gives up on the topic, looking down at her sandals. He takes a pull from his cigarette, then blows the smoke up into the air. Sorie’s nose scrunched at the smell of the smoke.“Yuck” She shivered childishly and covered her nose.

She hated the smell of cigarettes. It reminded her of before her grandmother stopped smoking for her health, the same cigarettes being the reason for her lung problems now. Her grandmother always shooed her off while she smoked, but Sorie’s argument was she could still smell it through the door of her room.

Trevante looks over at her with slight displeasure, rolling his eyes. “Oh please, Sorie” he says, Sorie shaking her head as he uncaringly took another puff. The more her nose burned from the smell, the more she got fed up with his disrespectful habit. Disrespectful to both himself, and her nose. “Jesus gave you a shiny new body twenty five years ago, and you’re killing it right now” She argues, grabbing the cigar from out of his mouth and throwing it to the side, staring at him. The man looked back at her with an equal amount of disrespect, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Little girl, you must be outta yo rabbit ass mind” He squints and she looks away, still feeling his dark eyes on her. Shivers crawled up her back like a cluster of spiders as the breeze of warm wind picked up around them, though that wasn’t what caused her shivers. It was really his choice of words to call her a “little girl”. She might’ve hated that more than the nasty look he gave her.

She stares off into the swaying field of sweet grass, unmoved by his irritation. “I’m not a little girl, and I hate when you smoke” she says with no attitude, yet it still had a very large presence in her words.

“And I hate when you tell me not to smoke. now yo’ rude ass owe me another cigarette” he shot back instantly, her head swiftly turning back to him so she could give him a mean mug. She was more than willing to go get a switch off of a tree and whip him like her grandmother did, if he pushed her to it.

“It’s bad for you, Tre! Seriously!” he shakes his head at her, hesitating to close the carton of cigarettes.

Her face softens with a pout, making him kiss his teeth, tucking his pack of smokes back into his pocket.

“Fine, damn” He huffs quietly and she smiles, now satisfied.

‘If only he’d listen like this all the time’ She thought.

The silence of her victory stood for only a few seconds before he started to snicker, switching his sitting position and leaning his back against the porches railing. She raises a brow at him, confused. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…You care about me” He smiles, becoming his playful self once again. She blows off at his assumption and laughs, waving him off with her hand.

“Whatever, boy. I just don’t wanna see you croak from lung cancer at 40. Dark, but very, very true, and don’t think I forgot about you having asthma”

He lets out a hearty laugh, clapping his hands together. He wasn’t surprised at all that she remembered that detail about him. Trevante recalled how Sorie use to press him like she was his mother back in middle school for not packing his inhaler for gym class, but since growing up it had calmed down immensely.

“Just say you care about me! No shame in that. I wanna hear you say it, actually”

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but agree. Mostly because she knew he’d never let it go until she gave in and confirmed what he always knew. “Okay, damn! I care about you and your lungs, who cares?” She fussed, softly pushing him, which his strong stature barely moved from.

“I do! It’s adorable”

He compliments, but all Sorie did was cringe. She let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “Adorable?” She repeats and he nods. “Yeah..like, cute.” joking as if she didn’t understand the meaning of “Adorable”, he nudges her arm before noticing her quick mood change. studying her facial expressions for a moment and it’s obvious resentment of the word, he hums. “Oh, You don’t like that word…”

She shakes her head. “No, not really”

“Why not?”

Shrugging, she sighs. “I dunno. Makes me feel like a child, I guess”

He hums once again, nodding. “Mm, right. You a grown woman” he teases and she smiles, nodding. “A grown ass woman” she reiterates, snapping her fingers with playful sass.

“I see that. A fine one too..” He says, causing her to pause, all the sass she just had leaving her like it saw a storm coming. The new look on her face amused him. He loved how timid she became around him when he said certain things to her. One minute she was cool, and they were just two friends talking, the next they both thought about something a little deeper.

She’d had been called fine many times before, but when he said it, she felt different. like there was more to it than a simple compliment from a friend. Those same butterflies that loved fluttering around in her tummy made a grand appearance for what felt like the millionth time today, getting her all warm inside.

“Stop it, Tre” She looks away, her ears getting hot. He keeps going though, scooting closer to her and bursting her personal space bubble. The longer she waited to speak again, the closer he got until his lips were nearly grazing her ear. “You blushin’ for me, Sorie?” He queries, his voice smooth like velvet, vibrating her body. She felt like electricity ran through her with how he enunciated her name.

Letting out a sharp gasp, her thighs closed in on themselves, the girl jumping up out of her spot and brushing her skirt off. Clearing her throat suddenly, she looks down at the man who had such a cocky grin on his face. It heated her knowing that he knew just what to do with and to her, and yet barely did anything.

Thinking of something else to say, she crosses her arms over her chest. “Anyway! It’s getting late. Take your drunken father and get off my property, please and thank you” Sorie states firmly, but Trevante could see right through the act.

He laughs, standing up as she walks back into the house to avoid any more conversation of the night, afraid it’d end in something a little more eventful than him just whispering in her ear.

✮✮✮✮

[outermaybanks]

Out of the Woods - ch. 1

a/n: this is the first chapter of an oc x jj maybank fic that i've been writing for a while, its essentially a rewrite of OBX with my oc in it, but i plan to make aus and oneshots for it. this is a slowburn, childhood best friends to lovers (i can't help myself i love this trope)

faceclaim for junie

next

“That’s what, a three story fall to the deck? I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival.” Pope said, just as JJ opened a can of beer, handing it to me as I used the guard rail to swing my body to sit beside him on the ledge. John B was above us, precariously walking on the roof. I took a sip of the beer and watched as John B licked his finger to test the wind, making me shake my head with a giggle.

“Should I do it?” John B asked.

“Yeah, jump.” Pope encouraged sarcastically. “I’ll shoot you on the way down.”

“You’ll shoot me?” John B questioned before making finger guns at Pope

Kie came out from inside, complaining about the luxurious house development we were currently trespassing in, and how it used to be a turtle sanctuary. “Can you please not kill yourself?” Kiara called up to the boy pretending to walk a tightrope.

“Do a flip,” I called out with a laugh.

“You wanna see a flip, Junie? I’ll show you a flip.”

“Don’t spill that beer. I’m not giving you another one.” JJ scolded.

I rolled my eyes as I took another drink, only to flinch and almost spill my beer on myself at the sudden sound of a can hitting the ground. “‘Course you did, like right when I said-” JJ complained, making me giggle as I took a sip of my beer. I grimaced, never really like the taste of beer, but it was better than nothing. 

“Security’s here!” Pope called, tapping the railing. JJ was up the fastest, and I grabbed the railing to pull myself back up. JJ jumped down then held his hand up for me to grab as I jumped down. It was practically second nature at this point.

We all started running, trying to avoid the security guards as we hopped fences and quickly made our way back to the Twinkie. Pope opened the sliding door and I dove in after Kiara, JJ right behind me, but he didn’t close the door, instead he held a beer out the open door for Gary, the rent-a-cop chasing us. 

“JJ, roll up.” I commanded, if anything, to give him something else to do.

“Whoo, yes ma’am.” JJ cheered as he reached into his bag

The Outer Banks, paradise on Earth. It’s the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. 

This is the south side or the cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of... drumroll, please...the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

The girl wrestling him for the blunt is Juniper, but she hates her name so we all call her Junie. Kooks call her Loonie Junie cause she can be a bit… much. Rumor around the cut is that we got our precious Junie after a punk rock band tour came to town. She definitely has a rockstar temperament. She’s the only one who can put JJ in his place, so we’d probably be dead without her.

And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her.  When not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why, though. Cause, she's a rich kid, actually. Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. We all kinda have a thing for her.

And that's Pope, the brains of the operation... finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us. So, that's my crew. 

And that’s me, John Booker Routledge. And this is where I live.

“Jeeb, your bread has mold!” I shouted.

“So go get some more.” John B said, making me jump, not realizing he was so close. “Why are you awake so early?”

“JJ needed the bed…” I said with a fake happy tone, making John B chuckle. “Have you seen my shirt?” I asked. I had slept in my bathing suit after the late night swim we had. 

“Think I saw JJ’s new friend wearing it.”

I groaned. “Great. Now I have to burn it. Whatever. I’m making a grocery run!” I shouted so the house could hear.

“Can you get some more chips?” Kie asked, sitting up. I leaned down to grab the blunt from her fingers and quickly took a hit before passing it back. 

I heard a door creak open. “Grab some pancake mix!” JJ’s voice called out.

“My bag is only so big!” I called back, struggling to get my shoes on. Pope was rubbing his eyes as I passed him, and I gave his head a loving tap as a goodbye before grabbing my skateboard and pushing the door open.

-

“So you gonna ride out the storm with us?” JJ asked, popping a chip in his mouth.

“Can’t. Mom pops xannies everytime it so much as rains, so someone’s gotta be conscious to be with Cody.”

“What about Theodore?” 

“In Chattanooga for the next two weeks.” 

“Why can’t you just bring him?”

“I’m trying to limit his JJ exposure.” I teased, turning the bag to grab a couple chips.

“What? Why?”

I gave him a pointed look. “You know why.”

“Is this because I let Taylor wear your shirt? I said I was sorry.” 

I rolled my eyes and slowly stood from the table.

“Oh I get it. Junie’s jealous,” JJ teased.

“In your dreams, Maybank!” I called over my shoulder as I walked towards the shack’s exit.

“How’d you know?” JJ called after me and I flipped him the bird until I was sure he couldn’t see me anymore.

You wouldn’t guess by how we talk to each other, but JJ was my best friend. He was the one who came up to me at the beach the day I met him and John B, asking if I knew how to surf. He wouldn’t admit it, but I knew he only came up to me because he’d noticed I didn’t really have any friends. Mom used to say I was too quiet, and people didn’t like that.

Cody was like me at that age, shy, quiet. I wondered if he too would one day reach his breaking point, and finally have the courage to scream. Cody’s my younger brother, technically half brother, but I never cared for technicalities. He was my brother, even if I hated his dad. My mom met Theodore when I was 6, and he moved in practically overnight. I think my mom saw him as our way out of the Boonies, the trailer park we lived in, but even with a cushy electrician job, his alcoholism pretty much secured our spot in that damn trailer park.

As you can imagine, a trailer in a hurricane isn’t the safest place to be. But it was home, and luckily, the walk to the water was far enough. But the walk to the nearest dock the morning after Hurricane Agatha was littered with debris, me and Cody cleaned up a bit until mom woke up. My cell had lost service, so I had no way of contacting the Pogues. 

After a while, mom came outside looking for Cody, apparently all the food in our fridge went bad, she had to go get some canned goods. I walked to the nearest dock, sitting down and dangling my feet just above the water. 

“Thought you had babysitting duty?” I turned my head to see JJ standing in the front of John B’s boat, coming my way, while John B steered. I smiled.

“Xannies wore off, mom took Cody to the grocery store because the damn storm knocked out our power.” I said as the boat pulled up. John B held his hand out to help me onto the boat, and I gladly accepted.

Next stop was picking up Pope. JJ liked to rattle off the names of boats, and what he knew about them, and I liked listening to JJ talk. As we came close the port next to Heyward’s, we started waving to the locals.

“Hi Miss Amy! You guys make it through?” John B asked.

“Still here!” Miss Amy called back.

“Did you see her look at me? She totally wants me,” JJ said as we sailed past her. I rolled my eyes and brought the blunt up to my lips to inhale.

“Junie, let me hit that,” JJ said, holding his fingers out.

“Wow, JJ, way to be forward. Take the girl on a date first,” John B teased. I was about to hand JJ the blunt but the two began wrestling. “Jesus Christ,” I shouted, running over to grab the steering wheel. “Seriously guys?”. After John B let go of JJ, he walked over to take back the wheel. We were approaching Heyward’s dock.

“Boo-woo! We have a safety meeting. Attendance mandatory. Krrch,” John B said pretending to be speaking into a walking talkie. 

“I can’t! My pop’s got me on lockdown,” Pope said.

“Booooo!” I said giving a thumbs down.

“Come on, man! Your dad’s a pussy. Over. Krrch,” JJ said, joining in on John B’s bit.

“Oh I heard that, you little bastard,” Heyward said, walking out onto the dock.

“Awww, he didn’t mean it, Mr. Heyward!” I called.

“We need your son,” John B explained.

“Yeah, and island rules. Day after a hurricane’s a free day,” JJ added.

“Who the hell made that up?” Heyward asked.

“Uhh, Pentagon, I think. We have security clearance. I have a card,” JJ answered, making me giggle.

“Y’all think I’m stupid?”

“I’ll do it tomorrow, I promise, tomorrow,” Pope pleaded.

“Hell no, you doin’ it right now.”

“Get in the boat,” John B whispered.

“Make a run for it, bro,” JJ added, and that was all the convincing Pope needed before he dropped the hose and ran to jump on the boat.

Our last stop was to pick up Kie, who was already waiting at the dock near her house with a cooler. She stole some of her dad’s beers for us. As we drank, the four of us sat on the front of the boat, until John B asked Pope to switch spots. JJ stood up and held his beer out so it would fly into his mouth, only he didn’t have the best aim.

