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mamaestapa · 10 months

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You and joe broke up but his sister in law invites you to his nieces bday party and he realizes the mistake he made

Forever and Always|| Joe Burrow x reader

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•summary: You and Joe find each other again at his nieces fourth birthday party

•warnings: just some angst and fluff!

"Y/n!" Robin grinned as she watched you walk into the kitchen of Joe's sister in law's kitchen. She placed her plate down on the counter and rushed over to give you a hug. You laughed happily as she wrapped her arms around you, swaying you back and forth.

"Hi Robin," you smiled, "it's good to see you."

The two of you pulled away from each other. Robin grabbed your hands and stepped away from you, taking in your appearance. "Oh honey I didn't think I'd see you, you look great!" You smiled, "Thank you. It's a little tough seeing every one again, but, I wasn't going to miss this." Robin nodded, "That little girl loves you so much. You'll always be an aunt to her, Y/n."

Today was Amelia, Joe's four year old nieces birthday party. You have been around the Burrow fam since the day Amelia was born. She grew up calling you Aunt Y/n and just absolutely adored you and everything you did. She constantly tells her mom that you are her "favorite person in the whole wide world". You used to see Amelia all the time, but that unfortunately stopped when you and Joe went your separate ways after five years of dating. The two of you just seemed to be in a funk, deciding it was best to take a small break from each other and your relationship. However, that small break turned into weeks, which turned into months, until eventually it was no longer a break. You two were broken up. No longer together. And that broke poor little Amelia's heart. When Uncle Joe showed up to Christmas and family barbecues without Aunt Y/n, she was heartbroken. Amelia was convinced she would never see you again. You were even convinced you would never see her or any member of the Burrow family ever again.

However, that all changed when you received an invite in the mail and a text message from Joe's sister-in-law, Cassie. Cassie invited you to Amelia's fourth birthday party, stating how much Amelia and the rest of the family (including Joe) miss you very much. She didn't pressure you to come, but she stressed how much she and the others would love if you were to go.

So here you are, at Amelia's birthday party with your ex-boyfriends family that you still loved like your own. You'd been at the party for maybe twenty minutes, and you had yet to see Joe, only seeing his brother, sister-in-law and mom. You knew it would be a little awkward seeing Joe, but part of you felt excited to see him again. Those butterflies you got when the two of you first started seeing each other, were slowly creeping back just at the thought of seeing Joe. You shook yourself out of your thoughts of you ex-boyfriend, instead deciding to find Amelia.

"So, where's the birthday girl?" a warm smile on your face as you asked Robin. Cassie walked into the kitchen with a brand new fruit tray. She smiled at you and pointed to the backyard, "She's out back in the bouncy house with some of the neighbor kids." Cassie set the tray down on the counter and beckoned you over, "Here," she said, "follow me."

You followed Joe's sister-in-law out to the backyard, waving at and saying hello to all of the familiar faces. You stood next to the patio furniture, scanning your eyes around the backyard full of Joe's family as Cassie went to get Amelia. As you were looking around at the guests, your eyes locked with a pair of blues you thought you'd never see again. You always thought Joe's eyes were his best feature, constantly finding yourself getting lost in them when you were dating. You felt butterflies swarm in your tummy as you kept your eyes locked with Joe's. He looked different than the last time you saw him. It was a good different. His dark blonde hair was grown out, showing off his unruly waves. His arms looked bigger, stronger, and his jawline and veiny arms and hands were more prominent than ever. You gave him a tight lipped smile—which to your surprise he returned. The tension between the two of you felt like it was growing deeper. So many memories came flooding back to you just from one look at Joe.

"Aunt Y/n!"

You snapped your head away from Joe and looked in the direction of the squeal. You dropped to your knees and held your arms out as a wide grin pulled at your lips. Amelia came running at you, giggling happily as she fell into you arms. You wrapped your arms around her little body, squeezing her gently.

"Hi sweetie!" You said, voice full of excitement. The little blonde girl pulled herself away from you and smiled happily. She was glad to see her favorite aunt again.

"Happy birthday Amelia."

Amelia there herself at you, wrapping her arms around you once again. "I missded you." You smiled as you rubbed her back, lovingly stating, "I missed you too, sweet girl."

As you shared a sweet moment with Amelia, Joe was watching from afar with a smile on his face. It warmed his heart to see his niece this excited, but it also made him so happy to see you again. As Joe watched you interact with niece and catch up with his family, he realized two things: you still give him butterflies and he made a huge mistake.

Amelia gave you a third hug as she wasn't able to conceal her excitement over seeing you for the first time in a long time. She pulled herself away from you, an excited grin on her face.

"Hi Uncle Joe!"

Your grin fell as your body immediately froze. Joe was standing right behind you.

"Hi 'Melia. You mind if I steal Aunt y/n for a second?" joe's niece nodded, "Uh huh, just bring her back."

Joe smiled, nodding at the blonde girl, "I will, don't worry. Once I'm done talking to her, Aunt Y/n is all yours." Amelia nodded and ran back to the bounce house, already forgetting about you as soon as she was bouncing away with her best friends. You stood up, brushing your knees off before you turned around to look at Joe.

"Hey," he breathed out, "can we talk?"

You haven't spoken to Joe in almost a year. It was tough for you to see him and his family again. It was even more tough for you to speaking to him right now. You didn't think you wanted to talk to him, but your heart was aching for you to speak to Joe again. You nodded, making him smile softly at you before he pulled you over to a secluded area in his brothers backyard. Once you were away from the crowd of people, Joe started to talk.

"It's good to see you again Y/n."

You nodded, "It's good to see you too," you gestured to his figure, "you look great by the way." Joe smiled, "Thanks, you do too. You always look great though." he finished softly, making a blush creep up your neck and onto your cheeks. The two of you stood in silence for a moment before Joe poured his heart out to you.

"Look, Y/n, I made a huge mistake." Joe sighed, "I thought taking a break from us would be good for me. I needed to focus on my career and winning a Super Bowl, and I thought that if I took a break from our relationship, then I could focus and achieve that goal." He rubbed his hands together as he continued, "but the truth is, it was the complete opposite. Ever since we broke up, I've been a mess. I'm not myself on and off of that field. I need you, Y/n. Breaking up with you was the biggest mistake of my life. I can't achieve any of my goals in my career or my life without you there with me."

Your mouth hung open in shock. You weren't expecting him to say any of that to you. You weren't aware that Joe still had those feelings for you. You always hoped that he did though, because you too, shared those same exact feelings. Even though you've been broken up for almost a year, you were still in love with Joe. You always have been, and always will be.

"I've," you took a deep breath, "I've missed you Joe." Joe smiled sadly, reaching out to grab your hand. "I've missed you too." He said softly. You looked into his eyes, feeling the butterflies swarm and your heart fill with love as he gazed at you. "What do you say we give it another try?" you asked, voice hopeful as you looked up at Joe. A smile pulled at his lips, "I'm willing to try again if you are."

"You promise?"

"I promise Y/n. It's you and me, forever and always." Joe said as the two of you leaned in and shared a passionate, love filled kiss. Something the two of you have been dying to do for months now. You were finally back in each others lives, all thanks to Joe's nieces fourth birthday party.

And Joe was right—for the rest of your lives it was you and him...

Forever and always.

hey loves!!

so this one was pretty long, i guess it’s more of an imagine than a blurb. um but it kind of sucked, lol. I'm so sorry! I got carried away, but I also didn't really know what to write? it is also currently 3 am for me, so my writing doesn't really make sense when I write at this time . I apologize😂 but I hope you still somewhat liked it!

this is also the last blurb for the night. I hope you enjoyed this blurb night loves, I know I did! ill do another one again next week ;)

thank you for all of your love and support!🤍🤍

#joe burrow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow x you #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow blurb #blurb night

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momotonescreaming · 10 months

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I went digging through my fics, and found this. Absolutely no idea when I wrote this, or if I shared it already, but I can't stop thinking about it. Enjoy.

It’s the 1800’s, and Steve is the first born and only son of Richard Harrington, heir to the Harrington fortune. Expectations have been placed upon him since he was born, and it only got worse as he got older. He was too kind, liked flowers, and playing in the mud, and learning about horses and carriages and trains, and sitting with his mother while she put on make up and had her ladies maid do her hair. Then came the lessons from the private tutor (since the Harrington’s were too good for the local school) and Steve wasn’t as book smart as his father wanted him to be.

His father was mean and his mother was scared and so Steve spent a lot of time out in the fields as a young boy, wandering the land his father owned, picking up sticks and pretending to be a sheriff or an adventurer riding a fast horse into the sunset.

So he played until it got dark and Steve still didn’t go back home. Dad would yell and Mom would give him That Look and he didn’t want to change into his fancy dinner clothes. So Steve stays out late and wanders.

There are things living in the woods.

Things with teeth that hunt and kill and make people disappear. But no one tells poor little Steve this. He gets attacked by a wolf that isn’t quite a wolf, and screams so so loud.

Nobody hears him.

One of his father’s farmhands find him in the woods in the early morning. His clothes are ripped and he’s dirty and covered in blood but he doesn’t have any wounds, save for one single wolf bite. The man rushes him back to the Harrington Manor House, and someone calls the doctor. Steve is bathed, and fed, and checked over and the doctor tells his parents that he’s lucky it wasn’t worse. He gets better and goes back to his lessons.

Next month he gets a fever. Steve is sweaty and delirious, and hungry and itchy and restless and nothing quite helps. He blacks out one night and when he wakes up he’s curled up on the hardwood floor and all his furniture has been ripped apart. The servants whisper the word “werewolf” in the halls.

His parents fire half the servants, pay them off to keep their mouth shut, and hire someone who can help. A friendly woman named Mrs Henderson, whose dead ex-husband was a werewolf like Steve. She teaches him what she can while Richard Harrington hires men to build a stone basement underneath a small cottage at the very back of the Harrington Land. Where no one can see.

So Steve grows up, he falls in love, he finds out his sweetheart Nancy doesn’t love him, he befriends Dustin Henderson, and then Robin Buckley - a dorky local girl who plays the trumpet and works at a store in town. And once a month, he takes himself down to the basement of the cottage, and turns into a werewolf. Mrs Henderson could only help so much, not being a Werewolf herself. His control is better than it was, but he still doesn’t trust himself. So chained in the basement it is.

