#they didn't want to disclose so it was just like. AT SEA.

[lighthouseborn]

actually I don't know if I've said this on the blog before: modern verses Henry has a tricky thing going on with his travel sometimes because he was born on international waters and also may or may not have an official birth certificate i actually. i haven't done enough digging to decide one way or the other yet, but. the whole thing was very non-standard and sometimes causes problems, is what i do know.

[megalony]

My Squad

This is a dad! Evan Buckley imagine I am thinking of turning into a series if anyone would be interested in reading it. Any feedback or ideas are always lovely.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@butlegendsneverdie@langdonzvoid@jennyggggrrr@rogmeddows@radiob-l-a-hblah@rogertaylorsbitontheside@chlobo6@rogertaylors-lipgloss@sj-thefanthefan@omgitsearly@luckytrashgooprebel@scarsout@deaky-with-a-c@killer-queen-ofrhye@bluutac@vousmemanqueez-blog@jonesyaddiction@milanosaurus@httpfandxms@saint-hardy@7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls@mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me  @hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@noonenuts@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway

911 Masterlist

Summary: Evan hasn't been with the team long and has kept his family a secret, but now he is ready for the team to meet his daughters. All of them.

Enjoy.

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

Evan loved his job.

Out of all the other odd jobs, random placements and painful experiences he had worked at throughout the years, being a fireman was his calling. It was the one job he felt so at home and eager to do and proud of. And it was the first time he had felt like his colleagues were his family.

But despite feeling like the team were his family, Evan made a quick decision not to tell them about the family he had waiting for him at home when he clocked out each shift.

There were different reasons he didn't tell the team. They all knew he was married, that was something Evan had to disclose in his interview since (Y/n) was his emergency contact so if something happened, she would be able to find him at the hospital if a situation ever arose. But he didn't tell them the rest.

Hen thought of him as a playboy, she'd made that clear from the start and maybe that was just due to the impression Evan gave off. He looked carefree and he was daring and hot headed and passionate when he did his job, his attitude was loving but not exactly the image of a family man. So Hen didn't think Evan was 'dad material' and he didn't take it to heart, he knew looks could be deceiving.

Chimney seemed to think Evan was putting up a front, he was always commenting on how if Evan had a wife waiting at home- he had never met (Y/n) so was slightly sceptical if Evan actually was married or not- he could be so daring in the job. He was first to climb the ladder or run into a burning building.

He didn't understand that it was in Evan's nature to be quick thinking and push forward and do whatever he could to help and think of the consequences afterwards. And at the front of Evan's mind was always his family, he didn't rush into things without considering them. Chimney didn't know this, he didn't see it.

For Bobby, Evan got the impression his captain thought he was young and quite like a puppy, still finding his way in life and working out what he was doing. Bobby thought of Evan as his kid, he thought of him as younger than he really was.

And Eddie, he was still the newbie to the team. He was working them all out and getting into their way of things and getting to know them. Evan didn't give the same 'dad vibes' as Eddie.

No one knew about his children.

He did hint, once or twice, about who he was going home to and what he had hidden behind closed doors. But Evan didn't want to rush into things when this was the best job he'd had and the best people to work with. Evan wasn't good with change and if they knew about his family, dynamics would change. He hadn't brought his family or even (Y/n) to the Christmas party last year.

It had been the first event Evan had been to since he joined the team and he was too anxious about telling them he had a family to actually break the news and bring them along. His family was his everything and he liked having a little secret at home to come back to.

He was ready now.

He was ready for the team to meet his family because he was tired of being questioned if his wife was real or just imaginary. He was tired or the team calling him a daredevil with no conscience and no rationality or consequences. If this was going to be his team and his family for the foreseeable future, he could let them into his world and let them see what he was always fighting for.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

Evan tilted his head down to the right when (Y/n)'s voice, laced with sleep, broke him out of his thoughts and changed the quiet atmosphere surrounding them. It dawned on him then that while he'd been laid on his back with his left arm behind his head, his fingers had been tapping on the headboard.

It was an old habit he couldn't break when he was deep in thought or anxious about something. It had been so automatic that he didn't even hear or feel his knuckles rapping on the wood until now.

"Sorry, just thinking," He tightened his right arm around (Y/n)'s waist, smiling to himself when he felt her move against him. Her arm crept higher over his chest until her hand was curled around his tense shoulder and her upper chest was laid over his. She nuzzled her face against his other shoulder she was laid on and pressed a butterfly kiss against his collar bone that made him shiver.

"About what?" (Y/n) feathered her fingers over his shoulder as she breathed in his scent.

She could feel his heartbeat beneath her ear and the way it pulsed through her skin like a steady drum, trying to coax her back into slumber again. Whenever Evan did a night shift, (Y/n) couldn't sleep. She was too used to laying on top of him and hearing his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

"Introducing you and the girls to the team."

"Is that what you want?" (Y/n) could feel herself waking up a little when it registered what he had said. She knew how important his family and his work family were to Evan and how he wanted them separate for the time being. But if he was ready to introduce them all, (Y/n) wasn't going to say no.

It would be lovely to put faces to the names of the people he had been telling her about. The people that kept her husband safe for her while he was at work. The people who he risked his life for and who, in turn, risked their lives for him.

"Yeah, I want them to meet you all." He reeled her into his side and pressed a sloppy kiss to her temple, unable to stop from smiling against her skin.

Maybe it was time to introduce them.

***

"Stay close girls, I don't want you wandering round here." (Y/n) eyed two of her girls closely and tilted her head at them so they knew she was being serious. The last thing she wanted was to lose the girls at the station and then an alarm go off and chaos ensued.

They had to stay close and within her sights so no trouble was caused, this was the first time the girls would see their dad at work.

It wasn't supposed to be today, but plans had changed.

"I want daddy," Ella bit her thumb, her big blue eyes doing a wide sweep of the station that looked as big as her whole school, playground included. She couldn't see her dad anywhere and she had been crying for him for the last hour. The little girl was getting restless.

"We're gonna find him now." Reaching down, (Y/n) brushed Ella's hair behind her ear before she juggled Cora a little higher on her hip. She didn't have time to struggle getting the pushchair into the car when she had to go and pick the girls up from school and now she was regretting it. She had to carry Cora around with her, lest she wanted to set her down on the floor and watch her crawl around the station and drool everywhere.

"Hi, can I help you?" Chimney stuffed his hands into his pockets, smiling brightly at the four girls he saw walking past the truck, clearly lost in the station.

"Hi… is Evan around? Is it okay if we see him?" (Y/n) smiled nervously and did another double take of the station. She could hear voices coming from the loft upstairs but she couldn't see who was up there.

"Sure, he's just upstairs… you must be Maddie, I'm Howie, but everyone calls me Chimney."

(Y/n) felt her smile melt into a more comfortable one as she walked over to him, making sure Angel and Ella were right behind her as Chimney guided them over towards the stairs. Evan had told the team he had a big sister then, at least he had opened up to them a little. (Y/n) knew he told them he was married, it was the girls he hadn't said anything about.

He didn't mention he had three of them.

"Hey Chim… do we have guests for dinner?" Bobby moved the large dish of pasta into the centre of the table before he pulled back and placed his hands on his hips. His smile was warm and inviting as he looked over the troop of girls who were stood beside chimney.

No one mentioned having family or guests popping by the station today, not that it really mattered. Anyone was welcome as long as it wasn't an inspection day or the bell didn't go off unannounced and ruin things. The station was warm and friendly, they wanted family to feel safe and comfortable coming here and being around the team.

"I think we do, this is-"

"(Y/n)?" Evan almost dropped the bottle of water he just got out the fridge when he turned around and clocked his gaze on his wife.

What was she doing here? Why did she have the girls with her? They should be at school right now.

"Surprise," She bounced Cora on her hip who gurgled, content at pulling the necklace tight in her fist and try to shove it into her mouth.

"Wait, (Y/n)?" Chimney pulled his hands from his pockets and turned at an angle to look at the woman stood beside him. She didn't correct him when he assumed she was Buck's sister Maddie. She didn't say her name or even say anything. This couldn't be the girl Buck was always telling them about, the girl Chimney had been very sure didn't actually exist. She was as beautiful as Buck always boasted.

"Daddy!" Ella could of cried when her blurry eyes finally set on the one person she had been crying out for during the past hour or so.

She pulled away from her big sister and bolted past the large table, bypassed Bobby who seemed to be in her way and made a beeline towards Evan, almost knocking him down with her force. She barelled into his arms, narrowly missing his legs when he lifted her up so she didn't rugby-tackle him down into the fridge behind him.

He lifted her up and swung her round in the air, a bright smile painting his face as he lowered her back down and snuggled her into his chest. His arms pinned her against his chest and he smothered her temple with kisses to feel her squirm and wriggle against him.

"Hi baby! Why aren't you at school?" Evan's voice was a notch higher than normal and full of surprise as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head and shimmied side to side with his middle girl.

"Hi daddy,"

"Hi sweetie," Evan cooed back and raised his free hand to his temple before he slowly stretched his arm out in the sign for hello.

He grinned broadly when Angel trotted over and wrapped her arms around his legs, burrowing into him to get some of his attention since she was here too. She was the eldest, after all, she was the one who Evan always called his 'little angel' and not just because it was her name. She was his first born, then Ella was his middle girl who was his little double, and Cora was his youngest baby.

"Buck, care to introduce us?" Bobby clamped one hand down on his hip and reached the other out to lean against the kitchen counter.

He rose his brows and quirked a smile as Chimney stood flabbergasted, Hen sat at the table with an open mouth and shock written on her face.

And Eddie did well to hide his surprise as he made a beeline for (Y/n) and the toddler in her arms.

"Guys, this is (Y/n)," Evan pointed over to his wife who he slowly shuffled towards with Angel still clinging to his legs. "This is my eldest, Angel, then there's Ella here," He bounced her on his hip but she hid her face in his neck, too shy to look around. "And the youngest there is Cora; meet my squad."

All of them could see Evan had a proud smile, bright shining eyes and a deep chuckle hiding in his chest. These were his girls, his squad of ladies and he was proud and cherished each of them. He had his wife and three special girls to show off and now the team could see that he wasn't the reckless person they all thought he was. He was a proud dad to three girls.

"Girls, this is my captain Bobby… that's Hen, Chimney you've seen, and this is my pal Eddie."

"You didn't mention anything about this. Where have you been hiding them?" Hen spoke around her cup of coffee but she was too shocked to take another sip.

Buck; their nutter Buck was a dad. He had three children hidden away that they had no idea about.

"You don't waste much time, do you Buck?" Eddie smirked, letting his eyes drift between his friend and (Y/n) until the rest of the team looked over and it clicked in.

She was pregnant.

"I told you, this is my squad."

(Y/n) rolled her eyes but her smile gave away the slight blush and embarrassment she felt. This was exactly what they both had been expecting when the team realised that Evan wasn't even thirty yet and he already had three children, soon to become four.

Her gaze turned back to Eddie who was tickling Cora and she happily handed her toddler over when he muttered a kind 'may I?'. He moved to sit down at the table with Cora on his lap, bouncing her up and down and entertaining her like a champion.

"Now why aren't you at school?" Evan looked back down at Ella and gently brushed his thumb against her cheek to try and get her to talk to him but she stayed quiet and instead buried her face more into his neck to hide herself away.

Looking down at his eldest girl, Evan adjusted Ella a bit higher in his arms so he could raise his hands out in front of him with Ella in the crook of his elbow. He raised his left palm up and pressed his right palm down like he was making a funny clap, doing the sign language for school while he simultaneously whispered 'no school' at her. He was the one who had dropped them both off at school this morning and he knew they shouldn't have left early today which begged the question, why were they here now at lunch time?

The seven-year-old looked up at him with her doe eyes and then looked across at her mum instead.

"They gave out cookies at school but no one mentioned they had milk in them."

"Lactose intolerant?" Hen muttered quietly but she pursed her lips and realised she had to be wrong when she saw Evan's reaction. He quickly pulled Ella back and cupped her face in his palm to look down at her and examine her like he'd been told she had been shot. His fingertips skimmed across her face before going to examine her neck which made the little girl pull back with a whine.

He could see it now. He could see the dried tears staining her cheeks and the redness all around her eyes and the blotches across her cheeks and down her neck.

"Ella's allergic to milk," (Y/n) tried to smile but it was hard after the argument she'd just had with the school.

There was a laminated piece of paper in Ella's school bag that listed off her allergies and it was on her record and written down in reception and the classroom cupboard. No one could miss it or forget or not realise she had allergies. At home there was a big sticker that said 'Allergies: MILK' in bright brick red letters at the top so if anyone came round, they knew what they couldn't give to one of the girls. Then below that it listed her other allergies such as honey, lavender and plasters.

They had a section in the cupboard filled with all the biscuits and snacks Ella would eat which didn't contain milk.

Lavender brought Ella out in bright red splotches that itched and burned like she had been touched by a red hot poker. Plasters were less dramatic, they were irritating to her skin and slowly started to feel like they burned. Honey was hit and miss, it either made her chest burn and her skin blotch or she had a worse reaction and couldn't breathe.

But milk was the main allergy, anytime Ella had milk she went into anaphalactic shock. Her throat would swell and close up, her chest would ache and burn and she had to have one if not two shots of adrenaline from her EpiPen to stop the reaction.

When Ella was a baby, her allergy was less serious, they had to buy special baby powder that she could take. But as soon as she was a toddler and they tried any other form of milk, they had to take a drive down to A&E or call an ambulance.