“Asshole! You got it on my shirt.” I shouted, before pulling my shirt over my head, leaving me in my bikini.

“Yeah, take it off Ju-” JJ was cut off by the boat halting suddenly, the jolt caused me to fall to the floor with Kiara. “Jesus, Pope!” Kie called as she helped me up.

“Where’s JJ?” I asked, seeing he was no longer standing on the boat. “JJ!” I shouted, and up he came from the water.

“Ughhhh I think my heels touched the back of my head.” JJ groaned, causing me to let out a laugh in relief.

I leaned over the side of the boat to help JJ back on. “Pope, what the hell did you do?” JJ asked as he came aboard.

“Sandbar. The channel changed,” Pope answered, going over to the side to look around.

“Hey, I saved the beer though,” JJ said, holding up his beer bottle.

“Congrats, JJ,” John B said flatly.

“Guys, I think there’s a boat down there.” Pope said, and we all moved to try and see what he was seeing. I could see a sliver of muted white and immediately jumped into the water, the rest soon followed. We all dived under to get a look but we needed air, so we only got a glimpse.

“Did y’all see that? That’s a Grady-White. A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy,” JJ said before we all started swimming back towards the HMS Pogue. “That’s a primo rig.”

“Yeah, that’s the boat I saw when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something,” John B said, standing up.

“You surfed the surge?” Kie questioned.

“Yeah!”

“That’s my boy, Pogue style,” JJ said smugly, dapping John B up.

“Do we know whose boat that is?” Pope questioned.

“No. But we’re about to find out,” John B answered, opening the hatch to the anchor.

“Dude, it’s too deep,” JJ pointed out. I walked over to the edge to get a better look.

“Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ,” John B argued, pulling the anchor up.

“Well, I’m not resuscitating you. I’m just making that clear up front.”

“That’s fine.” John B walked towards the end with the anchor in hand

“John B…” Kie said softly, obviously unsure of what he was about to do.

“What?” John B asked with a laugh.

“Diver down, fool.” Pope said, making John B salute. “Diver down.” “Yeah he is!” JJ said before pushing John B into the water.

I hit his arm, making him turn to look at me.

“You could have messed up his breath!” I scolded, and JJ rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to pull me into him. 

When John B resurfaced, he only found a hotel key, and he wanted to figure out whose boat it was, but Kie thought it was a bad idea, and wanted to report it, so we went back to the port to try and talk to the coast guard but they had their hands full, and wouldn’t talk to us, so we decided to try the hotel. I followed JJ as he tied us down to a post and prepared to go in with John B while the rest of us kept watch.

“Hey, don’t let him do anything stupid,” Pope said, pointing to JJ.

“Oh, we will,” JJ replied nonchalantly, I gently hit his arm. “Can you be serious for like 5 seconds?” I questioned and he shrugged in response.

“I’m not making promises,” John B agreed.

“Be careful, I mean it,” Kie said softly, handing the motel key to John B.

I made a teasing face of surprise to Pope as I walked past the two to get back in the boat. I watched with bated breath as the two boys ran inside.

©outermaybanks 2024

[jaketswine]

sundays

little sunday afternoon Jake blurb because all i want is to curl up and take a nap with him..

You woke this morning a bit earlier than you usually would on a Sunday, but for a good reason. Scrolling through your phone yesterday afternoon, you found an advertisement for a local farmer’s market that you and Jake had been promising to visit since you moved to the new town. You were intent on going, hopping out of bed and excitedly dressing for the day.

The only downside was, this would be a solo date today. Jake had gotten back from the studio much later than usual last night– 3:15 if you remember correctly.

At any rate, you had decided to let Jake rest instead of dragging him around with you.

Browsing around the market, you found so many things by local artisans you knew Jake would love, promising the vendors that your boyfriend would be back with you the following weekend to check it out. 

You grabbed a few produce items on your way out, hoping to be able to forgo your grocery trip for at least a few more days.

While you walked, you wondered what Jake was doing– if he had gotten out of bed or not, hoping he was well-rested, whatever he was doing.

Arriving home you made gentle movements, trying to stay quiet as best you could, just in case.

Putting your items away, you made note that you didn't hear him stirring within the house. No new lights had been turned on, and the coffee you had made was still resting at the same measure marker it had been after your cup.

Using the lightest step you could manage, you made your way to your shared room, easing the door open gently, soft snores immediately sounding from inside the room

Easing over to him, you crawl up onto the bed, sitting on your knees next to him, admiring his sleeping form– sprawled out on his stomach, head resting on one arm, while the other is thrown across your vacant side of the bed, his hair laying out in every direction.

Reaching your hand out, you run your fingers over his arm, lightly scratching the skin there. He stirs just slightly at the touch, letting out a sleepy groan. Hoping to wake him more, you bend your head down toward him to whisper in his ear, “Good morning sleeping beauty.” Adding a light kiss to the tip of his ear before pulling away. 

Being awake just enough to give you a tired grin, he moved his free hand to grab yours, lacing your fingers together. Squinting up at you, he yawned, rolling over onto his back and stretching the arm he had been laying on over his head. “What time is it?”

Watching him in this half-awake state caused your heart to grow even softer, smiling lovingly down at him. “It’s around eleven, I just got back home. You hungry? Want me to make you something?”

Ignoring your question, he gave a confused look, “Got back home? From where?”

“That farmer’s market we’ve been eyeing. You're going to love it.” You knew he may not like that answer, and braced for a passive-aggressive comment.

Instead, he groaned, lifting his whole upper body off the bed to wrap his arms around you, effectively pulling you down on top of him. 

He nuzzled his chin into the top of your head, allowing you to snuggle your face into his neck, giving it a gentle kiss.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it baby, I can't wait to go back with you next time.” You smiled into him hearing his reply, and went to speak, but he beat you to it.

“I am gonna need some form of repayment from you though. You know, leaving your poor helpless boyfriend here all by himself,” he giggled.

Having expected some comment of this nature to begin with, you just smiled, tilting your head up to look at him, “Yeah? And what might my poor helpless boyfriend need?”

Rolling his eyes, he met your gaze, then let his eyes fall shut, “About two more hours. Right here. Just like this.”

Absolutely loving the sound of that, you cuddled up to him that much closer, allowing him to fully engulf you with his body, “Sounds great to me.”

You let the room fall silent for a moment, then spoke up again, “Are you sure you're not hungry? Because I can go make us a something real qui–”

“Shhhhhhh shhh,” he cut you off, “Just stay here. Please.” Please. That one word from his mouth would cause you to do anything he asked.

So you stayed right where you were, not that it was a problem with you. You had always loved Sunday afternoon naps with him.

Tilting your head up, you placed a light kiss to his jaw, receiving a hum of response and a tight squeeze of his arms around you. “I love you, y/n.”

You knew he meant it, and you were so glad he did, “I love you, Jake.”

You stayed there, curled up in his arms, your head on his chest, his head on yours, basking in the early afternoon light that streamed through the blinds. 

You lay there, listening to his deep breathing, and light snores.

Marveling at the fact that you were the one who gets to love him, and the one who gets to be loved by him.

Wondering how you got so lucky.

Wishing every day could be just like this.  

Wishing every day could be Sunday.

[balltons]

minors + ageless blogs dni

cw; violent threat towards reader, implied non-con (for the future), suggestive, mean f!reader, meaner johnny

getting this out my system real quick because i’m cooking something a bit longer in the meantime.

johnny who is bestowed with the job of protecting you, daughter of an esteemed political figure who has a hit on his head.

and by association, you do too.

however, instead of keeping you locked away in their big mansion, your father sends you to a safe house in scotland. after all, if he can’t reach you, how can the enemy?

so johnny stays with you in some shack on one of the less populated islands. even though he specializes in demolition, he’s a good guard dog; standing by each entrance and exit, his eyes zeroed in on any movement he catches in the window. it seemed like a good job, fairly low stakes, great pay. just taking care of a pretty little thing. there hardly seemed to be any downsides.

of course, till you opened your mouth.

you comment on his eating habits, snide comments about how he could consume the entirety of a bath and be hungry. you never fail to poke fun at his accent, calling him ‘incomprehensible’. and then you complain, wishing how you were anywhere but here, that despite the many people who want you and your father’s head on a stick, he should take you back so you can sleep in an actual bed rather than the rusty twin the safe house provides.

though, you aren’t the one sleeping on the floor, are you?

johnny could feel each of his nerves begin to snap the longer he stayed with you. he reset himself every day, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. it was fear that gave you such a bad attitude, you were probably so scared, homesick even. this persona of you that he made was the only thing keeping him from shoving that silver spoon down your throat and making you choke on it.

that is, until one evening.

“i’m bored,” you groan for the nth time in the nth day in a row. johnny just rolls his eyes, looking through the sniper scope as he analyzes outside. when it all looks clear does he finally face you, a frown etched on his lips, “pity, should we tell th’ queen?” he asks dryly, walking over into the kitchen to crack open another can of soup. there’s only a few cans left, and he notes he’ll have to go back into town soon, preferably tomorrow.

you scoff, arms crossed over your chest as you stare up at him from the bed. “y’know, you can at least enunciate a bit more when you speak. i have a hard time understanding you as is,” you tell him, and johnny’s eye twitches. “duly noted, yer majesty.”

as he pours the soup in the can, you continue to blabber on, “i don’t know what my dad was thinking when he was hiring you. i mean, you’re barely qualified,” johnny’s mouth sets into a thin line, “you don’t even look like the type,” you say with a brief laugh.

his teeth begun to grind together, “lass, i’d ‘preciate some quiet-“

“if anything, you look like some mongrel off the street. dumb one at that,” you click your tongue, examining the state of your nails and writing a manicure on your to-do list for when you get back, “wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where you’re really from, doesn’t seem like you belong anywhere else.”

he doesn’t know what it is, maybe it’s the comparison you made, judging his accent, or calling him a homeless stray, but johnny finally snaps.

the soup is long forgotten on the stovetop as johnny walks over, approaching the bed. before you have even a chance to register what’s going on, johnny is on you, dragging you by the hair to bring you down to the floor.

you hit the hardwood with a grunt, eyes closing shut as your knees ache, “l-let go of me you bea-“ you barely have time to get the words out as johnny leads you with your hair, your face pressed against the front of his pants.

“listen tae me,” he growls, fingers tightening around your locks, “i’m about one grumble away from breaking yer jaw, dinnae look away,” he stresses as your eyes dart across the room. slowly, you force yourself to look at him, watching as johnny takes a deep breath.

“but, i will give ye a chance tae prove ye can do more wi' that mouth than just complain, sound fair?” when you remain still at his question, he shakes your head a bit, “i asked a question, princess.”

eagerly, you nod your head, fear compelling you to open your mouth as well, “i-it sounds fair, johnny, it- it does,” you agree, praying he doesn’t break your jaw to how nervous you are.

after what seems like an eternity, johnny lessens his grip on your hair, but he keeps you close to his clothed groin as he sits back into the bed. you’re forced to follow, on your knees in front of him.

“now,” he starts, his tone carrying a heavy weight despite the more playful tone he uses. he pushes your head back just a bit, his hand moving to his cargos, undoing the belt.

“let’s see what this bonnie mouth o' yers can do, aye?”

[nunalastor]

Resident Evil Asks Because Goddamn There Are A Lot

Anonymous asked:

One downside to RE7: Alastor gets his hands on a grenade launcher. That feels like a weapon he shouldn’t have. 

Anonymous asked:

There’s a bit in RE7 and 8 that protagonist Ethan absolutely refuses to show his face to cameras. His face is covered in pictures, he will turn away from the camera if you go into 3rd person, and he suffered horrible damage and collapsed on his back but STILL ROLLED OVER SO HIS FACE WOULDN’T BE SEEN IN EVIDENCE PICTURES.

Yeah we picked Ethan as the RE protagonist Alastor slots into for a reason.

Anonymous asked:

Resident Evil 7

Lucas Baker appears around the hotel and if the residents thought they knew what it looked like when Alastor was on sight, they've seen NOTHING until they saw Alastor attack him with a shotgun, resulting in the two getting into a screaming match.

It's hard to make out what is being said but between "you ruined my trap, Alastor" and "you kidnapped Guy TWICE. I know you weren't controlled like your parents" they figured out this ties back to their human lives. Charlie gives up on even attempting to go into her usual forgiveness spiel when Alastor brings out the flamethrower saying he killed Lucas once and he'll do it again because come on he did not let Lucas get away like in the game.

Now they have more questions. How do they know each other? Who is Guy and why does Alastor care about him? What control are they both talking about? What trap???

Vox meanwhile wants to know who this guy is and why Alastor hates him more than Vox himself.

Anonymous asked:

Alastor stockpiling the healing items from RE7 and using them in his battle against Adam. He takes the hit and sustains all the injuries buckshot anon described but it's a mild inconvenience because he pours the weird herb fluid on his hand and is back in action and goes at Adam again.

Adam has fun with it at first, a sinner who won’t back down, but Alastor's stockpiling means he can go at this for as long as he wants to become familiar with Adam's moves and openings, and that would get frustrating.

