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emilycollins00 · 4 years ago

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Two faces of the same coin

Pairing: Tenma x ghost-looking! reader Part 1.

Hey! I had this awesome ask from sadly ages ago which I appreciated a lot bc honestly, just the fact that someone sent such a detailed thing?? My heart.

Request: (...) Tenma finds someone who looks like they got out straight from a horror movie- They could literally pass as a ghost anytime of the day! But once he talks to them they are just an extremely chill introvert, and actually really thoughtful and considerate? (...) So yeah, imagine Tenma who once was shitting his pants whenever that person was around slowly starting to enjoy their presence and even better: fall for them.

Enjoy! 💕

Classic horror icons and other disturbing creatures share common characteristics, pale skin, dark, sunken eyes, hunched posture, sharp teeth, and the like. These images inspire fear and revulsion in many with good reason. And while Tenma would insist he was okay with them- he really was and Yuki should really just shut up- he wouldn’t go out of his way to watch or read about that specific genre. And he was okay with that.

“A ghost in the school?”

He tried to not sound as worried as he internally felt, his brain still processing what Taichi was talking about while waiting for their drinks to drop. The redhead nodded unaware, eyes fixed on the vending machine “Yeah! You haven’t heard about it before?”

“W-why should I? It’s stupid to think paranormal stuff like ghosts exists anyway.”

With a clank, both drinks finally fell. Taichi crouched down to retrieve them humming happily, handing one of them to the summer troupe leader and keeping one for himself.

“I don’t know man, it’s kind of cool!” he crossed his arms behind his head, resuming their walk and looked behind. “What about you, Juza-san? You seen anything?”

The purple-haired boy considered it lazily, but ultimately shook his head. He didn’t seem too interested in the conversation anyway, and Tenma was pretty sure the main thoughts running through his head were today’s melon bread from the cafeteria.

It had been a while since their Ouka-high group had been able to have lunch together.

“Did you see? That Sumeragi Tenma is back!”

“Gosh, he looks so handsome!”

“Wait- don’t push me!”

“I heard he’s going to be a possible cast in that famous saga-”

“Are you serious?”

Whispers and tiny squeals kept circling them as soon as they entered the boundaries of the canteen. And while Tenma barely notices it at first, he can definitely see Juza’s stance going more rigid and Taichi’s eyes glowing at the attention received.

“I’ll go get our lunch” the golden-eyed teen announces heading towards the queue, hands buried in his pockets. He motioned Tenma with his chin. “You wanted set B right, no carrots.”

“Uh? Well yeah, but I can-”

“S’okay, you two go find some seats” he shrugged, looking around. There weren’t many spaces to start with and he’d honestly prefer focus on the food rather than the stares. “It’d be difficult to keep ‘em free with just one person anyway.”

“Roger! Come on Ten-chan, let’s go!”

“Aw, man. Everyone has their eyes on you as usual!” Taichi looked around, still indulging himself with all the people that were staring at them, some more blatantly than others.

How he didn’t get bored of mentioning it every time Tenma didn’t know, though he was low-key grateful. Not many people enjoyed being part of those types of reactions from a crowd- Juza for example-. When they finally managed to find some empty seats, Taichi placed his own bento on the table visibly excited. Tenma frowned.

“Since when did you start preparing lunch by yourself?”

“Ah, this?” the redhead laughed proudly at his confused look “See, I’ve been practicing my cooking skills! Tsuzuru has been super cool teaching me how to prepare some dishes for my siblings- plus, I’m sure I’ll get the attention of girls if they see my new talent!”

“Right…”

Tenma couldn’t decide whether he should make a comment as he took a long, thoughtful sip from his own juice can. Taichi’s lunch was a side of string cheese, a broken omelet, and some semi-burnt rice and it just didn’t seem very tempting.

He ultimately chose to leave it aside. Omi would surely know soon enough.

“So, uh, Taichi.”

“Yeah?”

He coughed, leaving aside the can and resting his back on the chair nonchalantly. “N-not that I care about that rumor, but- where is that ghost supposed to be?”

“Ah, the one we talked about? Mmm…” the autumn member caressed his chin, closing his eyes in deep thought. “No one really knows. It’s been spotted in pretty much all parts of the school” Tenma’s stomach sank at that. “But I’ve heard it likes room 1001 for some reason, you know, from the old side of the school? No one really uses it anymore- guess it makes sense!”

The redhead took again the chopsticks and started digging on the rice carefree.

“R-right.”

Tenma shook his head. Cool. Great. Now he knew which side of the school he would never even try to approach at least.

“Tenma-kun!” a female voice, not familiar, made him jolt from his seat. When he looked up a girl followed by two others were are already making themselves comfortable on the chairs next to them- one of them even deciding to sit on the table. “Hi there!”

Third years.

"Hi” he repeated.

“We saw your appearance in that new series, it was unbelievable!”

“Are you going to be a recurring character there? I’d love if you could ask one of the leads to sign a shirt of mine!”

He simply showered them a practiced smile. He could already tell what type of fans they were. It wasn’t something out of the ordinary- people approaching him about his shows or to ask for favors- and honestly, it was better not entering in that dangerous territory. “Thanks. Nothing’s been said yet, that’d depend on the company. I’ll be counting on your future support.”

They instantly beamed at his reaction. “Of course!”

One of them clapped her hand together “That reminds me, when is your next performance in that theatre company you play? I so want to go see it again!”

“Ah, that will take a while. We just finished a month ago so next up is the autumn troupe” he motioned Taichi with his head, a proud, real smile featuring his face this time “These guys have been going all out, you won’t be disappointed.”

“O-of course!” the shortest Ouka high student practically jumped into the conversation. “If you all want, we could ask for a few tickets from our-!“

“But Tenma-kun is not in that troupe, right?” the girls looked at each other confused. As if it wouldn’t be something it’d cross their minds to do, had the child actor not participated before.

“W-well, no but…”

“Plus, the summer troupe is hilarious! I kinda prefer those types of performances, you know?”

“I totally get you!”

From his peripheral vision, Tenma could register Taichi’s face growing red- a strained smile before sitting back on his seat, not trying to add anything to the conversation anymore.

Smile. Remember to smile.

“…We all give our all on those performances, I don’t think it’s fair if you have just watched the summer troupe. You’ll definitely enjoy it if you give them the chance.”

“Really?”

“I mean… If Tenma-kun says so maybe we could go take a look.” one of them gave a chuckle, playing with their hair. “You think we could ask you to get us some tickets for-?”

“If you are not eatin’ you should leave.”

“Uh? Can’t you see we’re-” the sentence died in their lips as soon as they turned and encountered Juza. Not that he himself was proud of his reputation, but during these situations at the very least it paid to see they knew who he was.

“Move.”

The resulting glare was terrifying in its intensity, and the retreat took no longer than a few seconds. No one mentioned anything afterward- Juza’s calm and blank expression coming back as he sat down, handing the summer leader his lunch and squinting down at Taichi’s.

“What the hell are you eatin’.”

“Hehe it caught your attention too, right? You see…”

Tenma observed them. They were acting as if nothing had happened. Not so long ago people tended to stay away from him for those same reasons, so it still took him a few seconds to find the words again- For feeling this relieved at their reactions.

He left the chopsticks aside. “Sorry this... keeps happening."

They momentarily stopped the conversation, sharing a silent look before turning to the teen actor facing the table in awkwardness.

“I-It’s okay, Ten-chan! They would obviously be more interested in watching you than an unknown performance” Taichi laughs and scratches the back of his hair. He seemed to be fine- a bit uncomfortable, but fine. “Besides, that just means we have to work even harder to be recognized, right, Juza-san!”

“Yeah, don’t get stuck thinkin’ ‘bout it. We ain’t losin’ any time soon.”

“Anyway Juza-san, are you sure you’re okay with only melon bread and pudding for lunch? I can give you some of mine!”

Juza didn’t verbally answer Taichi’s offer, merely staring at the burnt rice being held in front of him with skepticism “…nah. I’m okay.”

Taichi frowned at his own food, tilting his head confused. A few seconds later, he gave it an ultimate shrug before going for one more bite, Juza doing the same with his own lunch. Tenma scoffed at the view, trying not to smile amusedly. The autumn troupe really was made out of beasts.

“If Sakyo-san saw what you two are eating he’d skin you alive, you know.”

“Why.”

“What do you mean why, Juza-san you can’t expect-“

"Ah, that reminds me!” Taichi suddenly rambled, mouth full of rice “We should totally go to the arcade before we head up to the dorm. I heard they have these new games that are supposed to be super exclusive!”

Tenma winced “Can’t. I have a meeting with my homeroom teacher after classes.”

The other two replied with a similar expression.

“I almost forgot you came from a big shootin’ and all. We’ve been seein' you in the dorm pretty much everyday.”

“Yeah! Geez I always say I envy you, but dealing with that after working must suck!”

“You tell me…”

Taichi shook his head, giving him both thumbs up “It’s okay, we can go another time. Good luck though!”

“You can sit here. I’ll go bring your work in a second and then we’ll talk.”

With a lazy look on his face, Tenma caught a glimpse of his own reflection from a trophy case- one of the few resting at the entrance of the teacher’s lounge. He had never paid attention to them before; Second prize in a football tournament, first prize in some races and a few diplomas regarding different competitions, nothing too special. Ouka high had never had the best score regarding academics, which is exactly why he was able to enter.

Igawa liked to insist it wasn’t entirely Tenma’s fault he had so many troubles keeping up with schoolwork though- well, not more than the usual of not being good at studying. No one actually knew how hard celebrity kids had to push themselves- at least that’s what his parent had said. On the other hand, they hadn’t really cared much more, so long the school allowed him to be flexible with his schedules.

School time was usually done while moving sets and camera changes. He and other kids and teens were at different levels of schooling most of the time, so the teacher was forced to divide their time. Honestly, one would be lucky to get 30 minutes of full tutoring.

Anyway, it was rotten work and even Tenma knew it. He also knew what his homeroom teacher thought about it, which is exactly why he couldn’t help himself raising his eyebrows concerned as he saw the pile of papers being drop over the desk.

“Is this a joke?”

“I know you’re busy, but there’s a minimum to do keep up with your classes and… general results.” the old man frowned scratching his grey four-days old beard. He clicked here and there at the computer, probably revising the latest results of the tests they had done.

He then leaned back on his chair, trying to find a comfortable position before his wrinkly eyes turned to him again. “I wish I could think of another way, but you are getting quite behind everyone, Sumeragi-kun. We’re worried.”

Well, it was not his fault he couldn’t remember all the information they gave him like a script. Was it really the solution giving him the same amount of work as his classmates with half the time?

Before he could open his mouth to complain, the man placed his hand on Tenma’s shoulder. It felt heavy. “I already talked with your manager. It seems you’ll be having a break for a month and a half just before finals and I’d like to help you. We can’t have one of the biggest faces of the school repeating a year, can we?”

Tenma’s jaw clenched. Of course, everything was always for Sumeragi Tenma the actor. Student Tenma could go drown himself.

“Here you’ll find some reinforcement materials I think will be good for you to do in school. Less time wasted while moving and I’ll be here in case you have any questions.”

His face twitched. That would mean he wouldn’t be able to ask for Tsumugi’s help or any of the adults back in Mankai. “I actually-”

“Suguro-sensei, Someone’s calling for you about tomorrow’s meeting!”

“Is it that time already... I’ll be right there in a second! In any case, I would suggest you go work on the library Sumeragi-kun.” the man got up, finishing that way their conversation. “It should be quiet enough, but if you see any students being too loud, give them a call.”

Tenma side-glanced again at his workload, groaning internally.

Just about his luck.

Twenty minutes walking.

How could such a big school not have a single sign to indicate where things were?

Squinting his eyes, Tenma looked both ways across the hall annoyed, his already short temper from before increasing. He was sure the library was two turns to the right, then left, and then up the stairs from the teachers’ lounge.

...or maybe it was a floor down now that he thought about it. Damn it. It wasn’t as if he had ever stepped inside that place, shouldn’t they make it more accessible for everyone?

“This sucks…”

It had been a while since he had seen other students or even teachers around, which also made him feel uneasy. He glanced down at the paperwork in his arms, gripping it tighter. He hoped no one would see him walking around like this.

Just where was the stupid library?

It wasn’t until Tenma decided to try entering inside any room that would allow him to work, that he found many were strangely closed. He was about to gave up when he finally saw the dusty word ‘library’ at the end of the corridor. Finally. With effort he managed to open the heavy door, immediately pinching his nose.

“Ugh, stinks.”

The person in charge of cleaning the school really did a worse job than Matsukawa- at least the man cleaned from time to time and organized stuff. The place was an absolute mess; boxes over the floor, piles of books on chairs and shelves full of documents and other various things he didn’t quite distinguish.

Leaving everything on the closest table Tenma sighed when he felt his arms relaxing without the weight. Frowning, he walked around the place, smelling a mix of dirt and old- even some shelves were full of dust. Really, how did a school like this had such a gross place to study? No wonder students didn’t try to come here.

He should have asked for permission to take his work back to Mankai. Less danger of someone noticing he was behind his studies and it becoming a gossip- or worse, finding he had been walking without an absolute clue for the last half hour.

Yeah, he had more options to pass the year with Tsumugi’s help rather than on his own. Just looking at the amount of work he had he was sure it’d-

The faint sound of walking steps brought him back from his thoughts freezing him on the spot- all his breath trapped. He hadn’t heard anyone since he entered, but it shouldn't be surprising to find others studying.

I’ve heard it likes room 1001 for some reason, you know, from the old side of the school? No one really uses it anymore- guess it makes sense!

Or it was probably the wind. The wind tends to make noises, Tenma reminded himself while swallowing with difficulty.

Was the air suddenly thick?

Crack!

He strained to hear, his heart pounding loudly. “I-Is anyone there?” the nerves made his voice come out higher than he had hoped.

More cracks and sounds of steps. He couldn't see anything yet.

His stomach turned as his breath became louder. This wasn't happening. Yup! It was his imagination. What was happening could not be real, because ghosts didn’t exist. “I-I’m not afraid, you know?!” he shouted, positioning himself on a fighting stance while carefully moving backward.

That’s right- Tenma wasn’t scared. He had just rested enough, with or without a ghost in the room, and it was about time to leave. Ignoring his sweaty palms and nodding once more to nothing in particular, he turned around at the same time a pair of eyes made contact with his.

The figure opened its mouth.

And Tenma proceeded to absolutely destroy his throat.

_________________________________________________

This took so long though I’m not even sure If they are around. If you are love, I apologize! I found a few walls writing-wise. So not entirely to say I made it longer to make up for it but on the other hand... maybe. Thank you so much for sending such a nice idea so I was able to make this, really hope you like it. 💕

I promise this is a reader insert lol thank you for reading!

Part 2 soon!

#tenma sumeragi #a3 game #a3 tenma #a3! tenma #reader x a3 #a3! x reader #tenma x reader #a3 actor training game #reader insert #a3! taichi #a3! juza

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goldenkookietae · 5 years ago

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The Book Fortress Tumbles

BTS One shot

Pairing: Boyfriend!Taehyung x reader

Word count: 3,643 words

Warnings: Smut, strong language, sir!kink, dom!tae, teeny tiny bit of angst

Summary: Your exams are starting soon and you’re beyond stressed. You’re trying not to let that show but it all comes bursting out when your boyfriend Taehyung tries to get you to relax. When you realise your mistake, the only thing you can do, is apologise to him. Just not with words.

A/N: My college just announced that our exams will be held starting from 18th September. That’s too less time to mug up the entirety of the semester syllabus. Sigh. This one shot is reflecting my current situation (minus a Taehyung and dedication towards exams). I accidentally posted this when it was half finished lol, I panicked all the time I was taking it down xD.