"Did they use your EpiPen?" Evan spoke quietly, his brows still furrowed and his lips still held in a deep frown as he looked down at his daughter. He started to relax a little when Ella leaned into the palm of his hand and nuzzled her nose against his wrist making him feel more at ease but he still frowned when she nodded. She looked as if she was about to cry again but when she curled her arms around Evan's neck and he kissed her cheek, she seemed to calm down a bit more.

"I didn't know daddy, I only had one bite,"

"It's not your fault baby," He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tightened his arms round her when she leaned her cheek on his shoulder.

The school had a list of Ella's allergies and they had two EpiPens, one in the classroom and one in the reception as a back up. She took her own pack up to school so there was no risk of anything being contaminated with milk but they should double check before they give her anything. (Y/n) had told them under no circumstances to give Ella anything that wasn't in a packet, especially cake when children brought in their birthday cake that didn't have a list of ingredients. It wasn't worth the risk when Ella had such a high allergy.

At least she was okay this time, Evan had been called before from the school saying she had two EpiPens administered and they called an ambulance as protocol.

(Y/n) got the phone call but they had been quick giving Ella her dose of adrenaline and she calmed down, started to breathe and talk just fine and when (Y/n) rushed down and checked her over, there was no need for an ambulance. But Ella was in a state and she didn't want to stay and to make things easier, she had collected Angel early as well so she didn't have to go back in a few hours and pick her up later.

The plan had been to take the girls home but Ella had cried as soon as she got in the car, demanding to see her dad. It was routine after any allergic reaction that Ella saw Evan and got comforted by him and today was no different, she wasn't going home without seeing her daddy.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Is that okay?" (Y/n) looked between Bobby and Evan, double checking that it would be okay for the girls to stay, none of them had had anything to eat yet other than a partial cookie that caused today's chaos.

"Of course! We have to get to know you all now anyway," Hen waved for them all to sit down around the table. It was the routine to eat dinner together as a family and now, finally, they could meet Buck's family and get to know them. They were going to be part of the 118 either way so they should stay.

Evan leaned over Eddie so he could give Cora a quick kiss, he hadn't seen his one year old yet who Eddie gently handed back to (Y/n). And Evan kissed (Y/n)'s temple before he moved and took a seat next to (Y/n) with Ella on his lap since she was attached to him at the moment. Angel moved to sit between Evan and Chimney while Bobby sat at the other end of the table.

A fondness washed over Bobby when he looked at Evan suddenly interacting with Angel.

He held his hands out in front of him and curled all fingers but his pinkies into his palm and made a circular motion with his hands before pulling his arms back at his sides like repelling magnets.

"Pasta for lunch sweetie," He spoke slow and clear and repeated the sign for pasta until Angel nodded and grinned. It was one of her favourites.

"What's the sign for hello?" Chimney looked over Angel at Evan who was sat on her other side but his eyes widened when Angel looked up at him and placed her hand to her head and did a salute. Hello was an easy sign, a simple gesture that many mistook for an army salute.

"She can read your lips if you speak clear, sign is just easier for her, we're working on pronouncing," Evan kissed her temple when she leaned into his arm, looking up at him with adoration in her eyes as she watched him explain.

Angel could speak but her pronouncing was a little bad at the moment, she could barely hear anyone or hear herself speak and it made her self conscious. Sign language was easier and calming for her because no one could make fun of how she said things and she could sign much faster than she could lip read or speak.

"Oh, right."

"Daddy…" Ella looked up at him with bashful eyes when he plated up Angel and himself a bowl of pasta, knowing Ella would share with him.

"No milk baby, I saw Bobby make it. You'll be fine." He winked down at her and took a mouthful before he stabbed another forkful and held it down towards her. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head to keep her calm and when she took a cautious bite, she grinned.

Evan went to take another mouthful but his jaw dropped and he gasped when Ella reached both her small hands up and grabbed his wrist to pull the fork down to her instead. She giggled when Evan tipped his head back and groaned but everyone else started to laugh.

"My daughters like your cooking, Cap." Evan gave up and handed Ella the fork so she could eat first, he knew he wasn't going to get very much now until she was finished. And he leaned over to the left and kissed Angel's forehead, rubbing his free hand up and down her back.

"I'm glad to hear it, that means they can all come by more often."

[itneverendshere]

guilty conscience (+18)

chapter v

pairing: rafe cameron x female!reader

summary: when ward cameron, a renowned business man and millionaire specifically requested your services through an escort agency, you assumed it would be just another job—brief and straightforward. however, your entire world shifted when ward disclosed his true intentions and rafe cameron stumbled into your life. there were rules, and rules were meant to be followed. was money worth breaking someone’s heart?

author's note: shit goes down; there's a lot going on; drama queens 4life; IT'S STARTING BITCHES!!; jj's a little unhinged forgive him;

When you left your hotel, beaming with confidence over your achievements with the Camerons—especially after Ward deposited $1,563 into your bank account as a 'reward'—you never imagined the night would spiral into the personal hell you just crawled out of.

Rafe was the epitome of a gentleman, eagerly stepping out of his Jeep to open the door for you. The conversation flowed effortlessly, just as it had since that first day on the golf course. The party at Tannyhill was lively, with the perfect mix of guests and just enough booze. It promised to be a fucking great night. 

So how come you ended up locking yourself in this stupidly, heavily, decorated bathroom, someone may ask? Well, you’re just too pretty to go to jail for murder. 

It all started innocently enough.

The music was loud, the laughter even louder. You had just finished drinking a tequila shot with Rafe, when Topper called him over, a grin plastered on his face as he greeted Rafe with a slap on the back. 

Rafe brought you into a quick embrace, a hand placed on the back of your head as he pressed a faint kiss to your forehead. “I’ll be right back. You’ll be okay on your own?”

You flashed him a quick smile, despite the tequila still burning your throat, and gave a nod, feeling pleased inside by how caring Rafe was being. Maybe you’d already won him over.

Once he went off with Topper, disappearing into the sea of people, you took a beat to check out the scene around you and just as you contemplated another shot from the table, a light tap on your shoulder pulled you from your thoughts.

Turning around, you were met with a face you didn't recognize, softened by a bright expression that contrasted with your own residual tequila-induced one.

"Hi there!" she chirped; her voice filled with what felt like genuine warmth. "I'm Aria, Kelce’s girlfriend. Just wanted to say hi and make sure you're not alone.”

You returned her smile, feeling a wave of relief that she seemed so friendly. "Nice to meet you, Aria.”

She beamed at your words, and you could see a genuine sparkle in her eyes. "Likewise!” her hands moved expressively as she spoke, “Kelce told me he met you last week. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

You chuckled, "Well, hopefully I live up to the hype."

She eagerly, her gestures punctuating her words, “’ Course you do. I’m so glad you’re here, it’s kind of exhausting to put up with these boys all by myself.”

Aria threw you off with her openness, but honestly, it was kinda refreshing. Like, there was this girl you never met before, and she was just laying it all out there. But even though you were partying, you were still very much working, and your brain easily caught onto her words. Was she not friends with Sofia? You were dying to know. 

You leaned in slightly, the loud music urging you to speak louder than necessary, “By yourself?”

“Huh— Guess there’s Sofia. But it’s kinda awkward now, y’know? After the whole Rafe fiasco.”

Consider yourself locked in. 

You had to keep yourself in check, making sure you didn’t sound too eager as you asked, “Rafe fiasco?”

Aria’s eyes widened slightly, as if she'd let something slip. She hesitated, glancing around the room to ensure no one else was within earshot. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "Yeah, it was this whole thing last summer. Rafe and Sofia used to be...well, you know, a thing."

Oh my fucking god. Son of a bitch.

He lied to your face.

Was that his plan all along? Use you to make Sofia jealous? What a fucking joke. You were supposed to be playing him, not the other way around. You gripped your cup until your knuckles went white and nodded, encouraging her to continue. 

She sighed, "It got messy. Real messy, okay? Rafe thought they were serious, but Sofia, well….When she broke it off, it was pretty harsh. He took it really hard."

A surge of anger shot through you and told yourself it was strictly professional.

So fucking what if he dated her? You were only pissy because that asshole had been lying to you the whole time. Which was very hypocritical of you, but to be fair, but he didn’t know that.

You tried to keep your cool, pretending to be just concerned and not about to blow the whole place up. You forced a sympathetic expression, even though inside you were fuming. "Really? I had no idea."

Aria sighed, clearly relieved to be sharing the gossip. "Yeah, he's a good guy. It's just...complicated."

Before you could answer, Rafe reappeared out of the blue, his muscular arm sliding around your waist like he'd done it a million times before.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" he asked, flashing that charming smile that now just made you want to punch his perfect teeth. 

"Just girl talk," Aria said with a wink. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone." She gave you a quick hug and disappeared into the crowd.

Lovebirds my fucking ass.

You couldn’t believe you fell for his shit. You’d been doing this for years and all it took for you to blindly believe a man, was a pair of nice eyes and a tiny waist?

Rafe turned to you, his boyfriend-like attitude still in place but his eyes searching yours. "Everything okay?"

No.

You wanted to scream at the top of your lungs in his face but contained your rage. Your brain was scrambling for ways to come up with a new game plan.

You swallowed your feelings, focusing all your energy on the money Ward dropped on your account. "Of course. Aria’s really nice."

He nodded, pulling you closer. His hand slid down your back, warm and strong, and despite everything, a shiver of pleasure ran through you. "Yeah, she is.”

You smiled up at him, even though you were still seething inside, “I think I need to hit the bathroom. Where is it?”

"Down the hall to the left," Rafe said, his hand lingering on your back as if he was reluctant to let you go. "Want me to wait for you?"

You forced a laugh, hoping it didn't sound as fake as it felt. "Nah, I'll be quick. Besides, you should catch up with Topper." You muttered, slipping away from his touch and ducking down the hall.

His fingers left a confusing trail of sensations on your skin, stirring up a mess of emotions that you weren't ready to confront just yet.

And that's how you ended up here, hiding in this ridiculously pink bathroom, staring at yourself in the mirror and wondering if you could plead temporary insanity.

You click the lock shut and slump against the sink, feeling the weight of the evening crashing down on you. Pressure simmers in your chest, making it hard to breathe as you try to make sense of the tangled mess Ward Cameron has dragged you into.

But one thing's for sure: you can't let this night end with you in handcuffs.

You straighten up and splash cold water on your face, letting the shock of it clear your mind— it’s a good thing you’re wearing waterproof makeup. You straighten your shoulders, letting the tension leave your body.

So, Rafe wants to play? Oh, you can play. You can do a lot worse. He isn’t going to derail your plans with his smooth talk and empty promises. It's nothing personal. At least you tell yourself that. 

As you step out of the bathroom, your brain races with anticipation. If Rafe thinks he can use you to make Sofia jealous, he's got another thing coming. You need to find out the truth, and fast.

Spotting the first guy in your peripheral vision, you take a deep breath and summon every ounce of charm you possess. With a confident stride, you make your way over to him, ready to flash him a dazzling smile as he turns. 

And just to your luck, you recognize him immediately. 

He's the guy who hit on you when you first arrived at the Outer Banks, the same guy Rafe intervened with to save you from his relentless flirting. JJ Maybank. Funny how things come full circle.

“Well, well, well,” There’s a shit-eating grin on his face as he leans against the nearest walls, eyes shamelessly trailing down your body, “If it isn’t Miss Not Interested.” 

A smirk tugs at the corner of your lips. Men are too easy. "Looks like you've got a good memory," you reply, your tone teasing yet confident. "Sill torn about it?”

“Hardly. Just nice to see a pretty girl like yourself come to her senses.”

You chuckle, batting your mascara-coated eyelashes playfully. "Oh, is that what you think this is? I'm just here to make you feel good about yourself?"

He laughs, the sound barely making it over the loud music as he steps closer to you, his gaze lingering on your lips. "Whatever it is, it's working," he quips.

You have to give him credit. JJ’s a natural flirt, and the surfer boy allure he brings to the table is tempting. Maybe you would’ve given him a ride in another life. 

You tilt your head, "Flattery will get you nowhere," you take a step back to maintain some distance between the two of you.

He tsks you, confidence unwavering. "We'll see about that.”

You flash him a coy smile, enjoying the game of cat and mouse. "Maybe we will.”

With a matching expression, JJ gestures toward the bar, invitingly. "I promise I'll behave."

You arch an eyebrow, considering his offer for a moment. What's the worst that could happen with one more shot, right? Plus, it could totally help take the edge off your body. You're just about to agree when a voice cuts through the noise of the party, breaking the moment. 

“What the fuck are you doing here, pogue?”

Oh, for the love of—there goes your fun. That worked faster than what you expected.

You turn to see Rafe striding towards you, his expression darkening as he locks eyes with JJ. It's clear from the intensity in his eyes that he's not pleased to see the two of you together.

Rafe's attention flickers between you and JJ, his jaw clenching as he sizes up the situation. There's a steely edge to his voice as he addresses the other blonde again, his words dripping with thinly veiled hostility, “I said, what the fuck are you doing here?”

JJ's grin remains firmly in place, though you can see the hint of amusement in his eyes. “Sup crazy. Nice house by the way, love what Rose did with the décor.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes at their thinly veiled jabs. Men and their dick measurements. 

Rafe's nostrils flare, his patience wearing thin as he squares his broad shoulders, “Get away from her.”

JJ looks at him like he just escaped from some sort of institution, “Away from who?”

You're surprised Rafe hasn't punched JJ yet as he takes a step closer, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. You can barely spot any blue in them. "Are you trying to get killed?”

JJ's grin widens, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes as he leans back against the wall, seemingly unfazed by Rafe's threatening demeanor. "She came to me. I gotta say sweetheart, your boyfriend’s a real charmer."

Your tongue gets a mind of it’s own, and before you can really think about it, you’re letting the words slip out, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Rafe's reaction is immediate, his gaze snapping to yours as he studies you, searching for any sign of deception.