If he does manage to sever a limb and Alastor calmly puts it back on is when that would really start to freak Adam out. And Vox would be fuming while watching because all of this proves the "almost beat" in their own fight was not any skill Vox had, instead Alastor not giving a fuck.

Anonymous asked:

Combining Alastor having the Dahlia Hawthorne thing going on and Resident Evil 7 means Alastor went to the Baker Estate at minimum armed with the sun umbrella Dahlia always has. Alastor beat the shit out of a mold zombie with an umbrella, there’s no way he didn’t.

Anonymous asked:

For the RE7 au, when Alastor finds Lucas Bake, he puts him through the same ‘tests’ that Lucas made Alastor endure in the Baker Estate. Alastor definitely makes sure Lucas’ pain is slow and agonizing.

When hotel find out he has someone captive that he frequently tortures (that Husk or Nifty didn’t even know about) they’re like,

“Why is this guy your prisoner?” “Even for you this is too far” “What could he have possibly done for you to do this?”

Charlie would even try (and fail miserably) to persuade Alastor to let Lucas go and maybe forgive.

Alastor would only give vague answers or not even give any. He would just say, “This is between me and the miserable wretch”

Also Alastor never kept Lucas in the hotel, but a secret location that Lucifer discovered. Lucifer cause he was suspicious of Alastor because he said he was going to Cannibal Town. Charlie needed Alastor for an emergency and when she called Rosie, she said Alastor never visited. That made Lucifer suspicious so he decided to follow Alastor and found him in one of his sessions with Lucas.

Anonymous asked:

Some more RE7 ideas I want to share, especially the whole mind thing. Ethan was able to communicate with the real Jack Baker because all them were infected with the mold.

So it’s kind of like a form of communication between everyone, that even souls from heaven and hell can communicate but it’s laggy and slow (kind of like low internet connection). This means they can also communicate with Roo but only if she allows it. Despite what happened, Alastor and the Bakers (exception of Lucas) became good friends. They and Guy are on board for Alastor to be redeemed.

The subject of Lucas is a sore topic and Alastor tries to avoid it the best he can. As long as he keeps Lucas’ weak, his connection is low.

Anonymous asked:

If the hotel thinks watching just Jack's section of Alastor's time in the Baker Estate was bad, wait until they get to Marguerite, Lucas, and Eveline. Eveline's section would probably be different to the game because Mia was directly involved with her creation where Guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but still terrifying.

Anonymous asked:

Resident Evil 7 

Alastor sometimes hums the song “go tell Aunt Rhody,” the song Eveline would always hum (really recommend the RE7 version), and the hotel never thought anything of it. Husk sometimes heard Alastor singing the lyrics and thought he was talking about himself based on the line “they locked me up and took my soul,” so he didn’t think anything of it either.

They have a lot of concerned opinions about that upon knowing what happened in the Baker Estate and where that song actually came from.

Anonymous asked:

Watching Alastor's time in the Baker's Estate, nobody talks much but when that cop finds Alastor trapped inside and basically says Alastor isn't right in the head and there have been missing people in this area, Charlie is practically screaming "THAT'S HIM! HE'S ONE OF THE MISSING!"

Anonymous asked:

Alastor was reasonably frightened in the Baker’s Estate, serial killer or not the creatures he’s up against would be terrifying, but the thing that truly scared him was when he found Guy locked in that padded cell, and Guy immediately had some kind of mental breakdown and tried to get them out because “Daddy’s coming.”

Angel raised an eyebrow at the Daddy title if Lucifer showed them what happened at the Baker's Estate, but that was the moment Alastor knew something was seriously wrong with Guy. Guy knows Alastor has issues with his father and fathers in general. He wouldn’t say something like that unless either that was the only name he knew for his captor (begging the question of why), or something got into Guy’s head. That's the worst thing Guy could possibly say, and Guy should know that.

He wouldn’t immediately assume Guy’s possessed by demon mold, but that combined with Guy panicking about disappearing doors, not remembering things well, and behavior indicative of hallucinations, Alastor knows he needs to watch his back. When Guy disappears and Alastor finds him again, he is much more prepared for this to be the mold-possessed version of Guy that tries to attack him. 

Anonymous asked:

Eveline (RE7) manifests herself as a child but Alastor “would strike a child” Hawthorne was in no way deterred by this. Need to defeat the demon child to save Guy? He's on his way to get it over with.

Anonymous asked:

Talks of Guy and Alastor in the Bakers' Estate got me thinking. Both would have serious trauma from that, especially Guy who was there longer, and that trauma would be even worse if he died by an illness from the Bakers' Estate.

During episode 6, Adam shamed Angel for going to a bar with friends after a hard day, and when called out for that only retaliated that "Uh, we don't have hard days? It's fucking Heaven, bitch." Nobody tried to deny this was the line of thinking in Heaven, that people don't have bad days so coping methods are minimal or shamed.

Would Guy even do well in Heaven? He was ripped from his friend he knows understands his trauma, and any attempts to process or cope with the trauma would be shamed so he would have to either suffer in silence or live in secrecy. If he died from disease, he didn't get a chance in life to come to terms with it either and his death was awful.

Anonymous asked:

For RE7, I’m scared to think about the screenshots Vox took of human Alastor. He already has a room filled with Alastor’s photos, now he has the human ones.

Anonymous asked:

Another messed-up aspect of Alastor going to the Bakers' Estate (and would terrify the hotel) is the beginning of Marguerite's section. In the game, Ethan found a video from Mia detailing her experiences that night trying to escape and being captured. In absence of that technology, Alastor is either going in blind, or managed to find Guy again and they went through the old house the first time together, hearing Marguerite’s switching between calm and enraged, yelling and chastising Guy for wanting to escape with “that boy, Alastor,” and neither of them know how she knows Alastor's name, because Alastor didn't say it and Guy insists he didn't either but has so many memory problems he can't be sure.

Especially terrifying if that means Alastor was there when Guy is captured again by Marguerite, and he has the chase after them as Guy is screaming and begging Alastor for help.

Anonymous asked:

Since we are doing RE 7, how about RE 8 with Rose being the biological daughter of Guy

After being rescued, the police force thought it was a good idea to hire a lady of the night to entertain Guy. (I still think Guy is also on the ace spectrum but he just experienced a living hell for about three years. And he was probably buzzed and without Alastor there things happened)

They didn’t know about Rose until a friend of the girl dropped her off. Apparently the mother didn’t want to take care of Rose (appearntly she sensed an evil presence in the baby) making Guy was a single dad. But Alastor decided to step up and that’s how Rose Hawthorne Winters had two dads in the 1920/30’s.

Anonymous asked:

Resident Evil 7

Alastor avoiding everyone in the hotel because they watched his past and now his photo of his human self is all over the web. Eventually he would leave the hotel for even days, choosing to stay at Cannibal Town and murdering every person that decides to go up to him talk about his past.

Charlie: Alastor I’m so sorry!

Alastor: Sorry that you invaded my privacy or sorry that most of hell know what I looked like and my past.

Charlie: Both

Alastor: Noted. But now I have to remind those stupid enough to mess with the Radio Demon.

They’re also on the lookout for Bakers. Alastor will be damned if anyone, especially the Vees find Lucas Baker.

Anonymous asked:

Susan is actually Eveline and she can change her age to little girl to an old lady, with Alastor she reverts back to her Eveline form and when she is playing with the Cannibal children.

[echantedtoon]

Love Is Blind Ch5 It's Not Easy To Fall In Love

(These next few chapters spans over several weeks/months as I don't plan on making this story too long.)

An agreement like this one was not an easy thing to decide on.

Even as you pulled out folded clothes to place into the closet of your temporary home for the rest of the year. You supposed you should've felt excited or even honored to have a big opportunity. After all anyone else in their right mind would see this as nothing but beneficial to them. A chance to court their soulmate. The opportunity to work for a highly rich family and a chance to live in a beautiful area. Being paid so well. There really wasn't any real downsides to this but you still couldn't help but let your stomach twist in nervous knots. 

You still weren't sure if you really wanted this. Wanted Kagaya. You already said you didn't want it but then...Why were you here? Was it out of curiosity? Did you want to actually get to know Kagaya? Was it because of the promised pay? You had no idea at this point but it was only until the rest of this year. It wouldn't really put a hinder on your plans too much and you could earn a decent coin for your work. You just had to wing it and wait it out. Your first day here was uneventful. You just unpacked and a female servant showed you around the mansion before leading you back to your room to allow you to settle in for the day. You tried to mentally make a map of the entire place but it wasn't easy and you were sure you didn't get it down.  However you were surprised when you had gotten a knock on your door and you answered it to a woman a few inches smaller than you. 

"Um.." You blinked  at her. "Hello?"

"You must be the new healer here." Her voice was blunt but surprisingly polite as she offered you a smile. 

"I'm sorry. Who are you?"

You took a moment to look her over. She was a few inches Smaller than you about the size of a teenager although her demeanor obviously shown she was a grown woman. Her mostly black hair was pinned up by a strange hair clip shaped like a butterfly and ..Now that you thought about it. Her entire attire looked strangely similar to a butterfly including the very pretty haori coat over her shoulders. Otherwise the rest of her uniform was entirely black. You definitely didn't see her when being shown around.

"Shinobu." Her voice answered bluntly making you jump out of your stupor. Purple eyes blinked at you. "I've heard all about you from Oyakata-sama. You seem to have already made quite an impression on him."

You blinked yet again not entirely sure how to take this. "Oh..Thank you?" Her face did not change from that blunt smile. "It's um...Nice to meet you." You gave a quick bow of politeness. "I don't think I've seen you around here. Are you one of the maids?"

"I'm a doctor from town,"her blunt voice spoke again. "My sisters and I run a clinic. You share the practice yes?"

"No, I don't. That's a widely known misconception." Her head tilted at you as you held up a hand. "As an herbalist I know which plants are poisonous or which ones can cure fevers or even be made into tea, but I'm not even close to a doctor. I have literally no idea how to perform surgeries or stitch up wounds or diagnose a lot of things properly. A lot of people mix me up for a doctor all the time, but I won't lie and pretend to know medicine on your level."

Shinobu's tilted head stared at you silently and you got a shiver like she was calculating your whole being in her head before her smile got just slightly bigger. "You know your skill limit. I like that."

Again you weren't sure how to take that. Only giving a confused, "Thank you?" Deciding to change the subject you turned it back to her. "So what brings a doctor to my door? I don't think I'm ill."

"I'm here to run you through Oyakata-sama's routine. If you'll be taking care of him then you should at least know what to do."

Ah right. You'd forgotten about a big part of the agreement was to literally take care of the man you'd might be marrying. With a soft sigh you nodded. "Sure. I might as well get used to it if I'm going to be staying here."

Her eyes blinked. "You don't sound very enthusiastic."

"I guess I'm just nervous about this whole thing. I mean I'm entirely new to this process."

"Understandable but you'll be used to it in no time. Come. The Master's waiting for you."

You supposed you had no choice but to follow Shinobu back down through the halls and listen to her listing off the important parts of taking care of him.

"You won't have to be there as he baths or changes because that's already taken cared of early in the morning by someone else. However you need to make sure he eats enough and gets plenty of water. Nutrition and fluids are important for his own condition. Don't let him overexert himself. He needs lots of rest and sometimes he doesn't have enough energy for the things he forces himself to do. Do NOT let him stay up to ungodly hours of the night working-"

You were starting to get more and more anxious as Shinobu went and on and on. There was so much that it sounded like you were taking care of a whole room of people instead of just one person.

"He gets cold easily especially during the winter months so make sure to have extra blankets on hand when he needs it. The coughing is normal and you shouldn't worry about that too much but do be there in case he collapses from losing his breath."

"Collapses?!"

"Yes! But don't worry. He'll only need a few minutes to catch his breath again. What you should worry about is when he gets fevers! I'll leave you some fever medication. Make sure he takes it. He also needs his regular vitamins everyday. Just make sure he takes two of those with some water or tea. Oh! But I should warn you despite his condition he's incredibly stubborn and can talk you into letting him take on more work. Under no circumstances are you to let him take on anything more than he can handle no matter how convincing he might be."

"....Is..there anything else I should know about?"

"Oh yes! His eyes and the area around them are sensitive. Smoke can irritate them greatly so if you light any incense make sure to keep it far away and open a window...I also don't think I need to point it out to you but he obviously can't see. Please don't let him trip and fall."

With each word you felt more and more anxious and nervous about the entire situation. Kagaya sounded...very high maintenance and while that wasn't really his fault or necessarily a deal breaker, it was honestly a lot to take in especially on only your third day here. 

"Don't worry too much. My sister and I stop by once a month to do a full check up on him, so if there's anything you didn't remember we'll be sure to spot it!"

You supposed that was her was of trying to be reassuring but it only had you guys sinking lower and heavier. As if a sinking rock was inside you. Eventually you both had stopped in front of a door and before you knew it Shinobu was already opening it and walking inside with you timidly right behind her but paused when you saw who was already sitting there waiting on the both of you. Kind blind eyes stared in your direction from a cozy futon as Kagaya offered a comforting smile at you.