Disclaimer: This story is an AU fanfiction that I have created using the names of the members of BTS. I do not claim any ownership over the members of BTS. The plot and the personalities of the characters are entirely my own.

Do not plagiarize my work and do not repost.

Moodboard

*I do not claim ownership over any of the pictures. They are credited to their original owners.

“Y/N~” Taehyung sang, skipping up to the study table, a pile of books hiding the person behind from view.

A faint “yes” was whispered softly from behind the walls of what seemed like a book fortress. Taehyung knew that the queen in this fort had probably not even looked up from her current preoccupation.

But somehow, as the “boyfriend”, he had a few special privileges. Somehow he could pull her to cuddle with him when she had an exam the day next, somehow he could wake her up in the middle of the night and still get her to cook for him, somehow he could steal her ice cream after having his and get her to find him rather cute.

Okay, maybe the last two aren’t true. Those are the things I’d do for her. He thought. Either way, whatever the consequences might be, he felt deprived, almost jealous of bound pages and thick covers.

She had told him a month before, on a day that Taehyung now marked as a blue day in his life, that her exams were coming up and that she’d have to focus on her studies. That she’d have to give her attention to her text books instead of her handsome boyfriend. And the second her exams would be done, they could do whatever he pleased.

Oh, the many many things Taehyung had in mind for everything that pleased him. On top of the list was her name in bold, underlined, Y/N. Y/N had been scanning her books so intently throughout this whole month, it seemed as though she was studying the instructions to defuse a bomb that was seconds from exploding. He hardly saw her around the house, only between the times she came outside to refill her snack jar or water bottle or for her meals. It got to the point where she hadn’t even realised that Taehyung had shifted to her apartment and had been staying with her throughout.

It was funny because they’d share the same bed and wake up inside a warm blanket burrito. Even if she had realised, she hadn’t said a word and Taehyung was more than happy with that. Staying back at his place while she was like this was close to being on an entirely different planet with no forms of communication.

He had picked up a lot of hobbies to distract himself, he played more video games, ate a lot of food, tried cooking (which surprisingly went okay), cleaned her house to make sure she was always comfortable and sometimes worked overtime because everything else was simply boring. But at times when she hadn’t noticed he’d pursue another wonderful hobby. Since Y/N wasn’t really bothered about what Taehyung was up to, he unashamedly spent his time staring at her. She wasn’t even dressed to impress these days, putting on the first thing she reached in her cupboard before sitting down to study.

But she loved being comfortable. And Taehyung noticed how she’d always pick the shortest shorts she had, ones that barely covered the globe of her ass. He would’ve loved those clothes on her every damn day, only if he wasn’t restricted to staying a mile away so she could ‘focus’ and almost suffering from blue balls.

“Y/N~” he whined yet again, choosing to cross over to other side of the fort and poking the bookworm. His plan for the night was to at least get some attention. He had been deprived of it for more than a month, it had reached the point where he would be in an existential crisis from lack of affection.

He would respect all her restrictions, he was being so good at keeping his carnal desires at bay (even if his hand was no match), he hadn’t complained when she finished her food early and left him alone to eat his portion, and definitely didn’t bother her for falling asleep on top of her books. He somehow felt proud of being that boyfriend, the one who’d bring her meals and would carry her back to bed when she’d fallen asleep.

But he just hoped that this, whatever it was, probably a test from the gods, would soon come to an end. And that Y/N would then jump onto his lap and kiss the living daylights out of him to tell him that he passed with flying colours.

All he wanted was a little bit of cuddling that night. The exams were still a week away and she could spare that much for him, couldn’t she?

He poked her again. One last time. And when that earned him nothing more but hummed ‘yes’, he knew it had come down to war. He extended his hands to her waist, caressing the soft flesh before taking on a different turn.

“Taehyungie! Stop!” Y/N hollered, jerking so suddenly that the central defense of her fort broke and tumbled to the ground in all the glory of crumpled and dog eared pages.

All that didn’t bother Taehyung as he tickled her sides, not caring about the curses leaving her mouth at that instant. If he paid any attention, then it would definitely turn him hard.

He picked her up effortlessly, carrying her over to the bed and placing her down. He climbed on top of her slowly, licking his lips as his face leveled with hers.

“Let’s just cuddle for tonight Y/N. You’ve been overworking yourself and it’s okay to take some time off to relieve stress. Relax for today, okay?” Taehyung muttered soothingly, rubbing her arms to warm her skin.

“Or maybe we can do something else to relieve your stress?” He chuckled trying to lighten the passive expression on Y/N’s face but it only made it more poignant. Before he could say anything else, the anxiety all came onto Y/N at once, making her snap.

“Taehyung stop! This is not a joke. My entire career depends on these exams and you’re treating it like a joke! Stop it!” Y/N exclaimed and Taehyung went still.

He knew she didn’t mean that and she knew that her career was as important to Taehyung as it was to her. He was looking out for her simply. She knew this too.

Sighing, Taehyung slid off her and stood next to the bed.

“Your career is important Y/N, I know that. It is to me too. But you’re taking too much pressure. You need a stress buster once in a while. Maybe this was not the best way and I’m sorry about that but maybe we can watch a movie tonight or-” Taehyung kept thinking of more things but Y/N cut him off.

“No. I am not under pressure. I do not need a stress buster. All I need to do is study and revise like I was already doing.” Y/N said as she looked at Taehyung pointedly, before sliding off the bed and sitting down at her desk.

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything.” Taehyung gulped. When she didn’t respond, he sighed and left the room as quietly as he could.

Y/N felt bad. When Taehyung had jumped onto her, all her focus flew out of her mind and she finally realised why she had been fidgety all week. Even when Taehyung had offered it to her on a silver platter, she’d refused like a total idiot and was now facing the consequences. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Taehyung through the slightly open door of her room. She could see him laying on the couch, his long legs spread out before him invitingly, his tongue sticking out and jaw flexing as he concentrated on playing the game.

As her eyes slid down, she focused on his hands, his long fingers working the joystick easily, the veins on his arms straining against his skin. Oh, she knew very well what all she wanted him to work with those fingers. The thought made her close her eyes and bite her lip, and she mindlessly clenched her thighs together.

She considered walking up to him right then, but the thought of coming back to him after she’d sent him away so strongly seemed too embarrassing. If that were to happen, Taehyung would never let go of the incident and would tease her about it forever.

In a desperate attempt to calm herself, she turned back to her books, revising topics again and again but still feeling as though she was reading them for the first time ever. Her eyes slid over to her water bottle as she recited the words she’d just read to herself again.

Tae’s thicker than that. She thought looking over the bottle and imagining a different view in front of her.

“What are you doing, you idiot?” she whispered, realising that her hands were now around the bottle, and she was fisting it with a well known need. Sighing she stood up, knowing she had no choice.

She slipped out of her room, trying not to close the door too hard. Walking straight to her boyfriend, she stood in front of the TV, blocking his view while facing him.

Taehyung looked up at her in confusion, and frowned when the sound of his avatar dying echoed behind her. But as soon as Y/N slid to her knees before him, his lips twisted into a smirk. In a second he threw the joystick in his hand to the side and leaned back into the couch making himself comfortable and pushing his legs closer towards her.

When Y/N bit her lip and stared at him hungrily, he raised an eyebrow.

You just gonna sit there or do something? I’m waiting.

It was so easy to understand everything about him after they’d been together for so long and she didn’t want to disappoint him now. Quickly, her hands unbuttoned his skin tight jeans and unzipped them, while Taehyung simply snuggled deeper into the couch as though waiting for a show about to go down.

Well, something was going down alright. That thing being Y/N.

She struggled to pull off the jeans, huffing every time her strength wasn’t enough, and Taehyung made no effort to help her out. Normally, Taehyung would be praising her throughout, but at the moment her only reward was the delicious view of his thick thighs.

Without wasting a second, Y/N pulled his boxer briefs down to his knees, then to his ankles and her face narrowly missed getting hit by his cock. After more than a month of sexual frustration, her mouth drooled as she laid eyes on his thick, huge cock, veins straining against the length as it stood hard and proud. She was a fool, comparing a stupid water bottle to the masterpiece in front of her.

He was already hard, and Y/N thought he must have been for quite some time through the evening. She’d done that. And she must be the one to fix it.

“Go on darling, suck me off.” Taehyung murmured bringing his fingers to her chin for a moment, tilting her face up and then letting go.

“Yes, sir.” Y/N whispered before taking him into her mouth fully, too hasty and needy to tease him at that point. She flattened her tongue against the smooth skin of his cock, lathering it with her saliva and tasting the salty tang of his precum. As her mouth grew full, she took him as far as she could go, stopping before her gag reflex could hit her and then looking up at Taehyung.

“Fuck. You’re going to kill me with those eyes.” Taehyung grunted, biting his lip harshly and never taking his eyes off Y/N. The sight of her kneeling before him, her mouth full of his cock and her pretty eyes looking at him so innocently - it was too much. His hand raised above his head, gripping the top edge of the couch for support as his jaw slacked and eyes closed.

As he prepared to relax, his eyes snapped open when Y/N picked up speed suddenly and sucked him faster, bobbing her head up and down his length, using her hands to jerk him where she couldn’t take him into her mouth. His eyes threatened to close as hot pleasure shot through him, but he managed to keep them open and fixed them onto Y/N’s eyes. While she sucked him off, he could see the way her hands slid down her body, no doubt seeking for her own pleasure.

But Taehyung was having none of that.

“The only place your hands are allowed to be are on my cock. Understood babygirl?” He glared, and he was surprised that he managed to keep the tremble out of his voice.

Y/N let out something between a whine and a hum, making Taehyung’s eyes roll back into his head. Nevertheless, he felt her figure move and he knew she’d obeyed him.

Straining his eyes to open, he saw her holding her hands behind her back and sucking his cock like her life depended on it. He shifted his hand from his side to her hair, gripping the roots above her neck and momentarily pulling her off of his throbbing member.

“Use your words girl.” He growled, clutching onto her hair tighter and bringing her closer so the head of his cock touched her lips. Y/N let out a soft sigh at the pain, enjoying it more than she should.

“Yes, sir.” she gulped, and immediately Taehyung pushed her back onto him, using the grip on her hair to guide her downward till her nose brushed his skin. Y/N gagged and swallowed, and the sensation made Taehyung’s thighs clench in pleasure.

Y/N didn’t miss that, she kept swallowing and moaning, the soft vibrations of her mouth against his cock, making him climb higher and higher to the edge of his release. And when Taehyung felt her soft hands shift from behind her to massage his balls, his hips jerked and he knew he was close. With three long thrusts into her pretty mouth, Taehyung came with a loud grunt, shooting strings of white hot cum into Y/N’s mouth which she swallowed hungrily.

Taehyung laid there for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to normalise his thundering heart. He peeked open an eye to look at Y/N and groaned when he saw her sitting on her knees with her hands on her lap. So obedient.

He leaned forward and held her chin with his hands, tilting up her face and bringing it close to his. His cum glistened on her lips and the thin layer of sweat on her forehead made it look like her skin was glowing.

“That was a very nice apology, babygirl.” He cooed, pecking Y/N’s lips softly. With his thumb, he scooped up a drop of his cum that had dripped onto her chin and pushed it into her mouth, immediately feeling her tongue swirl around his finger.

“And that is forgiveness.” He muttered, cupping her neck and pressing his lips to hers, swiping his tongue against the soft flesh and tasting himself. For Taehyung, it had all been a plan to get attention, and he got more than he had asked for, but if Y/N couldn’t get her release then there was no point.

Y/N felt Taehyung’s hands slowly slide down her skin, coming to rest at her hips where he held her tight. As she deepened the kiss and pushed her tongue into his mouth, he pulled her up and placed her onto his thighs, his cock slipping against the thin material of her shorts.

Her mouth tipped open against his, and she pressed herself onto him, grinding up and down while Taehyung nipped at her skin. When Taehyung cupped her between her thighs she let out a strangled gasp. The sound had woken something primal in Taehyung and he growled against her skin, biting down on the skin above her breast.

It had been so long since they’d done anything together, so long since Y/N had touched herself, that she knew she wouldn’t be able to last long. Taehyung would get his hands on her clit and she’d fall apart and that’s exactly what she needed. More than she had imagined.

Stripping off their clothes was a hasty blur, their mouths never leaving each other’s skin, kissing, nipping, biting, licking and sucking. Taehyung’s hands slid down to Y/N’s now bare heat, groaning at how slick and wet Y/N was.

“You didn’t want to say no to me, did you babygirl? Look at how wet you are.” He murmured, pressing and circling his thumb on her clit making her whimper. She whimpered helplessly when he pushed one long finger into her making her cling to him for support. When his finger curled inside her, she felt a familiar knot of pleasure and she blushed, embarrassed that she was going to come as fast as the time she’d lost her virginity. Too damn fast. She hid her face in the crook of Taehyung’s shoulder, biting down on the tanned skin as his fingers pushed her towards the edge relentlessly.

As Taehyung continued finger fucking her, his mouth was occupied with her breasts, sucking them and littering the skin with deep purple marks.

“Cum for me, Y/N. Cum on my fingers. Fuck.” He rasped, his teeth pulling at her pebbled nipple and Y/N came all over his fingers, letting out a loud cry and clutching tighter onto his shoulders.

Y/N relaxed against Taehyung’s shoulders, sucking deep breaths to compensate for all the breath Taehyung had knocked out of her with his talented fingers. Taehyung kept his eyes on her heat, pulling his fingers out of her and dragging his tongue over them with a loud a moan.

“So sweet. I missed this.” Taehyung said softly, his eyes closing to savour her taste on his tongue, licking his fingers in a manner to leave no drop untasted.

Just when Y/N had opened her mouth to speak, she jolted in surprise when Taehyung’s cock slid into her, stretching her walls as he reached all the way till he bottomed out. His eyes slowly turned to her, hooded with lust and a glint in his eye that she knew all too well.

This is payback for surprising me earlier.

“Fuck, you’re so tight. You’re squeezing me.” Taehyung groaned, and Y/N’s eyes fluttered shut. She couldn’t comprehend words at that moment, her tongue tied with being sensitive and the way Taehyung was rocking his hips into hers.

“You’re still on birth control right?” Taheyung asked through gritted teeth, struggling to pause his movements before his mind spiraled out of control.

“Yes, just please, Tae-” Y/N whined, unable to finish her sentence as Taehyung pulled out and thrust into her. Sitting flush on his lap, Y/N could feel the length of his cock reach into her deeper than ever. With the little energy she had, she raised her hips and pushed herself back onto him at the exact moment that Taehyung thrust upwards.

“Tae!” she moaned, biting her lip so hard she drew blood, a hand coming up to squeeze her breast as the other clutched onto Taehyung’s thigh to make sure she wouldn’t fall off. Taehyung didn’t give her a second to breathe, setting a rhythm, driving deeper and harder into her each time. She knew it was all the built up tension over a month of inactivity and she wasn’t complaining even when her body shook with over stimulation.

Y/N eventually leaned into him, letting him guide her the way he wanted and she loved it. Gripping the soft flesh of her ass he made her ride him, driving her up and down on his cock and getting high on the sounds of their skins slapping together and the way Y/N’s tits bounced right in front of his face.

Despite her usual vocal self, Y/N felt her voice disappear, every word she tried to form dispersing into mewls and whimpers.

Touch me there. She tried to tell him, a moan and a curse leaving her mouth instead, making her frustrated with the building tension. She moved her hand in search of Taehyung’s, sighing almost immediately when his fingers were on her on her clit, rubbing and pinching the bundle of nerves.

Y/N’s orgasm crashed through her with high pitched moan, shattering any coherent sense left in her and numbing her senses where the only thing she felt was the hot seed that Taehyung had shot inside her, his groans muffled by the heavy daze of her mind. It was too much to handle.