Then there’s Eddie Munson, the poor son of an outlaw living with his uncle in a tiny house in the town of Hawkins. Grew up learning how to break the law with his father, how to live off the land, how to shoot and hunt and survive. He hated it, little Eddie wanted to learn to play the guitar and read and tell stories. But Pa didn’t give him much of a choice. Until Ma died and Pa spiralled and ended up getting caught and shipped off to prison. So he went to live with his uncle Wayne. And he made friends, and told stories, and started writing.

And then he watched a girl die and got blamed for her murder. So he’s on the run, and he knows how to survive but not when he doesn’t have any supplies. And not in a town where everyone knows his name and his face. So he runs. And he hides. First in his friend Rick's, who’s away in jail or on a job or something. Eddie's not sure and he really doesn't care right now. But he gets close to getting caught again. So he runs again until he finds a barn, semi abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

He’s close to the Harrington’s land, this he knows. But everyone knows they travel for business all the time, so it’s fine.

Except it’s not.

He’s tired and hungry and scared and it’s dark. There’s a light in the distance - lantern. He ducks down, waiting. Except it’s not the Sheriff, or Jason Carver (who took it upon himself to become a bounty hunter, to avenge the death of his sweetheart). It’s Steve Harrington. The semi-estranged, semi-reclusive Harrington heir, who looks grim and angry as he storms across the field. And he doesn’t see Eddie, doesn’t look at the barn, doesn’t even have a horse.

Steve goes into the cottage and Eddie doesn’t know whether to stay put until he leaves in the morning or make a run for it. Eddie is still paralysed with fear and indecision when he notices the full moon in the sky.

He hears a guttural scream, the snap of bone, a howling; and Eddie remembers the stories his Uncle Wayne would tell him of the things that live in the woods.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #pre steddie #werewolf au #western au #momo.txt #honestly this fucks #past me knew whats up #no idea on how this goes though lmao #past me did not make notes #my writing

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zorosprincess · 10 days

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Succiduous pt.1

PRONOUNCED - Suc•cid•u•ous | \sək`sədooəs\ DEFINITION - Ready to fall, falling.

PAIRING - Miya Twins x Reader WC - 5.8K GENRE - Fluff CW - a lot of fluff, unrequited love if you squint, really bad first kiss, general language warnings, the usual bullying that comes hand in hand with the miya twins SYNOPSIS - The thing about growing up with the Miya twins... You learn a lot of things. You learn that they bleed into every aspect of your life, that you'll never be rid of them. You learn that they feel more like home than your house does.

MASTERLIST | NEXT PART

AGE 6

Growing up with the Miya twins means that they find a way to seep into every single part of your life.

The first time you saw the Miya twins you were just a kid. 6, to be precise.

You can’t pretend to remember all the details of your first meeting, a lot of things are blurry before the age of 12. Even after that isn’t always great. Bits and pieces put together like puzzle pieces, an outline of what the pictures should look like. And, possibly, not even those pieces were always remembered correctly.

What you do remember vividly, however, was the distaste in your mouth as you moved to a new house and a new school, all contact with your parents and with your friends (the girls you swore were going to be your bridesmaids one day in the way that some little girls imagine and play out their future weddings) cut off. All you had wanted to do was sit in your room and point out where you wanted things to go so that your new brother could move them for you.

(When you grew older you had realized he wasn’t exactly your brother, but at 6—brother-in-law was too many words for you to pay attention to. Just as you learned to be grateful for your sister and her husband taking you away from what you learned later was an ugly situation. The words 'divorce' and 'custody battle' were things ignored by your small ears until you were old enough to understand.)

You remember, clearly, the fit you threw as your sister dragged you out of the house and down to the nearest park your first full day in town, leaving her husband and his brother to build pieces of furniture around the house. You don’t mean an actual fit, of course, there was no screaming and crying, no kicking and throwing yourself around.

But you’d be lying if you didn’t purposely make it a little harder to pull you out of your room and down the hallway. If you claimed you didn’t drag your feet a little more as you walked, taking smaller steps than usual. Counting three steps between every line in the walk.

Lying if you said you didn’t shut your mouth and keep every single comment to yourself, not even breaking to answer if you wanted something to eat. You did. But you weren’t about to speak to your sister to let her know that. Not about to break your cone of silent protest. That was the hill you knew you would die on.

It was at that park, the one you were dragged to on your first day, that you first met the Miya twins. The only two there that were your age at the time.

Your sister had been so pushy that day. “Make friends!” She (literally) pushed you towards the play structure where they were arguing over who got to go up the ladder to the climbing bars first. You'd grimaced at the sight—well, at the sound. Two loud voices yelling at each other, over each other, as they started to go for each others’ hair. Too loud.

You'd shaken your head adamantly but your sister had just kept pushing until you were only a few feet away from them, the cause of the ruckus. She'd quickly rushed away to watch you from a far off bench, keen on making sure you could do this on your own. Your response had only been to give her an annoyed look but she’d given you a thumbs up anyways, encouragement to 'go for it'.

“Excuse me.” Your voice had come as a whisper first, too nervous to speak louder than that. Neither of the boys acknowledged your presence, their argument slowly getting closer to putting them both on the ground. You sighed and tried again. Soft voice raising a couple levels. “Excuse me?”

That was the moment you saw their faces for the first time. Both frozen and staring right at you. You remember looking at the two of them and just thinking — oh god. They’re duplicates. Two nearly identical faces staring at you in confusion.

“What d’ya want?” One of them asked, the one with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Annoyance had laced his tone like he wasn’t being held by the collar merely an inch above the ground as his own hands were wrapped up in his twins’ hair.

Before you were even given the chance to open your mouth and respond to the attitude he gave you, he was slammed into the ground by the other. The second boy’s hand released the first’s collar and shoved straight into his brother's face, blocking all chances to see or talk for the moment. “Why d’ya have t'be so rude.” His hair was darker, black, and his eyes were a shiny grey.

“Mm nah roo!“ the brown-eyed boy’s protests were muffled as he tried to shove his brother off him. He succeeded after only a few tries. You stood silent, watching in horror as these strangers fought. You remember shooting a worried look over to your sister only to find her not even looking at you, missing your perceived distress.

“Uh—” your voice caught their attention immediately this time, “I’m new here.” Both stood up straighter, only a few shoved placed between them as they turned to look at you, finally waiting to hear you out even though your voice was so quiet compared to theirs. You watched as both their faces changed to the same dumb look and they even tilted their heads in the same way, waiting for the punchline. “I’m l/n.” Your last name melted quietly of your tongue and you watched them both silently form it with their own.

“Miya.” Their two voices spoke at the same time that both their hands were presented to you. You blinked at them both and it was like a light clicking on as they realized their mistake.

The rude one - as you had dubbed him - spoke again, jerking his thumb at his brother, the one with grey eyes. “Tha’s Osamu.” He then stood a little straighter and pointed to himself proudly. “I’m—“

He was cut off as his brother pushed him again. “Ah-noyin.’” He accentuated the ‘ah’ and flicked his brother’s head, hard. “Lemme tell ‘er m’own name.”

You struggled to keep a laugh from slipping out at that, refusing to let the strangers know that you had feelings yet, let alone that you found them even slightly amusing.

The one now labeled as both rude and 'ah-noyin'' by his brother took his chance to scramble towards his original goal. “Jus for tha’, m’goin’ firs’.”

But just as soon as he'd claimed that and crawled to the top of the stairs, slinging his hands onto the first bar, he'd come tumbling down in a mess of metal bangs and small shrieks all caused by a misplaced foot and gravity. You'd let out a giggle then, unable to help yourself as you'd watched the boy tumble.

“‘s what he deserved for bein’ rude.” You laughed out louder at the comment and if you'd have looked at Osamu’s face in that moment, you would’ve seen a boy who looked as if he'd just fallen in love.

“I like ya.” Osamu said then, definitive tone as he drew your attention away from where his brother was trying to wipe dirt from out of his mouth. You'd tilted your head at him in confusion as he made this declaration, eyes widening slightly in shock. “Ya wan’ some food?”

You went to deny the offer to be polite but your stomach had growled then, as if responding on its own. Loud enough for the boy in front of you to hear it clearly. It was as if it was a reminder of how stupid you had been all day by protesting your sister and her new husband and refusing to eat anything they'd offered.

You'd winced at the noise but it had cause a light laugh to pass through Osamu’s lips. The sound made you let a small smile of your own slip out and you resigned to nod at him as your response. “C’mon,” he'd latched his hand onto yours, the first contact you'd had with a Miya, and started to pull you away from his brother, “ya can have Atsumu’s lunch.”

“’Ey!” The other twin—Atsumu you now knew him as—had finally paid attention to you both again as you'd run off towards where Osamu was promising you food.

The second time that you saw the Miya twins was your first day at your new primary school. You had convinced your sister to not force you to try and make friends anymore for the rest of your school break. But the second that you walked into your classroom, the teacher had dragged you in front of the entire class to introduce you to the rest of the students.

You keenly remember the distaste in the back of your throat as the teacher presented you like a shiny new toy – “everyone, this is l/n y/n, she’s new to town and I want everyone to be really nice to her.” She had accentuated the 'really' of her sentence, sending a glance around at all the expectant faces, something that made you feel like shrinking in on yourself. Then she had looked at you expectantly and you remember having to force yourself to give a small smile and wave at the class.

When she'd released you from the confines of her grip at the front of the class you'd rushed to find a seat... only to be stopped by a familiar face jumping into your path.

“’Ey, I know ya!” You'd paused, eyes widening in a small amount of fright at the enthusiasm that seemed to radiate off the twin. “Met ya a’the park!” You'd stared at him and blinked slowly as he kept on, not even trying to give you the chance to speak. “Ya ‘member me?”

You knew exactly which twin this was, the one with brown eyes. The rude one. The one labeled as 'ah-noyin'' by the one you actually didn't mind. You'd sighed in irritation and acknowledged that whatever you decided you were going to say then would probably determine the rest of your year.

“You’re Osamu’s twin. Right?” You'd paired it with a sweet smile and watched as his jaw dropped in shock.

A loud laugh came from your right and you'd dragged your eyes away from the satisfying picture of Atsumu trying to pull his jaw off the floor and over to where Osamu stood next to you holding his stomach. Your eyes lit up at the sight. You decided then that you could get used to making him laugh.