"Shinobu, I was wondering where you wondered off too. It's unlike you to suddenly leave in the middle of a session." His head tilted behind her towards you. "Miss L/n. I'm happy to see you today." How'd he know it was you? His head tilted at a window next. "...The birds are singing outside so it must be a beautiful day. Tell me what color is the sky?"

Your eyes followed his gaze quietly gazing out the window at the sky. "It's a beautiful blue like a bluebell's petals."

"Ah. Excellent then. That's certainly a good omen for a good day." He turned his smile back on you. "I think I want to visit the garden again and enjoy the beautiful sky."

"Are you sure that's a wise choice?" Despite Shinobu's words, a shaking hand of his was already removing the blanket off of himself. "You were coughing a lot yesterday."

"I feel much better after resting, and fresh air will do me good. You know I dislike sitting in my room all day when I can help it."

"Hm." She hummed watching him already slowly struggling to his knees. "Alright then. If you're sure you won't overexert yourself-"

She blinked as a figure quickly moved around her and before she even blink. Kagaya tilted his head upwards and a moment later soft hands gripped his arm. Shinobu watched silently as she wordlessly knelt down to throw one of the man's arms around her shoulders. Your arms then hugging him around his torso and bracing himself against her body. Practically hugging him she heaved him up to stand up on his own two feet. Both seemed surprised by her actions especially when she grabbed the arm still around her shoulders and looked at him. 

"You alright, Mr. Ubuyashiki?"

His surprised face regarded her words before his melted into a smile. "Yes. I'm feeling better than before. But please don't be so formal with me. Just Kagaya is fine, Miss L/n."

Big shiny f/c eyes blinked up at him. "Well...Then I guess you don't have to be formal either. Y/n is fine with me too. Do you want to go to your garden?"

"Yes. The day is surely too beautiful to be wasted by staying inside. There is a special place in the garden where I like to be by myself."

"Are you talking about the place you were sitting where we first met?" He nodded. "Then I'll take you there." 

Her hands moved him two steps forward before she suddenly stopped making him jostle to a stop and turn his head to her again in question. "You stopped walking all of a sudden. Is there something wrong?"

...Her eyes looked at him once again. "What do you usually do when you're outside by yourself?"

The question was certainly a surprise but not an uncommon one as he smiled. "I listen. To the soft breeze, my lovely pets, and anything more nature decides to gift me that day."

"What about a book? Do you want me to read to you?" Again a look of surprise passed over his features at the offer. "The garden is right near the library if I remember correctly. I can get you a book and we can read it together if you want."

There was a moment of silence that passed on between them both for a long moment. The surprise of the other woman was also present as she couldn't help but stare in shock at the couple in front of her. Gently without a word, she tugged the surprised man into walking again. 

"Have you eaten yet? It's still very early in the morning."

"..No. I have not."

"Then I'll get you something to eat too. You're going to need to eat something for strength. I'll get you some ohagi. It's perfect for a spring day. Is that ok?"

...A smile graced his features and he nodded. "Yes. I'm very fond of the idea."

Shinobu watched wide eyed as the two slowly just walked past her and into the hallway. Nearly bumping into Sanemi walking down the hall stuffing his face with many ohagies but paused mid chew staring wide eyed as the two slowly made their way out of the room and down the hall. The woman wished him a hello but otherwise continued walking past him and down the hall. A moment later Shinobu poked her own head out of the room to watch with him before they disappeared around the corner.

".... Did you just see what the hell I saw?" He almost immediately turned to the smaller woman next to him and Shinobu hesitantly nodded. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm not too sure... That's the same girl who was brought here a few weeks ago. She just helped him stand up on her own accord and offered to take him to the garden."

"Eh?... That's nice of her I guess." He went to eat another ohagi in his hands.

"She also offered to bring him food and read to him."

He paused in a comical position of about to eat..but slowly lowered the food and stared blankly at Shinobu. "She did what? Why?"

"...She went through the trouble of saving a butterfly I was told."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to prove about her."

"You're making no sense as usual."

"And that's why I'm the more intelligent one out of both of us."

"WATCH YOUR DAM MOUTH!!"

One month passed. The routine you set yourself in was hard to follow but at least it wasn't as difficult as math. Get up in the morning and go to Kagaya. By the time you got there he was usually already dressed and given food by help of a male servant or his grandfather. Mr. Kotoya was always very pleased to see you there and on a few times referred to you as Kagaya's 'wife' but it always made you uncomfortable not that your unease seemed to matter to the old man. Sometimes you would help Kagaya around and sometimes you found him handling important paperwork related to his businesses  to which his grandfather would have to read out loud to him in order for Kagaya to make a decision on them leaving you awkwardly to sit on the sidelines and listen to them conducting business for hours on end on things you absolutely did not understand. Other times Kagaya would be too weak to get up leaving you to also awkwardly sit next to his bed and either talk to him or read him stories which...was the only things you could really do.

He asked about your interest in herbalism and your studies and your family. You happily answered since ..Well this was all just a part of the deal right? The whole reason you agreed to this was to get to know each other better. And you did find out a lot about him. Aside from his grandfather the only family he had was a distant cousin. His favorite animal was the pet crows he kept in the garden which ironically he also used to deliver messages. His family had been heavily influenced and involved in the nearby town for at least ninety five generations. His favorite author was a man named Kyogai and the Library was full of his books. And quite a few other things.

But by the middle of the second month the repetitive and slightly tiring pattern was starting to make you a bit anxious doing nothing but care for him essentially and a lot of the time awkwardly sit in one place or room listening to him talk and cough and helping him around. ....This did not feel like courting at all. It was more of you taking care of him. 

"Do you maybe want to go somewhere today?", you asked him one day.

Shinobu had just left after checking him over for that month as promised and seemed very satisfied with how Kagaya was. Letting you know before she left how happy she was. "He's doing perfectly fine. You're doing great taking care of him. Keep up the good work but if I can make a suggestion. Add some more fruits and vegetables to his daily diet."

Right...You were doing a good job caring for him. That's what you were being paid to do and a part of the deal. It was what you agreed to but...

"The forest is so pretty with all the wysteria trees!" You gushed clasping your hands together. "We can go on a walk or have a picnic or both! We can also pick wild flowers to decorate your vase in the corner! We might even see some pretty wild animals-"  You paused taking a moment to glance back to his white eyes. "Oh...I guess maybe not that last one but you can listen to the birds singing!"

Despite his face crinkled up in a smile he slowly shook his head no where he laid making you slowly lose your smile. "I would love nothing more than to do so with you. Unfortunately I am not feeling well enough to go anywhere too far today. I am truly sorry."

"Oh." Despite him being blind you forced a smile back onto your face pushing the disappointed feelings in your chest. "No. Don't apologize about it. It's alright. We can go a different day...We can do something else! How about a game of shogi?"

"That would be more able but I am afraid I'd be a terrible person to play against. I would not be able to properly see the pieces to move them."

"Oh. Right." The smile fully went away as you looked down. ".... Would you like to finish the book we started? We're almost done with it anyways."

He smiled wider from his place on the bed- Before suddenly turning his head away to cough into his shoulder again. You offered him some polite comfort by patting his other arm until he was able to catch his breath again and nod to you.

"I would like that very much."

You again forced a smile despite him still being blind before reaching out to a thick book that was left near you. Fantastic Fairytales and Fables is what the book was called and you flipped through until you stopped where you both last left off. A new tale called The Spirit Of Fate. 

Down in the world unknown there laid a kingdom drab and dark. Where darkness and shadows collided and lived in fear and power. One would be mad to even think about stepping in a place like this. Where the dead are gone but still there, the shadows played and roamed and full of terror. A frightful place brace heros dare not venture unless they wish to meet a tragic fate. Yes. This one place was alone ruled by a power hungry spirit, spited by his love in life and now seeks vengeance on any mortal who dared be foolish enough to be beckoned into his awaiting claws.

The creature of vengeance was known as one of promises and dealings. Whether If one were to want something most dear to their heart and was determined and pure, or if their heart was filled with greed, envy, and lust he would grant your reply if you were brave or stupid enough to find him. It was when one day a child from a nearby village heard of this rumor that they were excited to find out if it was true or not. Against their parents and everyone else's wishes and warnings, the small child had snuck out to venture into the forbidden dark woods. The brambles scraped and left cuts on their body, the creatures chased after and threatened to eat them if they didn't turn back now, for darker and more sinister things slept in these woods, but bravely the child went on. On and on on their journey to really see this sinister ghost who granted wishes and promises that the mortal eye would repulse to believe. Until the sinister avenger had been found and the massive shadow beckoned the child closer with a boney rigged hand.

"You have traveled far and withstood the tests my forces forwarded. For that you have earned the right to one miracle granted to you. But a warning you have also earned. Be warned, with a pure and honest heart comes great rewards. With a heart who bleeds nothing but black with greed and jealousy, a foul end you shall meet. Think about the consequences greatly, for the repercussions shall be swift and tight. Think well, dear child."

The small child dared to smile at the creature and simply reply, "I have no need for any treasures or anything of preciousness near me. I solely only wished for to see myself if the avenger of shadows was a true sight. And now that I have seen you for what a true being you are, I will simply be leaving satisfied my wish was fulfilled."

The answer of the child amused the ancient spirit and he chuckled his hollow laugh at the very notion of it all.

"Wise answer to an otherwise difficult mortal choice. For that you shall still be granted a prize for your efforts. Name one and answer wisely."

The small child as said had no need for such items like treasure and fortune, but they knew that the child's hard working mother were in need of some fortune in her life. So with a kind heart, the child looked to the spirit and asked for their miracle. "My mother works oh so hard to take care of me. It would be so nice for her to have just a little more luck on her side. Oh spirit, let me repay her for all her kindness she has shown me."

"Your wish shall be granted. A selfless act is always it's own reward, but be wary of those who wish to use those fortunes to their own will."

The child was permitted a safe leave back to their home and as promised their selfless act of kindness was granted by the spirit of shadows. The child and their mother mysteriously found an old box in their pantry one day that they had never known of before and upon opening it discovered many, many priceless jewels. The likes of which they had never seen before. With this new found fortune, the mother and child were able to gain a plentiful farm with all the necessities they needed to have a plentiful life. Farther down in the years the mother even remarried one of the strongest most handsome men in the small village. But this man was nothing but green with want, and treated the mother and her child terribly.

He was lazy, rude, and had a heart full of greed. Seeping of those who had better and helping him in life. But one fateful day everything changed. For one day he asked the child's mother a question.

"My dear wife. You know I love you dearly, but I must ask you. Where did you receive such wealth and fortune."

"Why, from a old wooden box in the pantry," she replied happily, "And inside the little wooden chest was gems and riches beyond our wildest dreams."

"Yes, yes! But where did it come from?"

"I know not how it got there or where it came from, but my child and I are oh so happy to have received such a delightful fortune. How we may live happily for a long while."

Her husband was displeased with such an answer and once again asked but this time to the child. The child happily told the man his venture into the woods and his encounter with the spirit of shadows, filling the man's heart with more greed. That very night when the family slept, the man snuck out and made his own way into the deep woods of shadows and fears. Brambles cut his clothing, he cursed those who dare chase him and snap at his hinds as he ran, but the greed and lust in his heart was strong. So strong he persisted his heart green with envy. Alas finally he arrived and looking as though some creature had mangled him with their claws. The spirit was beckoning him closer with a bony rigged hand and spoke.

"Oh one who's heart is sewn with greed and plight. You have sought me through danger and fright. Your actions of greed are inexcusable but like many before you have made it through the path of darkness. For that you have earned the right to one miracle, but also a warning. Be warned, with a pure and honest heart comes great rewards. With a heart who bleeds nothing but black with greed and jealousy, a foul end you shall meet. Think about the consequences greatly, for the repercussions shall be swift and tight. Oh one who comes to me with a black heart for his own wishes. I offer this to you so you may choose your wish wisely."

The man paid no attention to the wise words of the ghost nor did he think about any real consequences for his actions as he spoke what he oh so desired.

"Give me more riches than any man shall have!! Make my fortune one who will make me a fortunate man!! A bright castle and beautiful jewels is what I seek and most desire!!"

"A answer I foresaw and one your shall have for not heeding my warnings. Oh man of greed and selfishness, you shall indeed have your wish awaiting you home. But do not be surprised when your unfortunate fate you shall unevitably meet. Now be gone creature of greed. My domain is not fit for one of you."

The man left for his home and once his got there his had his miracle in the form of the purest black horse with a magnificent couch of ebony, inside the couch was boxes and jewels of every imagining. The man cared not for his wife or the young child that he had left behind, away in this marvelous new couch he received and off that horrid man went into the night with his shouts of greedy glee and pleasure as his family long forgotten. The mother and child awoken to no greedy man plaguing their lives and while the mother was quite saddened, she still had the child to watch after. As luck and fortune does benefit those with kind hearts, another man the mother sought and a kinder gentler man she got. With as much kindness to her and her child this man gave to combat the sorrows left behind by the other greed filled one. One day a message they did receive, about a much bigger estate of land and riches. The greedy man who had once left them behind without a second thought, was now no more as the spirits warnings he did not heed. As fate had decided he would be no more, a swift and tight end he did get. Leaving everything he valued behind of jewels and gold, to no man but a woman he did not care for. His wife and next of kin did receive, fame and fortune for kindness indeed. With kindness in their hearts the family did grow, and with it came all luck and fortune soon to glow.