“We’re out of practise.” She managed to whisper finally, her voice hoarse and tired. Taehyung chuckled at that, watching Y/N’s chest heave with every breath and syncing it to his own breathing. His thumb rubbed soothing circles onto her skin and he pressed a chaste kiss on her bare shoulder.

“Let’s get you cleaned up baby.” Taehyung murmured, softly carding his hands through Y/N’s hair. All the exhaustion she had been feeling caught up to her, what with the tension of qualifying her exams, of meeting everyone’s expectations and the intense overwhelming pleasure she had just experienced.

Her lids dropped slowly, the only thing keeping her awake being the soft brush of cloth against her skin which she assumed was Taehyung cleaning her up. When her back hit the soft mattress and Taehyung’s warmth pressed against her skin, she could barely keep herself from crashing into sleep.

“Sleep Y/N.” Taehyung whispered against her hair, kissing her temple softly and pulling her to him. “Stop making me worry all the time. And don’t you worry either. You’ll do great. And you’ll make us all proud.” He finished, pressing more kisses against her hair and pulling her closer into his chest.

“I love you.”

With those words of reassurance, Y/N smiled just before she drifted off to sleep.

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#tae smut #taehyung smut #smut!taehyung #taehyung #taehyung x reader #bts kim taehyung #kim taehyung #bts taehyung #bts taehyung x reader #kim taehyung x reader #BTS v #btsv #bts one shot #taehyung one shot #tae oneshot #taehyung fanfic #bangtan boys #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan

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effymaybe · 4 years ago

Note

hello, author! deathbyjenlisa on wattpad has this prompt: future post-disbandment au where they live in a tiny little apartment in the middle of nowhere in Paris together with their cats and dogs, and they own like a flower shop or something. and finally, FINALLY doing a vlive together where they announce their relationship to the world. (may we have this piece from u? u r one of the best rpf writers i know. thank u in advance!)

deathbyjenlisa on wattpad I love you and I’m SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG I KNOW SUCK also here it goes!

Warnings: Fluffy fluffity fluff

Jennie closes her eyes as the faint afternoon sun caresses her glowing skin throughout the window.

She breathes slowly, content. Inside the just-conveniently-sized apartment, the atmosphere is still nice and warm despite the first bites of winter cooling down the air of the city.

The brunette is enjoying of a pleasant break after a few hours of frankly successful designing, and her previous artistic buzz has left place to a nice, tickly feeling still twitching in the pad of her fingers.

She sighs just as a fluffy warmth gazes against her legs earnestly.

“Hello, Lily. Miss mommy already?”

The cat looks up at her almost as if in agreement. Jennie leans down to pet her behind her ears, just as she likes it the most.

“I miss her, too. Maybe Jisoo is right. We might be a little bit needy”.

Lily keeps purring under Jennie’s soft hand, clearly happy with the attention she is given. The brunette smiles to herself. She figures that the kitten would actually hesitate if she had to choose between her two moms.

Thankfully, she doesn’t have to.

“Okay, baby. Let’s get you an afternoon treat, yeah? Don’t tell the others”.

Lily’s silent vow of trust is pointless, really. As soon as Jennie shakes the so-secret pack of treats hidden at the very bottom of the kitchen counter, the whole feline family plus an equally excited Kuma enter the room with bright eyes and a grumbling stomach.

The brunette is unfazed. She’s been dealing with this routine for almost three years already, and despite she likes to complain to her girlfriend about her unmeasured need for adopting cats, she wouldn’t change the daily, often overcrowded cuddles for anything in the word.

“There”, she mumbles, filling her pets’ plates with practiced patience, “so that you know that I can be the cool mom, too”.

She stands straight again, glancing at the different furs engaging in their eating. A giddy feeling starts to bloom in her heart suddenly, a sense of happiness mixed with a now unfamiliar pang of uncertainty that weakens her limbs.

They are definitely taking a gigantic step today.

A very much needed, absolutely wanted step.

She runs her fingers through her rich chocolate hair, glancing around with a critical, designer eye as she moves to the living room. It’s small, really, like the rest of the place, but so fantastically decorated –according to a proud Lisa staring at a flattered but shy Jennie- that it often features a big bunch of house décor Instagram accounts.

The brunette puts her hands on her hips.

It’s beautiful. She loves her house. She loves the size, the shape, the colors, the fact that she can have a modest yet quite impressive sight of the Eiffel tower only by opening the French door to the balcony. She loves the city, the accent, the passion. She loves the people, who have taken her and her family wholeheartedly, without questions. She loves her sons and her daughter and she loves, loves, loves her girlfriend with every beat buzzing in her chest.

What she does not love so much right now are those yellowish pillows, that-

“Hello, love”.

An instant smile plasters itself in Jennie’s expression. Steady arms circle her waist tenderly, and plump lips kiss the column of her neck in a tender motion.

“Mmm, hi”.

God, she really behaves like a teenager whenever her girlfriend is around.

“Brought you flowers, baby”, she hears against her ear, and just then she glances down to catch the sight of daisies and red tulips contrasting against each other in a big, gorgeous bouquet.

“Thank you”, she mumbles back, taking the gift with pointed care, “but you are going to empty our shop if you keep taking flowers”.

Lisa chuckles lowly, pure affection dancing in her eyes.

“You know I always order extra just for you”.

The tallest girl lets her girlfriend spin around in her arms. Her expression softens even further at the sight of sharp, stunning features. Lisa’s right hand naturally drifts up to grasp Jennie’s nape in an unconscious attempt to keep her close.

It’s not that Jennie would like to leave, anyway. The shortest girl leans up, gleeful, and her girlfriend meets her in the middle to wrap her up in a soft, welcoming kiss. They spend a few delightful seconds just like that, enjoying each other. It’s unlikely, Jennie thinks sometimes, to adore someone with such strength month after month, year after year. And their love has changed, actually.

It has gotten better. Stronger.

So it’s time to take the next big step.

“I’m ready”, Jennie murmurs against Lisa’s lips, and feels a smile shaping against her own mouth.

“Okay”. The tallest brunette takes a step back to take in her girlfriend’s figure, feeling a soft warmth spreading in her chest. “You look amazing. I love the shirt. It’s a pity they’ll only get to see a half of you”.

Jennie chuckles a breathless thank you, pulling fully away from her lover to look for a standee where to place her phone. In the meantime, Lisa takes her time to greet the rest of her wide family, already full and half-asleep on their respective beds. When she comes back to the living room, her girlfriend is already sitting cross-legged on the wide, greyish couch, figuring out the best angle to gather the afternoon light. On top of the coffee table lies the bouquet she got from the small flower shop they decided to put up mainly as a hobby after their successful careers as Blackpink members.

Lisa can’t help the grin that stretches across her face.

She’s just so, so happy.

“Baby”, she murmurs, moving slowly to sit beside the brunette.

Jennie looks at her and tilts her head in a sign of attention.

“I love you so much”.

Lisa’s unprompted sincerity is rewarded with a gummy smile and a soft peck.

“I love you, too, beautiful”.

A message travels across their joined gazes. A renewed vow of loyalty, love, and support. It’s their way to letting each other know that they are ready, no stepping back. The time and their own effort have prompted the building of a bond that lasts beyond obstacles, beyond fear.

When Jennie presses the screen to start the live, they are both leaning comfortably against each other.

“Hi”, the shortest brunette mumbles after a few seconds. Against her skin, the soft vibration of Lisa’s muffled laughter makes her blush in a rush of shy joy. “This is Jennie”.

The tallest girl grins at her girlfriend’s soft tone. “And Lisa”, she adds cheerfully. “We are here… to talk…”

Jennie’s right hand moves unconsciously to caress her lover’s arm up and down, just as she does each time a bitter hint of anxiety threatens to deprive her from fresh air. In exchange, as a caring reflex, Lisa embraces her narrow shoulders with her arm, keeping the brunette’s body flushed against her own.

“…to talk about us… We’ve seen some theories on the internet since… well, even before Blackpink stopped making… official music”, Jennie adds, eyeing the rising number of viewers at the corner of the screen.

It’s amazing. It’s been years already, and their fans are as many and as supportive as they were before.

“By the way, we might have a surprise coming soon!”, Lisa intervenes, and watches with silent amusement as her girlfriend crunches her nose just slightly besides her.

“Lili, no spoilers!”, Jennie complains only half-heartedly, melting inwards as the tallest brunette pouts just slightly.

“Mmh, sorry, babe”, she hears against her ear then, and all her fake annoyance disappears as soon as it started.

She turns around, keeping up with her admonishing from just to see her girlfriend pouting deeper, and her wish is immediately granted. They look at each other for a moment, their expressions turning into soft, dizzy smiles dripping pure adoration, and it takes both of them a moment to realize that there are about a million people watching them interact at the moment.

“So, huh, us!”, Jennie states, turning towards the camera once again. “Us… so… where do we even start”, she giggles, somehow lost. There is so much to tell. So many tears, so many victories.

“Well… to answer the basics… yes, we are girlfriends”, Lisa speaks then, loud and clear, smiling brightly, almost as if illuminated by her own love.

Jennie feels a burst of pride striking against her heart. She knows that her lover is being so, so brave.

“Girlfriends”, the shortest brunette affirms, and her sharp stare meets Lisa’s open doe eyes. “As in dating, hand-holding, kissing girlfriends, not the best-friends-forever type”.

The tallest girl chuckles brightly, both because rambling Jennie is funny and adorable and also because the tension of the moment makes her chest feel tickly.

Well, it’s there now.

The world knows that Jennie is her girlfriend.

The sudden, pleasing thought of their truth being outwardly spoken makes her feel lighter, elevated as she stares at Jennie with an expression that even herself knows that screams whipped.

It doesn’t matter, really, because her lover’s eyes distillates a feeling of the same fashion.

They tear their gazes apart from each other only when the enrapturing sensation starts to die down in a soft giddiness. They glance at the appearing messages almost with fear, but sunned smiles bright up their features when they read –mostly- comments both congratulating them and asking a billion questions about their relationship.

“’Oh my god this is so shocking… who would say that two rich, adult women choosing to live together raising each other’s’ pets would be dating!’. Well, thanks for the sarcasm, Lisa’shoe… also, careful with that username”, Jennie murmurs. She rolls her eyes in feign annoyance, but her dopey grin stays in place. At her side, still embracing her shoulders in a protective side-hug, Lisa chuckles again, so visibly content, shining, that the shortest girl has to make an effort not to stare at her throughout the mirrored screen.

“Oh, ‘when did you start dating?’ I don’t think we can say exactly when, but...” Jennie begins, her eyes falling on her girlfriend as if searching for help.

“Some years after all the… shipping started, actually. It took us some time…”

“It took you some time if I remember correctly...”, Jennie plays, her sharp expression both softening and growing more electric.

Lisa smiles, all teeth and happiness, and gives in the need of squeezing her girlfriend against her just a little bit tighter.

“But I’ve always liked you! You know it!”, she complains, a slight whine tangling in her voice.

“Of course! I’m amazing!”, Jennie bites back, brushing her long hair past her shoulders in a mocking gesture.

“You are”, Lisa murmurs, staring deep into chocolate without a care in the world, and the sincerity in her words makes Jennie’s pulse speed up crazily.

She leans in for a soft, quick peck, unable to stop herself, and is greeted by such an elated expression when she pulls away that she has to kiss her girlfriend once more, just to steady her soaring heart.

She’s so, so ridiculously in love.

“Charmer”, she mumbles, blushing deeply, and turns around to read another thousands of totally-freaking-out-because-of-their-cuteness messages. “Thank you guys. Really. This truly means a lot for us... The girls know, of course”, she chuckles, “They knew before us, probably. Yes, we are working on something. Nope, no spoilers!”, she winks.

Lisa reads the comments as well, absent-mindedly tangling her long fingers in her girlfriend’s soft chocolate locks, perfectly warm in the familiarity of their home.

“Yes, we are still in Paris. We love it here. The flower business is going well”, she grins, “Yes, I am the best girlfriend ever, right, babe?”

Jennie raises a single eyebrow, but gives in anyways.

“Maybe. You are the only one I’ve ever had”, she teases, gifting her girlfriend a slight shrug.

“And the only you will have!”, Lisa answers back, a playful growl playing with her deep voice in a way that makes Jennie’s stomach tingle in a quite particular way.

“Likewise, Manoban. Ah, yes, our parents know. Lisa’s parents were supportive since day one. My mom… well, it took her some time. Now she calls her whenever she needs anything. Can you believe it?”

They continue the late afternoon like that, leaning against the comfort of each other, answering some of the million questions people over the world have about their relationship.

They knew it will be like that. The sheer support, however, left them truly stunned. They were told so many times that what they were doing was wrong, immoral, dangerous, that the almost absolute acceptance of the people that surrounds them hit them like a soft, fluffy pillow in a dizzy night.

When Jennie finally turns off the live –promising to make another one soon, and yes, to give away more details, and maybe to talk about the possibility of a wedding-, the hint of the pale moonlight is already creeping past their open windows.

Jennie and Lisa stare at each other with twinning grins playing in their lips.

“So, we just did that”, the brunette mumbles.

The apartment is almost silent. Their pets are still sleeping. Only the faint sound of the never-asleep city tangles with the mute electricity of the aftermath of their bravery.

Lisa’s bright eyes darken suddenly, urged by a rush of passionate love.

“We did that. And it went really, really well”.

Jennie smiles openly, her gums nicely on display. The tallest girl feels her heart growing three sizes against her chest. Her hands lock on her girlfriend’s waist, tugging, begging her to find a way to be even closer to her body, downing in affection.

The shortest girl does not disappoint. She moves to sit down on her lap.

“Baby, we did it”, she murmurs again, in a happy awe.

Lisa starts to giggle, and the soft sounds are mirrored by her lover.

“You were incredible”, she mumbles, then, locking her stare with her girlfriend’s once again. A strong feeling, an unspoken declaration moves through them, sparkling. With the corner of her eyes, unfocused as she favors the marvelous sight of her girlfriend’s face, Lisa can see the lights of their phones going off –probably some messages from their friends and family- but the girls stay put in their delightful bubble, nevertheless.

“So did you, love. Can you believe it?”, Jennie begins, letting her feelings pour out, both soft and heavy in her words, “Now they know that you are mine and I’m yours.”

Lisa swoons.

That’s something they’ve talked about. The need to be with each other freely, to shout out their hidden love at the top of their lungs, proud, shattering.

Lisa leans up for a deep, toe-curling kiss. When Jennie pulls out to draw in a happy breath, the tallest girl turns both their phones off.

The rest of their lives can wait. Right then, however, Jennie and Lisa are set to celebrate their thorough love in the way they like it the most.

#jenlisa #jenlisa scenarios #blackpink scenarios #blackpink fanfic

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willowistic22 · 4 years ago

Text

Red (Redfinch)

Despite their breakup, Albert still wanted to go see Finch perform in one of his concerts when Race asked him if he wanted to come. This is the perfect chance for them to talk things out again but words aren’t cooperating for either of them. With that, Finch decides to triy a different form of communication.

Words : 5233

Part : -

Warnings : Alcohol, cursing, cigarettes, angst in general

A/N : Woah that’s a crazy word count uhh,,,, hi i’m back with another fic. Another redfinch and for that we stan lol (well idk maybe yall are annoyed by all these redfinch fics but yknow what? i’m thriving off of it) But fr I’ll eventually get into writing other ships but for now have one more redfinch combined with another tswift songs (as you do) this time with Red. Wow we are so surprised who would have thought of redfinch being associated with the song red no we aren’t surprise :D This one specifically exists in my bandsies au. you don’t need to read that first to understand this (i think?) but it wouldn’t hurt if you checked that out as well:) Tbh i can’t decide whether i love it or hate it but at least i like it enough to post it. N ee wayysss enjoy!!