"Is that so?" JJ asks as if he's really interested in whatever is going on and totally not trying to stir shit with Rafe.

You don't look away from Rafe, refusing to back down. You want to see if you can hurt him, if he cares a little.

"Yes." You reply, your tone firm but controlled.

Rafe's expression softens slightly, though you can still see the shadow of hurt lingering in his gaze. "Right." he mutters, his voice barely audible over the thumping bass of the music.

Okay, so maybe you didn’t think this through. It feels like you opened Pandora's box and now you’re stuck here.

Before you can say anything else, JJ interjects yet again, his smirk widening as he steps forward, effectively inserting himself into the conversation.

"Well, isn't this just precious," he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "I’ll let you two cuties work this out.”

JJ saunters off, leaving you alone with Rafe. You didn’t expect your simple declaration to have such an effect on him, and now you're left wondering if you've blown everything out of proportion by assuming shit instead of just talking to him. 

He still hasn't stoped staring, eyes burning with an intensity that sends a nervous flutter through your body, and for the first time in weeks, you don’t know what to do. 

"You—“ he starts, his voice trailing off as he struggles to find the right words. You hold your breath, waiting for him to continue, unsure of what to expect.

But before he can say anything else, a voice breaks through the tense silence, pulling your attention away from Rafe and back to the present moment.

What’s with people interrupting your conversations tonight?Jesus fucking Christ. 

"Hey, there you are!"

You turn to see Topper approaching, a drunk grin on his face, "Sorry to interrupt," he says, "Everything okay?"

Bless him and his lack of social skills to read the room.

Rafe's jaw tightens, but he manages to summon a smile, although it looks more like a grimace, for Topper's benefit. 

"Yeah, everything's fine," he replies, though his tone lacks the usual warmth.

Topper eyes him skeptically for a moment before shrugging it off. "Aight,  just wanted to let you know that we're heading down to the beach for a bonfire. You coming?"

Rafe glances at you and you want to die. Surely, he doesn’t hate you now? You didn’t just ruin everything you’ve worked for?

After a moment's hesitation, he nods, his smile returning though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

Topper claps him on the back again, his grin widening.  “See ya there."

The tension between you is still palpable, thick enough to suffocate you if you let it. And then, the cap spills open and he snaps.

“JJ? Really? I invite you to my house, my house!” He all but grits out as he sticks his fingers into his chest with each word, “And you flirt with fucking Maybank of all people?”

You feel a violent urge to verbally put him to shame. A bitter laugh escapes your lips as you shake your head in disbelief "Why do you care?" you shoot back, your voice rising in tandem with your feelings. "We're not together."

Rafe’s eyes blaze with anger, and for a moment, you think he might lose control, but then he takes a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself. "I care because I—" He stops, struggling to find the words. "Because I thought we had something."

You laugh again, the sound harsh in your own ears. "Oh, so now we have something?” You mock, bringing a hand to your lips, “Funny. How convenient that you lied to my face about Sofia, hm?”

Rafe’s face pales slightly. "That’s different."

"How?" you challenge, stepping closer. "You lied to me. You used me."

Hypocrite.

He opens his mouth to answer but then closes it. The silence between you stretches, and you want to shake him stupid. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest.

"I didn’t mean to lie to you," he finally says, his voice softer, almost pleading. "I just didn’t know how to tell you."

You tilt your head, unable to believe his excuses. "That’s bullshit, and you know it."

He turned away from you, pacing a few steps before whirling back around, his face a mask of conflicted emotions.

"I never wanted to use you. I—" He stopped again, slamming a fist into his open palm as if trying to physically force the words out. “You’re different.” Your face must tell him exactly how you feel, because before you can tell him to fuck off, he’s rushing to speak again, his hands gesticulating wildly as he tried to make you understand. “I know that sounds fucking insane, okay? You think I don’t know that?"

You swallow hard as he inches closer with every word, crossing your arms in an attempt to shield yourself from the raw intensity of his words. This is everything but professional of you. You know better than this. “You expect me to believe that?”

His hands drop to his sides, fingers twitching as if he wanted to reach out to you but didn’t dare. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “When I met you, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. You’re not a part of some great scheme, okay? You’re—”

“Different?” you interrupted, your voice dripping with skepticism. “That’s the best you can come up with?” Your brows pinch together at the sight of him, the rise and fall of chest. 

“I don’t know how to explain it, but you make me feel things I didn’t think I could feel anymore.”

Oh god, no.

This isn’t right. It's like his confession snaps you back into your realm.

You’re getting more than what you barged for. You’re gonna break his heart. You take a step back, itching to run away from this stupid town, his words hit you like a punch to the gut, leaving you reeling.

“Rafe, I can’t—”

He closes the distance between you in two quick strides, his hands still cold from being outside gripping your shoulders.

 “Please, just listen,” he begs, his eyes searching yours for any sign of understanding. “It feels right, okay? You feel right. And it’s fucking crazy because we just met and— I don’t know how to do this again. She ripped my heart out, I don’t talk about it because then it never happened. Do you think I want to feel this away about you? No fucking way.”

You can feel his grip tightening on your shoulders, the desperation in his eyes cutting through you like a knife. He’s opening up, laying his soul bare, and you are standing here, lying to his face.

Pretending to flirt with someone else to get a rise out of him. Getting closer to him because his father is paying you to do so.

The guilt gnaws at you, a relentless force that makes it hard to breathe.

“Rafe, I—” Your voice trembles again. You want to tell him the truth, to come clean about everything, but the words caught in your throat, it’s almost like they’re eternally stuck there. You let out a breath as a blush crept up your cheeks.

“I really care about you, pretty. ‘M sorry I didn’t tell you.”

You watch him, a little mesmerized by his honestly, each apology killing you inside. You are here for money, not for him. So why are you feeling like this?

You nod, feeling a lump form in your throat. "I care about you too, but I’m only here for the summer.”

Your eyes flutter shut trying to reason with yourself. It's not a lie. But it's not the whole truth either. 

"I know," he says softly. 

You take a deep breath, trying to keep it together. "Rafe, this is getting complicated."

He steps closer, looking so serious it only makes the blood in your veins pump harder, "I don’t care how complicated it is. I want to be with you, even if it's just for the summer."

His words hit you right where it hurts. You can hear how genuine he is, see it in his eyes, like he's about to fall in love right then and there.

And for a moment, just a fleeting moment, you're tempted to let yourself get swept away by the sincerity in his voice and the earnestness in his eyes.

But then reality crashes back in, reminding you of the mess you're already in. You can't let yourself fall any deeper, no matter how tempting it is.

So, before you can overthink it, before you can stop yourself, you close the distance between you and him. Your entire body tingles as you lift your hand to cup his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath your fingertips, the subtle tingle of his stubble against your thumb. 

And then you press your lips to his, his mouth slotting over yours naturally— needy and eager.

Rafe presses you against the wall JJ was leaning against just ten minutes ago, hands roaming eagerly over your body. One hand finds its way to your waist, pulling you closer to him with an iron possessive grip, and you match his intensity as you lean into him, drawing him impossibly closer by clutching his polo and pulling him closer with a firm grasp at the nape of his neck. 

And it’s right then and there you decide: You're gonna tell Ward Cameron to go fuck himself.

[the-milk-monarch]

☣︎ Context - I am a dum dum and accidentally wrote a different story for Tyler bc I didn't understand the assignment well, or perhaps that's what you wanted? idk gee I love being autistic /s (from future/in making @yeetusdeefetus ask (Alejandro finished so far 💯))

【 TYLER GETS A CRUSH ON A GUY 】 Summary: After his (ex) girlfriend forgot who he is, Tyler focuses on his boy friend and protects him in a challenge. ☢︎ | masculine reader ☢︎ | Total Drama ☢︎ | Tyler

Tyler was drawn to you after he gave up on Lindsay, who forgot who he was.

He didn't know why, but he wanted to spent each minute with you.

He assumed it's because you were such a cool bro to hang out with.

And you knew his name!!

You were friends before, but most of the time he wanted to hang out with his (now ex) girlfriend, because she used to bring him so much joy.

But now that she forgot him, his attention focused on you.

One day however he started to think more about his dating life situation.

He wasn't quite sure what he felt, but after initial sadness of Lindsay not recognizing him he felt quite- fine??

He was still very unhappy, don't get him wrong, but he wasn't like- depressed.

That made him think about the possible reason, which made him think about you.

That realization hit him like a train.

He "likes girls!" after all.

As if on cue, you appeared on his radar.

You noticed he was looking kind of upset, but you weren't sure if you should approach.

After some thinking though you decided to finally walk up to him.

Once he noticed you nearing his way, he started acting more fidgety and anxious.

You asked if he's okay, to which he responded with a nervous and obviously trying to be cool "Of- Of course Y/N! Why do you ask??"

You carefully asked if it's because of Lindsay, trying to remain lighthearted and supportive towards him.

He stopped for a moment before responding, trying to find appropriate words.

"…Yeah! I just want my girlfriend to recognize me, you know??" He told you, although his expression changed to a more hesitant one.

You spotted his slightly pink cheeks and him side-eyeing you when you weren't looking.

"B-But I mean- They say there's lots of fish in the sea, eh??" He said, trying to lighten up the mood, in his own goofy way. "I will just search for the fish on land!"

You chuckled at his words that didn't make sense.

"Wait- There must be some odd fish that walk on land, right??" Tyler trailed off a little with his side thoughts about what he just said.

You laughed softly again.

"Well, we all were once fish that walked on land, so- I guess?" You say playfully, amused by your own conclusion.

He seems to be glad that you're not calling him stupid, and even a bit proud of himself.

"Well- In any case- If you don't have anyone to hang out with, feel free to come to me sometime." You put your hand on his shoulder in a friendly and supportive manner, which made Tyler's cheeks hotter.

"Eheh-" He mixed a bashful chuckle with "uhuh".

After that conversation Tyler was all over you in a few days.

It was like impressing Lindsay again, but this time it was you.

He tried to be smooth and low-key while catching your attention, but the whole team (even including you, being slightly suspicious about him) knew that he had a massive crush on you.

"Hey Y/N!" He waved at you once Chris announced that you'd need a partner on your next challenge coming up. "Y/N!! Here! Tyler! Do you wanna pair up?"

You sighed, keeping a defeated smile on your face. This man was killing you, but you enjoyed his silly behavior.

"Sure, Tyler, we can pair up," You approached him, making him let out a victorious and a bit goofy "yeah!".

Chris had made up yet another stupid and possibly dangerous challenge, where Chef would be firing items thru his cannon while you go do an obstacle course.

The cannon was a surprise, as Chris didn't disclose that to you all.

Chef had pointed the thing at you, letting it fire with a loud "boom".

A flying pillow flying at full speed almost hit you, but you managed to swiftly avoid it, letting out a quiet gasp.

Chris and Chef snickered at that.

Tyler noticed that you were in danger, so he quickly ran up to you, jumping in front of second object that was supposed to hit you.

The flying chicken toy and Tyler squeaked at the same time as it hit him.

You were worried something happened to him but he optimistically (albeit a bit in pain) raised his hand in a thumbs up.

Fortunately you both were able to complete the challenge without too many bruises.

Tyler was roughed up a bit, but he didn't wanna complain in front of you.

After you both were somewhere alone, you approached him to thank him for being your "hero".

He blinked at you once, processing the words that came out of your mouth, but after he did, he grinned proudly and a bit flustered.

"Yeah, it was nothing." He said while red on his cheeks matched his outfit.

"How shall I ever repay you?" You asked playfully.

"Oh, um…" He stopped for a moment, deep in thought. You chuckled softly, seeing how preoccupied he was with figuring that out.

You were feeling brave after today, being like 95% sure he was into you, so you decided to be a bit bold.

You kissed him on the cheeks while he was still in the process of figuring out what to respond, making his eyes go wider and his cheeks getting redder.

"Wow-" He muttered with his jaw widened a bit. "Is- Is that enough?" You asked, looking at his face in a bashful amusement.

"Hell yeah!" He grinned widely.

"… Wait- Does that mean I have to repay you for that kiss as well??"

[meimi-haneoka]

Cosmos - Akiho/Kaito one-shot

Once upon a time, when chapter 48 had definitively broken the cage to my admiration and support for the YunaAki pairing, I couldn't help but start imagining their future together.

And one of the first headcanons that came up to me was this one. Not in depth like you can see developed here, but the setting was definitely this one. An intimacy that didn't require for them to necessarily "jump on eachother". And for personal reasons, I needed to reclaim this headcanon so badly, write it down and release it to the world. Just because of that, I can already feel like this little thing spilled here will be one of my favorite writings.

I'm pretty sure this one, at more than 1600 words, is categorized as a fully fledged fic, right?

Now, this is another quite romantic one, but I managed to sneak in a tiny bit of delicious angst towards the end, just cause it's so much their element and I can't stand over-sugary stuff myself. I can't believe I also made actual research for this one. Get ready for some cosmic magic under the cut ✨

Genre: fluff, romance, a sprinkle of angst. Akiho is 17 years old. They haven't found a cure for Kaito yet, but! She has disclosed her true name to him. Snippet: "Akiho-san...do you know the origin of your name?" "...My name?" "Your true one."

All the curtains were closed tightly. The spacious living room was completely immersed in the darkness, except for a couple of scented candles on the ground, faintly illuminating the floor. Any hindrance out of the way. A generous number of soft cushions of all sizes was arranged on the floor, on top of a large camping mattress, right between the two candles.

Akiho threw herself enthusiastically on the pile of cushions, while Kaito lay down in a slower motion.

"....Ready?" Kaito whispered with a soft smile, while the girl next to him nodded excitedly, azure eyes shining in the dark.