For those with kind hearts and bright minds, often find themselves on the favorite end of fate's hands.

Month two had passed. Month three much the same as the first two with very little changes. Month four looked also to be no  different than the first three other than being hotter as spring transitioned into her sister summer.

"Spring is a season that radiates warmth, new beginnings, and positive energy. It denotes a calm and peaceful atmosphere with a clear blue sky. The days are radiant, lovely, and peaceful with a golden sun. When the land wakes up it becomes a good mother to all, delivering food and giving life to the darkness."

Kagaya sat beside you on the bench. A tranquil look on his gentle features as a gentle hand held up the shining ebony feathers of a crow. The elegant bird cooed and ruffled it's feathers happily as his other hand gently stroked it's head. You sat just beside him focusing your energy into the current poem you were reading out loud to him.

"The days of long cold winters sleep has risen to make way to other corners of the lands for his sisters Spring and Summer to come take his place, and embrace us all in the treasures they bring. The strength. Mental, physical, emotional, and raw. Strength keeps you going when you feel you can go on no more. If you're wondering if you're strong, the answer is always yes. Don't underestimate the silent strength that you don't even know you possess."

"That's a very truthful poem." He brought the crow a little closer to him as he turned his head back to you. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hm?" You looked at him blinking as his previously smiling face turned to one of slight concern. 

"Are you alright, Y/n?," he inquired, "I've noticed you've been a bit down for a while now. Have you been exhausting yourself?"

"I-..What?"

"I understand that having to be constantly caring for me must be overwhelming and after a while it would take a toll on anyone." You froze in shock at his words. "Perhaps you should take a break for a while. Let yourself take a rest before you continue on."

"Oh. N-No it's alright." You again forced yourself to smile. "I did agree to help take care of you as a part of this arrangement. Besides it's not taking care of you that's been on my mind."

"So something has been on your mind lately." You paused mouth wide open and you wanted to snack yourself. "Would you mind telling me what's bothering you?"

There was a silence as the both of you sat there. Nothing but the stream through the garden gurgling and the crow giving her owner confused little noises as to why he stopped petting her. ... Eventually you only silently looked down before sighing through your nose and closing the book before standing up.

"It's very warm out here." The book was slowly placed down before you just turned. "I'm going to get you some water. Wait here for me."

Kagaya didn't say anything but his brows furrowed in worry and his head followed the sounds of your footsteps as you walked away from him and back into the mansion. Caring for Kagaya wasn't what was weighing on you. You knew what you agreed to when agreeing to this deal. Even if it was tiring, repetitive, and not easy you can manage. After all you helped to plow your parents' fields and do other labor at home. You weren't shy to hard work. It was the ever growing realization of Kagaya's life that had you starting to question everything. 

It was clear as you fell into routine that this was Kagaya's life long before you came here and it would be even after you leave. Constant care. Which you were already feeling anxiety over. If you were married to him would this be your new every day life?  Most likely. And this wasn't what you had planned for yourself at all. But it wasn't just that. 

Mostly it was just why.

Why?

Why weren't you feeling anything? Yes. Kagaya was handsome you supposed in his own way, and on the surface he checked the boxes of everything you prayed to the gods for. He WAS kind. He WAS caring. He WAS responsible and caring and patient and so much more. So...Why didn't it feel like you were attracted to him? At least on a crush level. You're heart had been excited before you first met him face to face and was smacked by everything at once. You had tried hard to try and feel anything! Literally just once! Just one small sign. Your heart fluttering. Your face blushing. That happy feeling you're supposed to get whenever you get flustered. Any urges to hug him or kiss him or at the very least hold his hand. But you felt..

Nothing.

At most all you managed to muster up was admiration for him being able to do so much despite his conditions but other than that nothing. Admiration wasn't live. Admiration didn't mean love. You could admire someone. Anyone. But that didn't mean you loved them in the least. If anything he seemed more of a friend than anything else if you could even call him that. Weren't you supposed to be falling for him? He was your soulmate wasn't he? So why?

Why would the gods assign him as your soulmate if you weren't feeling even a little attraction towards him? Was it possible that they made a mistake? Was it possible that they assigned Kagaya to you with only your surface qualities and your profession in mind? You could see how they might've thought it was the perfect match but.... It's like they didn't even take your other wants into account! You couldn't help but feel disappointed every time you suggested something only for him to politely decline or be unable to do so because of his conditions. You felt disappointed every time it happened! You knew you shouldn't since Kagaya couldn't help it..but it was hard to ignore the obvious lack of attraction you were feeling towards him. 

No one else was helping either. They all complimented you on how well you were taking care of him but was that all they could compliment you on? Was that all there was to say about you? You sighed rubbing your temples. This wasn't getting you anywhere. Your scrambled thoughts would only get you worked up- ?! You blinked bumping fully into someone's back.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" You immediately backpedaled and looked up at the man you bumped into. "I didn't see you there."

A head of wavy black hair and piercing red eyes turned to you. The taller man wore a half scowl half confused face as he stared down at you. "Just who are you?"

You blinked taken aback by his strong annoyed demeanor but decided to not make him more angry than he already was. "My name is Y/n." His face went from annoyed to surprised realization as you shuffled around him awkwardly. "A-Anyways I have to go get something for someone. E-Excuse me." You went to go around him but was shocked when he suddenly grabbed you by the hand stopping you from leaving.

"Well then...You must accept my apologies." You looked on in shock as the man smiled at you. But it was a smile that sent shivers down your spine and not in the good way. He effortlessly pulled you back closer by the hand he still held onto. "If I had known who you were sooner I hadn't been so rude."

"U-Um..." You looked between your hand and his piercing red eyes. "I'm sorry. I think you have the wrong person."

"Oh on the contrary." He mumbled making a point to lift your hand directly to his face. Your face suddenly lit up a pink as he stared half lidded at you. "I do know and may I say you're a very radiant woman.~"

Your eyes went wide as he brought your hand to his mo- You jumped as a third hand quickly slapped down over the first two. You jumped and both of you looked up at a strained smile and white orbs. 

"I'm sorry. I thought we were taking turns. I suppose I win as my hand's on top."

You blinked. "....Kagaya?"

The blind man continued his closed eyed strained smile as he directed it at the first man. "I didn't know you were coming. If I had known I would've prepared you a room by the garden. The compost smell is strong but I think the view matches you perfectly." With surprising strength he pulled your hand out of the stranger's grip in one go.

The man strained on his own face and leaned back up. "Kagaya. Considerate as always." Kagaya's smile twitched. "How did you know I was here? I didn't know you saw me. I would've said hello."

"Oh it was easy. I suddenly had the nauseam feeling that I usually get right before I vomit, so I just knew you were somewhere close by."

Your eyes glanced silently back and forth between the two of the men as they took obvious jabs at one another with strained smiles. "Um...I think I'm missing something. Do you two know each other?"

"Oh. Of course. You both hadn't met yet." Kagaya spoke with another twitch to his brow. "Y/n, this man is none other than Muzan Kibutsuji...My cousin."

"Oh no need to be so formal, Kagaya."

"One of us has to be. That's actually a very nice coat you're wearing."

"Oh. You would know as you can OBVIOUSLY see the well craftsmanship," this 'Muzan' took another jab at his blindness.

"Oh yes. You spoil Rei so much. Do they come in men's sizes? Maybe then you wouldn't have to borrow her coat all the time."

Muzan inhaled deeply straining his smile more but looking as if he'd snap any moment.

"Now you both cut that nonsense out." All three of you turned around and found none other than Mr. Kotoya there frowning. "You both are acting like immature children. Muzan, you know you're supposed to send us a notice before you visit."

Muzan immediately turned his smile onto him. "Well I guess Kagaya just didn't read it."

"Well then next time send it to me! *Sigh* But while you're here, you might as well join us for lunch. Just stop acting like a brat!"

"Who? M-"

"Yes. YOU, Muzan. I'm too old for your childish tantrums."

[communicationthroughlyrics]

I Like Your Blood On My Teeth Just A Little Too Much - 3

You’re a former military, career oriented security executive who has made quite the living for yourself- but it has always been lacking. Your non-committal attitude has led you down a playgirl lifestyle, never really settling. What happens when your new boss throws you a curveball, and as a result? You end up hopelessly involved with a Hollywood starlet.

Big pieces starting to fall into place, people. Keep with me :] The images I am including are the backdrops for the chapters, enjoy!

2.8K Word Count

Ch 3: All This Money And This Pain Got Me Heartless

It was around 2 in the morning before you got home. The perk to your dream home? It wasn’t near anyone,  and you could be alone with your thoughts. The downside? It was in the middle of nowhere- in a ski town in Idaho. It was nowhere near convenient to just “visit,” which was the point. That’s the other reason to why you kept the apartment close to work, only about a 45 minute drive in traffic, versus this 14 hour commute, or 2 hour flight. You groaned as you parked the Porsche in the garage, its designated spot between some of your other cars.

You dragged yourself away from the plush interior, popping open the rear lift gate and grabbing your bag, flinging its strap back over your shoulder, and slamming the gate closed. You walked towards the door that would lead you onto the skyway over a creek that ran alongside your house. You locked the car, turning to look over all the vehicles housed in you garage, some in varying states of repair, before you shut off the light and walked across the bridge towards your house. You flung the door open, throwing the bag on your shoulder off to the side of the laundry room you just entered. Removing your brown dress shoes, you opened the door into the living area of the house, walking over to the couch and allowing your body to fall forwards onto the plush couch. You lifted your arm, feeling across the coffee table blindly for the remote to your fireplace. “Mmmpfh…where the hell?” You felt around further, slamming your hand harder and harder on the table until you lift your head to face the table, scanning it for the remote. You notice it, across the living room, on the chair closest to the fireplace. “MMMphfffuck!” You grunt into the couch cushion, giving up on the fireplace, and grabbing the blanket off the back of the sofa, pulling it over you and hoping for a decent amount of sleep. 

You awoke to the sound of your phone vibrating on your coffee table, groaning and grabbing the pillow underneath your head, pressing it against your face. You hoped that by ignoring it, you wouldn’t hear it anymore. Thankfully the phone quit ringing, and you ripped the pillow from your face. Your peace was short lived as it began ringing again. “Unngh why didn’t I shut that fucking thing off!” You yell at yourself as you slam your hand on top of your phone, picking it up and answering it blindly. 

“What?! This better be fucking good!” You spit so much venom into the phone you’re sure the soul on the other end might end up poisoned. 

“Good morning to you too.” An unfamiliar voice rasps back. You pull the phone away from your ear to glance at the screen, wondering who you were speaking to. The number was a New York number, but you didn’t know anyone who lived there. 

“Who the hell is this, and how’d you get this number?” You make sure to let whomever is on the other line that you do not appreciate the disruption. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot that they didn’t give you my number yesterday. It’s Scarlett. I hope you don’t mind, but I had some things I wanted to ask you about.”

“How’d you get my number?” You asked again, still not getting the complete answer that you wanted. You had a feeling you already knew the answer. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was an issue…” You cut her off before she could continue.

“I give my number out. No one else does. Who gave you my number? I’m not going to ask again.”  You sat up on the couch, the blanket falling from your shoulders to your lap. That’s when you looked down and realized you were still in your work clothes. 

“Kris. She gave me your number in case I needed to reach you. I’m sorry I bothered you, I'll just send out an email.” The voice rasped back, but you could detect a tone of disappointment. She hung up before you could respond back. “Yeah, do that.” You thought as you went to your favorite contacts and dialed your assistant. 

“Do you know how to NOT work?” She asked, unaware of what was about to happen. 

“You KNOW the rules, you of ALL fucking people know how I feel when they get broken!” You’re seething on the phone at your assistant. 

“And you know damn well that I will NOT stay on the phone if you talk to me like that. Chill the fuck out.” Her tone changed to match yours. She was never afraid of going toe to toe with you. “Scarlett called, I take it?” She asks pointedly. 

“Why- whywhywhy…did you give her my personal number? You know better!” You try to calm yourself and work your way through what is happening. 

“Well, to be blunt- she begged for it. ” Kris deadpans. “Plus with how you were oogling her yesterday, you can thank me later.” You could hear the tone of her voice, you recognized it from when she would push you to flirt with someone. She always acted as a wingman for you, it was one of the many feathers in her imaginary cap.

“You know how I- wait, what? She asked for it?” You quirked, not expecting that response. You try and picture how that conversation went with Scarlett and Kris, and what had to have been said to get Kris to fork over your number. 

“Ha. I knew that’d get your attention. She begged me for your number, arguing that if you will be at her house heading up security and blah blah blah, she’d need a more direct way to get a hold of you.” You could hear the sarcasm in her voice, knowing that she wasn’t being entirely truthful. 

“Watch it, Smithers. You better not piss me off any more- I don’t want to come back to the city.” You throw your nickname for her in there for good measure. 

“Oh no. What ever will I do?” She deadpans once more. “I found out what was going on with that weirdo you sent me. Just know I’ve got some juice regarding him, but it will have to wait till you're back at work.” She teases, knowing full well it’ll only egg you on. 