His brain is screaming about how much Albert shouldn’t be doing this. Comprising a list of cons that goes on forever. And although he thinks all of the cons his brain had written is logical, that one pro his heart wrote beside the long list was all it took for Al to say yes. All the cons will be worth suffering through if he finally gets to see Finch again. And maybe it’s for the better since he’s not doing well by distancing himself from the boy.

Unfortunately, the world isn’t black and white. Meaning that even if he did choose to follow what his heart wants, all the horrible feelings will still be there. And with every step he takes, inching closer to the entrance of the building, he’s getting even more terrified by the second. Thankfully, the line for the entrance is going pretty slow which gives time for Albert to calm down.

But it’s not helping. The line is crowded and full of fans, talking excitedly about the band’s awaiting concert inside. For some odd reason, he can only hear the conversations between fans that contain one specific name. He doesn’t hear anyone mentioning Romeo, Elmer, or Jojo’s name. Not even Crutchie, who he’s been told to be the fans’ favorite. Just the name Finch, being repeated all around him. With adoration and excitement lacing the name. The line is delaying the inevitable and the people around him makes him a bit overwhelmed.

“We can still turn around if you want. I’m sure they’ll find a way to give us a refund”

If he’s actually being honest, it was his best friend that got him to come. Race returned to their shared apartment a few weeks ago and rushed to ask Albert if he wanted to go see their friends performing tonight. Race knows about Al and Finch’s break up but it’s worth asking him first. And to his surprise, he said yes.

“No, it’s fine” Albert replied, “I’m fine”

“You’re picking your pimples right now”

“So?”

“It’s one of your nervous habits”

That piece of information really caught Al off guard. He didn’t think a tiny random fact about himself would actually corner him the way Race is doing now. Eyeing Albert through his glasses and raising his eyebrows despite his forehead being mostly covered by his beanie.

“Well… I-” Albert tried to come up with bullshit as fast as he could, “I like to do it on purpose too, alright?! My fingers just... get a little itchy!”

He slowly puts his hands down from previously reaching up to pick his face. And the line is still going slow, one step at a time. It’s not doing any favors for Al.

“Dude, it’s alright if you’re not ready to see him” Race continued, “It takes time, I get it”

“Race, I’ll be fine! How many more times do I have to tell you?” Albert argued, which finally made Race back down. And to make sure it’s no longer gonna be brought up, Al changes the subject, “By the way, where’s Specs and Mike? You said they’re watching too”

“They’re already backstage with the others for... obvious reasons” Race answered casually, catching on to Albert's intentions to change the subject. “So is Kath, by the way. We’ll meet her in there though”

To that, Albert simply nods. His jittery movements turn into rocking his body on the ball of his feet while digging his lips with his teeth. Race tries to pretend he doesn’t notice, but he does. Albert knows he does. Although he’s glad he’s not bringing it up because it might make it worse.

He’d be lucky to know that he’s not the only one panicking over this. In the dressing room, an aggravated Finch throws his phone to the cushion of the couch after sending the last text to his friend Race. It sounds unlawful for Race to be ‘secretly updating’ Finch on how Albert is actually doing because it’s obviously something Albert doesn’t want to directly tell his ex.

Finch groans, placing his elbow on his armchair to support his head. The room is spinning in his view and he wishes it all to stop. Taking deep and long breaths to stabilize his shaky limbs. A little prayer starts playing in his heart, it follows the tempo of his fast heartbeat.

“He’s here, isn’t he?”

Finch opens his eyes and looks up to meet his bandmate sitting on the couch across from him. He hadn’t even been talking for a good hour because he’s too fixated with the first text Race sent him when he and Al first started making their way to the concert.

“Yeah, he’s in line” Finch replied, looking up to the blond boy who’s holding his bass.

“How are they not being mobbed?” Another voice rang. This time it’s not coming from one of Finch’s bandmates. It’s coming from Race and Albert’s bandmate, sitting next to the shortest member of Finch’s band on the couch.

Specs only ask that because their two bands have a long connecting history and their fanbase tends to be sort of the same in a way. With Specs dating Romeo and Mike dating Jojo, Race and Albert are bound to be recognized and mobbed by at least a few fans. Especially seeing that Albert is Finch’s former lover, although the fans know that as a rumor since the two never publicly addressed it.

“I’m assuming they’re wearing a lot of shit to cover their faces” Another answered, the other VIP of the show alongside Specs, Mike. He’s twirling his drink in his hand while the other keeps Jojo cuddled close to him, “I mean, Al’s head is really fucking bright!”

With the mention of that specific name, Finch sulks back in his armchair with a groan. He covers his face with his hands, hoping it’d make the world just stop for one second. He could hear a loud clean slap echoing the room, followed by overlaps of whispered scolding. If he had to guess, it was Mike who was the one getting slapped and scolded.

“This is a disaster…” Finch exclaimed to himself, still not lifting his face up.

“It doesn’t have to be unless you make it like that” this time a feminine voice spoke up. A voice he recognized to belong to Kath.

Finch hears footsteps approaching him. He feels the motion of someone softly kneeling down in front of him. His hands were gently pried open and he was met with Kath’s friendly smile.

“It takes time, but you gotta trust the process”

It’s not necessarily the words he needed to hear right now, but it still warms his heart to hear his friend still being there for him despite the sticky situation he has gotten them into.

Everything would’ve been just fine if Finch hadn’t been so pushy and upset over Albert’s decision. He was the one that decided to put his music career on hold to go get that engineering degree, which frankly seems pretty useless. Finch was so dirty for pulling the ‘you’re being selfish’ card at him when it’s not even his band at all. Race, Specs, Mike, Ike, and even their manager Denton were very supportive about his decision to get that degree. Heck, all their friends were! But not Finch. His boyfriend at the time. He argued like he secretly knew how the others felt about Al leaving when really there aren’t any secret feelings for him to know. All his arguments came from his own feelings.

However, he knows Albert’s ‘own decision’ was secretly coated by his father’s persuasive words. The whole ‘just in case the music career doesn’t work out’ argument was basically the copy and pasted words from his father. They both know it. Despite the arguments, it still seemed that Al was determined to fully focus on college anyways. Instead of following his fellow musician friends’ college path by getting a degree in the non-lecture-hall way, he followed his father’s words and actually attended his college classes in a proper campus.

In the moment, Finch was just too focused on Albert leaving. Maybe he was the one being selfish. He had only realize now that most of his arguments were because he didn’t want Albert to go. It’s too late now, since the last time they saw each other was when Al slammed the door of their apartment one last time with all his stuff and a plane ticket to Seattle. At that point, Finch was finally tired of all the arguing and told him that if this was his plan then he’s on his own.

The tears that came after were filled with sorrow and regret. Sorrowful because he missed him. Regretful because he only realized then that there was no valid reason for Finch to lash out in the first place other than for his own needs. The feeling is still present to this moment. And it’s currently the strongest right before a show because he knows he’s gonna be in the crowd.

“Look, we’ll let ya drown out your feelings with some booze later” Crutchie finally said, “But right now we got a show”

The band was all getting up from where they were seated, bringing whatever they needed to the stage. Crutchie gets some help from Jojo to bring his Bass till he properly sits on the stool on stage. But Finch stays perfectly still, holding Kath’s hand as if his life depends on it.

“I know I should talk to ‘im, Kath” Finch finally said, slowly joining the others in standing up. Kathrine follows along, eyes still fixed to her friend, “But… I can’t. I wouldn’t know what to say to him”

“Then don’t talk” Mike suddenly inserts himself in their little conversation. He gets up and approaches the two, “Sing him the new single”

“You’re fucking insane, Mike!” Katherine instantly snapped.

“Alright, your mouth will be legally sealed shut till the end of the concert” Specs joins them only to drag Mike away. There were some protests from the boy, but it was totally shut down by everyone else in the room.

“No, wait. He’s got a point” Finch suddenly exclaimed, which quickly got the whole room to freeze in time.

He looks at his bandmates, all standing by the doorway ready to kill the concert. A half confident smile appears on his face and he says, “Let’s sing that single”

The concert is held in a bar like-venue with multiple floors, slowly being filled to the brim by excited fans. Their excitement bounces off the walls of the venue, creating an ecstatic kind of environment despite the tight space. The concert is going to start any minute now and while the fans surrounding him are shaking in excitement, Albert is shaking in a nervous fit.

“Still okay there, Al?”

Albert looked to his side, seeing his good friend Kathrine looking up to meet his eyes with concern. She had just joined the boys in the midst of the crowd after hanging out behind the stage with the band.

“What? Yeah, I’m okay” He replied, “What makes you think I’m not?”

“You’re squeezing my hand a little too tight”

Al had only realized he’s been holding Kath’s hand just now. His brain was too focused on his fears about meeting Finch again to the point that he hasn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. He gets bashful all of a sudden, cheeks going a bit warm, harshly pulling away from her grasp.

“It’s okay, you can hold my hand if you want,” Katherine said gently.

“Kath, I’m fine!” Albert said, “Why won’t you and Race believe me?”

“Because we know it’s utter bullshit”

The pair looked back towards the crowd behind them where the familiar voice originated from. There, Race struggles through a sea of people with two drinks in hand. Oddly enough, he still seems to stand the heat despite still wearing his face disguise. A white cotton mask, black-framed glasses, and a grey beanie mostly providing cover for his blond curls. While Al, seeing that the venue is pretty dark and speculations has led him to believe that the fans would be focused on the concert rather than the people attending it, had already put away his mask. However, his fears still made him wear his snapback and grey-framed glasses just in case.

Albert takes his rightful drink, and with a free hand, Race takes off his own mask and stuffs it in his pockets. He complains about the stuffiness from wearing the mask all while doing so, which made Kath laugh. It appears the Albert-scolding has been forgotten for the time being, as Kath and Race starts engaging in their own conversation, which Al doesn’t mind because he’d much like to down his beer quickly.

And then the concert finally starts.

An exciting intro starts playing as the band enters the stage. The wild crowd welcoming the band is deafening to Albert’s ear. Time freezes and everything in between fades away. All he sees is Finch, up on stage wearing a smile brighter than the lighting of the venue itself. He’s using his old dark green guitar. The same one he uses when he’s writing songs in bed or when he just feels like strumming the strings. Albert remembers the memoirs of all the guitar string scars he had earned throughout the years of knowing him. Some of them were even caused by Albert himself.

Lucky that Finch hasn’t noticed Albert has been staring at him the whole time. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of the boy since the start of the first song, shimmering under the spotlight with amazing vocals. Laughing about at his fellow bandmates’ antics on stage. Oh, that laugh. It gives him butterflies in his stomach like it was the first time hearing it.

He can feel two pairs of familiar eyes on him. But he’s too far gone to care. Albert really did make a big mistake for letting Finch go that easy. Because at the end of his previous college days, he still loves him and misses him dearly. His little Finchy. It doesn’t matter to Al anymore if Race and Katherine are eyeing him with sorrow or the whole world were to look at him weirdly for fixating his own eyes towards the beautiful boy on stage. He was his beautiful boy. Good lord, does he long to see the days when he got to call Finch his.

“Holy shit, I fucked up” Albert muttered under his breath, only Kath and Race could hear it, “I should’ve never had left”

His friends were definitely not expecting Albert to verbally exclaim his regret. They already knew from the start despite the redhead’s previous denials. But hearing him say it just makes it all more real. Even Albert himself was hit by a truck of reality just by loudly announcing it.

“Well, now you know” Katherine started, gentle voice on the same volume as his own despite the volume of their current surroundings being incredibly loud, “Go tell him that after the show”

“I can’t. I shouldn’t” Albert replied, fully turning away from the stage to properly look at his friends. A glint of sorrow and desperation flashes before his face, “I might make things worse!”

“Well, you’ll never know till you try” Race said, sounding a little hesitant at the start. He offered a warm smile at his friend and a hand on his shoulder, since there isn’t much he could do in the moment.

With a heavy sigh, Albert turns back towards the stage only to witness the biggest surprise of his life. Finch looked back. Straight into Albert’s eyes, it pierced right through to get his heart thumping loudly in his ears. He just realized the song the band was previously playing had ended and they were waiting for the fans to quiet down. While Romeo playfully over-dramatize his thank you’s to the crowd and gets scolded by Elmer and Crutchie, Finch was continuously staring at Albert. The hands that were previously used to play with his guitar hang idly because his center of attention wasn’t at his instrument right now.

It might just be some form of hallucination Al retained from the high, but Finch seemed to be smiling at him a little. Just a little curve at the end of his lips while he’s still staring back.

Albert doesn’t know how to interpret this other than to just stare back. Deep down, his heart is flipping in all kinds of ways and his thought process is no longer comprehensible. He’s trying to read the other boy’s emotions but it’s too neutral to tell. Other than the fact that he’s smiling a little at him but that still doesn’t give him a proper answer.

Eventually Finch becomes the first one to look away, seeing that the audience had settled down for the band. Albert’s eyes were still glued to Finch, retaining his focus back to the concert. He opens his mouth for a moment to say something into his microphone, although he unexpectedly stopped. The flow of words seemed to cut short. He saved himself by pulling himself away from the microphone up front and towards the rest of his bandmates. Judging from the body language, they seem to be whispering.

“What’s happening?” Albert whispered, more to himself rather than to his friends.

“I’m not sure…” Race replied, taking a step closer to where Al is standing.

The band kept the discussion short and quickly got back to their places. Finch seems to hesitate the second time he opens his mouth to speak. But this time, he gets the words out.

“Uhh… sorry ‘bout that. I uhh… I just got the urge to go a bit out of our fixed setlist and uhh… hope you guys don’t mind” Finch explained with a little giggle at the end. The crowd couldn’t care less and cheered on. Finch smile widens at the agreement, “We thought we’d give ya an early access to our newest single that hasn’t been released yet”

A euphoric feeling passed through the crowd as the cheering got louder. It baffled Finch so much that he laughed into his mic.

“Oh my god, they’re actually doing it” Katherine commented under her breath.

But Al’s ears were sharp enough to catch it. He snaps his head around to face the girl behind him, “Do what?”

Katherine was rendered speechless to that question, despite obviously knowing what’s going on. Albert turns to Race but he has no idea. He finally turns back to the stage where Finch’s gaze was already waiting to be returned by Al himself.

Without breaking the gaze, Finch speaks into the mic with a little smile, “It’s called ‘Red’”

It was Albert’s turn to be speechless. He had no knowledge of a new single since he’s mostly been staying away from his ex’s social media for the sole purpose of moving on, which he had failed miserably. And none of his friends had told him anything about a single that’s title was a secret language only Finch and Albert share, littered with all sorts of vintage romance.

“Holy shit…” Race exclaimed, “...I had no idea they were gonna play this song”

The opening of the song starts with Jojo lightly plucking a few strings of his acoustic guitar. The crowd goes wild once again, energy bouncing off one wall to the other.

“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street

Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly”

Crutchie sang the first line smoothly. At this point the other’s had joined in with their instrument. Finch fully ignoring the crowd and focused on looking at Al. Those blue eyes are trying to send a message to Albert and it’s being coded with the song they’re currently playing.

The song had carried on till it reached the chorus. All the instruments peaked at that moment and collaborated with each other to create a very euphoric sound. The crowd jumps along to the beat of the song along with a loud cheering, obviously enjoying the tune they have yet to listen to. Some were holding up cameras to capture this moment, most likely to later share it with the fans that didn’t get the chance to witness it live.

At this point, Finch had turned his face away from Al. There was a troubling look in his expression but it was quickly covered by closing his eyes as if he’s trying to concentrate on singing the chorus with the others. But Al is no fool. He knows that look on Finch’s face is when he’s trying to avoid something, and that something is him.