One press on a button of the remote controller, and the whole ceiling turned into a sparkling planetarium.

Akiho gasped. "Oh my god....this is amazing!" She instinctively brought her hands to her face, covering partly her mouth while her voice was choking with emotion, a quirk that even at 17 years old she couldn't drop yet.

The starry vault rotated slowly, while some stars twinkled, giving a quite realistic effect to the scenery. Every now and then, a shooting star would appear randomly, inviting to make a wish.

Kaito looked to the side to check the reaction of the girl, pleased with himself. The star projector had been his present for Akiho's 17th birthday, but between study, book repairs and moving out to another country, they hadn't found a moment of quiet to put it in function. That perfect moment finally came this evening of December.

Of course he bought the most expensive model out there, and this one could even add sound effects to the experience, which he had set on sea waves through the remote control. The idea was "we're lying down on a deserted beach at night, in the early summer", instead of the chilling winter they were actually in.

"Kaito-san..." - Akiho moved her finger up in the air, "what constellation is that one?"

He had vaguely studied astronomy as part of his magic education, but he had forgotten a lot of it...for a moment he was tempted to use a magic spell, but then decided against it, not wanting to irritate the girl beside him. She always reprimanded him whenever he lazily tried to use his magic for the most mundane things. They hadn't found a cure for him yet, so she wanted him to keep the use of magic at the minimum, to avoid affecting his health. Therefore, he pulled himself up and went next to the star projector, changing the little disc with a different one.

The projection changed to a similar starry vault complete with the constellations map, and plopping down next to her, he said with a smile "Akiho-san, that seems to be Virgo!".

"Really?! That's my zodiac sign!!" Her brows furrowed for a moment, then "Indeed, with a bit of imagination that could look like a maiden...without a head". Kaito chuckled. "Wait, where's Pisces?"

Kaito checked the constellation map on his phone (which he had downloaded precisely for this occasion), and after a moment he indicated it, pointing his finger towards the ceiling. "Over there."

"....That one?! Oh....that looks more like a flower with two stems than actually two fishes, doesn't it?" she blurted out, laughing playfully.

"...Akiho-san..." Kaito couldn't help but chuckle again, reveling in the cheerfulness of his beloved. Nothing could send tingles to his heart like the sound of her laughter.

"Akiho-san...do you know the origin of your name?" "...My name?" "Your true one."

Akiho stared at him with curiosity, cheeks tinted slightly with a pink hue. The topic of their true names was usually off-limits. They didn't make a rule for it, but being both very well acquainted with the customs of the magic world, the unspoken agreement was to never bring them up...unless it was something serious.

"I was named after a flower, right?"

"Of course...but do you know why cosmos flowers were named that way?"

The girl stared at him, thinking for a moment about the question. She realized she never actually thought about why cosmos flowers bore that name. So, she shook her head slightly.

"Back in the 17th century, Spanish priests found the flowers in Mexico and cultivated them in their mission gardens."

He looked away from her, turning his gaze towards the starry sky.

"Originally, Kosmos is a Greek word that means 'order' or 'harmonious arrangement'. The priests were fascinated by those flowers' orderly arranged petals, they found them...." He paused.

"...Breathtakingly beautiful. And perfect." His eyes were now twinkling, still fixed on the firmament over their heads. "Just like the universe, the cosmos. So, they named those flowers after it."

Akiho's heartbeat quickened, and if she knew the man next to her well enough, his heart was doing just the same. They had spent enough time together for her to understand all too well what he was trying to say.

Kaito felt Akiho's hand searching for his, and they intertwined them silently.

"Thank you...I didn't know all of that. I've always thought that cosmos flowers were pretty, yes, but not particularly remarkable or unique... It is nice to know that the right people could see the true beauty and worth in them."

As if replying to her, she felt him squeezing her hand.

After a moment of silence, Akiho's right index finger moved up in the air once again. "Wait, what about that one? What is its name? It's big, but the stars don't look particularly bright"

"Hmm...Aquarius, apparently. This one would be basically impossible to see by naked eye, from an urban area."

Akiho made a face once again. "The water-bearer, hmmm... I can see his legs but...these constellations all seem to be missing their heads!", she blurted out, feigning annoyance.

Kaito couldn't hold it in, and burst out laughing, causing her to do the same.

Yes, she was just perfect the way she was.

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

Kaito groggily opened his eyes in the dim light of the candles, ceiling still covered with stars. The clock of the living room showed it was 2 am.

Clinging onto his right arm, Akiho was soundly asleep next to him. Consciousness rapidly washed over him, remembering what happened.

Akiho's exploration of the starry vault had gone on for more than an hour, but at some point her remarks and answers had become more and more absentminded, till he realized she had actually fallen asleep. Smiling tenderly at her slumbering form, he was ready to pull himself up to go pick up a blanket for her, and eventually arrange some cushions for himself farther away from the camping mattress (he didn't want to wake her up, but didn't want to leave her sleeping alone in the living room either), but he had quickly realized with dismay that she had turned on the side and literally latched onto his right arm.

He had frozen right there and then. He didn't want to wake her up, but he had started to overthink as usual - this is not appropriate, we shouldn't sleep together, what if-- The result was that the stress made him incredibly sleepy, and after a few minutes of ruminations, Morpheus had taken a hold of him too.

Now that he was fully awake, he mentally scolded himself for falling asleep, and proceeded to do what he didn't have the heart to do before: slowly, slowly, he tried to disentangle his arm from Akiho's grip. When he managed to slip away, he rose to go pick that blanket up, because he couldn't risk for Akiho to catch a cold due to his imprudence.

"Where are you going?"

Her tone made him stop in his tracks immediately. Turning around, what he saw made his heart drop.

Akiho was propped on her elbow, staring in his direction but not quite focused on him. She was clearly still half asleep, but what ripped Kaito's heart apart was her expression, halfway between a scowl and wanting to break into tears.

It didn't take him long to understand why she had that expression. Even after 4 years, the trauma he had caused to her resurfaced sometimes in her dreams, upsetting her when she woke up.

"I'm just going to get a blanket.....I'm not going anywhere." he answered, while painfully making sure to emphasize the last part.

Akiho blinked her eyes twice, awareness coming back to her. Her expression slowly turned into one of realization, then she looked briefly to her side, panicking. "Oh my god, I'm sorry...I didn't fall asleep on you, did I? ...I didn't want to bother you-"

"You've never bothered me once, Akiho-san."

The girl stared at him, misty-eyed. His expression was kind, but tinged with guilt. His figure against the starry ceiling reminded her of that fateful night, when he fought his stubborness and the monsters inside his head to go back to her.

The girl casted her eyes down and to the side, pink hue emerging on her cheeks once again. "Then...once you took that blanket...could you...could you get back here next to me?" she said softly, finding the courage to look up once again.

Kaito had already understood long time ago that he was done for. He knew that no matter how much he tried, he would've never been able to refuse anything to those blue eyes of hers. Especially if he wanted it himself, in the first place.

They stared at eachother for a moment, before Kaito breathed out the air he was unwittingly holding and said with a smile "I'd be happy to, Akiho-san."

Akiho beamed at him, sure more than ever that there wasn't any place on this Earth or in the entire cosmos where she could've felt safer, other than next to him.

[prince-toffee]

Blaze The Cat and Silver The Hedgehog, Starring In:

The House of Horrors!

It was Hallow's Eve, spooks galor,

All houses in the Sol Dimension decorated with appropriations of gore décor,

Skeletons, zombies, cobwebs and ghosts,

Solians welcoming the brave-hearted in their haunted homes as devilish hosts,

Our story begins with a StarCrossed pair and their little raccoon tagalong,

Let us dive into this tale of terror of how the time-traveller's night was about to go all wrong,

Marine loved a good haunted house. She couldn't quite explain it, but Halloween was by far her favourite holiday. She enjoyed the spooky decorations, the giggling of little children as they marched from house to house asking for candy, the anticipation of the fright, there was just something about it. It got her excited. And of course, it was always the perfect opportunity to scare the time-traveller lagging behind her. Blaze was at Silver's side. The silver hedgehog was shaking and was clinging to the cat's left arm, his whole person wrapped around her arm. Marine could tell from Blaze's sly smirk directed at her partner that she was enjoying it too.

The Sol Dimension was apparently really big on Halloween; on spooks, and spirits, Blaze's Queendom went all out each year. The surrounding towns decorated their homes with fake cobwebs and spiders in the windows, carved jack 'o' lanterns in the yards, skeletons and witches stationed around like scarecrows. The streets were full of costumers, zombies, sorceresses, werewolves, mummies, some other costumers thought slightly outside of the box; Team Sol on their way noticed a few Eggmen, a handful of Chaos', and some weirdo dressed like Shadow with blue highlights, he seemed to follow the group for a bit before disappearing. They shrugged it of, though both of the partners felt a strange shiver down their spines at that encounter.

Marine proudly flaunted her costume to all her school friends, the young raccoon was a Kraken; a mythic octopus that was large enough to pull down entire fleet ships into the sea, Blaze explained to the puzzled Silver. The feline often forgot that her beloved came from a world without such normal things like water, him marveling over the common and the ordinary was always one of his most endearing quirks that Blaze enjoyed quite a bit. The way his eyes lit up when he first saw snow, or the leaves change colour in Autumn. She knew that was an indicator that he was about to turn to her, mouth agap, about to ask her what he was perceiving. Blaze always gladly informed him on the various wonders her home had to offer, that she took for granted on the daily. She enjoyed conversing on topics that fascinated her, enjoyed explaining things, watching his face entranced, hooked on every word of hers, his eyes growing larger and lighting up. He in turn loved to listen. Fascinated by the wisdom she had to offer. And in love with her powerful yet gentle voice that cooed him into bed and warm slumber every night.

Of course, both being the most awkward being in their respective dimensions, they had not yet disclosed their relationship to the rest of the Solian populace. Blaze couldn't step out of the castle without being swarmed by paparazzi. People were already constructing humours about the two of them as Silver recently officially moved into a spare guest room in the castle. Which led to him being hounded by 'journalists' as well. Something Blaze never wanted, Blaze never wanted to bring that upon him, she knew how his social anxieties kicked up around large gatherings. To reveal the nature of their partnership would be catastrophic for both their personal lives. So they chose to remain silent. It didn't feel good keeping in that secret, but such was their life. But of course, Marine was onto them, she knew, even way before the two of them did. And she never forgot to tease them about it.

Blaze and Silver's costumes were layered, with double meanings. Blaze and Silver couldn't roam the public without being surrounded by hordes of adoring fans and malicious interviewers. That was why Blaze enjoyed visiting and going out in Silver's dimension; nobody knew who she was there, she could be anonymous there, free to spend time with her partner without stress. So, Silver devised a plan to help Blaze feel more comfortable in her own dimension. Disguises! Apparently Silver got struck with inspiration after rewatching his favourite movie for the hundredth time; Superman. Clearly enamoured with Clark Kent's simplistic disguise. At first she seemed sceptical, there was no way that could work, people would definitely recognise their monarch in different clothes and glasses. But Silver seemed really excited about it, so she tried it. He likened it to 'playing dress-up'. Silver dyed his fur yellow, wore new red boots and gauntlets, blue contacts, applied more eye shadow, tied his quills back into a manbun, and Silver The Hedgehog became Venice The Mink. Blaze dyed her fur black and red, cover her mouth up with a scarf, let her ponytail down, and Blaze The Cat became Flare The Ocelot. And... it worked! Who would've thought?

Then there were the costumes they wore on top of their disguises. Blaze wanted to go for something simple, something that looked like it took little effort, she didn't want to show that the stern Princess was actually enjoying the dress-up 'games for kids' as she described it. She wanted something ironic. She thought of maybe going out as a black cat, just adding a headband with cat ears to her costume and calling it a day. When she presented the idea to her team she was met with applause and praise from Silver, as always, he would've liked anything she put on. Marine just gave her a confused look.

"I don't get it." The girl remarked.

"What do you not get? It's-- It's funny. I'm a cat."

"But you're already a cat." Marine replied.

"Yes, bu-- ugh-- that's the joke, you know, it's irony." Blaze explained.

"I think you look great, Blazey." Silver simply remarked with a smile.

"You don't count Silver, you're a biased party! You'd say that about anything she put on."

"That's because she looks great in everything." He said genuinely mesmerised. Blaze gave that small smile, the one that always popped up on her face when enchanted by her partner's words. For a moment they just stared into each others' eyes without saying anything, Marine cut the moment short as she threw a new costume at Blaze's head.

"Nope. Change!"

Which was how Blaze, now Flare, ended up with her current costume; a black cape, red bandana covering the top half of her face with eye holes cut out, high leather boots, and a sword at her hip (plastic of course, no need to dirty her real swords, of which she had many); there she stood; Zorro. By her side stood her partner, Silver, now Venice, an astronaut. He was much easier to convince with his love of space. He would've probably enjoyed it if not for the fact that he was terrified out of his mind. Blaze still enjoyed the sight though, he looked so silly.

There were dozens of Haunted Houses set up all around the town, it was sort of an unspoken tradition among the people, and Marine planned on knocking all of them off on her list. She divised a planned schedule of how they could strategically get through all the houses in one night before they closed. Blaze was almost proud. But at this rate, they weren't going to make it to one. Marine turned around frustrated, "Come on slowpokes! I thought you could reach Mach Two?! What's the hold up?"

"Calm down Marine, we're practically there." Blaze remarked. It was true, they were currently on the footpath leading up to the steps of their first Haunted House of the evening. The house was located on top a hill, isolated from the rest of the town, framed by the barren trees, their leaf-less branches resembling claws, grabbing at the full moon behind the house. The picturesque sight brought a tear to Marine's eye. "You know Silver needs... time."