“Put ya in ya place there, Atsumu.” Osamu laughed and guided you away from his brother. “Sit nex' t'me?” You smiled and nodded, falling easily into the seat next to the twin that couldn’t stop staring at you with a wide and toothy smile.

The other twin stood there, eyes stuck on you as well, disbelief filling them. “But tha’s ma seat!”

“Not anymore.” You'd quipped back quietly, sticking your tongue out at him.

AGE 8

At some point in the next few years, you realized that these twins might be part of your life for a while... whether you liked that fact or not.

Growing up with the Miya twins means that you get used to loud things.

Osamu and Atsumu and their constant bickering had become part of your regular routine. You would repeatedly join Osamu in his teasing of Atsumu, always pulling a laugh out of Osamu when you did. A feeling of joy always filled you when Osamu’s laughs filled your ears as Atsumu would look at you in shock.

You would constantly have to break up fights between the two of them (and sometimes others that would accidentally get caught between them). You became accustomed to waiting for them outside of the principal’s office. Waiting for their lectures to be done so that you all could walk home together. Reading books as you waited for detentions and punishments to be dealt.

But on the first day of your third year in school together, Osamu greeted you outside your house with a new nickname for you on his tongue. “Y/n/n!” He'd shouted it, immediately wrapping you in a hug as you bounded out of your house and straight into his arms.

“Y/n/n?” You'd whispered it as a question as you pulled out of the hug. No one had given you a nickname before and there was a sudden warmth that had come with it, something like comfort or belonging.

Concern had etched its way across his face. “Though’ t’was cute? D’ya not like it?” His voice sounded soft then, small with his worries weighing it down.

You made sure to shake your head quickly and beam up at him. “No! I love it!” You'd pulled away and adjusted your bag as you both walked back to where Atsumu was standing, waiting on the street.

“Ya ready fer a new year?” Atsumu had asked as you'd reached him, slinging arms around both your shoulder and his brother’s, making sure that he was between you both, always craving to be the center of your trio.

You rolled your eyes and ducked out from under his arm. “Ready to see how much dumber ya got over break, Thing 2.” You'd jabbed the comment at him with a snicker. And with that, the warm feeling returned, Atsumu’s dumbstricken face and Osamu’s laugh.

“Why’re ya such a meanie, Y/n/n?” Atsumu whined, your new nickname falling from his mouth easily. Osamu ducked out from under Atsumu's arm next and came to walk next to you, leaving his brother a couple steps behind you both.

“Ya deserve it.” You'd laughed as Osamu’s arm wrapped your shoulder where Atsumu’s had previously been. “And don’t call me that.”

You didn’t have to look back to know that Atsumu’s jaw had fallen to the floor again. “Why’s Osamu ‘llowed t'call ya that but m’not?”

You blew a puff of air out of your nose, trying not to fully laugh, too not give away the small joke, as you looked lightly over your and Osamu’s touching shoulders. “Cause I actually like Osamu.” You said with finality.

Warm again as Atsumu looked distressed and Osamu laughed in your ear.

AGE 10

You picked up a sport, soccer to be exact.

You’d be lying if you said it wasn’t a little tiny bit because Atsumu and Osamu were getting so into volleyball. That you wanted to find something you liked like that too. It helped that your new sport was foot-based in contrast to their hand-based one. A difference enough to make sure you could have your own thing.

It was around then when they had come running to you after one of their volleyball camp days. Exclamations springing from their mouths, overlapping each other, that you needed to stop calling them Osamu and Atsumu 'immediately'.

“We’re changin’ our names!” Atsumu had exclaimed loudly, jumping in front of your face as you went to pull your soccer bag onto your shoulder so that you were forced to listen to him over his brother.

Osamu was quick to snatch your duffel from you before it fully landed, swinging it onto his own shoulder instead with a smile that made your heart constrict. With a smooth motion, he swung his other arm out to smack his brother in the face, not looking away from you nor stopping his smile.

You giggled as you watched how Atsumu’s face was stopped by Osamu’s hand as the rest of his body continued forward for a mere second. A sound of protest left Atsumu’s lips but Osamu’s voice greeted your ears, drowning him out. “We’re not changin’ our names idiot!” He shot over his shoulder at the boy now gripping his nose.

“Why I ought ‘a –” Atsumu went to move towards his brother but you fixed him with a glare and stepped between the two boys, ignoring the grumble that left Atsumu’s chest. You held his eye for a moment, a challenge, but both knew that if you were between them, neither would ever go for a hit.

“Go ‘head, Osamu. Knew ya wouldn’, grandma’d be mad at you.” You flipped your head back to Osamu, dropping the glare and painting a sweet smile on your face in its place.

“See,” he glanced over at Atsumu with a smug smirk, “knew she’d get it.” He rolled his eyes and his twin glared at you instead of him, blaming you for being in his way of the fight he wanted. “Jus’ new nicknames. I get ta be ‘Samu.” He looked at you proudly.

You hummed in thought. “’Samu.” You tilted your head and then smiled. “I like it!” You exclaimed and tucked your arm around Osamu’s waist.

“I picked it!” Atsumu said then, falling back into step with you both.

"Oh," you looked at him with a distasteful look, "well when you say that—” you looked away from Atsumu and tried to cover your smile as you locked eyes with Osamu, both of you knowing that you were just messing with him— “I don’t know about it.”

Atsumu made a sound at the back of his throat at your words, struggling to find his own. “But since ‘Samu likes it.” You smiled, trying your hardest to not giggle as you saw Atsumu throw his hands out in annoyance out of the corner of your eye.

He groaned before righting himself again, pulling his ego back together as easily as it had fallen apart. “Movin’ on ta me.” He'd clapped his hands together and slapped a smug smile back on his face. “’m gon’ be ‘Tsumu!” He shouted excitedly in your face.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes at him. “That sounds dumb.” You said and smiled as a harsh puff left Osamu’s lips as he tried to keep his laughs down.

“’Samu came up with it!” Atsumu’s voice raised an octave, defensive as his jaw dropped at you.

“Oh, well when you say that—” you laughed lightly— “it’s a great name ‘Samu, good job.”

“Yer biased!” Atsumu shrieked at you then, voice cracking as he ran a hand over his face.

“Absolutely I am.” You'd laughed as Osamu squeezed your side in response. “That’s why he’s Thing 1 and you’re the Thing 2. I like him more, so he gets ta be number 1.”

“I hate ya.” Atsumu grumbled at the same time as Osamu smiled over at you with a “Love ya too.”

AGE 12

Growing up with the Miya twins meant that when you started middle school, you started to find yourself at the Miya house more than your own. You'd spent more nights curled into Osamu’s bed than your own, preferring that to four screaming wake-up calls a night from your sister’s new baby.

You'd slowly found yourself more and more attached at the hip to Osamu and found Atsumu hanging around you both less. But in the middle of the night it was just the three of you and your meaningless talks. Atsumu and you, however, always stopped talking once Osamu fell asleep, keen to sit in silence amongst his soft snores.

It had been one of those nights when you'd woken to the room quieter than usual. Even with Osamu lightly snoring next to you, there were no sounds coming from the other bed in the room.

“’Tsumu?” You'd whispered it out, verbally reaching around the room for your other best friends, but there was no response.

You'd lifted yourself onto your elbows, looking around for a sign of him. The door to the room was lightly cracked and you tilted your head in confusion. You sighed, twisting yourself slightly to escape your blanket, and crawled over Osmau’s (might as well be dead) body. You were thankful that he was such a deep sleeper as you nearly knocked him off the bed.

Your bare feet hit the cold floor and you hissed slightly as you tiptoed toward the door. Pushing your way past it with a light creak of the wood, you heard a light and consistent thud coming from the back door of the house. Walking quietly to the slightly open door, Atsumu finally came into your view.

You rubbed some of the sleep out of your eyes and glanced over at the wall clock — 3 am — and then back to Atsumu, who was hitting a volleyball repeatedly, practicing his sets you assumed.

“’Tsumi?” You whispered, your voice laced with sleep as you tried to stifle a yawn. His eyes snapped towards you, momentarily forgetting about the ball until it smacked him in the face. He groaned and you couldn’t even find the energy to laugh at him. “Are you okay, ‘Tsumi?” You asked, stepping out and onto the porch and then immediately regretting your decision as the cold air surrounded you.

“Wha’ya doin’ up, a/n/n?” The nickname rolled off his tongue and usually you’d complain about the twist that he’d put on his brother’s nickname for you, but tonight, you couldn’t be bothered. You almost didn't even mind it. His face was flushed red from the cold despite the jacket wrapped around his shoulders and his breathing was uneven, eyes droopy.

“You were gone.” You whispered, stepping closer to him despite the cold that seeped into your body on all sides, raising goosebumps along your skin. “What’re ya doin’ out here? Its 3am, ‘Tsumi.”

“Couldn’ slee’.” He mumbled, abandoning the ball and walking up to you. “Came out t'think.” He motioned towards the abandoned throw blanket that was crumpled on the porch a few steps away from you. “Decided I needed t'practice.”

You sighed and waved him over to you, refusing to walk out any further. “Sit down. Calm down.” You sat on the porch and pulled your knees up to your chest. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the action and he fell onto ground next to you with a sigh. “Talk t'me.” You whispered, trying to stop your body from shivering. You were failing and Atsumu noticed.

He sighed and sat up, pulling the blanket over to you both and draping part over his shoulder. He held the other end in his hand and opened his arm. “C’mere.” You almost didn’t hear it, but you welcomed the gesture.

You scooted towards him and fell into his side. He wrapped his arm and the blanket around you and you sighed at the warmth. It seeped from him and radiated under the soft fabric, it slowly lowered the bumps along your arms.

“M’sure ‘Samu told ya he got setter on the team.” You sighed and nodded at the information Atsumu offered. “I wanted it.” He muttered, looking down. You knew that. Of course you’d known that. He thought it was the coolest position and Atsumu always wanted to be the coolest. “It all comes easy t’Samu. I have t'practice.”

“Not at 3am ‘Tsumi.” Your voice didn’t raise above a whisper, the warmth radiating off him and surrounding you seemed to make you more tired. “M’sure that you and ‘Samu will end up in the positions you were made for.” You yawned as you tried to reassure him. Your eyes fluttered closed as your head fell on his shoulder but you kept on. “But ya ain’t gonna get better by not sleepin’.”