“Losing him was blue, like I'd never known

Missing him was dark gray, all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know

Somebody you never met

But loving him was red”

The words moved something in Al. It was written in a way Albert recognized it to be Finch’s writing style. Every single part of the song. From the melody, the chord progression, even the lyrics. Especially the lyrics.

“Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword

And realizing there's no right answer

Regretting him was like wishing you never found out

That love could be that strong”

As Finch harmonized that line with Jojo, he stole a little sad side glance at Albert. The song returns to the chorus once again, Finch gets dragged with the beat and lightly moves his body along.

Albert gets captivated along with the music. He can feel the corner of his lips slightly rising up, which is pretty ironic seeing that Finch is singing a breakup song about them. Maybe because he’s relieved to hear Finch sing about how he’s not fully over him. Or maybe it’s because he gets to see Finch embracing the break up, which could potentially mean that he’s okay with it. But whatever it is, he’s happy seeing Finch like this. Or just seeing him in general.

“Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes

Tell myself it's time now gotta let go

But moving on from him is impossible

When I still see it all in my head”

The chord progression’s pattern slightly changed. Finch sings his line into the microphone, closing his eyes as if to soak up all the intoxicating energy he gets from the crowd. Of people flailing their hands into the sky and a loud chorus of undecipherable shouting. But at the last line, he steals a proper glance back at Albert.

“In burning red”

The lyrics really says it all. There’s no more hidden message that Albert needs to decipher, as it's being presented right in front of him.

Finch takes over the next part of the song, shredding his guitar which makes the crowd go wild. At the moment, it looks like he’s feeling himself. Moving along with the motion of his fingers that creates each note.

“Oh, losing him was blue, like I'd never known

Missing him was dark gray, all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know

Somebody you never met

'Cause loving him was red”

The song is supposed to be a punch to Albert’s guts, and yet he finds himself laughing at it. He catches a glimpse of Finch’s eyes, sneaking its way to look back at Albert every so often. And this time, he wears a smile while jumping along to the song. And it made Al smile back.

“His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street”

As the song ended, the fans went wild. The look on Finch’s face seems satisfied at the success of the single they have yet been released to the world, shining at the sight of a hype crowd. He steals one last glance at Albert with a little smile on his face. Albert would dare to say he’s being a bit shy. To that, Albert smiles back with a disbelief laugh escaping his lips before Finch pulls his gaze away from the other boy.

After playing a few more songs, the concert ended. There was only one thing in Albert’s mind, which was talking to Finch. Race and Albert quickly put their disguise back on before the crowd had realized who they were as they exited the venue. The three stay behind as the venue gets emptied, Race and Katherine making quick work with their fingers on their phones to contact their friends backstage.

Jojo was the first to respond to either of them. He said that Finch is smoking behind the venue alone. One could only assume that he’s not in his best state after spontaneously choosing to sing that single. But Jojo assured them that he’s still good to talk to. Crutchie then responded, saying that Specs and Mike can pick them up to get them into the backstage.

It didn’t take them long, but Albert wasn’t keen on seeing the others right now. After being pointed towards the back door, Albert was already off. Adrenaline coursing through his veins as he makes quick steps towards it.

He gently opens the door, to avoid surprising the boy in case he was nearby. Albert steps out to a parking lot, open-spaced with another parking lot above it as its roof. At a first glance it was completely empty, only a few lights turned on to keep the area lit. His eyes gandered even further and spotted the boy he was looking for, back facing Al and his body leaning on metal bars as he enjoyed the nightlife of the city.

Albert took a deep breath to calm his adrenaline, slowing down his walking pace. The area is eerily quiet. Only a few things that can be heard: his footsteps, his thumping heart, and the sounds coming from the streets three stories below them. With every step closer, he slowly unraveled his makeshift disguise. Shoving his mask and glasses in the pockets of his jeans but left the snapback on.

“‘Loving him was red’” Albert said to catch Finch’s attention, “Did you mean it to be that obvious?”

Finch didn’t fully turn his head around, only halfway so Al can see the little grin of amusement forming on his face. A little chuckle escaped his lips, causing his chest to pulse along before he continued, “Not really. But it has a nice ring to it”

Albert takes a few steps closer towards the metal bars, leaning his body on it like what Finch is doing. Now he can clearly see the half burnt cigarette on Finch’s hand. Al tries to make eye contact with him, but Finch is purposely turning his head the other way and giving Albert his head full of blond curls.

“You came back” Finch suddenly said, voice hushed and low.

“Of course I came back” Albert replied, “You didn’t think I’d fully leave like that, did’ja?”

“Well, no. It’s just that you seemed so hellbent on going to college”

Albert slowly nods at that, moving his gaze towards the streets below like the other boy. They sit in the silence for a few minutes. Hearing different vehicles pass by the street below them and honking from the distance.

“Finch, I’m so sorry I left ya like that” Albert suddenly started, fully turning his face towards him. He couldn’t find a way to word it and so he resorted to just telling him the truth. Finch stays quiet to let him continue, “I was an idiot to let ya go that easily and all because I was selfish”

“You weren’t actually being selfish” Finch said, smiling a little at his words, “You did it because you wanted to. And it wasn’t hurting anyone anyways”

“It did. It hurt you”

Finch turns his head towards Albert. Now their eyes are looking into each other closer than before. The closest they’ve ever been since their breakup. A mixture of unsaid emotions made the gaze feel so intimate and it terrifies Al a bit.

“I hurt myself trying to get you to stay” Finch said softly. His next words got stuck in his throat. He gives his brain a few seconds to focus with a sigh out of his mouth and dragging his gaze away from Al, “I knew you never wanted to get that engineering degree in the first place which is another reason I didn’t want you to go. But at the end of the day, it was your decision to make and not mine. I lashed out on you and said you were selfish but… I was the one that was being selfish”

Finch turns his eyes back towards Al, his face looks more sorrowful than before, “I’m sorry”

A small smile formed on Al’s face, tilting his head to the side by a few inches, “It ain’t your fault for knowing me more than I know myself”

They leave the conversation at that for the time being. Letting the streets below fill the void of their silence. Both boys focusing their gaze towards the view they got from this height they’re on again. Finch and Albert left speechless at each other’s words.

Albert’s hands unconsciously reach up to his forehead, itching to pick a pimple like earlier. His next words almost got stuck in his throat but he was able to pull through just enough to get to his point, “Well, at the end of the day we uhh… we both fucked up. Fucked our relationship, that’s for sure-”

“Stop picking on your pimples, Al” Finch casually said. The surprise look on Al’s face got Finch to side eye him with a giggle.

Al pulled his fingers away, stuttering in his movements but still continued on his words with more confidence, “What I’m trying to say is… I want to try again as long as you’re willing to”

There was a good few seconds of silence that Finch used to just stare at him. Albert could only wonder what he’s thinking about inside that head, “So we just… what? Forget the breakup ever happened? Move back in together? You know I can’t just do that, right?”

“That’s not what I mean. We don’t need to rush things. I know you can’t do that” Albert said, “Just… let me start by making it up to you? Whatever you want. Just name it”

Finch didn’t respond instantly, letting the silence between them linger for a few more minutes. But it’s deeply agonizing to Albert’s ears. A blank space of two eyes locked in a gaze, and one is obviously dying to get out of it.

“Please, say something” Albert begged. Hands suddenly reaching back up to his face to pick on his pimples again.

With a free hand, Finch reaches towards Al’s hand on his face. He pulls it down to the bars, holding it in place to make sure it doesn’t repeat its mistakes again. The grip was firm, but warm and calming to Albert’s soul. It made him go blank for a good few seconds from being so touch deprived of Finch’s soft hands. He retains his sense of reality when their eyes finally meet again.

With a little smile forming on Finch’s face, he finally answers, “I’d like that very much”

#random writing #newsies #redfinch #redfinch newsies #albert dasilva #albert newsies #finch cortez #finch newsies #tw cursing #tw alcohol #tw cigarettes #tw angst #validate me pls and thanku:)#unless you don't ship redfinch #which is understandable

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wlw-lovestruck-fiction · 5 years ago

Note

Can I request a fic for Onyx/MC involving Onyx's pregnancy cravings?

Brief warnings of past abuse. Implied past miscarriage. SPOILERS FOR ROUTE.

Written by: @evoedbd Craving

It was midday when Onyx emerged from her bedroom, all bright smiles and twinkling eyes. The sunlight played across her platinum hair, causing the soft, meadow green streaks to glisten like freshly growing life. Much like the life within her. Just a few months in and Onyx had taken to pregnancy as she took to everything. Gracefully. Beautifully. With the support of her family, the Assassins, Onyx was thus far cruising through the trimester. Sure, morning sickness was an absolute bitch, but with Cali holding her hair back every morning it wasn’t so bad. And not being able to drink copious amounts of alcohol was playing some havoc on her, but Wrath’s baking, Malakai’s uncanny ability to sniff out the best milkshakes, and Darius bringing home endless snacks and magazines from undisclosed locations more than made up for that. Even shopping with Ripley was fun, finding new clothes and materials to replace her dwindling wardrobe. Cal and Avi were horrible influences on her baby collection, both constantly accompanying her to the toy stores and bookshops. Cal had even bought a tiny little guitar, one which Avi was beginning to practice lullabies on. It was enough to melt Onyx’s heart.

She padded across the common area towards the kitchen, barefoot in a pair of shorts, swaddled in a signature Tie-Dyed hoodie. One which was not part of her usual wardrobe. She couldn’t help it. The moment her eyes had cracked open it was like a string between her and the hoodie, a magnet pulling at every sense in her body until she surrendered. She couldn’t feel at ease until the unnaturally soft material was wrapped around her until the scratchiness of worn armpits and elbows chafed at her. Until she was surrounded by that scent. Of bike oils and sand, mixed with an unnamed element that made her heart sing in contentment. It smelt so fucking good, enough that she turned her head in burrow her nose into the hood and sniffed, inhaling as much of that scent into her lungs as she could. A hint of cherry blossom sent her into a moment of sheer bliss. The hoodie was just so good. So perfect. She didn’t even feel guilty about her theft, about leaving the current Envy assassin without a jacket. It wasn’t like Cali actually needed it half the time, she was hot enough, visually and literally if you asked Onyx, as it was.

Before she could make it to the kitchen, a soft sound caught her ear. A breath. Then it played again, stemming from the couches. Onyx couldn’t help but smile, pulling the hoodie just a little tighter around her shoulders before stumbling upon the controlled chaos.

The table was a mess, covered in stacks upon stacks of hand-drawn diagrams and crisply written notes. Writing Onyx could barely understand. It didn’t take a genius to recognise Cali’s flowing concoction of lines which were meant to replicate letters, something that likely would have fit in a med school. Each stack of papers had a name at the top, one for every member of the troupe. It took a few moments before Onyx was able to make out the notes scribbled across the pages, which only made her heart swell with joy. Across them were personalised notes, each a set of instructions regarding pregnancy. Notes to Cal to watch his snark if he wanted to keep his tongue. Demands for Darius to never comment on Onyx’s growing belly under any circumstances if he wanted to remain able to act on his lust, along with a sloppy sketch of some scissors. A gentle reminder that Malakai wasn’t allowed to squish Onyx with hugs, nor take her to packed clubs. Ripley had a whole page explaining that adding honey to everything did not make it suddenly magically healthy.

Quietly, Onyx read them all, her cheeks flushed at the evident care and dedication Cali had put into them. She snickered at notes, warmings such as “Do not squish Onyx, Biceps-sarama.” Or “Do not encourage Onyx to underdress as much as you!”. Eventually, her eyes drifted back to Wraths, specifically to one page marred with blocky letters underlined thrice.

NO PUTTING RAW FISH AND/OR ALCOHOL IN CUPCAKES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

ALCOHOL + RAW FISH = NOT CUPCAKE FILLINGS

Onyx couldn’t help but laugh, dabbing at her eyes as delighted tears began to fall. Cali’s passive-aggressive notes and demanding were positively endearing, especially knowing how apologetic Cali was likely to be in person about them. Truthfully, the threats were comedic coming from the second shortest assassin. Especially for the vision laid out before Onyx.

There was Cali, sound asleep across the couch, twisted, exposed skin glowing a faint, washed-out brass in the sunlight.

Her bare feet were kicked out over the arm of the couch, a toe or two bent from repeated breaks, heel and balls of her feet callused from the blisters she’d earned riding the canyons. One chipped toenail, from a sparring accident, taunted Onyx’s inner fashionista. Made her itch to buff it out. It was only the blues and purples forming beneath the nail which gave her pause; colours which littered the fine skin across Cali’s shins, up to a spectacularly scuffed up knee. All the little sun worn scars mixed with the fresh graze, a tapestry of her determination. Mental and physical strength, which showed in the relaxed definition of her thighs. Legs which allowed Cali to balance her bike wheels upon the finest wires, let the woman flip with Onyx and play games of chase in the skies. The closest thing to wings a human could have. Twisted as she was, the waistband of her denim shorts rode low, hanging enough to expose the band of her underwear off a sharp hipbone. Low enough for Onyx to have a glimpse of strong core muscles before the simple grey shirt concealed Cali’s ribcage. Bones that could be felt, yet not actively seen. Onyx let her gaze travel slowly, taking in every bump and bruise across Cali’s muscled shoulders. That sent a bolt of pride through the dragon of the Envy Trio. Cali’s muscles had grown since they’d first met, and that growth was directly tied to Onyx’s training. To Cali wanting to stride alongside the small bombshell. Cali had grown stronger to support Onyx. To be there for Onyx. How could Onyx not let herself look? Even if it was for just a few moments? How could she feel anything but pride and admiration for the definition she was the reason for?

She didn’t even realise that she’d been literally purring until her rumbling seemed to wake the sleeping woman. Even before those deep, dark eyes opened, Cali’s lips peeled into a small smile; the meaning of radiance, like a beam of sunlight through the clouds.

“Onyx… you’re purring.” Cali noted softly, as if her sleep husky voice might disturb the quiet. Onyx swallowed. Shuddered. The rasp added to Cali’s usually sweet voice, the weight to the tones, it was unexpectedly appealing. A siren’s song calling Onyx to sleep. A tease. No… not a tease. A promise. An eventuality. An invitation. It was an invitation Onyx couldn’t resist. Cali had barely even moved her arms before they were full of a tie-dyed goddess, shielding her from the harsh world.

Onyx was a dragon, she had learned the depths of her fire in human death, thought she had understood warmth. Yet, Cali once more proved her a fool. The mystery of how Cali’s arms could accomplish a warmth that burning stone could not was beyond all science, magical and mortal. It was beyond reason and madness both. It consumed without destroying, converting fear and shame into courage and pride. It was love, a treasure beyond anything Onyx had comprehended feeling as a human, let alone as a Dragon. A simple hug, delivered in such a sleepy manner had Onyx cooing in bliss, wiggling her smaller frame into the scoop of Cali’s body. A perfect fit. Something written into the heavens, woven on looms of fate, carved by Hephaestus. Something so perfect couldn’t be an accident, no way in any hells could anything convince Onyx that Cali hadn’t been created for her. To protect and love, to offer that in return. Gods, Cali did that so well. This compassionate hurricane of a woman was a shield against the world when Onyx needed shelter. Water when Onyx had dehydrated herself shedding tears for a man who mistreated her. Yet, Cali was not immovable. She cried, she cowered and screamed in fear at times. She was fearless, showing every emotion so plainly, each a little slither of starlight Onyx greedily claimed. Cali, the saviour of Onyx’s soul, was also the greatest treasure to protect. It was befuddling how someone could be strong enough to not only need to protect, but admit they needed protecting.