Silver was still firmly wrapped around Blaze's arm, "What? No. Me? I'm-- I'm alri--" A ghost on a stick flipped up from the tall grass at Silver's side. And the hedgehog let out a high pitched shriek. Wrapping his hands around Blaze's shoulder's and burring his face in her chest. Encasing himself and Blaze in a protective bubble made from his green psycho-energy. The ghost flipped down. And Silver was stuck frozen in place, a look of embarassement and realisation readable on his face. Marine fell over cackling, kicking her feet.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Silver said, more sad than angry. Marine just continued to roll on the ground laughing, tears streaming down her face. The bubble faded away. He turned back to Blaze, embarassement growing as he realised he was still holding onto her, "Oh, sorry, Blazey. I'm so embarrassed." He began to let go, but Blaze protested by snaking an arm around his back, holding him protectively.

"No, no, it's-- it's alright." She assured with a redness on her face. "We'll get through this together. I have you." Her voice eased all the tension out of his body, a small smile crept up on his muzzle and suddenly he felt more comfortable to lay his head on top her strong shoulder. The embarrassment returned however as the laughter continued from the raccoon girl. Blaze sighed, "Silvy, why do you agree to come along with us each year, knowing fully well what Marine has in store?"

"You know I have major fomo!" Silver exclaimed, perhaps a tad too loudly. He then turned to the raccoon girl, he walked up to her and and picked her up as if she weighed less then a toddler, "And I guess my biggest sin was caring! Huh!? Loving you too much! Wanting to spend time with you?! Huh?!?" He attempted to use his stern voice on her, but he didn't have one.

Marine just continued to laugh as she wiggled her arms and legs in the air, "Hahaha hahaha, I *breath* I'm going to pee HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA." Silver just frowned. "Oh, man, this is going to be better than I thought!" Silver set her down and returned to Blaze's side. Arms crossed, trying his best to be angry, but couldn't be. Marine managed to get ahold on her faculties and pressed onwards, still chuckling to herself occasionally. Blaze and Silver followed close behind.

They made it to the door. Illuminated by green and purple lawn lights. A smoke machine turned on nearby, exhaling clouds of white fog. The door had an ornate knocker at its centre, a demon of some sort holding the door knocker in its mouth. Silver gulped at the sight of it. Marine rubbed her hands together eagerly like a fly. Blaze took hold of her partner's hand and massaged his palm with her thumb, that helped a little, it actually helped a lot.

Suddenly the doors to the house swung open and two scared kids ran out screaming on top of their lungs, candy falling out of their pumpkin-like buckets as they ran madly into the night. That did not make Silver feel better, his pupils contracted and his mouth dried up as if he just bite down on a lemon.

"Do not worry, Snowflake. You fought monsters, mad-scientist, and eldrich horrors. This is nothing." Blaze tried to reassure him, to bring him some courage the way he did for her. Silver never gave up. Never gave in. When Blaze often chose to suffer in silence, and endure things the way they were, Silver was loud and desired to change the world. Always raged against the machine. That courage inspired her. Even though she was the leader of their team. Even thought Silver was usually the one to turn to her for answers, she often was inspired by him, though she never had the courage to admit it.

"Yeah, those things are NORMAL for me! Everyday stuff! This-- This is weird. Skeletal structures jumping out of peoples' bodies and dancing! Mummified Egyptian emperors back from the dead! Spiders! SPIDERS!!! And people just... celebrate it? That's crazy!" Silver flailed his arms about.

"Hehehe!! Don't worry Silver, I'll protect you." Marine popped up out of nowhere as always and mocked the quaking hedgehog.

"That's what you said last time! And then you left me!" He sounded genuinely offended. "Ran away! Abandoned me to the winds, MarMar!"

The raccoon just cackled. She giggled to herself as she reopened the door and entered eagerly, "Come on, enough waiting! Let's do this! Wooooo!" She ran in, arms in the air.

Blaze turned to Silver, "If you're not feeling like it, we can wait out here for her. Star gaze. The perfect night for it." She smiled warmly.

Silver considered it for a moment, but he steeled himself. He took a big long breath in and then out. He was psyching himself up. "No. No. I'm okay. I'm alright. Let's go. Let's do this." He moved to make the first step in. A witch's laugh echoed from inside the house. And Silver was once more clinging to Blaze, his face nuzzled in her neck.

Blaze smiled and murmured to herself, "I love Halloween." as she held her partner closer, and they stepped in.

The End

[shiplike]

🏺 ︰ prompt 006. the sea state.

in  oceanography,  sea  state  is  the  general  condition  of  the  free  surface  on  a  large  body  of  water—with  respect  to  wind  waves  and  swell—at  a  certain  location  and  moment.  a  sea  state  is  characterized  by  statistics,  including  the  wave  height,  period,  and  spectrum.  the  sea  state  varies  with  time,  as  the  wind  and  swell  conditions  change. 

this was a scene that had been done to death: the ingénue, fresh on the scene, lost and in awe of everything happening around him. dazed and confused, he was navigating through uncharted waters. everyone else already seemed like veteran warriors, already seen enough to grow jaded and keep to the comfort of more familiar company. though, there were some who just seemed to be so inherently difficult: prideful, hostile, inhospitable. those were lost causes, unsalvageable before a connection could even be established. he wasn't going to try for anyone who wasn't willing.

and it wasn't that he expected the warmest of welcomes, he just didn't expect to arrive to such a shitshow. near-constant feuds, threats of violence, indisputable divides ... he had already heard and seen these people preach about found family as they stood against life-and-death, and yet half of them didn't even really seem to get along. not to mention the ones who tried so hard to be voices of reason, but only really appeared at random times only to confirm their biases. they were going to say whatever made them feel better about themselves, he supposed.

still, he made it known whenever something took him by surprise or someone disclosed information that he wasn't privy of. people might pity him. people might find his disorientation unbearable. and judging by how he saw the other newcomers get treated, he knew damn well that grace wasn't always extended. he knew what he signed up for when he drank the ambrosia, but he'd seen people act as if they were just magically supposed to understand everything they had gone through. despite not being here. despite no one really telling them. misery loves company, he supposed.

but there were also the ones kind enough to offer help, like a lifeline to save him from the riptides. and so, he kept up with this act: unaware, eternally dumbfounded, pretended to be someone who had never touched a book about myths, legends, and all the fairy tales. someone who didn't seem serious enough to keep up with all the details. it was easier to gauge who he could rely on this way. he had spent his entire life being a marionette for fame and fortune, used and abused, exploited for what he could give to everyone else. but now, he needed to see what others could give him even if he might not be of any use to them at this moment.

but lies aside, rai meant well. he wanted to help. he wanted to earn his keep. it just wasn't easy when it felt like he walked in at the wrong time. tensions so high. lines drawn in the sand. this was a fresh start, but there were just some old habits that he needed to fall back into with this particular circumstance: he knew his best angles, a captivating smile, subtle gaze, the feather-light graze of skin to skin, lines from hundreds of scripts ... rai just needed people that could get him to where he needed to be. then maybe, just maybe, he could finally start figuring out who he really wanted to be without all his masks.

[hoennsgeologyboy]

Owen, we need to know, what was it like getting kidnapped by Archie

Bad. I mean I'm sure it comes as literally no surprise but it was one of the most miserable experiences of my life.

These two people in Team Magma uniforms came to pick me up from pre-k. I didn't think too much of it at the time, but they were the old uniforms, not the newly issued ones. While my dad usually picked me up in person, in casual attire, naturally, it was not unusual for Tabitha with an escort to occasionally pick me up if my dad was caught up in something unexpected.

Anyways, they picked me up, and things were just fine, we took the usual route right through Lilycove, onto the wailmer and out to sea. We passed the point at which the hideout was though, (Which I will not disclose for obvious reasons.) and that is when I started to catch on that something was wrong. I was very young at the time, naturally, so it hadn't occurred to me that something like this might happen, you know?

I wanted to know where we were going, and they didn't say anything, just sort of egged the wailmer on. Then I saw the boat and it all sort of clicked for me.

After that it's kind of fuzzy. I remember crying a lot, being on the boat and crying, Archie trying to talk to me while I cried, and eventually my dad picking me up. Tabitha held me at first, and I'm told that's when my dad actually slugged Archie right in the face! Broke his nose too according to legend.

After that, my dad held me, and that's when I finally stopped crying. I think I cried a lot as a small child, though I'm told it's normal for small children to cry a lot. I think this particular time was worthy of the tears. I was very scared, and to make matters worse, I had forgotten my Jirachi toy at school, so I felt rather alone in a hostile environment. My pre-k teacher was waiting there the next day with my Jirachi, so I suppose in the end things all turned out alright. Archie never tried something like that again, so he must have learned his lesson.

[expanding-infinity]

"Is this a new piece?"

The titan was more than enamoured with the work of the chaos god on the regular. While they may be at odds in terms of the moral spectrum, he respected her. In her thinking and her choices, and the dedication and will she took in acting on those choices. Even as her 'handler', he still wished this relationship to be a pleasant one. Deity to deity. Man to woman. Simple as it may be to say, of course...

Relationships between gods are always complicated.

His glowing gaze fixated on the canvas momentarily before the realization crossed him. A familiar sea, a familiar beach. The illuminated web that filled the otherwise black sky. "That's..."

"The Veil." Khaos then stated, clearing her throat. "...I don't know how I painted it." That thought alone seemed to bring a tone of unease to the goddess, and she wasn't one to be so easily unnerved, for obvious reasons. However this, the not knowing of seeing something so beyond herself, truly, it brought a tremble to her voice and a shake to her hands as she tried to pour herself a stiff drink.

"How do you not know? You painted it. You must've seen it somehow, though I can't see how that's possible-"

Khaos dropped that glass as she let out an annoyed huff, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. "I know, i know. I just don't fucking know." Tense. Too much noise. "I can't make any sense of it. I can't exist outside of what's been created, so I don't know how I can see that. That's...not me. That's not my concept! That's a still space, outside of this bullshit!" She was making a fuss about what could easily be equated to nothing. "I just...I just..." Her shoulders sunk, practically slumping into her chair as Artic turned to face her.

"Things have been set for a long, long time...the Veil has been a constant. Outside of my sight, outside of everyone but you, and yet here I am. With it on a canvas. Is it something from the Matriarch? The Empress? I don't dream, I don't have visions, I just see. Does this mean I'm...healing? Can I even call it that?" Babbling nonsense. That's all she hears from herself. Was this even Khaos speaking? So much worry and unease, which was almost comical coming from someone like her. Unstable, confident, slamming back and forth from manic depression to a god complex every other day..."If I'm healing, why don't I feel any different?"

Artic took in a slow breath, reaching up to remove his mask so he could be seated across from her. With a wave of his hand, burning a bit of his energy, he used that telekinetic power of his to cover the painting with a nearby cloth. As he watched that canvas vanish from tight, he sat himself down across from her.

"You're thinking too hard on nothing. Making noise out of a whisper." He murmured. "This could be nothing, or it could be everything. But you can't make a fuss over it now, when all you have is a glimpse of what could possibly be something." Artic wasn't all knowing, nor could he see the future. Not clearly. All he could do is wade through the haze and make sound predictions, but that's all they were. Predictions. He didn't know where this would lead, and the two Majesties knew better than to disclose that information to anyone. Even omnipotence had consequences.

Khaos had to give pause, once again reaching to pour a glass. This time, she was successful. "You sound like him..." She murmured in reply before taking a slow, shaky sip. "Always telling me to level out. Relax. Take things as they come."

"Something you took to heart." Came his hummed reply.

"Of course. It's one thing I wanted to keep from him..." She chuckled. "...maybe that's why I'm paranoid about this. I fractured with his death. If I'm healing, and this is a sign of that...I don't know how to feel."

"And that's fine." He murmured. "Not everything needs to be defined immediately. Let it sit with you and mull it over. How it feels in your head and heart. You're allowed to name your feelings later. I would think you of all people would know that."

Khaos let out a soft chuckle. "Fuck you." She sighed, a small, rare smile creeping to her features. "I'm not sure what to do with that painting though."

"Hang it. Somewhere you always look, so that way you'll remember it. If it's a good step, then keep it. If it's something terrible, you can always burn it later. After all, this is the first time in a long while I've heard you sound like your old self." He chuckled before rising to his feet to circle around the table to her. He hesitated for a brief instance, before reaching out to gently grab and rub her shoulder. "Keep your head on straight. Eternity's a long time and there's no point in losing it so soon."

'Keep your head on straight, Dahlia.'

A soft, pleased hum left the goddess, reaching up to rest her hand on his. A welcome touch and a fond memory. She had to catch herself, clearing her throat. "I'll think about it...I'm not planning to rampage from this, so you're welcome to leave." The voices stilled, her energy settled. No killing for her. No madness to lock in a cosmic box.

Of course he could take her at her word, however he didn't want to leave that up to chance. More than that however, this did sound like progress in a way. For her. Closer perhaps. Maybe even the day where she wouldn't need those cosmic chains. "I think I'll stay a while longer. How does dinner sound?" He stepped away, Khaos glancing up in mild surprise. "Don't give me that look. Good food is always the easiest way to cut tension. Finish your drink and come help me after."

Khaos took in a slow breath, looking to the covered easel before nodding. "Alright..."

[yezielmoore]

24. Vicissitudes (pt. 5.5)

If you are here, then do me a favor and read the previous prompt first, because they are one seamless chapter, i just didn't finish in time.

Anyway! Eureka AU! And we finally move forwards, although their trials aren't entirely over just yet.

.-,-.