“No, don’t make me log on from here and see what the hell was up with that guy. Spill it Smith.” You state, standing up from the couch, walking to the kitchen to make some coffee. Clearly, you weren’t going to get any more sleep at this point. 

“No. And I also blocked your proxy from the cabin. You can’t log in right now. Relax, we’ve got it handled, mmmmkaybyeeeee!” She hangs up, leaving you to stare at the screen in protest before grumbling to yourself, shutting off the device and throwing it on the charger. You walked upstairs while your coffee is brewing, so you can get yourself out of the work clothes from yesterday.  You groaned as you glanced at the clock on your nightstand, seeing that it was only 6:30am. “Goddamn, do these people sleep?” You ask yourself, before realizing that you were up at the exact same time as them. You shuffled towards your bed, flopping onto it briefly, before pushing yourself up off of it, going over to the closet, and debating on what to wear for the day. You figured you should go down and work out for a little bit, so you grabbed a pair of dark green workout shorts and a black sports bra. You walked out of the closet, towards the staircase, heading towards the kitchen to grab your coffee, opting to drink it straight, and grabbing your protein and adding some water to it, heading towards your  home gym. You started stretching as you stalked into the gym, getting yourself ready for some weight training and boxing practice. 

After an hour of weights and another hour of beating your frustrations into a punching bag, you grabbed the towel next to you, wiping your brow before throwing it into a laundry basket in the corner, walking away towards the kitchen to check your phone. You grabbed it as you approached the counter, turning the phone on. You set it down, checking your fridge for something for breakfast. “Fuck.” You muttered to yourself. You were out of almost everything, only having creamer for coffee and a few beers, some condiments and other odds and ends. Walking back to the counter your phone was on, you peeked at some of the notifications that had popped up while it was off and charging.  A few texts were buried in all the notifications, but you didn’t see them, and assumed nothing crazy was going on.

You threw the phone back down before going up to shower,  ready to begin the day. As you walked away, your phone buzzed away on the counter, with a few texts from Kris and Paul. 

8:15AM  PAUL- “Y/N. Scarlett has made some changes to the plans. Boss-man needs you here asap to go over them.”

8:20AM.  PAUL- “Y/N. Let me know when you can get here. I know we told you to take some time, but we need you to go over some things, and they cannot wait. We need you here in person.”

8:37AM   KRIS- “I know your phone isn’t off, you better not be ignoring us. You’re too much of a control freak to shut off your phone.”

8:45AM.   PAUL- “Y/N. LET ME KNOW ASAP.”

9:02AM   KRIS- “Y/N. It’s not like you to not answer. With wierdo lurking outside your place and you not answering- it makes me nervous. Call me. ”

You sighed as you stepped out of the shower, grabbing a  towel off the rack and quickly drying yourself off, before walking over to the sink, and staring at yourself while leaning on the counter. You stood up, rubbing your face with your hands, before throwing the damp towel into a basket by the door. You walked out of the bathroom and towards your closet, thinking of what you needed to do today. “You really don’t need to do anything, Y/N…” you thought to yourself, but you sighed, knowing that you would never let yourself not do anything with your day. You opted for a wide cut black v neck tee shirt and some of your necklaces, some dark blue jeans and your black boots, mussing your short hair to give it some texture, as you glanced in the mirror by the door. Grabbing some cologne to dab on your neck, you felt satisfied enough with your appearance to venture into McCall, and get some stuff for you to live off of for a few days. You took a fleeting look at the clock on your microwave was you grabbed you phone and stuffed it into your back pocket, not even looking at the screen.  You grabbed the keys to one of your favorite cars, before turning on your heel towards the garage, so you can head to town. 

As you approached the general store in town, there was a cat call whistled in your direction as you pulled yourself out of the car you chose, and you stared in the direction of the sound, an already excited man walking your way. You looked him up and down, noting his height, he appeared to be 5’ 9”, skinnier build, in his mid to late 40’s. He was vaguely familiar, and smiled as he approached you, waving and lightly jogging towards your location. 

“WOW! That is an amazing machine! What year is it, a 69? Small Block?” He asked, his eyebrow quipped, while wiping his pointer finger along the passenger side of the car, walking around it while he glanced back and forth between you and the car. 

You rolled your eyes, people always made it a point to comment on one of your cars while you were out. If you didn’t love them so much, you’d walk everywhere. “Cobras weren’t made in 69. It's a 67, 427. And fingers off, unless you wanna loose em, bud.” 

“Ford, right?” He asked again, swiping his finger another inch or so along the deep blue paintwork, as if he was testing the waters. He then ran his fingers through his dark brown hair.

“No. Shelby American. Can I help you?” You fired back, clearly showing your annoyance at this man. 

“Whoa, bud. I was just admiring your car! No need to be testy with me.” He approached you on the drivers side, eyeing you up and down, as you stood square to him, with your arms across your chest, clearly showing your muscle. “How’d you score this beauty anyways? These aren’t cheap.” He raised his eyebrow further, a tone as if he was questioning how you were within a 10-foot radius of the car. 

“I’m not you're bud, pal. I have some things I need to do. I would appreciate if you would stop touching my car, and leave me alone.” You state coldly as you turn and begin to walk away. 

“Well, no need to be rude about it, I was just curious.” He said, a smirk flashing across his features as you turned away. You briefly peered over your shoulder, to see him turn and walk the other way. “Fucking weird. What the hell was that??” You walked towards the store, glancing back in the direction of the blue roadster, sitting in a far spot that would surely be surrounded by cars when you came out, but all were currently vacant. 

You grabbed the basics, some milk, eggs, some necessities for sandwiches, and other odds and ends before approaching the cashier. You groaned, noticing that the cashier was the same annoying man from earlier. He had now shed his jacket for a tan apron, with the name “Fred” embroidered onto it. You could now see his bright blue eyes, which were piercing to say the least. Of course, he was the only cashier in this place. You threw your items onto the belt, and stalked up to the register as he lifted a tab to allow the belt to lurch to life, your items rolling towards him. He just looked at you, the same stupid smirk on his face, before he started scanning your things. 

“You still didn’t answer my question. That makes things look highly suspect.” He says, as he continues scanning your groceries. 

“Maybe it's a rude question to which you will get no answer.” You deadpan back, raising your eyebrow as he chuckles. 

“Ok. Whatever.” He says. “$52.66 is your total.” He states, beginning to bag your groceries. “Where are you going to put this in that tiny of a car?” He prodded again. You shake your head at the mans insolence, pulling out your wallet, and handing him a black credit card. He just looks down at it, before looking back at you. He was hesitant to grab the card, which made you instantly gratified. That would surely shut him up. “Th….these don’t have a limit. You can’t just get a black card.” He states, still staring at your outstretched hand. You roll your eyes, before swiping the card for him, and slipping it back into its leather slot. 

“Yup. I’ll take my groceries now. ” You say, popping the “p” and pointing towards your bags. “What, BUD?  Never seen a big boy card before?” You ask, grabbing the bags from behind the counter, and smirking as you left him shocked and frozen in his spot. You simply turned and walked out the door, groaning when you saw everyone parked around you. You approached the passenger side, placing the paper bags full of goods into the footwell where your passengers feet would normally go.

You walked around, opting not to open the drivers door, just hopping over it and sliding in, and depressing the clutch to start the car, smiling as you heard the rumble. You slightly spun the tires as you left the parking lot, darting out onto the main thoroughfare that runs into and out of the heart of town. You looked around as you saw people window shopping, arms linked in one another’s as they grazed up and down the sidewalks. This was a resort town, which was why you made sure to stay out of it as much as possible. Winter was always crazy here, people wanting to come and ski from all over. You approached a 4-way stop, turning right so you can make your way back into the hills, winding around a large lake that was popular for a myriad of water sports in the summer. The leaves were starting to change, signaling natures close to the summer and eventual arrival of the fluffy white stuff you loved so dearly. That was the other reason you wanted to live somewhere like this- the mountains in winter always held a soft spot in your heart.

(CHAPTER 4)

[queenofhyruleee]

Knight in Shining Armor Chapter 3

hehe thank you so much for all of the likes and support :) I can't believe people are actually enjoying the ideas that come from my brain!!! hopefully you enjoy this chapter!

When you heard a knock on the door the next day, a day when the shop was closed, your heart leapt. Was it Link again? Master Shido had told you that he was most likely going to be gone for a fortnight at the earliest, so you knew it wasn’t him.

You intentionally ignored the butterflies in your stomach as you jumped out of bed and rushed down to answer the door. Before opening it, you paused and took a second to fix your hair and straighten out your rumpled clothes. 

What am I doing? Stop being ridiculous. 

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door and prepared to say hello to your friend. 

“Hello, beautiful.” 

Your face faltered, the smile on your lips dropping as you looked up at Elis. He was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but for some reason it didn’t excite you as much as it might have had previously. Instead, the feelings of anger and sadness began to build up once more. 

He didn’t even wait for you to invite him in before he stepped inside, slightly pushing you out of the way as he did so. “I wanted to come see you and apologize for missing last night.” 

You turned back to him after closing the door, an unamused look on your face. “You could have at least given me a heads up before I sat at Telma’s for two hours looking like an absolute idiot. Again.” 

He gave you a guilty smile. “I’m sorry, honey pie. Something came up with my father’s job and he needed my help to get it all sorted out. I couldn’t get away to come find you.” 

You raised your eyebrow, secretly questioning the validity of his story. That isn’t the first time he’s come up with almost that exact excuse. 

“Your father has been having quite a lot of problems lately, it seems. Hopefully everything is okay with his business.” You sounded a bit more snarky than you intended, but you couldn’t help it. 

“Well anyways!” He waved his hand in the air, clearly trying to move on from the topic, “I wanted to take you out. I thought maybe we could have lunch by the river today.” He wiggled his eyebrows, clearly trying to entice you with his offer. 

You chewed on your bottom lip, considering his offer. He had apologized, brought flowers, and was trying to make it up to you. Being angry was exhausting. So even though you weren’t feeling completely won over, you decided that it was easier to just move on. Giving him a half-hearted smile, you nodded. “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.” 

“Great! It’s a beautiful day out, perfect for a picnic.” He did seem genuinely excited, which made the dark cloud surrounding your heart lift ever-so-slightly. 

You eyed his empty hands. “Did you already set it up? Is the food there waiting for us?” 

He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, about that.. I don’t have any money at the moment, so I wasn’t able to get any food on my way here. Got anything good?” Before you could even answer, he headed up the stairs, the floorboards creaking as he made his way into the kitchen. You sighed and followed him. 

When you walked in, he was already raiding the cupboards. You walked him next to him, and looked up suspiciously. 

“Your dad didn’t pay you for your help yesterday?” 

“Hm? What help?” He said absentmindedly, not even pausing his rummaging to look at you. 

You crossed your arms. “The work. Yesterday. Why you stood me up.” 

That seemed to set off a bell in his head, and he immediately froze for a moment before turning to you. “No, he didn’t pay me. Downside of being his son, I guess. Free labor is cheap labor!” 

You couldn’t help but feel like there was something he wasn’t telling you. But you didn’t have the energy to press for more information, so you reluctantly accepted his explanation. 

The feeling only persisted though as you walked through Castle Town, a basket of sandwiches (that you made) ready to go. You couldn’t help but notice that Elis kept glancing around, almost nervously, as if he were on the lookout for someone. At one point, he even insisted that you not stop at a fruit stall to pick up some enticing looking apples. When you expressed your annoyance, he had only given you a sheepish smile and said that he was “just so hungry!” 

He didn’t seem to relax until you reached the river, where he led you to a cozy spot right on the bank… that was conveniently hidden away from the rest of the world by a row of thick bushes and trees. 

“Okay, what’s the deal?” You asked, unable to hold it back any longer. He looked up from where he was sitting on the ground, busy grabbing a sandwich from the basket. 

“What do you mean?” 

You crossed your arms and huffed. “Are you ashamed to be seen with me or something? You refuse to let me stop, you keep looking over your shoulder every few seconds, and the only living creatures who can see us in this spot are the fish. Why are you acting like this?” You were so angry at yourself when your voice cracked on the last word, and your eyes began to fill with tears. 

Panicking, Elis jumped up and took your hands in his. “No, no, no. Honey pie. Absolutely not!” 

You glared at him through your tears, and he seemed flustered as he continued. “The truth is… my father and I had to make some tough decisions to deal with the problem yesterday, and in the process we made quite a few people angry. I’m just.. being careful.” 

Immediately, you stood up straight and your eyes widened. “Do you think people would try to hurt you?” 

He sighed and shrugged, shaking his head slowly. “Possibly, honey pie. But that’s the way that it is I guess. But don’t worry,” his face changed and he beamed down at you, “I would never let them stop me from spending time with you.” To emphasize his point, he poked you gently on the tip of your nose. 

Your anger and suspicion melted away into a feeling of guilt. You had been so quick to think the worst about him and what he had been doing. Sure, he stood you up but it sounded like he had a good reason and it wasn’t fair to hold that against him. 

You gave him a smile, a genuine one this time, and let him guide you down to the ground where the food was waiting. You pushed any negative feelings you were still having out of your head, and attempted to forgive and forget. 