“Are you hungry?” Cali questioned softly. Onyx simply let a content purr escape her, snuggling deeper into that unique warmth. Honestly, she could eat, but that wasn’t what she needed that very minute. Somehow the combined scent of oil, sweat and cherry blossom was making her entire world creep closer and closer to a standstill. Each blissful inhale had her senses settling, body relaxing in a way nothing could ever accomplish. Not a lovely bath. Not an exhausting night of lust, even with Lust’s friends. A hug. Her world boiled down to a hug… and that playful nudge to her cheek.

“I could probably fry some bacon in chocolate sauce. Maybe add some fried pickles in that Raspberry ice cream you’ve been loving the past few weeks.” This time, Cali’s suggestions earned an actual groan. Whether delight or disgust, even Onyx didn’t know. Her face had screwed up, nostrils flaring as she burrowed her forehead into side of Cali’s neck. Warm. Soothing. Dragging her back towards a land of bliss… disrupted bliss.

Onyx almost whined in frustration, comfort turning overbearing within a blink of an eye. That voice. Cali’s goddamn voice. Onyx couldn’t tell if she wanted to fall asleep to the melody, stay awake to listen as she ate every ungodly concoction her body craved or try to make Cali’s voice break with less wholesome things than snuggling. It was pulling at her, dragging her in a thousand directions until she was more frayed than the hem of Cali’s jean shorts. Loose threads Onyx realised she was twirling her fingers though. Each movement had her fingers brushing across Cali’s rich skin, dancing across the defined grooves of muscle… another realisation. Cali was flexing. No, not just flexing. She was giggling. Laughing. Shoulders shaking beneath Onyx’s torso.

“If you want to be ready to tell the others, I’m not on the menu.” She teased; her voice disappointingly clearer. Sleep had lifted, taking that romanticised rasp. Even without the gravely nature to her voice, Cali’s voice was a Siren’s song. One luring Onyx’s focus from one appetite to another. Touch reminded her of her warmed body, then voice lured her out of the beginnings of lust, back towards practicality.

“We could order Sushi.” Onyx finally suggested, cursing how her cheeks flared at the twitch of Cali’s lips. Indulgent. Admiring. Again, Onyx sighed blissfully, letting herself sink back into the welcomed embrace. Her fingers wove through Cali’s, thumb skimming the ring Cali proudly wore. The layers of twisted metal.

“The chocolate sauce is in the fridge. Or I could melt some dark chocolate.” Cali’s offer was so genuine, so utterly casual Onyx almost forgot how disgusting fish and chocolate was to anybody who wasn’t pregnant or deranged. When Onyx paused to think on it, she was sure even the most dangerous of lunatics would flee the usually vile combination. Not Cali. Every single time, Cali braved it. With a bright smile, she’d bathe her shrimp or raw fish in chocolate sauce right alongside Onyx. When the stares became too much, there was Cali, loudly proclaiming her love for the combination. Making such a spectacle of herself that Onyx’s weird cravings were forgotten.

Cali was so different to Dorran. Cali was there, eating every lunatic concoction fearlessly, ensuring it wasn’t lethal. Even going as far as to make the other trope members taste test everything before allowing Onyx to eat it. Where Dorran had tried to drown it out, Cali drowned in Onyx’s pregnancy. She made Onyx the centre of her world, of her galaxy even. Everything had Cali’s support, her enthusiasm. Even the rare arguments when Onyx felt a little too babied, which never lasted long when she heard the genuine fear in Cali’s voice. The agony held within two little words. One single line.

You died.

In that line, Onyx saw how broken Cali could become. Just how deeply their bond ran in their veins. That. Perhaps it was that intimacy Onyx craved the most. Cali, no matter how, was the only constant Onyx clung to. From her scent, to her warmth, to her voice. Her touch. Onyx never realised that cravings could be more than food, could be so consuming and subtle. Contradicting and complimentary. For so long, validation had been her desire. For somebody, anybody, to care for her as if she was worthy of it. When she’d kissed that girl in the Casino to distract a crowd, she’d never believed her deepest cravings would be sated. Yet here she was. Here they were. Just beginning to learn the true meaning of craving.

#Anonymous #lovestruck #lovestruck swm #lovestruck sin with me #sin with me #sin with me onyx #sin with me envy #onyx wren #onyx x mc #fluff #fluffy #tw: past abuse #tw: past miscarriage #sfw #scatterday

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ayakashiramblings · 5 years ago

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(CNY 2020 Post #1) Their children cause a misunderstanding: Dawn Faction

Since it is going to be Chinese New Year soon, I thought why not start with headcanons to celebrate and the first thing that popped up in my mind was family!

… Beautiful… freaking…. Family.

So, after this post, I’m going to open the ask box (I’m scared because I’m super rusty at this point but I do miss this) and send in your best questions! You can even ask Toichiro to give ang bao!

Koga Kitamikado 👹 🍶

I had to put him first because his son was super excited to talk about his mum’s ‘bestest newest friend in the world’.

Shinra’s eyes sparkled as Koga hoisted the boy on his shoulders, tilting just slightly to give the younger oni a scare before giggling,

“Oh? Your mum is popular, just like her son, isn’t she?”

However, the next sentence really did make Koga nearly drop his ‘passenger’ when Shinra revealed,

“Mum hugged a pretty girl and that girl was super duper blushing while doing her hair!”

The thing is, Shinra had decided to drop that bomb in the middle of a visit to Uncle Fox-Face… I mean Toichiro.

Who of course, had the smuggest smirk at the implication.

“Hoho, so wedded bliss is also turning into a journey for vivid exploration I see.”

Even Shizuki had nearly spilt the pot of milk tea for the guests present, which was really the only reason why the teasing grin had been wiped off the kitsune’s face.

Kuya was the only one doubtful about Koga’s child spy.

“Hey, describe the pretty girl kid.”

... Now everyone was intimidated because that girl really sounds like a seductress AND a boss.

Koga though is considerably mature after having Shinra. Something about worrying to death about the Carnage being passed on to the next generation, Wraiths and other mishaps really does increase your tolerance level. So...

He asks Shinra to bring them to where the ‘temptress’ was last seen.

Which was apparently at Raccord where Futaba was...

Currently doing Aoi’s hair in a French braid.

… It turns out that the girl was Aoi.

The 4 childhood friends make a pact not to ever reveal their doubt in Futaba... until Shinra blurts it out.

“Hey! That isn’t Mum’s girlfriend! It’s Uncle Aoi being Mum’s guinea pig.”

Congrats, kid. You are now the 2nd person to have made your Dad blush like the red oni that he was... until Futaba giggles,

“Sorry, the only girl I’d go after is Koga’s female self, hun.”

Everyone starts laughing... except for Aoi who is secretly pissed that even after his growth spurt and all the pains of puberty, Koga’s bad judgement was passed on to that poor child of his.

Kuya 👺 💤

Nap times were supposed to be a family thing but his wife was currently out to collect something.

At least he could settle for his cute son... if only said son could settle down.

Kuya secretly wonders if he had a child with Aoi by mistake and produced this tiny toddler who is way too invested in moving and cooking and organisation.

Including the endless to-do lists that were long enough to cover the older tengu as a blanket.

Still, he couldn’t deny how cute his son was so he at least helped to roll up the scroll...

Until he got to a certain check-box.

“Kapatid, what’s this?”

The chick’s eyes widened in excitement upon realizing the last task.

“Oh Dada, I wanna help mak bring her special someone to our nest and live here.”

Suddenly, he wasn’t so sleepy.

Kapatid had to innocently stare at his father’s ruffled wings and was just following Kuya in pacing back and forth, answering each increasingly desperate question,

“Who could it be?”

“I dunno.”

“Is it a pet?”

“I don’t think so. Oh, but I hope it’s as cute as Uncle Nachi as a cat!”

“Oh wait, if it’s Nachi... but he isn’t a teenager anymore... he’s a young man. Does your mother want a young man now?”

“I’m a young man too!”

“So, we are adopting a new young man?”

“Yay! A brother!”

By the time Futaba came back home, Kuya has built another nest for the invader egg... and an origami bazooka that was labelled ‘Wife-Stealer’.

She could have easily joined in on the fun but a sudden force prevented her from taking another step, huge parcel in hand and Kuya’s strong grip.

“Who is this someone new?”

Kuya’s slightly lowered voice lost its supposedly intimidating effect when Futaba giggled and jiggled her new item.

“I’ve brought back a doll.”

...

“Ok, so you’re upset about... a certain area.”

Kuya, no, not in front of the kid will ya?

While slapping one hand over the way-too-suddenly-active mouth of her husband, Futaba opened the box to reveal...

The usually cool and collected face she was used to was vanishing, melting into one of sheer mortification. His cheeks flushed pink.

“Don’t worry Dad! I think you’re cool!”

And so, the Nap Time session commences with the newest and plushest member sandwiched between the two proud parents and their child.

Ginnojo 🐉 🌊

“Yo, daddyo, what’ cha think of mum and Uncle Kuro as kissing buddies, it’s a yes or ru-oh?”

The Mizuchi Dragon was lost in a book as she had delivered that sick verse, so at first, it didn’t register in his brain, and he merely responded with, “Oh? How exciting, precious.”

Then came the second part of processing - the unusual way Ama spoke.

“Interesting language, I love the rhymes. Well done, my daughter.”

Third, came his new title - Daddyo.

He promptly changes his bookstore name tag with tape and wrote the “Very honourable position.”

...

And finally, acceptance.

“WAIT, WHAT?!”

No, Ginnojo, yo, that’s your daughter rapping. Although she didn’t have to include the idea of Kuro and Futaba kissing.

And where is Futaba you may ask?

Simply watching until Ginnojo faces her with the brightest blush on his face.

That was when she was ready to explain the POWEROFMUSIC.

... And finally ending with an Eskimo kiss to Ginnojo amidst their daughter’s protest before both parents attacked her as the Kissing Monster.

Aoi 💜 🎨 (Holy, his is the shortest)

“Pops! I’ve got the biggest secret in the world!”

“Well, you better keep it like a good friend you are then, Lotus.”

“Mum thinks you are an utter Bitch.”

...

After stuffing down a bar of soap down his poor confused daughter’s mouth, he makes use of the many, many, many years of fighting and sneaking about to find Futaba.

... Despite the fact she was at the Shrine of the Hidden God, collecting some herbs from Uncle Yura.

All while dragging his daughter who would have complained... except for the fact that her dad was probably the most effective transport in the world to have made it through the longest path to have existed.

Plus, he came with an interesting whistle,

“FUTABA SAOTOME!!!”

All it took was 1 minute and 45 seconds to locate his extremely confused wife. The accusatory words came out even faster.

“How could you? And right in front of our daughter?”

Understandably, Futaba was a bit irked... to say the least.

“Aoi, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh! I think it’s because I said mum said you’re a bi-.”

“WHAT SHE SAID SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SAID!”

“Bishonen?”

“Yes, exactly... what?”

Yes, apparently poor Lotus only heard the first 2 syllables in the word.

Aoi allowed a small period to think over... Lotus’ interesting take-away from the vocabulary lesson before smirking.

“I’m just a pretty... boy?”

Futaba had the decency to blush before whispering,

“You’re my pretty husband that I trust... will you trust me?”

Somehow, an impish glint made Aoi’s heterochromia pop up as well as a certain member down there...

... Don’t worry about Yura and Lotus. Yura had the sense to pick up the girl and invite her over for a... very... very... very long tea break.

Yura 🎍 🎼

He’s the 2nd shortest because honestly, I can’t imagine this pair ever having communication issues considering the amount of DRAMA AND TRAUMA in his route.

If either Yura’s daughter/son were to ever say MC received a phone number from a handsome man he knows well, he will actually be very calm.

After all, he trusted MC and knew his twins were at that precarious age where every older lad was deemed ‘boyfriend’ worthy…

.... Except for one incident when Yuriko said this,

“And when she kissed him after getting the envelope… he was blushy like Uncle Aoi!”

Suddenly, MC was walking into him burning various papers at the fireplace and him in a blue nightdress, singing,

“I saved every letter thou wrote to me… from the moment I read them...”

“Wait, is that Gaku’s new phone number?!”

…

Well, whoops. Maybe he really should have read the paper.

And so, Yura actually hunted Gaku all across the Capital, relying on whatever he heard of Mr Kakyu via the grapevine.

“Gaku, pray tell, can thou repair ashes? “

“What? No???”

“Fine, your new phone number shall suffice.”

And guess what? Finally, Gaku saw how lame his brother was, ironically.

#ayakashi #ayakashi romance reborn #ayakoi #ayakashi yura #ayakashi rr #ayakashi koga #koga kitamikado #arr aoi #arr yura #arr #ayakashi: romance reborn #ayakashi koi meguri #ayakashi kuya #ayakashi aoi #arr kuya #arr koga #arr ginnojo #ayakashi ginnojo

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feralrosie · 4 years ago

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Under the Mistletoe

Happy holidays @bambinamio ♥

The Wayhaven Chronicles Mason/F!Detective (Ziofra Shepard) Words: 4,413 Rating: General Audiences Tags: Holidays, fluff, soft!Mason Read on AO3

The holiday season affects everyone: makes Felix hyped, Ziofra build and decorate a huge tree, Adam to smile... And even makes Mason soft(er).

The sound of incessant shooting echoed through the Warehouse, sprinkled with shouting and cursing. What sounded like a war zone, however, was no more than a friendly competition. In the living room, Felix had convinced the Detective to play with him only a couple rounds of some new video game he bought, but what should have taken only thirty minutes was lasting for over an hour.

"You're cheating!" Ziofra accused, almost throwing the controller away from her on the couch where she sat, "There's no way you're this good."

By her side, the vampire laughed out loud, using his elbow to push her body playfully, a warm grin on his face, "C'mon Detective, don't be such a bad loser. Just believe that it's my incredible eye-hand coordination and years of Agency training."

The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, frowning, “You don’t even use guns in the Agency, how would this be part of your training?” He had won almost every single match of the colourful battle royale game so far, with few exceptions when her victory was guaranteed by special items and a lot of luck. There was no doubt Ziofra was very skilled at it and, in normal circumstances, she would have easily won, but the vampire’s reflexes were too fast for her.

“Then maybe I’m just awesome.” Felix grinned, provoking her even further.

“Fuck you,” she rolled her eyes and chuckled, pretending to be much more offended than she actually was, “But it is still not fair. I will consider myself the winner just because I’m not cheating like you are.”

His laugh was cheery and loud, contrasting with the chilly afternoon outside of the Warehouse. It was a clear day, but the faint sunlight wasn’t enough to melt the thin sheet of ice forming on top of the grass, creating a beautiful glittering winter scene. The living room was much cosier, shining in warm light from the fireplace, cream coloured fur rugs and spare blankets on the couch. Whatever the reason Nate decided to rearrange the space, she was sure that Mason’s almost nonexistent resistance to cold had something to do with it.

Not only, for the last week Felix had been gathering materials and decorations for their home, after finally getting permission to host a small holiday party for the team. The living room was packed with colourful fairy lights hanging everywhere, garlands on every door, star ornaments and even tiny figures of reindeers, nutcrackers and one unicorn were scattered around—surely he watched a few classic holiday movies for inspiration. By the fireplace, there were five stockings, each one with their names embroidered by hand, and her own right in the middle between Nate’s and Mason’s. The entire Warehouse was looking like a fantasy Winterland paradise.

But it was the sight of a huge box of a plastic tree sitting by the window that got Felix an idea, “Say, Ziofra… Why don’t we set this once and for all with a bet?''

Frowning, the detective raised an eyebrow as her eyes studied him, looking for any signs of malice in his voice, but the piercing amber eyes and bright smile gave nothing out. He was truly just having a lot of fun.

“What do you have in mind?” She finally asked.

“Let’s play one more time. If you win, I will consider that all my points are invalid and you’ll be the winner of it all. This game will surpass all others.”