The earthquake, for lack of a better term, left all of them rattled and unsure of their footing once more. It was almost a return to the early days, when they had been so afraid and so utterly lost that they had gotten in each other’s ways more than once. Almost, because, for good or ill, despite the similarities between both situations, they weren’t the same people anymore.

They were terrified and they still didn’t understand the phenomenon that had moved the island to the Aetherial Sea in the first place, but they knew each other better. Uncomfortably well, some would say. After almost a whole year of fighting and trying to survive, after they finally succeeded in carving something of a safe haven for themselves, after everything they had gone through… Well, they weren’t going to let uncertainty get the best of them. 

Even so, leaving again so soon after that seemed like a foolhardy proposition. Not that Athene herself was in any hurry to leave this time, quite the opposite. If her flock was in danger she wanted to be first in line to introduce a fireball to whatever the threat was. 

She still patrolled the perimeter, however, keeping a wary eye on the cactuars, zizs and dragons that sometimes roamed a bit too close for comfort. She had been careful to keep it to a minimum, though. No matter how much she itched to visit the other labs, to see if anything had changed there.

It was just her luck that the second earthquake came when she was perched on a tree, stalking a ziz. 

This time Athene was better prepared. In fact, she could swear she felt it coming before it hit, like a vibration in her horns that set her teeth on edge. Her feathers puffed up and she just knew. In an instant she had her arms around the trunk of the tree, the talons of both hands and feet sunk into the wood like it was butter. Athene rested her forehead on the tree and focused on breathing and keeping her aether contained, lest she set her hiding place on fire.

Below her, the ziz perked up, wary, instincts telling it that something dangerous was coming.

And then it hit. 

She couldn’t tell you how long it lasted. It seemed to last forever. As she counted her breaths and watched the tree trunk smoke slightly from every point of contact and all she could do was wait and breathe. As the leaves caught on fire by sheer proximity to her. She kept her eyes open and waited.

Until finally, finally, it started to wind down. Once the worst seemed to be over, Athene dislodged herself from her position and let herself fall, landing gracefully on all fours. 

Athene flexed her fingers, burnished gold talons clinking together as ash fell from her fingertips. She looked down at herself blankly. Blinked a few times and some light returned to her eyes as she took in the absolute mess she had made of herself, her whole front covered in ashes. 

She shook her head and raked a hand through her hair with a sigh. 

Sometimes she wondered what gods she pissed off in a past life to deserve this amount of shitty luck. 

.

The last time it happened she was at camp. 

The teens had been whispering to themselves with excitement for days. Badgering Meara in her room for some reason they wouldn’t disclose no matter how much anyone prodded. 

It wouldn’t last much longer, she knew. The kids may delight in having a ‘secret’ project, but they had all the self control of teenagers at the end of the day. So Athene wasn’t surprised in the slightest when they barged in her corner of the room one morning, making enough noise that even deaf she would have heard them come. 

"Athene!" "Miss Athene!"

"Good morning to you too," Athene greeted them, not making an effort to move just yet. What could she say? Nobody had nightmares last night, so she was well rested for once and comfy to boot. "Am I finally going to know what’s gotten you so excited these past days?”

"The pumpkins are ready!" Robyn whisper shouted, unable to contain himself any longer. 

“Truly?” Athene asked with honest interest as she sat up and started preening her feathers the best she could. The result was less than stellar, but between her talons and her complete lack of experience in taking care of birds of any kind… 

Robyn nodded. He was practically vibrating with barely contained eagerness. Next to him Eilis was more self-contained, but even she was bouncing a little on her toes. 

"Well, then," Athene said once she did what she could for her feather in such a rush. She smiled at them, happy to see them so animated. "Why don't you show me?"

"...and Meara says that they're almost ready for harvest and then we'll have our own veggies!” 

Athene hummed, showing she was listening. She carefully turned a squash in her hand, noting that it wasn’t quite ready to be harvested yet. 

“They’re a bit green, though, aren’t they?”

“A bit, yeah,” Eilis nodded, crouching next to her and giving the produce a critical look that was incredibly adorable. “Some of them grew faster, because of the weird air and water and light,” she made an indistinctive gesture with her hand. “But these are normal, or so Meara and Aisibhir said.” 

“Well, I’m certainly no gardener,” Athene confessed happily, “but they look like perfectly good squash to me.” 

And so what if a few of them were colors that shouldn’t be found in nature? If they passed the toxicity test, then there was no reason to disdain the food. Not a single thing they had eaten the past months was normal, after all. 

Athene smiled at the girl, who was practically glowing with pride at her side, and down at Robyn, already elbow deep in the earth, vines and leaves ruffling in response to her compliment. 

She opened her mouth to ask another question, since hearing the teens talk enthusiastically about something they loved was probably one of her favorite things, when a sensation she had become tragically used to, knocked the air out of her lungs. 

“Go,” Athene said in a strangled voice. She staggered to her feet, dragging both of them upright with her. Their faces were pale and scared. It made her wonder what kind of expression she was making right now. “Go back inside, now!” 

Both of them obeyed without a word of protest. They hurried the few dozen feet that separated their small garden from the front door and reached it just as the tremors started again, this time far far stronger than the previous two. 

“Into the memorial room, now!” Athene pushed them past the empty common room, small licks of flames lifting from her hair almost in tandem with the hammering of her heart. 

The memorial room, as they called it, had been a cold storage room situated in the basement, meant to preserve biological samples and such. All of that had spoiled long before they even found this lab and made it their base thanks to the collective failure of all the equipment meant for such a purpose. 

When the first of their group died they had briefly entertained the idea of fixing the freezers and preserving the body for the family or friends, still hopeful that they would find a way back soon. Or in denial, truth be told. Reality, however, had other plans. First of all, fixing the freezers hadn’t been a quick or easy process and, once they did, the matter of preserving their food had become far more pressing than preserving corpses. 

It was Aisibhir who had come up with the idea of making altars for them, something he had learned from his travels to the East. And so they had followed his recommendation.

Athene shot a quick look to the row of portraits, the familiar pang of grief briefly overcoming the panic caused by the situation, before directing her steps to the corner the others had modified into a comfortable nook to wait out the earthquakes and where they all awaited now. 

“Finally!” M’nett growled at the three of them, but the effect was lost thanks to the relief he couldn’t hide from his voice. “I had half a mind to drag you all here by the scruff! What took you so long?!” 

Athene threw him a droll look, some tension bleeding from her shoulders, her feathers finally settling down and the heat haze around her dimming until the temperature was bearable and only the occasional spark escaped her control. 

“We were right behind you, don’t pretend otherwise, old man,” she teased. She chivied the kids to the middle of the group and settled on the furthest edge, within touching distance but not close enough that a slip of her control could burn them. 

“And now we wait,” Vyncent muttered into Funana’s hair, the lalafell curled up in his lap, trembling more violently than the island itself. 

She was terrified of earthquakes, Athene recalled. With all that had happened she had completely forgotten how utterly shaken Funana had been after they arrived in the Sea. Sadly there wasn't anything anyone could do, except be there for her. 

And so we wait, Athene repeated in her mind, talons once more digging onto the closest surface, this time the stone floor. 

.

“Was it just me or did this one last longer?” M’nett questioned out loud, warily getting to his feet.

Athene was already on her feet, restless energy flowing through her. There was something strange in the air. Even from here she could tell. However, M’nett question gave her pause. 

“I… don’t know. I wasn’t in much of a state to pay attention the last two times it happened.”

But Asibhir was nodding alongside M’nett. 

“It was stronger too,” he said grimly. Justifiably so, since this earthquake had been nothing to scoff at. Even this room, where everything was bolted down, was a mess. Anything that could fall and break had fallen. 

“We should check everything then,” Athene unlocked the door and swung it open. “Do you mind checking on Meara, Asibhir? She always reacts better to you.” 

“‘course, no need to ask.” 

She threw him a small, pained smile. Maybe there was no need to ask, but it was no small thing he did, taking care of Meara the way he did, with infinite patience and care. Not that they wouldn’t have done the same without him, but Athene had the sinking suspicious that it wouldn’t have gone nearly as well. There was something about Asibhir's infinite calm and bear-like appearance that was calming. 

As expected, the common room was in complete disarray. Even though they had done their best to make the whole lab as earthquake proof as possible, it wasn’t as simple as bolting everything to the floor and calling it a day.

Athene paused in the middle of the room and looked around herself, the niggling feeling that something was wrong, or at the very least different, growing with each passing second. It was… It was the light. 

The lighting was wrong. 

She looked at the lamps. All of them were working, so why? 

Slowly she turned towards the door. A suspicion blooming to life in her mind. 

“Guys!” She called from the threshold. “You should come over here. Right now.”

“What’s going on?! Why are you ye-” M’nett trailed off. His eyes were glued to the same sight hers were. “Are we…?”

Athene heard the clamor of everyone trying to see what was going on and the collective intake of breath as the reality of what they were seeing settled in. That there, over their heads, wasn’t the bright white blue of the Aetherial Sea anymore. In its place was a pitchblack sky, its uniformity broken by millions of stars, all twinkling merrily like their mere presence wasn’t 

“We are,” Athene whispered. “We really are back.”

And so it was that, one year and a day after disappearing from the world, the Isle of Val, soon to be christened Eureka, reappeared, malms away from its original site, but undoubtedly, unquestionably, real.

[foxymoxynoona]

“Thanks for the bells I love them. You’re too noisy to be a pickpocket. Let me know if you want tips - Rana nana nana nana batman”

ahh okay so i feel like this is a purposeful set-up where we don’t get to see her initial reaction to finding out about the bells. hmm. very interesting!

im trying to think of your fics where we only get to see from one POV…

sugar fairy, we get both jk’s and pippa’s.

a sea of indigo we also get both ivy’s and jk’s… right?

lowlander! right we only get to see jk’s pov nearing the end of mishka’s first initial stay. and then once mishka finds him up at the ruins.

amended we get both jk’s and bella’s

meadow we also get both enikö’s and jk’s

im wondering if lone blue egg is the one fic where we only get to see from jk’s pov. then again if i remember correctly, we didn’t get to see a sea of indigo from ivy’s pov until like a bit later on, no?

am i remembering things wrong

Oh I didn't realize you've already my other stuff! I will go ahead and disclose that the story is entirely from Jungkook's pov. There may be other opportunities for Rana pov in the whole series though. And yes, all other stories are at least 50% the OC. If anybody had told me I'd write an entire story from a man's pov I would never have believed you lmao but here we are. I am not sure yet whether I'll stick to that with the other stories, probably I'll make a case by case decision...

In Sea of Indigo it was a few chapters in, yeah. I had originally thought of just doing that one entirely from JK's pov but ultimately felt like the story would benefot from having narration outside of JK's pov.

[xpiester333x]

So I didn't beat every game I intended to play in 2023 but what did I play?

Not nearly as much as last year but I've had a great year with games so here is the list that I played this year, and my quick reviews.

1. Persona 5 Royal (x3 cause I had to 100% it): I don't think I need to elaborate on this one. This game has me in its CLUTCHES - 10000/10

2. Persona 5 Strikers: Great game, really played like a sequel and felt pretty true to the original game despite being a spin off - 8/10

3. Theatrhythm: I put an embarrassing amount of time into rhythm games this year and put an especially embarrassing amount of time into this game in just a month - 10/10

4. Persona 5 Tactica: I enjoyed this more than I expected to, lots of cute moments and I enjoyed the original characters quite a bit - 7/10

5. Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight : I put an even more embarrassing amount of time playing this game - 9/10

6. Persona 4 Dancing All Night: Of all my rhythm games I played this one the least because I liked the QoL changes to the newer games but I still played it more than I want to disclose - 9/10

7. Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight: By far the best Persona dancing game strictly because the music from all the various P3 iterations (something I wish P5 had gotten) - 10/10

8. Shin Megami Tensei 3 (not finished): Definitely one I need to come back and finish this coming year. I was having a blast playing it, I just happened to get drowned in a million other games

9. Final Fantasy XVI: In any other year, it would have been my GOTY. It was truly one of my favorites this year. I'm dying to replay it and I really need to dive into that DLC - 8.5/10

10. Borderlands: Crazy how well this game has held up over the years. The last time I played a Borderlands game (2) I didn't have the best time but I've had so much fun with this one that it's redeemed the franchise - 10/10

11. Persona Q (not finished): I got 15h into this and loved every second of it and then it exploded in my 3DS, dead forever, and I'm sad - 9/10

12. Persona Q2: Like SMT3, I need to finish this because I REALLY loved this game, but it just fell to the wayside because of other games - 10/10 so far

13. Breath of the Wild: I bought this game on a socially awkward whim (funny story) and it was pretty fun but tbh it wasn't as fantastic as people made it sound - 7/10

14. Baldur's Gate 3 (not finished but God will I ever be? I'm 60 hours into it and still in act 1): absolutely deserved GOTY. A fantastic game, incredibly in depth, given constant love and updates from its devs, a quality voice cast, just absolutely a blast so far - 10/10 so far

15. Solasta: A less good example of a DnD styled game. Playing it with a group of friends currently and its not horrible but it doesn't look good when you log off BG3 and on to this - 6/10

16. Catherine (not finished): Absolutely going to finish this either this month or early 2024. I'm about half way through and what an experience. Can't even explain it - 9/10 (loses a point for making me feel dumb)

17. Persona 3 Portable: Great game, FemC, but also it's age def shows and that Tartarus grind is not so fun in the year 2023 - 8/10

18. I'm On Observation Duty 6: My life is more complete for having this game come this year. I love the Observation Duty games (but this one is HARD) - 9/10

19. Sea of Stars (not finished): I will be finishing this one in the near future. It absolutely deserved Indie GOTY, it's very good - 8/10

20. Cult of the Lamb: I played this off and on between other games. It's a fun simple little game that tickles that cute/horror itch - 8/10

21. Gris (mostly finished): I have like one level left. This game is visually stunning, the soundtrack is very peaceful - 8/10

22. Persona 4 Golden (replay): I wanted to 100% it and failed lmao (missed ONE achievement). But that's okay, it's always worth the replay - whatever I rated it last year

23. Core Keeper: Honestly a true alternative to Terraria. Played it with my friends, enjoyed digging a hole and dying to bugs - 8/10

24. Harvestella: I honestly still gush about this game daily. It was so enjoyable and I could gush more but read one of my past gushes - 8.5/10

25. Monument Valley: Super unique and fun perspective puzzle that was very worth the $.99 I paid for it on sale - 8/10

26. Monument Valley 2: See above, but sequel - 8/10

27. Inscryption: There is truly no game like Incryption. I hate to make the pretentious statement "it's more than a game, it's an experience" but it's kind of true. It's an experience, with cool game play - 9/10

28. Penko Park: This game spoke to me with it's aesthetics and it's monsters and its collecting - 7/10

[stxrmnight]

Carrots, I guess

disclaimer, I wasn't too troubled playing this as I was curious to see this new zone and structure left behind by Hydaelyn, but after it the length it took in the story overall felt... long? and more jarring when the shit from In from the Cold had NO effect on the WoL whatsoever even if their agency was violated

So, I'll probably write an alternate thing at the end, but still store and archive all playthrough as I have until now.