“I like ya more when yer not bein’ a meanie.” Atsumu chuckled softly and pulled you a little bit closer to him. He played it as a joke, but there was a fondness that filled him at your assurance, a bit of calm that tugged on his mind.

“I like ya more when you're not bein’ a loudmouth.” You muttered back. You couldn’t bring your eyes to open again, but you could feel as his breathing began to calm down. “We should go back inside ‘Tsumi. S’warmer in there.”

“Jus’ a little longer?” he whispered back, a quietness about his voice that wasn't common. “I’ll keep ya warm a/n/n.”

You hummed in response and let yourself relax into him. “Jus’ a little longer, ‘kay?”

You didn’t remember falling asleep that night, or how you'd ended up back in the house. You could only remember waking up, curled up next to Atsumu instead of Osamu the next morning. You couldn't remember how you'd gotten there and neither of you ever spoke of it again.

AGE 13

Your second year of middle school. Atsumu was at his house less when Osamu and you were both there.

'Tired o’ third wheelin’ ya two as ya bully me.' He’d claimed and told you both he'd picked up new friends and would still be around but that they 'don’t tease me as much.'

You’d both, of course, teased him desperately for it and mocked his claims of 'See, this s’why I hate ya both.'

You would have been lying if you said you didn’t miss seeing Atsumu’s face around — actually, yes, you would be, because Osamu had the same dumb face. The lack of Atsumu only meant that Osamu and you turned your teasing onto each other more. But you could admit that you'd missed Atsumu’s presence now and then, ever the dramatic one of the group.

Don’t get it wrong, you were all three dramatic at your own pace, in your own ways. Growing up with the Miya twins meant developing your own way to display your dramaticism, or over-dramatization.

Osamu may seem mostly inexpressive, but you could almost always tell from just a small crinkle in his eyes, a certain change in their glint, exactly what he was about to do. It was in private that you pulled the most emotions from Osamu, the playful ones and the shouting along at your excitement, not just the anger and competitiveness that Atsumu pulled out of him regularly.

You were quiet most of the time, alike to Osamu in that way. But your quietness seemed to stem more from your shyness than the actual large indifference to the world around you. You had an awful habit of becoming way too easily flustered and the quieter you were the easier you could hide stuttering remarks when you were flustered.

Now maybe you shouldn’t be called shy per se, cause it’s not to say you didn’t get a mouth on you when you wanted to. All your friends, the twins especially, knew that you had a bad habit of running your mouth before your brain caught up. A bad temper, awful habit of taunting, spitting sarcasm like a second language, and getting over-excited way too easily.

But the second Atsumu ran his loud mouth to start taunting you, the only thing that could make your face any hotter was the absolute terror that was Osamu joining him. If they were bad when they were against each other, they were worse when they were teamed up.

But it was an almost comforting feeling having the three of you together. So like you'd said, you’d have been lying if you said you didn’t miss having Atsumu around sometimes. But you’d also be lying that at every moment you were missing him. Because there was one specific moment you were happy he wasn't there for.

A specific moment where you were curled up with Osamu on the couch in the living room. Being the only ones home you'd both decided that watching a movie would be the best way to pass time. Neither of you had really wanted to do the homework you’d been assigned and neither of you had wanted to go out.

You’d made yourselves some food. 'No ‘Tsumu to steal it' Osamu had laughed as you did and pulled a blanket out to the living room to throw on the movie. It was an American comedy that you had already determined could count as studying since it was in English. 'To help us with learnin’ the language, ya know.' You’d laughed while stealing the blanket all to yourself.

It had been you stealing the blanket that had wound you both in the position you ended up in. He’d returned to the couch and nearly physically fought you, trying to wrestle part of the blanket out of your grasp. You’d fallen off the couch in the middle of the struggle, nearly knocking his plate off the table.

“Miysam!” You’d exclaimed with a laugh, your nickname for him flying off your tongue as you tumbled towards the ground. Your limbs tangled in the fabric so you couldn’t rid yourself of it at that point even if you'd tried. Osamu’s mouth had fallen open in shock as he looked down at you, slight worry in his features as his did.

Your groan had been faint as the half of your body in contact with the ground ached from the impact. “Ya almost lost our food. How could’ya.” You'd looked up at him betrayed and were immediately greeted with his loud laugh. The laugh that you had gotten used to sending a warm feeling spreading through your chest.

Your cheeks flared up as you wiggled in the blanket, struggling to move. “Help me out ya idiot!” You'd shouted up at him, trying to control your laughs as you'd squirmed.

“’ey!” He laughed out, grabbing his phone to take a picture of you before even attempting to help. “Ya wan’ help? Don’t insult me, clumsy.” He smiled down at you and then leaned down ‘til his nose almost touched yours. “Say the words if ya want help, clumsy.” He taunted.

Your cheeks had only grown hotter. “I don’t need your help.” You'd shrugged an arm free and easily caught him by the shirt collar, shoving him back towards the couch. He'd laughed as he collapsed onto the couch, drawing you up with him. You'd collapsed on top of him in a fit of giggles.

You had stayed like that for most of the movie, you half on top of him with the blanket wrapped around the both of you. You'd occasionally pushed food into the other’s mouth when you thought the other was talking too much, but towards the end of the movie, you were the only one with any food left.

The main character of your movie on the screen was admitting that she was 25 and had never been kissed before. You'd hummed in thought and lifted your head up from his chest looking up. “What would ya do?” He'd only looked down at you, tilting his head in confusion. “Ya know, if ya were 25 and’d ne’er kissed no one?”

He snorted down at you. “Not gon’ happ’n.”

“I don’ know.” You'd singsonged at him. “That snort was pre’y un’tractive, Miysam.” His jaw went slack and he'd shoved at your face lightly with a laugh.

He'd suddenly went quiet while staring at you. “Wha’ if,” he swallowed and looked to the side away from you, nerves buzzing, “wha’ if we,” he cleared his throat and you'd looked at him expectantly but he'd went quiet. Quieter than his normal self.

You'd caught on, after a moment, to what he was saying and your cheeks flared up again. “I, um,” you were like a dear frozen in the headlights of Osamu’s stare, “you don’ know what yer sayin’.” He sighed and propped himself up more to look down at you.

“Well I jus’ mean I ain’ had ma firs’ kiss,” he'd muttered, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck, his grey eyes flitted back and forth across the room, “an’ I know you ain’ had yours yet.” He snuck a look at your face, which you didn’t think could feel any hotter than it was then. “Righ’? I’d’ve heard all ‘bout it.”

“I-” you'd swallowed hard and blinked up at him, thought about lying to him then, then realized you couldn’t, “well, no.” He looked down at you again, and you locked eyes with him, both of you holding your breaths. “I mean, at leas’ we coul’ tease ‘Tsumi ‘bout bein’ the only one ta have not been kissed.” You'd joked with a half smile.

He'd cracked a huge smile and snorted again. “Plus then we don’ gotta worry ‘bout the firs’time bein’ weird.” You'd took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah.” You'd looked at him again and felt your palms get sweaty. You remembered the internal debate, the question of were you really about to kiss your best friend from the last 7 years? The boy whose bed you'd slept in more regularly than your own. You'd might have been more comfortable with him than anyone else but you were both still just awkward 13-year-olds. “How-uh-how should we…” you'd trailed off and gestured awkwardly between the two of you with your hand, suddenly very aware of you were still laid on his chest.

“Um-” he'd looked at you just as awkwardly and shifted under you a little bit, “Gin was kinda talkin’ ‘bout tips for kissin' the other day.” He mumbled and you'd tried not to giggle as his smile turned more nervous. “Could I jus’ try?” You didn’t trust yourself to speak so you'd just awkwardly nodded at him.

He had been careful about placing his hand on your cheek and pulling your faces together. Just before your lips met, your noses smashed together and you pulled away from each other violently. “S’ry.” He winced scrunching his nose.

“A’least that won’ happ’n our firs’time now.” You'd mumbled with a small snort, rubbing your nose. “We can try ‘gain if ya wan’.” He'd nodded his agreement.

Blowing out a puff of air, he'd put his hand back on your face leaning to try again. He'd tilted his head this time and your noses didn’t clash again. You'd squeezed your eyes shut and his lips met yours hastily, pressing together harshly. He'd held you in place for a couple seconds before you both pulled back. Both of your cheeks were flushed, his ears a bright shade of pink.

“That was-” you'd trailed off again, searching for a description.

“Awful.” He muttered and you'd let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh than’ god.” You'd breathed out a laugh and he followed suit. “Thought i’might be jus’ me.” He shook his head and snorted. “Le’s not tell ‘Tsumi?” You asked wanting to forget that it had happened.

He quickly shook his head adamantly in agreement. “Ne’er.” You'd both quickly broke out laughing and separated. “Oh god.” Falling away from each other, he took the chance to suddenly lunge for your food and you screeched in protest.

“Miysam! No! Tha’s mine!” He'd shoved the food in his mouth as you moved to tackle him, both of you protesting, the awkwardness immediately forgotten.

a/n this piece will forever be special in my heart but i'm breaking it into bite-sized pieces lol part two coming soon <3

TAGLIST - OPEN @faumpje

#𓇻 Liberosis #atsumu x reader #osamu x reader #atsumu miya x reader #osamu miya x reader #miya x reader #miya atsumu x reader #miya osamu x reader #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #atsumu fanfiction #osamu fanfiction #miya atsumu fanfiction #miya osamu fanfiction #atsumu miya fanfiction #osamu miya fanfiction

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nicothecowboy · 8 months

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please read “this little girl breaks furniture, this little girl breaks laws” on Ao3…I beg. I need to talk to someone about it.

#yellowjackets #two little girls #tlgbf tlgbl #lottie matthews #natalie scatorccio #jackie taylor #nicoart?

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zombiedumbie · 7 months

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01. THE GIRL

'Wolf brought another strange kid home' masterlist.

hey everyone! do you want me to make a taglist?

based on Law's light novel, memory loss, 1st person pov, mentions of guns.

There was another kid in the house.

I had heard the old man talking to someone the day before, and I had also heard the furniture being moved during the night, but I thought it was just Wolf going crazy and talking to himself. I only found out about her existence the next day when I saw her figure hiding behind Wolf's legs when he woke me up early in the morning to help him on the farm.