“And if I lose?” The detective explored his terms as if dealing with the mafia, which in that case wasn’t too far from the truth. She knew too well that Felix could be very persuasive.

“If you lose, you help me set up the holiday decorations.”

“What, as if you needed more?” Ziofra scoffed, opening her arms to draw his attention to all the scandalous scenarios around her.

“Of course! I still haven’t set up the holiday tree,” he pointed at the partially open box in the corner, “Nate didn’t let me get a real one because of, quote and quote, ‘fire hazard’, so I had to wait for this to arrive by mail.”

“A wise man.”

“I guess,” he shrugged, still smiling. It was obvious that nothing could ever bother the youngest member of the team, hyped to be spending his first holiday season in a home of his own with the people he most cared about. “So, do we have a bet?”

“Ok, fine! Whatever.”

“Nice!” Felix shouted, shifting on his spot on the couch to get more comfortable while setting up the next match. Ziofra mimicked him and crossed her legs on her seat, resting her arms on her thighs as she held the controller, ready for the next battle.

… It didn’t take too long for her to lose again.

Though she had an advantage of finding better weapons as soon as the game started and managed to hit a great deal of other online players, the moment she found Felix on the map she knew she had no chance. His aim was impeccable, and it was like he could detect each of her character’s movements, knowing exactly what she was going to do beforehand. He knew all along what he was doing, and of course he did it on purpose to win the bet.

“You’re insufferable!” angry, the detective shouted but couldn’t hide a smile. Despite the unfair balance between them, the game was still fun and Felix’s laughter was enough to light up any mood.

“And amazing, don’t forget it,” he teased, standing up from his seat to turn off the console, “I guess now we have a tree to build, right?”

Throwing her arms up in the air in annoyance, Ziofra agreed and followed him. The tree’s box was huge and a mess, Felix had clearly tried to set it up before, but when realised the amount of work it would require, he gave up and shoved all the pieces and parts back inside. If all of this gaming afternoon was just a plot to get her to help, she couldn’t know for sure, but the suspicion wouldn’t leave her for another entire year.

“Holy shit, Felix, how big is this thing?” she asked while taking all the fake green branches out of the box and spreading it over the floor.

“Hm, two Nates tall? One and a half, maybe.”

Her jaw dropped and her shoulders sagged at the information as she glared at him. The tree could tower her own size by a lot and it would take a fucking eternity to set it all up, especially having only the two shortest members of the team working on it. “Are you fucking kidding m—”

The inevitable outburst of rage was fortunately interrupted by another figure joining them at the living room. Nate knocked on the door frame, a comforting smile set on his lips. For a moment, she thought they could at least have some help from Mr. Long Legs, “Hey, Felix, and hello Ziofra,” he greeted, as lovable as always, but soon directed his attention to the youngest, “Felix, can you drive me to the city? Adam is at the facility and Mason said he would rather eat his own cigarettes. You’re the only one available.”

“Right now? Sure!” the bright smile on his lips denounced how glad he was to be leaving the previous task to the detective. Not only she wouldn’t have any help from Nate, Felix was now also abandoning the ship.

“It’s going to be quick, I just need to go buy some things. Are you too busy?”

“Not at all!” Felix jumped over the plastic tree branches on the floor and reached Nate by the door, grabbing his bright coloured coat and dressing up, “You can take the lead here, right Ziofra?”

She was holding a branch like a knife, pointing at him, “I am going to fucking murder you later, you tiny bastar—”

“Great! You’re the best! See you later!” And in a blur of movement, Felix disappeared, pulling Nate with him, though the joy in his laughter echoed for a few seconds in the hallway.

Even if she wasn’t happy with the situation, Ziofra still tried to build the holiday tree. If anything, she could still regain her honour by making it the best piece of decoration. How hard could it be, anyway?

All the plastic leaves were piercing into her skin and there were way too many of them. Despite its size, the tree was relatively easy to put together, and after an hour of work sorting out pieces and ignoring the instructions, the detective was halfway through it. The problem now, however, was to figure out how she would reach the highest parts of the structure.

Ziofra was an expert on climbing actual trees, and this one shouldn’t be too different. She pushed an armchair closer and hopped on top of its seat, but still it wasn’t enough. Cursing under her breath, she risked stepping on the armrest, balancing her tiny body and stretching her arms towards the tree. Gathering all of her focus on trying to hook a motherfucking piece in its place, she barely noticed when the armchair shook under her feet. Pushing her luck, she rested one foot over a branch of the tree, holding herself to its trunk to finally, finally, attach that one piece in its place.

“Oh, hell yes!”

The celebration didn’t last for long, for as soon as she pointed her finger guns at the structure, the chair underneath betrayed her and slipped back on the wooden floor. It happened too fast for her to have any defensive strategy, so all she could do was to cling herself to the tree trunk and close her eyes.

In a loud bang, she crashed on the floor, followed by the heavy tree that fell over her, parts of it getting loose and scattering all around. “Fuck!” she shouted, trying to free herself from the humiliating place. It was about to get worse, however, when she heard the rushed footsteps of someone coming for her aid, and there was only one other person in the Warehouse with her.

“Ziofra?!” Mason blurted as soon as he arrived at the living room, a worried frown set between his stormy grey eyes that scanned the room, looking for her. When his gaze finally met hers, an amused smirk formed on his lips. “What did you do?”

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised,” she pursed her lips and avoided his eyes. It was bad enough to embarrass herself like that, but to have him be the one to find her was a bit of too fucking much.

“I can see that,” he scoffed, resting his side against the door frame and crossing his arms over his chest, watching as she tried to lift the tree on top of her. Not an easy task, given by the enormous size of the structure, and even Mason could see how hard it could be for a tiny human like her. In any case, it was too good to not enjoy the show for a couple minutes. “Need help there, sweetheart?”

She grunted loudly at the offering, letting her arms fall on the floor in defeat, “ Please. ”

The rumbling sound of the vampire’s chuckling followed as he approached the detective, careful to not step on her but having no regards for the plastic branches on the floor. Mason bent over and lifted the tree to its proper place with ease while offering to aid the woman. Ziofra didn’t think too much before holding his hand for support and stumbling to her feet, landing too close to him.

His thumb caressed her knuckles idly, and he felt a few cuts and bruises marking her skin in irregular shapes. For a moment his gaze shifted to her hands, taking note of the results of her work with the holiday decoration before focusing his attention back to her face. A small piece of plastic was stuck on her cheek, along with a few strands of hair that got loose from her ponytail. Mason reached for it, brushing off everything with the back of his long fingers, slowly enough to feel like the time had frozen between them.

“Are you alright?” his husky voice sounded like a whisper right before his hand dropped to his side while the other still held hers. The stormy eyes searched her features for more bruises, but the steady sound of her heartbeat soothed his worries.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she mumbled, absorbed by the handsome lines of his freckled features, so close to her, from the curves of his lips to the depth of his eyes. She wanted to lean in, feel his taste and touch, and just stay closer , but an instinct on the back of her mind pulled her away, letting go of his hand and clearing her throat. “It’s just this stupid tree that is too fucking tall.”

Her harsh movements away from him seemed to have the same effect on Mason, who stepped back biting his lips. Crossing his arms again, he poked a piece of the tree by his side with the tip of his boots, studying the environment surrounding him.

“What even is all of that shit?”

“Felix won a bet. Now I have to build a fucking holiday tree.”

Mason rolled his eyes, “Of course he is the one responsible for this monstrosity.” Inhaling deeply at the mess, the vampire turned his back, heading back to the door.

"What are you doing?" Ziofra prompted, making him stop in a halt and look over his shoulder at her outraged countenance.

"Hn, leaving?"

"Aren't you going to help me?"

"Why would I?" turning on his heels to face her again and raising an eyebrow, he inquired in genuine confusion.

"Because I'm asking pretty please."

"Your point?"

The detective grunted, leaning her head back to gather patience. Talking to Mason sometimes was like trying to maintain a conversation with a door. "Come on, I bet you're not even doing anything important right now."

"I can think of a lot of important stuff we could do instead of building this thing." Despite his complaints, the vampire walked towards her, leaning down to her ear as he passed by and whispering in a velvety tone, "Much better things."

The suggestion sent chills down her spine, but she could only hope they would have another opportunity to be alone in that huge Warehouse. Mason was already collecting the plastic branches all over the floor, studying each for a few seconds and hooking them in place. He seemed comfortable, beautifully so, wearing his usual long-sleeved shirt that matched the colour of his hair. There was something in the atmosphere between them that was different, so calm and familiar.

On his face, there was almost a smile. Maybe it was the silence, the warmth of the room, or maybe he just enjoyed using his hands to craft something, but the peace emanating from him was alluring. Ziofra didn’t even think of the possibility of her being the reason behind it. Of their company being why both felt so at ease, so at home.

“Are you enjoying the view, sweetheart?” his voice broke through her thoughts, soft, but their eyes didn’t meet. He was too busy attaching a tree branch, a little past the height of his head, and drawing her attention to the slim lines of his torso.

“Excuse me?”

“You going to help or not?” Mason turned his head to her, the light from the fireplace slipping down his nose like a feather and inviting her closer. Something really odd was in the air, but none of them would question it. Not right now.

“Shut up,” was all that she could mumble before joining him.

Felix’s holiday party was much more like a simple gathering than anything else. They all preferred it that way, only the five of them, a few drinks for the sake of it and… a pile of gifts that Nate insisted on buying. Turns out that the quick trip to the city required two entire days.

Adam was by the window, sipping on red wine and listening to Nate ramble about some recent book he bought, and even Mason was having a drink, perching on a table next to them, but clearly not paying any attention to the conversation.

The holiday tree was looking gorgeous in greens, reds, and golden glittering decoration. Ziofra had taken all the credit for it after Mason refused to acknowledge his participation, but a bit of pampering from Felix was always welcome.

“How did you manage to reach the top of this thing?” he asked, shifting his gaze from the top of her head to the height of the tree. “Don’t get me wrong, I only doubted you twice, but this is really surprising.”

Raising an eyebrow at the subtle mockery, the detective pushed Felix with the side of her body, “I used my hair as a rope and climbed there,” she scoffed, “As one does.”

The vampire laughed out loud, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “Of course you did, that explains a lot.”

She couldn’t hold back a chuckle, leaning her head towards him for just a second before Felix pulled away completely.

“Hey, I have something for you!” he jumped closer to the tree, searching for a colourful box wrapped in rainbow paper, “Nate help me choose it, so if you don’t like it you can blame it on him. If you love it, the credit is all mine.”

“What?!” she jabbered, holding the rather large package with both hands. In front of her, Felix was smiling brightly, eager to see her reaction. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Felix!”

“What, you thought I wouldn’t get you anything? You’re part of this team… and a great friend. You deserve it. Come on, open it!”

Ripping off the paper, Ziofra opened the box at once, diving her hands into it to grab a beautifully hand crafted leather jacket, coloured in a deep black with silver beads and zippers. It was obviously very expensive and well made, and the sight of it made her jaw drop a little.

“Are you kidding me?” she bursted, holding the piece by its shoulders and examining it all around.

“Did you like it?” Felix was vibrating by her side, giggling like a child, “Try it on!”

The fit was perfect for her, as if it was custom made for her size. The leather was cold and smooth, but the fabric inside the jacket was warm and comfortable, like being hugged by a dear friend. She looked at her reflection on the window’s panels and smiled, pleased with the surprise. The endless source of joy leaking through Felix was enough to have her hugging him tightly, thanking him again.

Caught in a hype, Felix soon stepped away from her to continue his task of giving gifts to the other members of the team. Adam and Nate were also exchanging presents, and Ziofra could see an amused smile forming on the Commanding Agent’s lips as he, too, hugged his best friend for a quick moment.

An interruption stepped up in front of her, cutting her view of the surprisingly tender scene between the two oldest vampires on the other side of the room.

“Looking great, sweetheart.” His gaze ran across all of her body, taking his time on her curves rather than clothing. “If you weren’t so small, I would even steal this jacket from you.”

“You can surely try it out. Show some skin, you know?” Not hiding the flirtatious tone in her voice, she rested her back against the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Held his gaze in a teasing challenge, inviting him to join her there.

“You know I have no problem doing that,” the rumbling sound in his chest vibrated towards her as he chuckled, completely at ease, “Especially for you.”

“I should have bought you those ugly holiday sweaters, the ones with reindeers fucking on it.” Ziofra rolled her eyes, but followed his movements as he stepped closer to rest his right forearm on the wall behind her, caging her. “It would suit you very well,” she provoked further, a sly smile on her lips.

Mason took note of her mouth, the way one corner lifted higher than the other, and how eager he was to kiss it. Tried to bury the feeling in his chest, pretend it was nothing but a physical thing, and yet… There she was, right in front of him, gorgeous and comfortable. Her heartbeat surpassed every other sound, from the cheerful laughter of his companions to the crackling of the fire.

There was no denying how beautiful she was, but also he couldn’t help but to acknowledge that it wasn’t everything he thought of her. Everyday he felt more drawn to her as if she had a magnetic field, as if he needed to stay closer. It was good to stay closer. The world around him seemed to hush, allowing him to feel things that otherwise would be hidden. No more being overwhelmed by sensations everywhere, only a single one that grew roots in his chest and bloomed to his throat.

“Mason?” She whispered, calling him from his thoughts, but not meaning to move away.

His frown twitched when her heartbeat raced in anticipation, realising his own matched the rhythm. Mason leaned down, the stormy eyes switching from the violet of her irises to the rosy of her lips, slowly, until the shrieking sound of Felix’s voice pulled him away from her.

“Hey, love doves,” he called from behind, walking towards the door with the rest of the team, “We’re going to the game room. You guys coming?”

Mason grunted, shooting a piercing stare at the youngest, who raised both of his hands in self defense. Ziofra blinked a few times, as if only catching up with the situation moments later.

“We will be there in a bit,” she exhaled, and a chuckle followed as the team passed by them to the corridor.

“Take your time,” Nate placed a hand on Mason’s shoulder, smiling warmly but, surprisingly enough, with hints of mischief. His brown eyes guided Mason’s up to the door frame above them, but he didn’t stay long enough to watch the other’s reaction.

When they were left alone, the vampire directed his attention back to the woman, biting his lips to conceal a smile.

“We’ve been here for a while,” he began, leaning his head back and looking up, “I believe that means I get more than just one kiss, no?”

“What do you mean?” the detective’s eyes followed his gaze. On the frame, glued with adhesive tape, a mistletoe—or was it a holly?—was hanging on top of them. “Oh.”

“So,” he prompted, encouraging her to answer his previous tease, “A kiss and what else?”

“I don’t think that’s a timed activity, smartass,” her chuckle filled his ears and surrounded his senses like a blanket, pulling out a smile on the corner of his lips. Ziofra placed her tiny hands on his chest, caressing him over his shirt and studying the lines of his neck, “But maybe later you’ll get more than a kiss.”

The tip of her fingers, colder than her palms, caressed his skin up to his jawline, only to trace back the path down and hold him by his collar. She pulled him closer, eyes fixed on his lips, and parting her own open just slightly. Her gaze full of desire met his, but there was something else to it. The faint blue of his eyes were darkened with the stormy grey, and he wasn’t leaning in to her. He seemed nervous, a bit annoyed. If she could listen to his heart as well as he could hear hers, she would have known how fast it was drumming, trying to rip off his chest.

“I have something for you,” he mumbled between clenched teeth, almost not moving his lips to speak. Reaching for the pocket of his jeans, Mason pulled a small box, clearly of jewelry, made of the darkest velvet. There were no wrappings around it, no laces or bows, just the box in its fancy simplicity.