I think Nemi did this to troll the little guys back a little, but would be surprised that they didn't take the hint.

The claim they were children made her chuckle though. All this time and they had not bothered to study the changing world? What kind of guardians were they supposed to be?

I can't see this part being canon cause the reveal of another disclosed secret with botched details would make her finally get annoyed and ask to be left alone to rest. I can only see the Depressed Bunny from the tribe quests being allowed to approach her as she talks normal.

that said LMAO this line

Girl what the hell is this. Yeah this for Nemi didn't happen. The Final Days are approaching why am I putting on your fashion homework

Ahh but this definitely happened. She saw Urianger leave and almost get ensnared into something again and went, absolutely not dude you deserve to make choices and be open and unburdened.

Wait, what place is this? Why does it look like the bottom of a sea,

"Think of different worldbuilding for a change challenge," Wait if you're dragging yourself why not do it-

just kidding. There is variety in content but more callbacks to other civilizations would be neat.

Even with being relieved of helping Urianger, Nemi just wants to sleep so badly. Thancred keeps asking if she's okay and she keeps demanding everyone to not touch her, which isn't normal for her. Lights pats and such are part of her communicative body language but, everyone else had to keep investigating. Her body felt hers and not and disgusting as times as she laid down... She tried controlled breathing and Astrologian Magicks and, even some carrots some Loporrits offered her but nothing stopped the, itching. She didn't stop frowning when they went back to the Watcher's abode. Was it the adrenaline wearing off?

[effortandmore]

Hello, again!

I love Home Alone and Love Actually! Love Actually is definitely a Christmas movie, just told by a bunch of different characters point of views/stories. My favorite Christmas movies are probably the Polar Express, a Christmas Story, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer from 1964. I also love Eight Crazy Nights, which technically is a Hanukkah movie, but Christmas is mentioned so I reckon it counts haha. I also love Nat King Cole! I much prefer classic Christmas music over new versions/covers of them.

Feel free to not answer if you're not comfortable disclosing whereabouts you live, but do you actually get cold and snowy weather for Christmas? Do you get snow regularly all throughout the Winter? It hovers around light jacket/sweater weather where I live and I've always wanted to wake up to snow on Christmas.

- Star 🌟

P.S. Congratulations on submitting your thesis!! That's incredible!!

Hey!

I will make a point to watch Love Actually (finally). Ooh, I didn't watch the Polar Express movie, but I really loved that book when I was a kid. Definitely agree about older Christmas music vs. newer versions.

I do get cold & snowy weather! I live on a mountain at about 8500-9000 feet above sea level. It usually starts snowing in late September or October and sometimes we get our last snow as late as June 1. There's snow on the ground the whole time, because it never really gets warm enough to melt all the way. I grew up on the West Coast of the US though, so I miss when school would get cancelled for like... 1/8th inch of snow 😂 I'd kill for sweater weather instead of freeze your butt off down jacket and snow pants weather. Maybe we should do a house swap! 💜 Really, I just miss having a growing season. We can't plant anything outdoors until after Memorial Day and then our first frost is in September, so it makes it really hard. I have a lot of indoor plants to make up for it, but it's not the same.

And thank you! I'm excited to be almost done with school. So close I can taste it!

[georgiaheartsdilfs]

→ man of my dreams (finale) bucky b x f!reader

inspired by @demonsandmischief ’s story something special ↪link to their story: something special part one

my masterlist - parts to this story is at the bottom ↪M A S T E R L I S T

prompt ↪ it's years after you and Bucky had first met. After the mission Sam and Bucky had parted ways and you and Bucky decided to move into a house together in the place you both fell in love, Greece. Even in paradise you can't escape you're true destiny of being a spy. "my type of paradise"

warnings / other notes ↪this is a shitty ending, i didn't know how to end it and i'm so sorry THE WORST FINAL CHAPTER IN HISTORY <3 I PROMISE YOU IT IS SO YOU MIGHT JUST WANT TO END ON THE LAST CHAPTER

Y/N's POV three years later Greece, how I love waking up every morning to look out onto the porch that overlooked the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. How I love waking up to the man that was once in my dreams, How I love that he is now the man of my dreams. Today is Bucky and I's three year anniversary, not that we did anything special on these days because we felt like we were getting old, also because we both hated public places that were fancy. It would be the same old day as any other day, Sam and Bucky message often, not often enough but they message often. Sam had messaged me that he was coming to visit Bucky sometime soon, not disclosing the time or day but he said soon. Zemo had gone to Wakanda with the Dora Milaje after our mission.

I think he prefers it there than in a box by himself all the time. "goodmorning" a groggy voice says from the head resting on my stomach, I chuckle "goodmorning love" stroking his hair whilst looking out of our window. Bucky had chosen to move to Greece a year or two ago, he says its almost as beautiful as I am and I can tell that he meant it. "how did you sleep?" I ask him as he buries his face into my stomach groaning before looking up at me with a smile "great" he says quietly before laying back down.

"happy anniversary" he says wrapping his arms around me "happy anniversary old man" I giggle and he looks up at me rolling his eyes, as he sits up stretching his arms out he looks out the window. "god i'd live in that ocean if it were liveable" he groans rubbing his eye as he walks over to the bathroom "really?" I ask him laughing and he nods brushing his teeth. I was able to keep the whole pregnancy thing quiet for a while, four months i think. Bucky never questioned my recently early sleeping times and my early waking times to go to the bathroom. He assumed it was hormonal, that I was growing more into an adult which made him sound creepy but I know he didn't mean it like that. I'd hold my stomach often, trying to feel for the baby and when it kicked for the first time last night I tried not to scream. Bucky had fallen asleep beside me by the time I had realised that the baby had kicked. "would you want a child?" I ask him getting out of bed, walking beside him to brush my teeth "if i could reproduce sure, i doubt they'd be any good though" he mumbles cleaning off his toothbrush. "what do you mean?" I ask him "they might have some mental illness like their father but determination and looks like their mother, not a good mix." he says walking over the the shower turning it on. "so if i were pregnant right now, hypothetically, would you keep it?" Bucky and I had mentioned children before, maybe a few months ago and he was open to the idea but he had his doubts. He thought the child would have issues like him, I thought otherwise. "y/n, don't joke around." he says taking off his shirt and I shrug "I said hypothetically" I turn around to face him as he looks at my stomach walking over he places his hands over my stomach. His eyes meet mine "i've been squishing a kid haven't i?" he says "no..." I mumble placing my hands over his, the baby kicked and he jumped his hands leaving my stomach. Pointing at my stomach in disbelief his jaw drops "how long?" he says slowly walking back over placing his hands back on my stomach and I giggle "four months" I say quietly and he kneels down lifting my shirt just above my stomach. "surprise" I smile sweetly and he kisses my stomach "i'm gonna be a dad" he says rubbing my stomach "i'm gonna be an uncle" a voice says and I spin around to see Sam with a champagne bottle and a box of chocolates. "no you're not related" Bucky says jokingly standing up to go over and hug Sam "you're my brother man of course I'm related" Sam chuckles and I roll my eyes "happy anniversary" Sam says and I laugh "thank you Sam" I say going over to hug him. Bucky runs to turn off the shower "what're you doing here?" I ask "I said I was going to visit" Sam says and Bucky turns to me "yeah..." I mumble walking out of the bathroom. "you two just going to stand in the bathroom all day?" I ask making the bed, Bucky runs over snatching the blanket out of my hands "sit" he says "what?" I question him. "oh now because she's pregnant you want to do something" Sam says placing his hands on his hips. "oh now because she's pregnant you want to put the champagne away" Bucky says narrowing his eyes at Bucky and I laugh "how couldn't you tell you're girlfriend is pregnant, shes as ripe as a tomato" Sam points at my stomach. "not that it's a bad thing you still look, great" he smiles saving himself. "i'm going for a shower, you two can catch up." I smile to them grabbing some clothes out of the wardrobe, walking towards the bathroom closing the door behind me.

Bucky's POV "well now the proposal will seem forced" I huff flopping down on the couch "if anything it's perfect timing" Sam says standing in front of me. Sam had handed me the box, the ring I had chose out for y/n was a nice small and simple ring that was only in the USA luckily Sam was still alive for me to annoy. "i mean i'm sick of the i'm going to marry her messages, do it now." Sam says "now?" I ask "now" he nods, she was in the shower so obviously I couldn't do it now. "no fancy restaurant or anything?" I ask, it seemed fitting to ask her to be my wife in a nice setting. Greece was beautiful enough to be fair. "y/n, in a fancy setting." Sam says giving me a distasteful look "you're right, y/n hates being taken out." I hum, opening the box y/n steps into the living room "what's that?" she says pointing at the box half naked in my hand and I look down disappointed, she walks back in the room to get dressed. "marry me?" I say defeated, the whole speech I had prepared was thrown out the window as she stares at me half naked, Sam still in the room trying to hold in his laughter. "no seriously what is it?" she says not believing me one bit, exactly like when we first went out she couldn't believe it. "marry me." I repeat this time assertive and she rolls her eyes "oh you're serious" she says laughing and I nod "isn't this like how this whole relationship started, uncertainty?" Sam says pointing between me and y/n. We both nod laughing and I stand up as she puts her hand out, grabbing the ring out i place it on her finger and a tear rolls down her cheek "i didn't even say yes" she whines "but yes" she laughs wiping her tear. "a little barnes family" she says about to cry again placing her hand on the baby "and you didn't tell me" she pointed at Sam who grins "it was hard when you can read my mind" he laughs. "I need to check into my hotel but I'll be right back before you give birth" Sam winks at y/n and I bolting off. "please tell me this wasn't a joke" she says looking at the ring "well i did have a whole speech you know but you decided to come out half naked and see the ring" I mumble and she sits down. Lifting her shirt up to reveal her belly "tell the baby what just happened" she says looking up at me and I chuckle kneeling down, placing my head in front of her stomach. "hi my little demon spawn" I whisper and y/n hits my head playfully "ouch fine" I laugh "hey, baby." I say awkwardly, its not everyday a 106 year old is still able to have children. "your mother and I, uh how do I word this hun help me." I look up, this was the first time I was even speaking to my child well I guess fetus? Right? I have no clue. Three Years ago I would have only been worrying about her but now... I have to worry about her and my child. our child. Wow, our child. "just say what comes to mind, it wont understand." She smiles sweetly running her hand through my hair "alright" I clear my throat sitting on the floor. "this is my first time talking to you, actually my first day knowing you exist." I say as we both laugh "also my first time proposing to your mother which went awfully, don't recommend it so hopefully you're a girl." I say getting carried away. "you want a girl?" she asks and I nod "yeah a little girl would be cute" I smile sweetly to her and she kisses the top of my head "yeah but i hope you're a girl so I can be that cool dad even though I shouldn't really be able to have kids." I say and y/n laughs slightly. "but then again i shouldn't have lived this long" I whisper to my child so y/n couldn't hear. A few minutes later, I hear her faint snores only to look up and find her asleep. One hand on her stomach the other on the couch, he hair tied up in a ponytail. "you're mother" I clear my throat continuing to talk to the baby "is the love of my life" I hum looking up at her face whilst she snores the day away. "and just like you, i'd do anything for her to be in my arms, to feel safe." I chuckle lightly and the baby kicks, y/n remains asleep and I laugh placing my hand over the place that was

kicked. "my beautiful girl, i hope you're a girl. I'd take you on bike rides, to carnivals and we could go on lunch dates, you could tell me all about your friends and boyfriends... not that i'd let you have one" I say talking to the baby as if it were a grown up. "god i'm so excited" I laugh "and I only technically have to wait 5 months for you" I continue staring lovingly into y/n's stomach. "if you're a girl you'd have such beautiful looks, i'd have to hide you from boys like me, ladies boys." I chuckle.