I only knew she was a girl by the way Wolf called her: "Onnanoko". Furthermore, the only thing that could indicate she was a girl was her long hair, but she wore boy's clothes, and her voice was as thin as any boy her age. At first, I thought she might be his daughter, but they didn't even look alike.

Wolf had us eat a little before we left. It wasn't a proper breakfast, but it was something. The old man's house was stifling, with so many things that I didn't even know where to look, and I couldn't look ahead because the girl hid in embarrassment every time she noticed she was in my line of sight.

The old man tried to talk to her, and she timidly responded with nods or just a word, and then he tried to talk to me, but the lack of familiarity made him give up on finding a topic to break the ice.

Wolf didn't seem to differentiate between tasks for the two of us. I thought maybe she had a lighter job, and he gave me the same one because it was my first day, but in the end, I was sweating, even though a huge snowstorm danced outside the vinyl greenhouse.

She didn't remind me of Baby 5 in any way, maybe in strength, but if I had to bet, I'd say she was stronger than Baby 5. I couldn't tell if I liked her or not, but her shyness was somewhat irritating. However, she didn't get in my way, so it was fine working with her.

"Mr. Junk-ya", I called him as he prepared lunch; he would do it as long as both of us washed the dishes and cleaned the table afterward. It was just the two of us in the kitchen, the girl must have been back in her room since I heard the sound of furniture being moved and some faint static noise again.

"Are you really going to call me that?!" The old man grumbled as he stirred something in a pot with a wooden spoon.

"Who is the girl?" Wolf remained silent for a few moments.

"You mean Onnanoko?" He smiled.

"Yes", I replied, approaching the stove. "Why do you call her that? What's her name?"

"Well, a boy of your age is already interested in girls? You should be ashamed!" I blushed at the old man's audacity. I just wanted to know more about her because we were going to live together, not because I was interested or anything.

At that time, I didn't even think about girls or such things. Maybe the traumatic childhood and upbringing I had frozen that aspect in me, but I didn't care. After all, until two days ago, my focus was on survival.

"N-No, it's not like that!" I tried to cut in, but the old man's smile widened. "I just want to understand why you don't call your daughter by her name."

"Hah, I see", the malice disappeared from his smile. "She's not my daughter", there was a hint of disappointment in the old man's voice. "She, like you, lives here because she has nowhere else to go, so she helps me with some chores, and I let her stay here."

From there, Wolf explained to me about her. Onnanoko was what he called her since she didn't have a name. He had found her on a boat by the coast one day when he went for a walk. When she woke up, she didn't even know her name, let alone where she came from or what she was doing on that boat; the old man didn't feel it was his place to give her a new name.

He said he only managed to get close to her when he fixed the receivers of a Radio Den Den Mushi he had at home, even though there were no radio frequencies nearby, it could still play some CDs. She approached him when she heard the music playing, interested in the device; that was the first time they had a real conversation, and she showed some kind of personality beyond her fear.

He also told me that she now slept in the smallest room in the house, which he used to use as a storage room. She tried to take up as little space as possible, make as little noise as possible, and normally only walked around the house when she needed to or was called. She almost had a breakdown when Wolf renovated the small room and added a window to the wall; she said he didn't need to go through so much trouble for her, but he calmed her down by reminding her of the "give and take."

The girl seemed to be afraid of people, which is why Wolf tried to take her with him to town sometimes. She only accepted once, but she was so scared that she had a fever and spent a few days in bed. Whatever this girl had been through before coming here didn't seem like something good.

I slowly adapted to the routine with them; very early in the morning, I would get up to help on the farm. I could read the hundreds of books the old man had at home, had hot food, and could practice some sword moves with the sword he lent me. At the end of the day, we would sit down for dinner and chat; the fact that Wolf didn't treat me like a child seemed to help in our interaction.

As for the girl, she gradually got used to me. I noticed when she stopped hiding when I was around and seemed more comfortable speaking. I eventually went from complete silence to a few words, and then from short conversations to long ones. It's not that I cared about talking to her, but it was nice to have someone to talk to in the same age group.

When we finished our activities, she would go back to hiding in her room. Sometimes, I only remembered she was in the house when I heard the faint static of the Radio Den Den Mushi before some music started playing softly and heard some footsteps in the room above my head.

It was fun to go hunting with the two of them. The girl was braver than she seemed, and Wolf was incredibly skilled with a rifle. When a wild boar appeared for the first time, the old man was able to take it down with a single shot; as we skinned it (or rather, Onnanoko taught me how to do it), I tried to ask how he became so skilled with the rifle.

"I learned it in the past", he replied, and I decided not to ask any further.

#one piece #one piece x reader #trafalgar d law #trafalgar d water law #law one piece #one piece fanfic #law fanfic #law x reader #Wolf brought another strange kid home #zombiedumbie writing

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leahnardo-da-veggie · 1 month

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Tituba and the darkness

I stirred my pot lazily, watching the noodles squirm like a feeding frenzy of worms. The night hung heavy, a thick blanket that smothered the city into some semblance of sleep. The clock ticked steadily, my only concession to the passing of time. Moments like these were called the witching hour, for good reason. The barrier between worlds was thin here.

I poured the instant noodles into my bowl and padded quietly into my living room, quilt wrapped about my shoulders like a cape. I settled onto my couch and looked out. The world beyond my window could have been the Void for all I knew, so dark it was. It was deathly silent, as though the living world had decided to hold its breath in obeisance to the eldritch, and only I dared defy it and remain awake.

I ate my meal quietly, overly aware of my familiar surroundings. The dark oak furniture took on an unnatural bent in the dim light, as though I were surrounded by friends wearing strangers' skins. The sole lamp was warm, a beacon of life warding off the choking dark. I drank the last of my soup and looked at the clock. 3am, exactly.

The doorbell rang. Frozen to the spot, I looked at my door. It swung open smoothly. "Hello, little witch," the darkness outside said.

The darkness had no eyes, but I knew it watched me, waiting to see me succumb to terror, waiting for me to break and run. And so I met its gaze steadily. It was the stare of a deer caught in the headlights, admittedly, but a stare nonetheless. "What do you seek, darkness?" My voice barely cracked, a credit to my will.

"I seek a tale, little witch. A story about those who peer into my depths. I wish to hear a sage of terror," the darkness said.

I stared at it blankly. "You want a horror story?" I had known that the things-that-went-bump-in-the-night were peculiar, but this was unheard of.

"Yes," it purred. "Let me feel the terror prey feels in its last moments. Show me dread. Put the fear of the dark in me."

I took a deep breath, and began my tale. "Once upon a time, a decade ago in this very apartment, there lived a twelve-year-old girl. Her name was Sybil, and she would grow up to be a great summoner."

"But as it stood, she was only a terrified little girl, helpless and ignorant. She knew one thing, and one thing only: There was something in her mirror. It was, perhaps, a close cousin to yourself," I told the darkness, who growled appreciatively.

"When she looked into the mirror, into any mirror, she did not see herself. Sure, it smiled when she smiled, and it tilted its head when she did, and its hair was the same shade as hers, but she was not fooled. Her parents, teachers and friends might not see what was wrong, but she did. And so she decided she had to do something about it."

"Fool girl. Does she not know that my kind are undefeatable? We are ancient beyond understanding."

I shushed the darkness, momentarily forgetting my place. The shadows around us danced, a thin line between the living and the dead. One wrong move could shatter it, and let a thousand shades of agony into my frail world. Yet, with my blanket about my shoulders and my lamp in arm's reach, I felt safe. Safe in the knowledge that the laws of hearth, home and hospitality would not be breached.

"She went to the exorcists first. With a pocket mirror in her hand, she begged them to cast a spell on her, to give her a sigil of protection. Though they saw nothing wrong, they gave her an amulet. She wore it to sleep that night. She thought she was safe." I scoffed. "She was not."

"The amulet had rusted on its chain by the next morning, corrupted by the thing that wore her face and smiled from across the mirror. She had not noticed at the time, but she had declared war on it. From that night on, her nights and days were marked with terror."

The darkness chuckled cruelly. "Fool, fool child. She will be decimated. No mortal can truly oppose our power."

I smiled and continued with my story. "The thing on the other side of the mirror distorted itself, twisting into a monstrosity. Little Sybil wept at the sight of it, and wept all the more when her family could not see it. They brought her to a psychiatrist, fearing the worst. But no amount of mind magic could erase what was truly there."

"So she spent the following months fearing mirrors, avoiding so much as a glimpse of her reflection. She would have been grateful to leave it at that, forever shying away from anything that shone. But the thing had to push her. It was not satisfied with her fear. It wanted terror. It wanted to subsume her life and break her." Involuntarily, I felt rage bubble in the cauldron of my chest, the memory of claustrophobia and helpless fright boiling over.

"That monster crept into her dreams, into her pop songs and the cheery shows of her television. It distorted everything it could, embedding itself in the deepest parts of her psyche and burrowing like an army of maggots, breeding in the fertile soil of her mind. The girl knew she was going to break soon. It was too much for her to bear, being haunted by that thing."

"But she was not going to let that happen. I- She was no fool. She was no small, furry little rodent, to be hunted down a hole and flushed out into the arms of a predator. If the exorcists could not help her and her parents would not, she would do it herself. And by the long dead gods, she did."

The darkness rumbled. "And what did she do? What could a helpless creature like her do? Run? Hide? Beg a higher power?"

"A little girl like her?" I scoffed. "Nothing. But she was going to try anyway. So she hunted down every book she could find. Forbidden knowledge was what she sought, tales of the dark arts, how to bend the ancient and evil to her will. And find it she did."

I stood up quietly, respectfully. "She found the open secret of the eldritch. Would you like to know what it is?" I beckoned to it. "Come in, and I'll tell you."

The darkness crept past the boundary, mocking me with its grim laughter. "Little mortal, you are just as much a fool as that girl in your tale. To invite my kind into your home is to invite death into your heart." The door swung shut behind it ominously. "To think that even a witch such as yourself could be convinced into relinquishing your safety! In sooth, mortals are fools. Now, you are trapped in here with me."

I shook my head slowly, resting one hand on the lamp by my side. "That's where you're wrong, ancient one."

With a grin, I flipped the switch on the lamp to its maximum, filling the room with the blazing rage of a child who had been wronged. The darkness skittered into the shadows, hiding from the incandescence. It hissed and sputtered with indignance, but could do nothing to halt the intrusion of the light.