The lunch went a lot better than you were expecting. Elis dropped all of the weird behavior, and you felt like he was actually going above and beyond to be affectionate and make you feel loved. The two of you spent a good chunk of the afternoon lounging by the calm river, telling stories and enjoying the feeling of the sun on your skin. 

Eventually, it was time to head back to town. As you approached the bridge leading to the entrance of Castle Town, you felt significantly more content and comfortable than you had on the way out. So much so, that you decided to reach out and grab Elis’ hand. He jumped, surprised at the contact, and pulled his hand away quickly. 

You tried not to look as hurt as you felt, and you immediately felt that suspicion flood back into your gut. He gave you a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry, honey pie. My hands are super sweaty right now.” 

You narrowed your eyes and opened your mouth to say something, but the sound of loud hoof beats drew your attention away. Looking over your shoulder at the entrance of the city, you watched as a small party of soldiers dressed in their armor rode atop powerful horses and out of Castle Town. 

What immediately caught your eye, however, was the flash of familiar blonde hair towards the front of the group. Even from a distance, piercing blue eyes seemed to immediately meet yours, and before you realized what you were doing, you were sprinting towards the commotion. He seemed to understand what you were doing and, after shouting something to the soldiers around him who nodded and kept riding, Link peeled away from the group and began making his way over to you. 

It only took a few moments for him to meet you, and you watched in awe as he gracefully slid off his horse in a fluid motion that made it look way too easy. You rushed up to him, but noticed that his eyes were not focused on you. Rather, they were staring hard at something behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Elis walking up, looking equally as unamused. 

You turned back to Link, and his eyes dragged away from the man behind you and back to your face. 

“What’s going on? Has something happened?” Lately it wasn’t often that Link was out running business that didn’t have to do with the Princess. He was in the Royal Guard after all, so his job was mostly confined to doing.. Royal Guard things. 

Link ran a hand through his hair, which he hadn’t bothered to tie up so it fell messy and windswept around his face. 

“Someone reported a group of monsters wandering around the north of Faron Province.” After seeing the look of fear that filled your face, he held out his hands in reassurance. “Not the ones like before. Just some Bokoblins.” 

That eased your anxiety, but not by much. “But still - monsters? It’s been awhile since anyone has seen any as far as I know. They mostly stay confined to the forest, right? Why are they appearing now?” 

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m joining the crew dispatched to take care of them. I want to do some investigating and see if anything unusual is going on, or if these ones just happened to stray too far from home.”

You felt Elis’ presence as he caught up to you and took a place by your side. “Is Hyrule’s favorite pretty boy off to save us once again?” His voice was anything but friendly. You whipped your head over to glare at him before turning back to your friend and giving him an apologetic look. Link chose to ignore the snide comment, but you could see the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenched his teeth together in what you could only assume was annoyance. 

“Anyways,” he was straining to keep his tone calm and neutral, “I recommend heading back to the city. Nothing has been reported in this area, but the guards are going to close the gates this evening just to be careful. Once I get back and can report my findings, we’ll go from there.” 

“Oh boy, whatever would we do without you, Sir Link?” The sarcasm was dripping from Elis’ voice. You whipped your head over again, completely thrown off by how he was acting. Why was he being so nasty? 

Link said nothing, but this time stared the other man down with a look that had faced monsters more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. You shuddered, thinking that Elis could not be comfortable being on the receiving end of such a glare. And you could tell you were at least partially correct, if the nervous shifting happening next to you was any indicator. 

He tore his glare away from Elis and glanced over his shoulder. “I need to head out.” The look he gave you when his gaze once again met yours was much softer. “Promise me you’ll head back home?” 

Your mind immediately flashed back to the night before. 

“Please just think about what I said.” 

“Promise?” 

His eyes were filled with the same intensity as they had been then, making your heart flutter. Thinking about the previous also brought back the memory of his hand gently brushing the back of your neck, and the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around you. 

You suddenly realized that Link was so concerned about your safety, but the safest place you’ve ever felt was with him. And he would be going right into the danger. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We promise.” Elis’ snarky voice brought you out of your thoughts. You didn’t even have time to reply to Link before he nodded firmly and turned around. 

Before he could take a step, you reached out and grabbed his wrist. He paused and looked over his shoulder at you. 

“Be safe, please?” 

It wasn’t supposed to be a question, but you were suddenly so filled with worry that your voice squeaked slightly and made it sound like one. 

You knew it was silly. He was the Hero of Hyrule for crying out loud. He had faced dangers a hundred times more powerful than a group of Bokoblins. But you couldn’t help the anxiety that was gnawing at your stomach as you thought about him rushing off to take care of them. 

A boyish grin lit up Link’s face and he almost laughed. “Of course. Always am.” 

But the worry didn’t disappear from your face. It was almost frustrating how concerned he had been for your safety, but when it came to his own, he was so nonchalant.

“Promise?” 

It was your turn to ask, and there seemed to be something powerful about that one word. Something unspoken between you and the hero before you. He seemed to feel it too, and his grin slowly faded. His expression softened, and his eyes widened. His lips parted slightly, and you could swear that his cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink - but that could have been just a trick of the light. 

“I promise.” His voice was soft, but reassuring. You could tell that he was being honest and that he took your concern seriously. 

“Good.” You gave his wrist a gentle squeeze, and then dropped it. He held your gaze silently for just a few moments longer, his expression unreadable, before he turned quickly and mounted his horse almost as fluidly as he had dismounted. 

He gave you one last soft smile, and nodded his head in goodbye. You waved as he clicked his tongue loudly, digging his heels into the horse. There was a loud snort and it reacted almost immediately, taking off in a slow trot that Link quickly escalated into a canter, and then a gallop. You watched as he rode off, and continued to watch until he became just a small speck in the distance. 

A scoff behind you got your attention. You turned around and faced a very unhappy looking Elis. 

“What the fuck was all that?” His tone was accusatory and rude. You immediately went on the defense. 

“What?” 

“You may as well have just stripped right here and offered yourself up to fuck him.”

Your jaw dropped, completely surprised. Anger boiled inside of you, and your face turned red with emotion. “Where do you find it?” 

“Find what?” He sounded fed up. 

“The audacity!” You threw your hands up in the air, unable to keep your voice calm. 

He rolled his eyes. “Oh please. Where do I find the audacity? You’re the one over here practically throwing yourself at another man while your boyfriend stands back and watches.” 

“He is my friend and I care about him. Excuse me for being a decent person?” 

He put his hands up to his face and widened his eyes in a dramatic display of worry. When he spoke, his voice was high pitched and fake. He was obviously mocking you. “Oh Link, promise me you’ll be safe! Then when you get back please come find me and I can spend the night riding your co-”

You refused to listen any longer. You turned and started walking as fast as you could towards the Castle Town entrance. You needed to get away from Elis before you said something you would regret. Though you didn’t think there were a lot of things you would regret saying right now. 

“Where are you going?” He shouted after you. You just ignored him and kept going, trying to put as much distance between the two of you as possible. 

“Whatever. Have fun whoring around!” 

That did it. You spun around, shaking from the anger. His temper was nothing new to you, and he never worked to hide his dislike of Link. But this was too much. He had never resorted to such filthy name-calling before. 

“Why are you like this? I do nothing wrong and in turn all I get is being treated like dirt!” 

His laugh was short and cruel. “Treat you like dirt? Yeah, okay. We both know I’m the best someone like you is ever going to get.” 

It was something that you had thought to yourself plenty of times, but hearing him say it out loud - and hearing him use it as something to hold over your head - really cut deep. You had no control over the sudden sob that wracked your body, the tears following suit. With nothing else left to say, you turned back around and ran the rest of the way to Castle Town. 

Elis did not call out or follow you. 

You spent the rest of the day cocooned in your bed, the curtains pulled shut and the blanket wrapped tight around you. You cried until you felt like there was no way you could possibly produce any more tears, and then you cried some more. 

You couldn’t understand why Elis had to be so nasty to you. There was nothing wrong with showing concern for your close friend that was going to be riding right into danger for the first time in who knows how long. Yes he was a hero, but it had been a moment since he had to do any real fighting. What if he had gotten rusty? 

You would feel the same way if Elis was the one going to fight monsters. Right? Wouldn’t you? 

It was even more frustrating that his behavior had gotten so bad after what had been objectively a pretty good day. Considering the fact that he was supposed to be making up for standing you up the night before. 

It just felt like that, with Elis, it was always one step forward, and two steps back. For every good day you had with him, there were two bad ones where his attitude ruined it. You would say something wrong without even realizing it, and next thing you knew you would be getting lectured about how inconsiderate you are. 

Is this how it was supposed to be? Is this what love was supposed to be like? 

Deep down, you knew that it was not. You knew that love did not look like not following through on your promises. Not following through on your commitments. Not taking the time to talk through your emotions instead of just blowing up. Not caring about the way your actions made them feel. 

No, that wasn’t love. Maybe, you realized with a pang of sadness, that you had no idea what love was supposed to feel like after all. 

But if you had to guess, you would think that love is much different. That it was bringing them food after they’ve had a long day. Making sure they’re taking care of themselves instead of running themselves down taking care of others. Cheering them up when they’re feeling sad. Making them laugh effortlessly. Genuinely worrying about their happiness and doing whatever it takes to make them feel it. 

But Elis was right. He was the best you could hope to get. You knew it was true, but it still hurt to accept. Did Elis love you? Would he ever love you? 

All the while, Link’s words from the previous night kept floating around the back of your head like a persistent mosquito that kept coming back no matter how many times you swatted it away. 

“You need to realize that you are also deserving. To accept anything less would just be cheating yourself. 

You shook your head. “You’re wrong,” you whispered out loud to yourself. “I’m not deserving.” 

There was a sudden pounding on your door, and you nearly levitated off of the bed with fright. The pounding was loud and persistent. You nearly got up to go answer the door, but then remembered the monsters that Link was currently out fighting. Were there more? Was it them pounding on the door? Monsters didn’t typically knock before entering but hey - there was a first for everything. 

But soon, a voice accompanied the thuds. The fear was immediately replaced by annoyance. 

“Please, I’m sorry!” 

You got out of bed and walked carefully to the edge of the stairs. You knew that there was no way he’d be able to hear the creaking of the floorboards, but you wanted to stay silent regardless. 

“Honey pie, I didn’t mean what I said. I was just angry! You know how I get when you make me angry, I can’t help it! Please, let me in. Can we talk?” 

Despite your anger, you felt conflicted. Part of you wanted to scream at him to leave you alone, and the other part wanted to open the door. Because surely he had a good explanation for his behavior. 

But before you could make your decision, he made it for you. 

“Alright. Whatever. I don’t give a fuck.” 

And then silence. 

Your heart beating quickly, you crept downstairs, careful to stay in the shadows in case anyone was looking through the window. You pressed your ear up to the door but were met with silence. He was gone. 

Letting out a shaky sigh, you pressed your back up to the door and slid down, resting your head against the hard wood. 

Why was this all happening? It felt like everything in your life was just constantly fighting you. Happiness seemed to be just outside your reach, taunting you but never making its way into your waiting hands. 

You sat there for so long your butt became numb. But you couldn’t find the energy to get up and move back upstairs. So the floor it was. 

But despite the emotional exhaustion you felt, your mind still raced a million miles a minute. Some of it was about your relationship and the behavior of Elis, but as the night continued and you heard the loud bell from the clocktower signaling the shutting of the city gates for the night (something that hadn’t happened since Link had gotten rid of most of the monsters and pushed the rest back into the woods), you found yourself becoming increasingly worried for your friend outside. 

Faron Province wasn’t too far of a ride from Castle Town, so if all went well, Link and his team had no reason to be gone for too long. And you weren’t sure how you would know when he returned, but the stress of not knowing was starting to eat you up. You finally stood up and began to pace the shop, the worst scenarios running through your head. 

Another hour ticked by, and you felt so overwhelmed that you knew you needed to leave. A walk would help clear your head, so you decided to pay Telma a visit. Surely her bar was nice and crowded right now, with the residents of Castle Town being cooped up in the city for the night. 

The cool night air was a welcome feeling on your heated face. It seemed to help your mind slow down and clear up, and you no longer felt like you were going to crawl out of your own skin with anxiety and worry. 

You were halfway to Telma’s when you heard something that instantly made you freeze. 

“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” 

You knew that voice. That was Elis’ voice. 

It was coming from around the corner, down a small alleyway, where the speaker was hidden from view. You used this to your advantage and crept up as close as you could without revealing yourself to listen. 

“You promised you were going to take me out today.” A girl’s voice whined. One that you didn’t recognize.

“I know, I know. Something came up today with my father’s work this morning and I had to help him out.” 

You swore that your heart actually stopped in your chest. That sounded way too familiar. 

”But I missed you.” 

“I missed you too. But I’m here now.” 

Your mind began swimming, the blood rushing in your ears loudly as you realized what was going - he was cheating on you. 

That fucker. That absolute ass. 

“You know I love you baby.” 

“Yeah, I know..” 

“Let me make it up to you somehow.” 