Y/N's POV I wasn't asleep, I could hear his every word, melting my heart slowly and slowly "you'd also have the attitude of your mother" he whisper "hey i'm awake" I mumble and he laughs. My head continues to lay back on the back of the couch, my hands playing with the new fancy ring from America. "you'd also have the socialness of your father" I smile looking down at my stomach only for Bucky to steal my gaze with his blue eyes "yeah but that's not bad" he mumbles stroking my stomach like a cat "yes it is, need i remind you of the restaurant on our first anniversary" I say and he looks down flustered. Sam barges back through our door "IM BACK" he yells he had been gone for about 30 minutes. "great you and my fiancé can have a cooking competition" I smile standing up "what?" they both say "I'm kidding I actually have uh some work to do" I say walking into my office and they both rush in. "you can't be working" Sam says, after the whole Zemo, Hydra thing, Shield offered me another job but I negotiated a better offer. Since I was an adult I was able to do real spy work but with a partner, obviously being Bucky, Sam was our third wheel when he felt like it. Shield bought the house in Greece and I pay them off by work. I did pay this off a year ago though. "why not i've been doing it this whole time" I say "before we knew you were pregnant" Sam says pointing at my stomach "look its paperwork" I mumble pointing at my desk. "and a gun" Bucky says opening my drawers "thats for emergencies" I lie, I mean the work was part paper work but there was practical stuff too. "you're so lucky I love you, but no" Bucky says grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the office "come on just one" I say and they both shake their heads "No" the both say and I roll my eyes. "one mission" I say holding a finger up "it'll make up for the bad speech or lack there of" I whistle, Sam and Bucky look between each other shaking their heads "one" Sam says "fine one" Bucky agrees. One final mission. I run to the carpet pulling it aside to reveal the trapdoor "when did we have this?" Bucky asks "since I installed it" I smile excitedly "I brought my suit luckily" Sam sighed "you just wear that" I look up at Sam who took his jacket off "yup" he nods sadly. I grab my red knife out tossing it to Buck "here hunny, I need a gun." I smile grabbing a handgun out. "god im so in love with you" Bucky mutters under his breath, I close the trap door standing up. I kiss him "and I'm in love with you" I smile "the man of my dreams remember" I whisper "can i be the first to say, ew?" Sam says and I roll my eyes "lets go" I mumble grabbing the files handing them to Sam. The trio is back for one final mission, my type of paradise. "You can never shake this spy stuff huh" Sam says leading us to the car "of course not its my destiny" I smile.

[cannibal-witchh]

"I'm No Hero, Lady"

Reader(fem) x Carlos Oliveira

Written by cannibal_witchh

Contains: Violence, gore, vulgar language, some fluff

Notes: I previously wrote a fluff fanfic about Carlos snuggling the reader in bed during a storm. The reader had a nightmare about the past which was the incident in Racoon City. This is the scenario that occurred when the reader is saved by Carlos before the end up together.

The previous story:

The city was cast in flames, the fire resembled an angry ocean of embers, quickly devouring collapsing buildings and destroyed vehicles. The decaying humans once recognizable, slowly met the fate of existing as the undead, as putrefing skin consumed them. There were several minutes of sickening screams, gnashing of teeth, buildings crumbling, and the blazing of an angry sea of heat. And the following after that was stilled silence, painful, vacant, lifeless, and numbing. The air almost seemed heavy, ears desperate and clawing for a sound to be stirred.

Several hours had past since a violent rage of a deadly pandemic disturbed Racoon City. You had been locked away in your supervisor's office at the museum, alone and terrified. You possessed no expierence in defense, you were simply a staff member of the local museum. It wasn't until an unfamiliar face offered you help, it was an incredibly risky gamble to take, but it was either be supposedly 'saved' or stay under a desk in a poorly protected office for however long.

"Y/N, I'm gonna need you to stay close to me, there's too many of those freaks roaming around, and from the little knowledge disclosed they are very contagious. A bite, maybe a scratch, will cause a nasty infection.", Carlos informed as you nervously followed closely behind. He was leading you through the south wing of the museum where the dinosaur fossils were displayed. It was eerie, the entire large room completely in darkness, and Carlos' gun light being the only illumination you both had. " Relax, I took all these fuckers out already. You're safe, lady. " he looked over his shoulder at you and gave a warm grin. It was hard to find complete emotional relief but he certainly was charming. His shaggy dark hair brushing on his forehead and above his brown eyes, his olive muscular figure, and his scruffy beard. He definitely was handsome and unusually young to be working in this field. " How many of them were there?", you whispered, darting your eyes all around the room, examining for any movement or noise.

" Maybe twenty, there wasn't too many."

" What about how many survivors you and your team found?"

" Sadly, just fifteen. Either civilians refused help and barricaded themselves in. Or they were found too late and turned into one of those monsters."

" That's awful.", you felt the sting of reality flood through your body. Just fifteen. You continued pacing attentively behind him as he held his rifle close against his chest. "Walk carefully over here, this is where I had to clear a group of them out.", he muttered as you both managed to enter the corridor leaving the fossil room. There were adleast ten dead bodies scattered along the ground. Gore staining the white tiles, the stench of expiration filling the narrow hall, and decoral tarnished and destroyed everywhere. Discomposure deluged your body, you froze, standing idle, and quivering. It was an electric feeling of absolute fear that paralyzed you. You would have to maneuver around carcuses that could still possibly be alive, and you were not in proper attire to protect yourself at all from their attacks. You dressed in a tight grey houndstooth pencil skirt, and a silk mint collared blouse. Definitely not fit for an apocalypse. Carlos turned facing you, realizing you had stopped following him. His expression was serious for a few seconds, and a few times he would glance behind him confirming nothing was there. " C'mon, Y/N, we don't have much time." He beckoned

" I can't, I'm afraid."

"I cleared all this hallway, I promise. I won't let them hurt you.'

"I'm sorry Carlos. I'm too afraid...", you admitted with humiliation.

" Lady, ugh...don't hit me ok?", he playfully smiled and swung his rifle around his back. He plodded over to you and quietly scooped you up against his chest. He let out a awkward giggle and started to regain his balance with your weight. For someone who just witnessed this horrible pandemic, killed the undead, and did this independently he sure was calm. It was comforting, though. "Sorry, but I'm not leaving you behind nor am I wasting time.", he glanced over at you, making brief eye contact. His eyes were soft, it didn't display the slightest fear, and his hair swayed side to side above his gentle eyes. For someone roaming around in rubble, blood, and sweat, his aroma smelled wonderful. He smelled of spices and his own sweat. It was strange but he didn't smell too bad. Carlos coggled back ahead, carefully stepping over corpses, and just as he promised, they really were all dead. Occasionally, he would bounce you up to gain more security when holding you. You draped your arms tightly around his neck to stay supported. His breathing was slow and quiet against your face as he carried you closer and closer to the exit. " Do me a favor, please. Please watch my back.", he requested finally making it to the exit. The exit sign flickered red, static occasionally sparking from the sign, and shimmering down onto the ground. You looked over Carlos' shoulder and with your relief, nothing was there. No rustles and no movements. Carlos was struggling to open the door, he continued to press against the bar of the wide door a few times until he finally gave up. " Fuck!", he quietly shouted as he stepped back from the door. He took a few more steps back until he had a little space between the door and him. He lifted his foot up and kicked out the door. The door rattled loudly and swung wide open. " Thank God,", he sighed in relief as he transported you outside the museum.

"OK, ok, you can let me go. Sorry, for the trouble. ", you bashfully removed your arms from over his neck, and he slowly lowered you to your feet. "Didn't like being held, huh? I'm just kidding, let's keep going.", he teased as he began walking down the alongated museum alleyway. The two of you had finally made it out of the museum, and the alleyways seemed relatively tame. There wasn't too many corpses lurking down it. And the ones that did approach the two of you, Carlos would resolve with a knife to their skull and quickly they would collapse. He tried not to resolve issues with his gun unless it was when it was absolutely out of control. A few minutes of carefully walking down the backstreet, there was an abrupt crash of shattering glass behind you. It startled you and you immediately drew your eyes to the direction of the loud sound. " C-Carlos...", you stuttered backing away in terror. The virus effected animals too. A large dog had launched itself out of the window, snarling and foaming blood from between its teeth. He stood in an agressively pose, not removing its eyes on Carlos or you. " Try staying quiet, Y/N. We don't need to attract more attention."

"P-p....please shoot it..", your eyes watered on the verge of a break down.

The dog darted forward directly at you, something yanked at your wrist pulling you backwards. Carlos had grabbed you leading you both into a full on sprint. " I don't want to fire off in such a small space. I'm not sure if other freaks are around and they'll go towards the sound. We have to be careful." He quickly clarified, dragging you by the wrist to the very end of the alley. The dog continued racing towards the two of you, snarling and barking loudly. "Carlos!!!", the dog jumped forward at you, nearly biting your arm but a bullet dove forward directly into its skull. The dog flew backwards in a pained whimper. " Shit!", Carlos cursed in frustration, he moved his head around examining all directions. " Fuck, fuck, fuck...we gotta go!", he gripped your wrist and began to guide the both of you back towards the middle of the alley. The dead had be drawn to all the barking and the gun shot. Unfortunately, a group was forming on both ends of the alleyway, and blocking any escape. " Y/N, look! ", a broken fire escape ladder hung in the middle of the alley, it was the absolute only opportunity to escape. Carlos squated down, holding his hands together to give you a boost up to it. " Go, go, go, ", he chanted trying to sound as hopeful as he could. You hoped up and grabbed the ladder, with as much strength as you could gather, you began to pull yourself up. The swarm of creatures got closer and closer and you feared for Carlos' safety. Come on climb already! He jumped as high as he could, latching on to the ladder, and pulling himself quickly up. He let out multiple gasps of air in exhaustion and then gestured with his head to continue climbing all the way up. "Let's get all the way up, away from these fuck faces!", you both felt rattling from the fire escape with each step and climb you both took. You felt unsecure having your weight, Carlos', and his equipment. Within a few minutes of climbing up very high, you both managed to get to the roof of the building. Carlos immediately dropped his gun to the ground and laid on his back. For minutes, he laid there breathing heavily as if he ran a marathon. You walked a few feet away from him, dropping to the ground, and covering your face in your palms. So many emotions churned inside your mind, you were exhausted, terrified, confused, and livid. What was going on? Tears began collecting in your eyes, you failed to suppress the tense emotions clenching your chest, your body quivering in shock, and you began to fall apart in your own hands.

"What's wrong, Y/N? Are you hurt?", a large hand squeezed your shoulder.

" No..., I just, I dont know if I can take all this.", you sniffed continuing to conceal your face away from Carlos'. You felt his large arms wrap around you, pulling you close against him, and he rested his head against your's. " I get it. I'm scared shitless too. But you know what, we aren't doing so bad. We've survived this long."

" I only survived because you decided to be a hero and save me! I would've died on my own. I'm useless!", you cried, feeling tears escape between your finger tips. "Woah, no, you aren't useless. Its not like every other day a random pandemic hits and you get used to this stuff. I've never dealt with this shit before in my life. This is new. Everyone is just trying to survive, you made it on your own for hours with no help. Don't be so hard on yourself." Carlos brushed his large hands against your arms trying his best to calm you. He wasn't exactly great with words but you could tell he tried to make effort. You lowered your hands, revealing your tired red eyes, your face sticky and hot from crying. You felt embarrassed but it was just so difficult to keep it together. " We are almost out of here, chin up.", he grinned, squeezing you against him warmly. " T-Thank you, I'm so sorry you're putting up with my shit.", you glanced from the corner of your eyes at him, too embarrassed to completely turn over to show your reddened face. " Stop. Look at me.", you obeyed his request, although it was hard, you turned to face him. " This is what I'm here for. I want to help and I am happy to help you. Its a plus that you're a cute lady running around in a pencil skirt too. " He teased patting the top of your head, ruffling your hair and giving a light hearted giggle.

Unexpectedly, Carlos' walkie talkie beeped and static flooded through for a brief moment. " Carlos, where are you? Are you alive?"

"Tyrell, I'm alive, surprisingly. I'm up on a roof across Racoon City's museum with one survivor."

"Good! I hadn't heard from you for hours wanted to make sure you weren't having too much fun. So you only found one survivor?"

"Just one. I looked in several areas in the B territory but either the survivors were barricading themselves and uncooperative or turning."

" Shit, well, the boss man says we have to make this our last run. Things are getting bad and we are borderline at max capacity. Hurry up! I will stall."

There was a beep following static and it then it ended. " Looks, like we have to go. I have to take you to the exit we made. There will be a bus and they will take you far from this city to safety."

"What about you? You make it sound like you're not coming?"

"My commands remain. I have to stay."

You felt your cheeks buzz with heat, he was directed to remain?

****

Carlos and you had waited on the roof top for adleast half an hour. He had given Tyrell an update before the two of you finally climbed down the ladder. Luckily, all the zombies had migrated else where. The two of you quietly hurried, it took nearly another fourty minutes before you finally saw a buses gathered by an exit. It was filled with a civilians, and surrounded by military workers. You felt relief hit you, as you saw other evidence of survivors and humanity. You looked over at Carlos, he turned to face you completely, and he placed a hand on your shoulder. "It was a pleasure helping you.", he smiled, squeezing your shoulder as he walked you to the bus. A doctor on his team examined you for any signs of infections before you boarded, thankfully, you were ok. Thanks to Carlos. You entered the bus and turned around to properly depart from Racoon City, and to depart from your hero. " Thank you, Carlos. You really are a hero.", you smiled displaying truely appreciation. Carlos chuckled for a second and shook his head. " I'm no hero, lady. Hopefully, I see you around. Hopefully, still running around in a cute pencil skirt! ", he winked playfully, as blush scattered across his face and your's. Was he flirting with you? "Just try finding me at museum then. Well, thank you, Carlos. Really. Thank you.", you leaned forward and pecked his cheek.

"Until then."

The bus door closed, and you moved to your seat. You watched as the bus began to leave, your eyes fixed on Carlos, as your view grew smaller and smaller of the city and him. You hoped maybe one day you would see him again. You hoped your hero would survive this. You believed he would.