"Shush!" I thrust my lamp towards it, forcing it into the solace of the space beneath my cupboard. "Let me finish my story. The girl discovered that the eldritch were bound by rules. They could only enter a home when invited. They could only take at their host's behest. And they could only leave when their host allowed it."

"So far, that girl had dealt with the mirror-thing on its own terms, at the boundaries between her world and its. So she cast open her doors and pulled the monster into the depths of her dreams, where reality held no sway and all was dictated by her mind."

I smiled at the cowering shadow. "And she faced the monster and said, 'I have played your game. Now, it is time you play mine.' "

"So now, I say this to you. I say to you the words of that fool girl, as you called her, the words she said when she delivered the killing blow. This is my abode. This is my sanctum. This is my world, ancient, and I rule here!"

The walls rippled as thousands of runes came alive, screaming their defiance at beings older and more powerful than they, blasting the light of the living into every dip and crook in my home. I watched the last vestiges of darkness burn away with a shuddering sigh and laughed in triumph.

"Ancient one," I said to the brilliant halo of light that surrounded me, "This is called the witching hour for a reason. For it is not the ancient and eldritch that should be feared."

"It is the witches."

Then I switched off the lamp and put my finished bowl of noodles in the dishwasher.

#writeblr #my writing #writing #creative writing #short story #writerscommunity #fantasy #spilled ink #writing community #Fantasy fiction #witchcore #Have more angry witches #Anyways we resume our regular scheduling so you don't ever have to endure my shitty horror again #I wrote this one while actually making myself instant noodles at midnight lmao

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meeska-mooska42 · 5 months

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THIS FIC IS ACTUALLY GODLY. SOMEONE FIND THE AUTHOR ON TUMBLR FOR MEEE

#yellowjackets #lottienat #jackieshauna #lottie matthews #natalie scatorccio #jackie taylor #shauna shipman #ao3fic

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isaidquirky · 9 months

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...and other natalie scatorccio hits, only on @bandydear's this little girl breaks furniture, this little girl breaks laws. buy your child a copy!

#do not buy your child a copy #tlgbf tlgbl #my ridic manips

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bandydear · 11 months

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Hey Anon, to answer your earlier question

#Yellowjackets #fanfic: two little girls #this little girl breaks furniture this little girl breaks laws #jackienat roommate fic #jackienat #lottienat #jackieshauna

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horsegirlalexkralie · 1 year

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...tell us more about this au and jay being passed around like a blunt. If you dont mind.

absolutely i love my bullshit nonsense aus thank u so much for asking . gonna put it under a readmore bc its long and it gets raunchy. kids dont look

i see it like a hills have eyes/texas chainsaw sitch where brian and alex "inherited" a house somewhere bc they lizzie bordened their way out of the town they grew up in and got married legally w alex on the books as the wife - they raise livestock and kill for fun and eventually take tim in bc brian finds him out in the fields stumbling around covered in blood. amy hires them to have her parents killed and ends up sticking around to murder dudes who beat their wives.

jays an independent journalist on a roadtrip to research like. god even fucking knows what. but his cars a piece of shit so it breaks the fuck down of course in the middle of nowhere and he stands around kicking it and yelling in the rain until a truck stops and the most handsome guy jays ever seen steps out and offers to help haul it to his place. he'll at least give jay a ride, theres no service out here. (he doesnt really give room to refuse.)

so jay rides out to this guys brothers? place? brothers? wifes? the guy doesnt really talk. and theres a girl on the porch, and shes pretty and blonde and she tells him to come in and have a drink- jay asks if shes the brothers wife and she laughs and tells him shes the sister in law. "or something like that". and he didnt really ask what the drink was, but its like? sweet tea? but wrong? but these nice people in alabama wouldnt fuck up sweet tea. jay smoked a joint in the car. thats it. and the brother comes out and hes better looking than the guy with the truck, almost, which like where the fuck did he go? he said he'd get jay a phone- but theyre taking him out to the kitchen- the brothers wifes cooking and she wants to meet him, and shes pretty too, tall and smart-looking, deep voice- big fucking knife in her hand- and is it jay or is it getting kinda fucking dark in here.

idk i think it wld be fun if they made a game of "letting him go" and just letting him get halfway down a hallway before somebody else drags him into a bedroom lol . brian lets his darling little wife and her meat cleaver wear him out and cuts the rope on his wrists- thats enough for tonight, isnt it? he oughta be going. and jay crawls, stumbles bleeding and disbelieving out into the hall - clutching the railing and hyperventilating and putting one foot in front of the other and - amy snags her arm in his. you arent going so soon, are you mister? oh gosh youre hurt ! come here, let me clean you up- and she ties him back up and asks if hes ever tried makeup and asks if hes ever tried s&m and asks if he wants to see a dead body and when his mascaras running and the dead girls dress she put him in is ripped and stained and half-on she tells him if he really wants to go that bad ... she cant really stop him ..... only for tim to scoop him up in the hall and pull the skirt up to fuck him over the railing, stoic as anything, knife at his throat

and theyre gonna kill him but they all keep putting it off bc hes cute and maybe stockholm syndroming the tiniest bit and maybe definitely was a freak to begin with and keeps getting hard when theyre doing fucked up shit to him and complimenting the human furniture

#g.txt #marble hornets #welcome to my twisted mind #nsft #the angel on my shoulder says this is excessive. the devil says write the sex scenes and post them now

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buzzbuzzwhs · 9 months

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Once upon a time, I started a fic because it was named after one of my favorite Ani DiFranco songs

Anyway, I dead-ass read the realest shit in the epilogue today and you should go read the whole fic (thanks @bandydear)

"“Nat, as someone who still actually has to go to high school every day, let me tell you the difference.” She’s twenty-eight and she’s fourteen as she stares up at him with those big eyes and trembling mouth. “When you’re a grown-up you can just go and buy another pencil and no one gives a shit. You don’t need permission to get water, or call home, or take a shit. All you need to do is stay alive, pay taxes, and try not to kill anybody. And, you’re pretty good at all of that.” This Little Girl Breaks Furniture, This Little Girl Breaks Laws

(Also justice for Van's singledom. Praying she either finds OkCupid for hookups...or I have a sinking feeling she might be Misty's LJ girl)

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets fanfic #natalie scatorccio #Lottie Matthews #Jackie Taylor

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hotlink907 · 2 years

Text

Kinktober Day 14 - Armpit/role reversal/stockings - Yujin

prompt: Armpit/role reversal/stockings

pairing: Yujin Choi x gen!reader

warnings: this is barely smut. this is the fluffiest smut. im sorry if you wanted something more hardcore but this is barely classified as smut.

When you got the text message, you knew that you were likely going to be breaking a few traffic laws on the way home. You wanted to get back as soon as you possibly could so that you could see her. she had surprised you by showing up unannounced even though you had thought she was going to be away for a few weeks for promotions.

You smiled to yourself as you pulled into the apartment’s parking garage. Yujin was a special girl. Unfailingly kind and sweet, but with a fun side to her that always kept things interesting. You loved being with her, even if she spent a lot of time away for her work.

You hurried up the stairs to your apartment, eager to get your arms around her and kiss her until the rest of the world seemed to disappear. The two of you always managed to make it feel like you were the only ones in the whole world that existed.

You raced to your door, fumbled with the key, then managed to unlock it and step inside.

What you were greeted with took your breath away. Yujin had dimmed all the lights and lit a number of candles, giving the whole place a flickering orange ambiance. She had cleared a lot of the furniture away, which had left a large empty space.

And she had changed her outfit to something that you didn’t think you’d ever see her in.

Yujin was standing there in a black corset, with stocking that went all the way up her otherwise bare and exposed legs. She wore rather tall heels, which added on a few inches to her height, making her an even more imposing figure.

The door closed behind you as you felt your mouth drop open. “Y-yujin?” you stammered.

“Yes?” she asked with a little smile. Her smile had been the first thing you had ever noticed about her. It transformed her whole face. It was one of your favorite features on her.

“You look…”

“Different?” she asked.

You nodded and swallowed, unable to speak.

“I thought I’d try something different,” said Yujin. “What do you think?”

You weren’t used to this. Normally, in your personal lives, she played the more submissive role. But seeing her like this… well, your stomach was full of butterflies and your heart was hammering away inside your chest. She looked like she was born for it.

“Come here,” she said, in a slightly more commandeering voice. “Show me how much you missed me.”

You approached her slowly, almost reverently. It was the only way you could think to approach her. “Good,” she whispered. “Now let me see how badly you want me.”

You started with her legs, gently kissing each one, from the tips of her stocking-ed toes all the way up to the tops of her inner thighs. She sighed with pleasure at each soft kiss, her fingers grasping your head and intertwining in your hair. You pulled yourself close to her legs, barely cognizant of the fact that you were on your knees in front of Yujin, a situation that you never would have expected.

“Do you like it?” she asked, a little timidly.

You nodded, your eyes wide, unable to find the words to answer her.

“Good,” she said with a grin. “Because I think I like it too. Now keep going. I didn’t tell you to stop.”

You nodded again, carefully rising off your knees and continuing to plant soft kisses along her body. Her tight stomach, even though it was covered by a corset. Her collarbone, causing her to shiver. Her shoulders, eliciting a moan from her as she stroked the back of your head.

And then you were moving down her arms, all the way down, to her fingertips, kissing each one with a feather touch, letting each finger just linger in your mouth for a moment. The feeling inside you was nearly overwhelming. You wanted to serve her. To follow her every order. To make her feel better than she ever had before.

You began to kiss back up her arms. Your noticed that you were shaking a little, and she started to stroke your back and whisper to you. “It’s okay, baby,” she said. “I’m right here. Let it all out. You can just be yourself.”

You nodded and whimpered as you continued to kiss her. She was perfection. She deserved this. You should have done this earlier, you couldn’t believe you had never allowed yourself to do this for her. “You’re so good,” you managed to say.

Yujin smiled at her, that adorably earnest smile that always made your heart flutter. “Prove it,” she said.

Your shaking had only increased. Not because you were scared or because you were nervous. It was just because you were so overwhelmed by how you felt for her. You needed her to know. You needed her to see how much she deserved the world. She had come home to surprise you, she had done all of this just because she thought you would like it--

Yujin slowly lifted one of her arms into the air, exposing her clean-shaven and impossibly smooth pit to you. “Show me,” she said gently, and you knew immediately what she was saying.