There was a soft giggle, followed by soft smacking noises that sounded too similar to lips pressing up against each other. You waited until you heard the first soft moan before you couldn’t take it anymore and walked out from your hiding spot. 

His back was turned to you, not that he would have seen you anyways with his face buried in her neck. The girl’s head was thrown back, her eyes closed but pleasure written all over her face. He had her pushed up against the wall, and one of her legs was hoisted up around his waist. Her hands gripped his hair tightly, holding him in place as he kissed up and down her neck. 

The sight made you feel nauseous and part of you worried that you were going to throw up right there. But you held strong, and managed to stand tall. 

You cleared your throat, and the girl’s eyes opened. Right away her eyes widened and she immediately pushed an unaware Elis off of her as quickly as she could. 

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why-” He followed her point in your direction, and spun around. His eyes met yours, and it was almost funny how you could see the color absolutely drain from his face. 

You ignored him though, and looked at the girl. “Just so you know, he was with me today. We were at the river having a romantic picnic on the shore. It’s funny though,” and you tapped your chin for dramatic effect, looking back at Elis, “you told me today that the reason you stood me up last night was because something came up with your father and you had to help him out.. Geez, he really does seem to be having a lot of problems lately, doesn’t he?” 

The girl’s mouth opened slightly, a look of anger flashing on her face. Whether it was geared towards you or Elis, you weren’t sure. But you quickly learned as she took a step towards you and put her hands on her hips. 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Her voice was snarky and rude, and she sounded anything but sorry. You tried to remind yourself that maybe she had no idea that he was in a relationship, so of course a random girl trying to cause a scene could look bad. 

“I’m his girlfriend. We’ve been dating for almost a year now.” As you said that, reality seemed to smack her in the face. Her hands dropped from her hips, and she looked almost lost as she turned back to Elis, who was standing there frozen, like he had no idea how to handle the situation unfolding before him. 

“Let me take a wild guess - last night you were with her, not your father.” 

He didn’t answer, because the girl answered for him. “Yeah.. he was with me all day yesterday.” 

Hearing it - the truth - stung. It probably hurt worse than watching him kiss her. You weren’t sure what to say, and tears began to well up in your eyes as you nodded your head slowly. 

“Look, I can explain.” Elis took a step towards you, his arm out. You stepped back quickly, a look of disgust on your face. 

“I don’t want to hear it,” you scoffed. “You’ve yelled at me so many times, accused me of cheating so many times. You called me a whore just today! And this whole time I have been nothing but faithful to you. I should have known you were just projecting your own shitty behavior onto me.” 

He shook his head, his eyes looking pleading and desperate. “I’m sorry, honey pie. I swear I never meant for anything to happen. It just hurt me so bad to see how much you care about that stupid hero.” 

“Link? Don’t bring him into this! He has absolutely nothing to do with this.” 

Elis’ panicked look dropped then, turning into a cool, almost cruel, look. You were almost taken aback at how quickly his expression changed. “Really? Nothing to do with this? He’s the whole reason any of this happened in the first place. This is his fault, and yours.” 

You couldn’t believe it. He was cheating, and trying to blame you for it? “I.. what?”

“I knew it was only a matter of time until he finally managed to convince you to sleep with him. He walks around, toting himself as some big, mighty hero, used to getting whatever it is that he asks for.” 

A new wave of anger washed over you, now feeling incredibly protective of your friend. “You know nothing about him,” you sneered. Elis rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. He’s a guy. And he’s a guy with fame and fortune. We’re all the same.”

You shook your head. “You know what? I think you’re just jealous. Link is kind and considerate, and I think you’re scared that once I realize I deserve to be treated better than the way you treat me, I’ll walk away.” 

He almost seemed to flinch, and you knew your words likely hit home. The panic appeared on his face once more. 

“Just choose me.” 

“What?” 

He took a step forward. “Choose me. Promise me that you’ll stop talking to Link, and I swear that I’ll be better.” 

“Promise?”

You realized something then, as Elis looked at you with begging eyes.

 When Link asked you that question, he was asking in your best interest. When Elis asked, he was asking in his. 

The pathetic thing is, a small part of your brain was willing to go along with what he was saying. To cut off Link and continue the relationship that would probably only continue to cause you pain. Painful, yes, but at least you knew what to expect. And that was partly better than the fear of the unknown. 

But the promise you had made to Link the night before echoed loudly in your brain. You had promised him that you would consider what he had told you. That you deserved better. 

And you decided that you weren’t going to break any promises to the one person who actually cared about you. 

You crossed your arms, your face becoming hard. “Asking me to pick between you and Link is like asking me to choose if I’d rather go for a stroll through Hyrule Field or throw myself into the fiery pits of Death Mountain. I’m going to choose what’s best for me. Every single time.” 

You finally turned back to the girl, who was standing silently, watching the scene unfold before her with wide eyes. “He’s all yours. Have fun.” 

And with that, you turned and walked out of the alley. 

You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing you hurt this time, so you forced yourself to walk calmly and slowly through the town, even if your head and heart were anything but. You weren’t sure if you wanted to throw up, cry, breath something, or scream until you lost your voice. The feelings were overwhelming, and your brain could hardly begin processing everything that had happened. 

You felt yourself reaching the tipping point just as you turned the corner to the street where your shop stood. But you had no time to celebrate finally being able to release your emotions, because you immediately noticed a small crowd that had gathered at your door. 

In the dark, it was hard to make out exactly who was standing there, huddled up together in front of the shop. But then, someone turned and saw you, and they rushed out of the shadow of the store and into the moonlight. It was Telma. 

Her face was filled with worry, but upon meeting your eyes, you could see some relief come flooding back into it. “Oh thank Goddesses, you’re here.”

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Telma? What’s going on? Who are all of these people?” 

Behind Telma, a tall, widely-built figure also stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Your heart dropped as you noticed that he was carrying something large in his arms - a limp body. A limp body with a mop of messy blonde hair glowing softly even in the dark. 

Telma looked back at the man, then back at you, the worry filling her eyes once more. 

“It’s Link. He’s been hurt.” 

[believingispowerfulmagic]

One Night Stand

Summary:  When Regina is dared to kiss the cute blond man she has been eyeing all night, she gets a lot more than ever thought.

Chapter 1: AO3

Chapter 3: The Second Encounter

AO3

Excerpt:

"Good morning, Regina." Tink, her assistant, greeted her as Regina approached her office. "Have a good weekend?"

"Yes," Regina replied, grinning. "I had a very good weekend."

Tink raised an eyebrow. "Care to tell me about it?"

"Maybe later," Regina said, unlocking her office. "We have a field trip coming in soon and I don't want little ears to hear about it."

"Oh, you really have to tell me," Tink said, looking intrigued. "What happened that you don't want little ears to hear?"

Regina just winked in response before entering her office. As she placed her bag down on her desk, Tink called out: "You're evil, Regina Mills!"

"It's only a few hours," Regina told her. "You'll live."

She then sat down and started her computer, leaning back in her chair. "Have we heard from Mal?"

"No," Tink said. "But you know her. She'll show up five minutes before the kids arrive and absolutely dazzle them."

"I hope," Regina replied. Mal was her best instructor and had a special way of keeping students entertained. The only downside was that she sometimes didn't show up until the last minute, leaving Regina to panic for hours.

Her computer finished booting and she opened her email. She saw one from Mal and her stomach sank as she opened it. Cursing under her breath, she stood and moved toward the door. "Mal's not coming," she told Tink.

"What?" Her assistant twirled in her chair, facing her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"She sent an email saying she needs to help her daughter with an emergency so she's going to be out of town," Regina replied, her heart speeding up. "Who can we call up last minute?"

Tink turned back to her desk. "Let me see if I can get someone."

"Thank you," Regina said, hoping someone would come in. "Let me know when you get someone."

She returned to her office, sitting at her desk as she continued checking her emails. Regina then pulled up the grant proposal she had been working on for the past week. If she managed to get it, they could complete much needed renovations to the museum and modernize their exhibits. Hopefully that would entice more people to visit so they wouldn't have to survive on just school and camp trips.

Knocking interrupted her and she looked up. Tink stood there and her dour expression made Regina's stomach sink. "Nobody is available, are they?" she asked.

"No," Tink replied. "They're all busy. Sorry."

"Great," Regina groaned. "Now what am I going to do?"

Tink hesitated before saying: "You could give the tour."

Regina wondered if she had misheard her assistant. "Me? I normally don't do tours or demonstrations. I'm more administrative."

"Yeah, but you can do them," Tink insisted. "I've seen you, Regina. You love all of this and I have no doubt you'll excel at both. You just have to give yourself a chance."

Glancing at the clock, her heart sank. It was too late to cancel with the school as the buses were about to arrive. She had no choice except to do the tour and pray she didn't ruin it. Nodding, Regina stood. "Alright. Let me go change into a lab coat."

"You know where they are," Tink said, grinning. "I'll go make sure everything is set up for you."

Regina nodded, taking a deep breath as she remained at her desk. "You can do this," she told herself. "You're just as qualified as any docent."

She stepped away from her desk and walked toward the closet where they kept the lab gear. Regina found a coat that fit her and located some safety goggles. After locating the gloves, she closed the closet door and started to walk toward the front of the museum. Through the door, she saw the first yellow school bus pull up, filled with children who were eager to enjoy their field trip.

It was showtime.

[artemis-fowl-incident-report]

Here is my contribution for Fowl Fest day 2 (should I make this a full story?)

Diary of André Price, 16 years old, Portland Oregon (aka the Baby from the wrestling match in the Atlantis Complex)

Dear Diary

Okay, brain very loud right now, need to vent.

Kind of a lot happened today. New guy finally arrived, you know the one everyone was convinced must be some juvie reject because he was being transferred in from out of state. Turns out no, his dads in the military, and new guy’s been dealing with long covid. His names Jayden, he’s really cute. I give him an 8, no 9, no… 9.5/10 (still not quite up there with Jacob, but got just a little more rizz than Liam).

Not the point, moving on.

When we were let out to lunch, Em was waiting for me outside class (she never does this, since it’s embarrassing enough to be my sister, let alone people seeing us together, but I digress) said she had to talk to me. Something weird happened this morning when she was getting on the bus (I drove in today, so I missed this). She spotted all these guys in big SUV’s scoping around the woods near the river. They apparently didn’t look like the normal military we get around here, and they had these devices in like a backpack thing and were scanning around the area. She looked really freaked out, because apparently they were scanning the area where I usually go to practice.

Em is the only person who knows about my powers. Thank God it wasn’t Sophie. That 10 year old little weasel would have ratted me out to Mom faster then I could have bribed her. Downside, Em has been treating me like her own personal science experiment ever since (perks of having the local town mathlete/spelling bee/science fair champion around, while you are but a smooth brained gay little lizard) but I guess it’s not all that bad. I know way more about my powers now then I did at the start of the year. I’ve gone from lighting little fires when I look at twigs hard enough to being able to jumpstart my car with electricity.

But maybe that’s not such a good thing.

After school Em and I drove out to investigate. We decided not to get too close, giving ourselves an excuse to be there by picking up Mr Hernández’s dog Chika (still the most adorable Pitbull I’ve ever seen, and a total wimp) and taking her for a walk since he’s still recovering from surgery.

Em was right, a whole swarm of men in black vans with the word A.C.R.O.N.Y.M, stitched onto their uniforms (none of them were even slightly attractive! Total let down). But they were scanning around the old well, exactly where I’ve been practicing for months. That must mean they’re looking for me.

We must have made a noise or something, because one of the men pointed and shouted in our direction. We ran, they ran after us, but they didn’t catch us. I think someone on the team, someone who likes to believe they have sense, must have told them to let us go. After all, we were just kids being curious (shows what they know).

Instead of going home, Em suggested we pick up Dairy Queen and hang out for a few hours. She said it was to throw off suspicion in case these A.C.R.O.N.Y.M guys decided to keep an eye on us. I think she just wanted to get me to pay for Dairy Queen, since I’m not reckless with my money like she is. We got Chika a puppuccino from Starbucks (such a spoiled puppy, but she deserved it after our fright in the woods). While we were there, we saw flyers being put up for a wrestling event that’s coming to town next week. Apparently the Jade princess is gonna be there (you’d think our family’s collective obsession with wrestling would have died down somewhat since that accident when I was a baby. Nope.) so we'll probably all being going.

We were just about to head home when I saw something else weird. Four people parked up outside the general store arguing. There was this tall, bald muscle guy (a 10/10), a tall blonde who looked like tall guys sister (Em informed me she was a 10/10. She was totally having a case of lesbian-itus), this small child in an oversized hoodie (Very loud, could hear them over the entire parking lot), and a dark haired guy in a suit (a 100/10, are you kidding me??? Edward Cullen wishes he looked like this dude!!!). I only took notice of them because I heard the kid in the hoodie shouting something about “magic” and “human babies”. I mean… that’s me! I was a human baby (Shocking I know) and I do have powers (maybe magic???). It felt like too much of a coincidence for both the A.C.R.O.N.Y.M guys, and the hottie bunch (+small child) to all be here on the same day.

All this, and I still have algebra homework to do.

Update.

Hot vampire guy is downstairs with muscle man and blonde lady. They’re asking for me!