You didn’t hesitate. Once, you might not have even thought of it. But now, in this moment, you knew that not only did she want it, but you did too.

You began to gently kiss her armpit, carefully at first, because you knew she was sensitive and you didn’t want to overwhelm her. But when she let out a happy sigh, you began to kiss a little harder, apply a little tongue. She gasped and pulled you closer to her with her other arm. “That feels…” she couldn’t finish her sentence because her words were stolen away by another sharp gasp.

You moaned into her skin. There was something so psychologically submissive, but at the same time, comforting. All that mattered was Yujin. All that mattered was her softness, her delicate, flower-like scent. The way she cradled you in her arms while you worshiped her body….

“The other one,” she said in a voice that was full of emotion and pleasure. She lifted her other arm. “Show me how much you need me.”

This time, you didn’t hold back. You kissed every inch of skin, your lips leaving no area untouched. Yujin shivered and squeezed you tightly, and you felt a wave of arousal wash over you. You wanted her to ravage you, to take you and use you for her pleasure. Your tongue flicked out and licked her flawless skin, and she let out a quiet cry. “Oh, baby,” she whispered. “I love it.”

You pulled your face away for a moment, just so you could look into her eyes as you spoke. “I love you.”

Yujin giggled and planted a kiss right on your lips. Then she turned and took your hand, beginning to lead you to the bedroom. “Good,” she said. “Because I have a whole night planned for us.”

#yujin fanfic #yujin smut #yujin imagines #yujin x reader #kep1er fanfic #kep1er smut #kep1er x reader #kpop x reader #kpop smut #kpop imagines #kpop fanfic #kinktober 2022 #kpop kinktober #kinktober

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playlistashton · 4 months

Note

So for the ask game I ask the 6,9 and 18:)

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time? Oh yes plenty, the more I reread, rewatch, relisten, etc, something the more I love it, so when I like a fic I’m gonna reread it for sure. The ones I reread the most are siblings are the poor man’s love story by Nyaow, there’s glory ahead but our love will be forgotten by chemicalpixie, Diagnosis and HEX (a serie but when i start one i have to read them all) by MaidenMotherCrone, Until you bloom by Miralana (not finished but i still read it like 3 times), this little girl breaks furniture, this little girl breaks laws by Bandydear and grey ridge(ril liatroma) by molter (this fic is the first and only one that put word on my very complicated feelings for Otto, I sometimes reread chapter 7 only and cry like a baby, it’s that’s good). Yes it’s a lot but like i said i really like rereading;))

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written! I used to but this year has been really difficult and I’m just starting to write regularly again. This is an extract of what i wrote today:

Her eyes are rimmed with red but no tears linger on her cheeks. “Do you remember the day I first met Rhaenyra? It was raining just like today.”

Somewhere in the castle Helaena is still screaming, and somewhere outside Aegon is still hanging every ratcatcher that catches his eyes.

The storm drowns out the rest of their grief.

-the sun was raining that day

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic? Oh this hard to choose😅 my actual favorite is not published yet but for the 2d it probably would be this one:

Black punches him so hard that his nose starts bleeding and the fight that follows is too violent for children their age. When the teacher finally separates them, they are already bruised, with torn clothes and mud on their teeth. They’re both smiling.

-Tears of dirt

#ask #my fic

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tumbleassbitch · 2 years

Text

another lost soul (letting my instinct take control) | The Quarry | TravisxLaura

Characters: Laura Kearney, Travis Hackett, The Hackett family Summary: Max dies in the cellar. This changes everything. Chapter 5/? | Chapter 4

It’s been the ass crack of a century since Laura’s had a cup of coffee, and while this one is a little watered down, she sips it like a fine wine.

The old conference room is exactly that: dated furniture and appliances, with a fine coating of dust on every surface that isn’t immediately within reach. The people that used to fill this room are long gone, and all that’s left to stand testament to their memory is the empty space left behind.

A little tray of packet sugars and creams is set in the middle of the table, and Laura grins.

“Thanks, Kaylee,” she says warmly, taking another sip.

The other girl returns the smile easily, placing down a matching mug in front of her uncle before taking a seat.

“For sure!” she says cheerfully. “It isn’t everyday that I get to meet someone new around here. Gotta bribe you somehow.”

Travis’s coffee goes untouched, and she reckons his jaw is so clenched that he couldn’t open it if he tried. Dark eyes flit around the room before landing on her own.

Kaylee is an absolute sweetheart, Laura decides then and there, and there’s absolutely no family resemblance between the two of them.

When he let her out of the cell, he’d been adamant that Kaylee should go on home to help clean-up dinner at the camp, and they’ll catch up more tomorrow. But she happily kiboshed that proposition, and it was satisfying to watch a man like Travis be so utterly steamrolled.

“C’mon!” she had said, either oblivious or uncaring to her uncle’s inner turmoil. “You never tell me anything about work anymore.”

Now, sitting across from two generations of Hacketts, Laura has to admit that there are a few uncanny similarities in their features. The dark hair and round eyes, both defined with wide, expressive mouths. Whereas Travis bore an almost constant glower, however, Kaylee hasn’t stopped smiling since she got out.

“So,” Kaylee says with a simper, “I didn’t even know you were doing internships!”

Laura watches Travis open his mouth in slow motion, which probably isn’t a good idea.

“Well, unpaid internships, really,” she jumps in with a furtive glance his way. “It’s through the state ecological services, and they’ve stationed me here because there was no room at the other office.”

“Oh,” Kaylee says. “Ecological services?”

“Totally,” Laura says straight from her ass. “I’m studying local wildlife as part of my degree.”

An uneasy expression flits through Kaylee’s fairy-like features, but it quickly smooths into a politely interested look. “Is this related to the bear attacks that have been happenin’ lately?”

“Yes,” Travis says firmly. “Which is why Jess is helping fill in the gaps for the department. Ecology’s been wanting to send some folks out here for a while to get a look at the health of the local population, see if there’s any diseases or things that might make ‘em more vicious. She gets some hands-on experience working with law enforcement, and we get some help with ensuring the community stays safe.”

Kaylee nods slowly, studying her coffee mug intently. “Good to know. I’m glad you’re in town, Jess. Hopefully, we’ll be able to prevent more attacks from happening.”

Travis keeps one hand under the table, steadfastly meeting her eyes, and Laura’s not dumb. He’s waiting for her to give him a reason to blow her brains out.

“Yeah,” Laura nods earnestly.

Ecological services made the most sense because it’s close enough to what she’s studying, and if there’s werewolf attacks, of course people will think it’s the fault of big game. But she didn’t anticipate the potential reaction. If Kaylee freaks and tells her family that the state is looking into it, well, then what?

Exactly, then what? If this was bound to happen at some point anyways, then it might as well be now.

“So, you been to North Kill before?” Kaylee asks with a drawl.

“Oh, um, no. I’m from Canton, but it’s summer break and I just thought it would be a great opportunity to get some more experience. I want to be a vet, you know? And graduate schools are pretty hard to get into for my field.”

Laura continues weaving a story about her academic woes, veterinary hospital work; things that are based in enough truth that it’s painfully easy to drone on. All the while, Kaylee nods enthusiastically, commenting and asking questions where appropriate.

The interest is surprising and a bit disconcerting, but she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t flattering. Laura’s just her weird uncle’s “intern,” and she’s done nothing but talk about herself for the better part of the hour. And yet, Kaylee looks as if she’s hanging off of her every word. Maybe she is. Maybe it’s been a while since she’s had the chance to speak with someone who isn’t from town?

“How… about you?” Laura finally asks. “Did you grow up here?”

“What gave it away?” Kaylee asks good-naturedly. “I’m from North Carolina. That’s where Gammy’s family is from- the Grundy’s. Dad moved there for college and got married soon after. Ma got her M-R-S degree, you know?”

“Oh, that’s sweet!” Laura says earnestly.

“Yeah. They met at the family reunion.”

“Um,” Laura stutters, and Kaylee barks out a laugh. Travis rolls his eyes, but amusement unmistakably plays at the edges of his lips.

“I’m just kiddin’, sorry. I can’t help it,” she says around a snort. “Dad hates that joke. They met in school. Ma was studying psychology, and dad got a scholarship ‘cos of football and chose to major in business. Didn’t really matter though, since he knew he was going to take over the camp one day, anyways.”

Chris Hackett. Travis could have more than one sibling, but at least she knows who Kaylee’s dad is.

“We moved back right before I started middle school, though Caleb threw a fit. He was just entering high school, you know? He had to start over way more than I did with friends and sports, which honestly I feel sorry for, now that I’m older and done with it. Though dad threw us right back into sports, of course. Track for Caleb, softball for me.” She makes a face at the last part, then smirks. “Uncle T sure got me where I wanted to go in the end, though.”

“Oh?” Laura asks, interest peaked. The amusement that had thawed his permanent frown is long gone, and Travis slouches.

“Uh-huh,” Kaylee says with mirth, absently swirling the coffee with a creamer stick. “I used to, ah, sneak under the bleachers during practices. I hated softball so, so much! Dad was pissed, threatened to tie me to the field after the hundredth time coach ratted me out. But my favorite uncle,” she sing-songs, leaning into Travis who clearly doesn’t want to be here, “convinced my dad to let me join the marching band instead. Even gave me his old trombone.”

“Trombone?” She can’t mask the incredulity in her voice.

Travis winces. “Kaylee, now’s not the time.”

“But why?” she practically whines, though there’s an obvious sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “It was awesome. You showed me how to march so that by my freshman year, I was the only newbie who knew how to prep step.”

He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who played trombone. Hell, it was impossible to imagine him as anything else than the phantom that keeps her locked away, sharing stories of werewolves and curses. Someone who likes classic rock.

If anything, he’d be the loner kid who would sooner commit arson then be in marching band.

Watching the two of them, it’s obvious how deep the family bonds go. This is the softest she’s ever seen him. There’s a deep level of adoration hidden behind the deep lines and heavy brow, and it’s so clearly returned by his niece. And Kaylee— despite meeting Laura in the most suspicious of circumstances, sitting on the sidelines of tension so thick it could be cut with a knife— is just happily talking and whittling away at her uncle’s hardened exterior, unknowingly spilling all of his soft human underbelly.

It’s because she trusts him, she thinks. Trusts that he’d never expose her to any danger, because he loves her.

It’s this thought that casts a new light on him— the man who’s holding the rope.

“You’re full of surprises,” Laura says lightly, masking her smile with her mug of coffee.

Kaylee taps the table. “You sure you’ve never been to North Kill before? You look so familiar…”

“No, never,” Laura says with a start. “Maybe you’ve seen me around town…?”

Kaylee shrugs, humming thoughtfully. “Well, if you ever get tired of tagging bears or inspecting jail cells, or whatever else he’s having you do,” she juts a thumb over to Travis, “I can show you the best frozen yogurt place in town. Which isn’t saying much, but you’ll take about anything after spending most your life here.”

You have no idea, she thinks humorlessly. But the offer is sweet, and this alliance is even sweeter. “I’d love to,” she replies honestly. “I think I can see you and I becoming great friends while I’m here.”

The responding grin from Kaylee is blinding. It’s in direct contrast to Travis’ carefully blank eyes. There isn’t much to suggest it, but Laura inherently perceives the threat just as if she were staring at her own reflection. He’s furious.

And that introduces an old sensation that she’s managed to abandon for the better part of the conversation. Laura clutches her mug tighter to keep from fidgeting.

“Oh! Lemme get something real quick before I go,” Kaylee says with a start, digging into her purse. “Uncle T, could you grab me that stuff from the bottom drawer?”

He freezes, and after Kaylee pauses in her search and looks up expectantly, he nods with a soft exhale through his nose. Sweat beads at Laura’s hairline as Travis slowly stands, casually walking over to the cupboard right near the edge of the table.

Travis kneels down, opening the cupboard. He’s close enough that if she wanted to, she could reach across and touch him. The gun holstered at his side practically sings.

‘You can end this.’ The thought slithers in, and the air freezes. ‘Set yourself free and move on with your life.’

She could- no, she can. Grab the gun and strongarm herself out the main door. No one has to get hurt, necessarily. Just a little bit of threatening, and she’ll be home free.

Nothing’s keeping her here; honestly, what’s the point of sticking around? Max was never the vengeful type. If he knew she was on the hunt, on the verge of becoming the very thing she’s been running from for the last six years, he’d be horrified.

But that was just Max in general. Always quick to forgive, patient and understanding whenever she’d snap or shut down. Sometimes his easy going nature frustrated her beyond belief, feeling like some sort of wild animal in comparison. But that’s also what drew her to him in the first place.

Just let it go, honey, she can imagine him saying. It’s water under the bridge.

There’s nothing left in it for her. Go home, say Max got killed by a bear because she’d be forced into a straightjacket if she told the truth, and just put all of this behind her.

Just grab the gun, and end it.

‘All of that practice has made you good with guns,’ the voice purrs. ‘You could put a hole in both vermin and rid the world of a little more evil.’

A chill runs down her spine.

This isn’t right. This isn’t- she wouldn’t think this way. Right?

Only… she would. Laura Brandt would pull the trigger in a heartbeat.

Everyone knew the name Brandt in her hometown for a reason. Grandpa was a son of a bitch in the ‘50s, notorious for starting bar fights and his short but violent stint with a local biker gang. But dad was the one who made the name famous.

It’s why she tries to circumvent the rumor mill before it has time to start up. Her name never served her any favors, so she cut it off. But when wary glances are illuminated by the backlight of their phones, internet sleuths finding out her family ties… well.

Laura Brandt? Is that Brandt as in, Scott Brandt?

Shit. If so, that’s rough. Imagine being related to something out of a true crime podcast.

In their eyes, Laura Brandt would go for the gun. But that’s not who she is. She’s Laura Kearney, and tonight, she refuses to be a murderer.

The opportunity passes. Travis straightens, an orange envelope in hand. “Here you go, Kay.” He slaps it on the table before her, ruffling her hair for good measure. The slight smile doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Thanks!” she says lightly, keys in hand. As if she’s finally picked up on the thick tension that's been building over the better part of an hour, she stands. “Well, I think I should be on my way out now. Let you two get back to work, I guess... It’s kinda late.”

“It is,” Travis agrees.

He wastes no time in gesturing Kaylee forward, then Laura, practically pasting himself behind her. The sharp edge of his badge digs into her back, and calloused fingers lightly brush against her wrist, practically itching to put her in handcuffs right then and there. They follow this frog march all the way down the stairs to a nondescript front lobby that looks better suited for a dental office than a police department.

The front doors are glass, though, and Laura’s breath hitches at the world that’s been hidden from her for days. The soft embers of summer dusk unfurl across the sky, casting scarlet blush through the trees and parking lot. Unremarkable staples of everyday life, like the concrete bumpers and worn road that winds out of sight, newly realized as priceless.

She stops in her tracks, and Travis’s chest bumps against her, becoming flush with her back. He discretely grabs one of her wrists.

“Kaylee?” he asks. She looks over her shoulder questioningly. “Keep this between us, okay? You know how Ma gets, and not a damn person here knows how to keep things under wraps. Don’t worry them with this internship news.”

She bites her lip, nodding once. “‘Course. Um, our family has been around for a while,” she says to Laura, doubtlessly thinking this whole conversation is suspicious. “They don’t really like outsiders, or the government…”

“When are you coming by next?” Laura blurts, and the grip on her wrist ever so slightly tightens.

Kaylee shrugs, leaning back into the door. “Tomorrow was the plan-”

“That might not work,” he interrupts, breath tickling the hairs at her neck. “There’s some scheduling conflicts with ecology, and I’d hate to have you set aside the time just for us to be busy.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Laura says with a wink. “You’re good company, and it’s not like North Kill is an action-packed place.”

“Laura,” Travis mutters, and it’s a wonder if Kaylee can pick up on the warning in his tone.

“You’re good for him. No matter what he says, keep on coming by.” Her voice hitches, and she tries to mask it with a chuckle. “He needs it!”

Kaylee still flushes with a soft glow. “Well, now I’m too flattered to keep away!” she says happily.

The guilt Laura felt from before triples, but she tampers it down. It has to be this way. It’s fine.

“I gotta go. Have a good night, y’all,” Kaylee tosses over her shoulder, keys ringing in her palm, and the door shuts with a finality that Laura isn’t ready to contend with. They watch in unison as the girl makes her way to an old SUV that stutters to life, disappearing around the bend.

She breaks the silence first. “Did I leave?”

“Shut up.”

“Did I tell her?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Travis-”

“No!” He abruptly spins her around and drives her back into the wall. “You don’t get to talk your way out of this. You just downright shit on my advice. You put us both at risk. And using, manipulating my niece like that?” His jaw twitches furiously and he shakes his head. “You’re playing a dangerous fucking game, girl.”

“Mutually assured destruction,” she replies evenly.

“The fuck?”

“Look what I just did for you,” she says with a mocking lilt. “Neither of us can say anything that will jeopardize this, so you let me out of the cell when she comes by, and I’ll actually be able to conduct my own fucking research.”

For once, he’s actually listening, and she takes the miracle for what it is and keeps pushing.

“In return, you can put me wherever the fuck you want. Give me a computer with child’s access, shut me in a room without windows. I don’t care. I’m asking for three hours, Travis. You get the rest. But I can’t stay in there by myself any longer, I- I need people.” Her voice cracks. “I need to get out of my cage.”

He sucks on his teeth, breaking their locked gaze. “There’s no way that I’m giving you a computer.” If that’s all that he has to offer in terms of a complaint, she pounces on it.

“For now, maybe,” she answers matter-of-factly. “Give me the case files. Let me read what you already know.”

The manner in which he studies her makes her feel like a lab rat about to get cut open and peeled back, all of her fleshy, hidden bits exposed. She’s halfway convinced that he’s going to cuff her and march her back; that, or pull his gun and be done with it.

“Why?” he asks instead.

She swallows. “No one else should be hurt by this curse.”

“No, why?” he repeats, and there’s desperation in there, something bordering on the limits of a drowning man. “Why didn’t you run?”

It dawns on her, then. Maybe… despite everything, he actually wants to believe her?

“I’m the reason Max is dead,” she admits quietly. “We were going to break up, and I had this… stupid idea that-” she pauses, feeling at once too stupid and young to continue. “Whatever. But I convinced him to come. And now he’s gone, and I’m here, and maybe there’s a point to it all. Maybe I can put something… good back into the world. Try to fill that gap by putting an end to this. And this is me, trying.”

Travis sags backwards, exhaling roughly.

"What was it you said, again?” Laura asks rhetorically. “She's the ‘kindest, most gentle-hearted person in the world,’ right? I’m placing my money on someone like her. Her ‘beloved uncle’ asks her to keep her mouth shut, well, I’m assuming she’s the kind of person to do that."

“She never should’ve been involved in this,” he says. “You have no idea what she’s been through already.”

“Does it end with ‘wolf?’ Because if it does, then she’s already a part of this. And it’s not like you gave me a choice in the first place,” she says heatedly. “You weren’t going to let me out!”

“Yes, I was!” he says urgently, as if he’s trying to convince her. Or himself, more likely.

He doesn’t give her a chance to argue. “If she does keep her mouth shut, and that’s a big ‘if,’ what’s your plan when the school year starts back up and you’re still here?”

Well, shit. “This’ll be over before then.”

He cocks a brow. “Is that right?”

Six years, Laura. The thought is uncomfortably heavy. He’s been doing this for that long.

He steps closer, chest almost pressing up against her own. “Let’s say it isn’t over, and Miss About-To-Graduate-From-University is still kicking around this dirt patch. Isn’t that going to look a little odd?”

“If this isn’t finished by then,” though it kills her to say out loud, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Something in his demeanor shifts, and she belatedly realizes the weight of her own words.

We. She’s thinking of them as a team. They’ll have to be, at any rate, to get anywhere beyond what he and his family have already discovered.

Travis’ eyes dart down, and he tilts his chin back, pursing his lips in consideration.

“Get over yourself, old man,” she says fiercely. God, this whole back-and-forth thing is so stupid. “Just shut up and work with me.”

Despite her words, the corner of his mouth actually twitches up, and he’s almost smiling. Hell, she almost returns it.

Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, he offers a hand. She grips it firmly, beating down the triumph that flits in her ribcage like a sparrow. Rapidly fading daylight dances across the backs of their clasped hands.

“We have a deal,” he says.

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