Ziofra’s mind tried her best to quickly assess the situation, thousands of thoughts fussed all over with the rush of adrenaline in her bloodstream. Tried to conceal a shaky hand before accepting it in silence and holding the gift in both hands, feeling Mason’s gaze fixed on her. Inside the box, lined with the same dark velvet, stood a necklace made of such shiny silver that contrasted with its surroundings. The pendant was a simple linework of the silhouettes of two wolves, one slightly larger than the other, howling together.

“Mason…” she gasped, carefully pulling the necklace out of its display to examine it closer.

“Happy holidays,” he interrupted, almost growling, as if the words would sting him. Aside from minor things out of necessity for his team members, he couldn’t remember the last time he had bought something for anyone, especially a gift like that. A gift that got him as nervous as her, and as rewarding as watching the detective trying on the accessory with a shy smile on her face. Not a single snarky remark from her when the pendant touched her chest, cold on her skin.

When their eyes met again, and none of them waited for it, for there was nothing else to be said. Lips crashed into each other, yearning to be pressed together like gasping for air after a deep dive. Ziofra stretched her body on the tip of her toes, hugging the man by his shoulders and wrapping both arms around his neck, fingers tangling in his ebony locks, while he held her closer by her waist. His long fingers traced a careful path along her spine and landed on the back of her neck, feeling the heat and the shivers on her skin.

They could feel each other entirely, wrap themselves in their warmth and explore the bodies as if it was the first time, new and exciting, and when they deepened the kiss, there was nowhere else they would rather be, and nothing they would rather do.

There were only the two of them, and nothing else mattered.

#the Wayhaven Chronicles #twc #twc fanfic #Mason x F!Detective #Ziofra Shepard #bambinamio #my writing #hope you like it dear ♥

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flooffybits · 4 years ago

Note

Izone members

Maknae line

Kim Minju- The most hilarious/ girl crush/ shy/ beautiful girl. She’s basically Sana and Tzuyu’s daughter from twice. Both Gorgeous yet shy. She went to school in SOPA with Yujin and is the most teased in Izone mainly Minju Angel (another joke comming from her mc days)

Yabuki Nako- Shortest but filled with uwu. She’s the one the members love to volunteer for aegyo and she’s also japanese. She’s funny and she could switch from cute to cracked with the right members.

Honda Hitomi- She’s also one of the cutie members because they often tease her of her cheeks. She loves bread and the members often compare her cheeks to bread. And she’s the last japanese member who also used to be a cheer leader.

Jo Yuri- The gay hamster from Busan, she’s funny, beautiful, cutie line, and a vocak goddess. She’s released her own ost and appeared in Masked Singer. She’s part of a line called Joyuriz which is Yena, Chaewon, and her because wizone said they looked similar. And she’s technically Yena’s wife/girlfriend because of their constant pda and skinship

Ahn Yujin- The second most playful one next to Yena. She’s super adorable and her duality from cute to girl crush is insane. She can be a real cutie then change into a hot idol when she wants. She also attended SOPA and showed up in a contact lens commercial before she joined produce

Jang Wonyoung- the tall maknae bunny that is actually filled with all aegyo. Everything she does is cute and probably unfair that a 17 y.o. Girl could have so many fans and have people around her fingers but life goes on. She is funny beautiful and Izone’s center. She’s funny and often gets teased because of her height and she could also switch from uwu queen to expression queen.

Hope this somewhat makes sense there’s a lot of things I couldn’t add but it might take you longer to read than watching some videos. Hope this helps

-✏️

Minju does look like Tzuyu. i remember screaming about it when i watched them on Weekly Idol 😂 her gay panic when Chaeyeon was dancing 💀 I LOVE NAKO she is so adorable and it's the reason i noticed her in the first place! she's so tiny and it makes me want to hold her. Hitomi was a cheerleader, no? also i remember she was called peach because of her cheeks or is that wrong too? but yes she is a bug cutie. i have witnessed Yuri's powerful vocals and she honestly does deserve the title, i didn't think she had the gay title as well tho 😂 now Yujin... i think I've seen videos of Yujin being the "boyfriend" of the group but she also does seem shy in some. i think i remember a live(?) of when she and Eunbi cried because of something Eunbi told her (there are so many question marks in my replies because I'm not so sure with what i know) Wonyoung is adorable i can't argue with that one. she just looks like a baby if not for her bigass height but it's part of her charm too

thank you so much for this nonnie! i honestly don't mind reading about them. i watch videos every now and then to see them but sometimes it's easier for me to absorb things when reading

#✏️ anon #help #izone

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valkavavaart · 5 years ago

Text

no one asked but i wanted to do all of this in one sitting lets go.. this is long im sorry

1. favourite character

jyushi, kuukou, ramuda.. i will not pick between them

2. least favourite character

jyuto.. also saburo but he’s growing on me

3. favourite division

nagoya, baby!

4. favourite buster bros member

legally adopting jiro.. thats my boy i love him

5. favourite mtc member

rioooOoOOoOOoOoOoOOo i dont care the other two but like id give my life for riooOoOOOo

6. favourite matenrou member

doppPOOoOOOoOOOoo but also dr jakurai jinguji if ur out there...

7. favourite fling posse member

r a m u d and a.. whos that

8. favourite character song

UMMM drops and moonlight shadow both slap...?

9. favourite rap battle

its gotta beeeeee battle battle battle? i dont rlly listen to them much i just think abt the art where ramuda and jakurai are like face to face except we KNOW ramuda is barely like 5′0″ and jakurai is a big tall 6′4″ish man so how are they this close is ramuda sitting on his knee?? is jakurai kneeling?? is ramuda on a box

10. favourite tdd member

again.. ramuda lmao.. like esp tdd ramuda his outfit is so cute hes just so tiny..

11. your otp

UMMMM i like getting into a lot of ships?? id say my favs are probably like.. gendice or riodice maybe?? and ichikuu.. rn im like rlly into hitoya/jakurai too i want those old men to hold hands (i wanna draw them but idk any good poses for old dudes who r also boyfriends)

12. your notp

anything involving saburo uMmMMmm.. im not rlly a fan of samatoki/ichiro & tdd era samatoki/ichiro ESPECIALLY rubs e the wrong way.. i also dont rlly like jyushi/hitoya or kuukou/hitoya they just rlly rub me the wrong way

13. how did you get hooked on hypmic

ok so on twitter all my friends and the artists i follow got rlly into fire emblem three houses and i didnt own a switch at the time but i was like "cool i'll like find a bunch of artists that draw this and i'll UHHH maybe get hyped for it idk" and one of the artists was riryou_ on twitter who was posting like mochi blyeth and i was like omg so cute... and they spoke abt like hypmic a bunch too and i was like "oh i vaguely know what hypmic is (based off of all the samatoki memes and sasara fanart i’d see), maybe i should get into it??" then they like posted jyushi and i was like "oh he looks so dumb i need to know more" and i HEARD jyushi and i was like "actually he's adorable and i love him!!" bc i have a soft spot for like.. crybaby chuunis, and then downloaded the game and was like "wtf!!! where is jyushi" and thats why im here..

14. a character you identify with

im not assigning myself a hypmic kin!!!!!!!!

but i’ll pick doppo bc 1. never trust a doppo kinnie and 2. i too need a therapist

15. favourite character design

KUUKOU was designed specifally to cater to me here is exactly why

-SHORT KING. (HES THE SECOND SHORTEST BOY?? WHAT THE FUCK??? HE’S TALLER THAN RAMUDA SO GOOD FOR HIM.. BUT YOU’RE TELLING ME SABURO THE FUCKING 14 YEAR OLD IS TALLER THAN MY BOY KUU!??!?!?!? SHORT KING!)

-his hair. i cant draw it but i like it

-hes like >:3 all the time

-he has?? fucking fangs

-cat boy energy

-the like contrast of him being a monk and then him also just being a little bastard.. love that

-i like his jacket

-his dumb fucking boots..

-he comfy

-radiates chaotic energy

-one of his eyes is usually like slightly squinted?? i dont know why he does that but i like it

-he wont hesitate.. bitch

-i forgot this was supposed to be like based on his design and went on a long ass ramble abt his personality but like sshhh you wont see that.. delete

-piercings... the big one looks like a stretcher? i like that

-his speakers that look like the dragon w the bell are cool

-again short king rowdy boy

-he has long eyelashes and wears eye makeup.. thats cute..

- >:3

16. a character you'd cosplay

again kuukou looks comfy but thats a lot of layers.. itd be rlly warm right..

id say maybe jiro! ichiro would be my next choice idk i like their jackets

17. a character you thought you'd like + 18. a character you thought you'd dislike

ok so i just put these together bc like actually.. before i got into hypmic when all i rlly knew was vague fanart of the characters and that jyushi is my man i did a tier list to like get my opinions on them down.. and sometimes i look back to it and im like.. AHAH...

as u can see i was on board for jyushi as soon as i got here... but i thought sasara and kuukou were rlly neat and like i figured i'd like ichiro bc mmm... but honestly im not that big on ichi SFGKHDLF...

meanwhile in the bottom tier... jakurai, jiro, dice, rosho, ramuda, hifumi... the irony that i actually rlly like all of them... rosho took a while to grow on me but he's really good.. meanwhile hifumi probably still isnt a character im like SUPER into but i do like him..

heres my current tier list tho LMAO

19. buster bros or mtc?

hnn.. its gonna have to be buster bros...

i like jiro and rio a lot and dont rlly care for the other 4 but like.. i think i like bb and their dynamic and find them more sympathetic than mtc lmaoo... like ichiro went through a lot for his bros..

samatoki also went through a lot for nemu but hes stinky as hell and i think he's stupid. but i will not write an essay on that.

20. fling posse or matenrou

fling posse BABYYYYYY i love those funky little lads.. i like matenrou a lot too but like fp just appeal to me a lot more and i rlly love their dynamic.. i could talk for days abt fp...

21. mtc or matenrou

matenrOUuUuuUUuUUuu again i do not care mtc aside from rio.. i dont rlly have strong thoughts on matenrou lol i like their friendship tho :)

22. favourite hypmic seiyuu

saito soma or takaya kuroda.. saito soma bc i generally love his voice and also he voices other favs of mine (yamaguchi hq, 2wink from enstars..) and takuya kuroda bc im literally a simp for kazuma kiryu from the yakuza series,

also ive been insulting samatoki so far but i actually like his va like the man has the range?? between voicing samatoki hypmic and leo enstars?? HELLO????

23. a song you didn't like

basically anything by mad trigger crew SBJFGKJHLDSF the only song i actively remember by them is whats my name.. i only play it for rio..

UMMM otherwise i guess like??? new star.. sucks bc i actually rlly like saburo's va but i feel like he doesnt rlly get the best parts/songs...? that being said i like songs w him in it so

24. a hypmic headcanon

ummmmmmm i cant think of anything lol snnzzz.. i saw the hc that ramuda was the one that like dyed jakurais hair and it was so cute..

25. favourite solo song

wasnt this already a question or can i not read.. whatever my brain is like gya gya gyaran gya gya gyaran bam gya gya gyaran bam gya gya gya gya gyaran bam

6. favourite mc name

they all fucking suck LOL

evil monk is very literal and i like that. i also like that 14th moon ties into jyushi's name and everything..

UHHH i guess doppo cause its literally just his name LMAOO and i think doppos a cute name

7. the most attractive character

i know i said that kuukou is designed to appeal specific to me but gentarou? pretty boy. love to see it thank you saito soma. also tdd era jakurai.. maybe its just cause i like the manga art a lot but... dr jakurai jinguji if ur out there

28. a kink

PARDON.

29. favourite life quote & 30. favourite rebuttal or punchline

i dont wanna give a serious answer to either of those so on a completely unrelated note, i think abt this a lot

#vivi yells

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tb5-hellbound · 6 years ago

Text

here is a long ago conversation about talented amateurs, between me and a much better writer

if it’s of interest to anybody, here’s a long ago conversation I had with a very dear friend (and the best writer I know), about this story and the shape of it. it probably would’ve taken place around November of 2018, which is wild to remember. My daughter was 3. I was in the middle of moving house. TAG still hadn’t aired S3. I came to know so much about this story that it’s surprising to remember that I didn’t know when I wrote the first chapter that it even WAS a first chapter.

and not featured here, but still necessary to thank personally for putting up with similar ramblings over the course of the past two years are @space-baegel, @scribeofred and @drdone.

Anyway. Here’s a behind the scenes glimpse at what I knew in November of 2018. Thanks for reading <3

Prelude 9:27 pm also i have another 2k in TA Kate 9:27 pm and you do not have enough hours in the day Prelude 9:27 pm and they are about to have a Big Talk Kate 9:27 pm OOOOH KHNDFKLVGERUILG i just got SO excited Prelude 9:27 pm no and I have a small person sitting on my lap yelling SUPER JUMP SUPER JUMP and not finishing her pizza Kate 9:28 pm hahshaaha she is my spirit animal except i would have finished the pizza in the first 30 seconds Prelude 9:29 pm hahaha yeah she got distracted by puppy games on her phone Kate 9:29 pm oh well then that is understandable Prelude 9:30 pm the problem is she still sits on my lap and she weighs forty pounds she is 3’6" and people think she’s a six year old Kate 9:31 pm she sounds exactly like my cousin sam she’s going to be TALL Prelude 9:31 pm oh yeah freakish Kate 9:31 pm are you and hubby tall? Prelude 9:31 pm oh yes Kate 9:31 pm both? Prelude 9:31 pm I’m 5’9", he’s 6’1" Kate 9:31 pm ahhh yess Prelude 9:32 pm I’m the shortest member of my family, although that may have changed Kate 9:32 pm but good height comparison between the two of you Prelude 9:32 pm My sister tells me she’s 5’7" I do not believe Kate 9:32 pm i would like to be 5’7" or even 5’5" Prelude 9:32 pm oh no kate are you tiny i write Penelope as very very tiny Kate 9:32 pm yes, i relate like in TA when you wrote that bit about gordon hovering above her i am her height Prelude 9:33 pm ehehehehehe Kate 9:33 pm so i could completely visualize it Prelude 9:33 pm niiiiice i love me a good height difference Kate 9:33 pm i mean anyone can visualize it but i mean i have been there lil lol i like guys at like 5’10" Prelude 9:33 pm Not Too Tall Kate 9:34 pm the 5’9" or 5’10" is great for my height YES EXACTLY Prelude 9:34 pm She wears like crazy high heels also like she’s wearing platform stilettos half the time. Kate 9:34 pm right i used to, i miss heels Prelude 9:34 pm i love a girl in Good Shoes Kate 9:34 pm i like opportunities to wear heels i haven’t in like a full year ME TOO! Prelude 9:34 pm (spoilers gordon is going to discover that he has a bit of a Shoe Thing) Kate 9:34 pm OH YES I AM READY Prelude 9:35 pm hahahahaha you just sit on the sidelines and cheer everytime I say these sinful things about this very good boy Kate 9:35 pm because i am the biggest, biggest fan of said sinful things Prelude 9:35 pm good, you keep me going Kate 9:35 pm really, just the biggest fan Prelude 9:35 pm It is very helpful Kate 9:35 pm i will be your cheerleader i am that peron person that wants the gritty stuff i want the details Prelude 9:36 pm bless your heart but also like I don’t think I’ll ever get to SMUT territory Kate 9:36 pm keeps me going Prelude 9:36 pm I just like writing like Kate 9:36 pm right Prelude 9:36 pm passions Kate 9:36 pm not that i would expect you too Prelude 9:36 pm not that I couldn’t either Kate 9:36 pm but you tow the line like where you are with TA is Prelude 9:36 pm I walk that tightrope Kate 9:36 pm perfect Prelude 9:36 pm the artful cutaway Kate 9:37 pm b/c then it’s really all left up to the imagination to fill in what you please yes! Prelude 9:37 pm the “oh by the way I can hold my breath for four minutes and I played clarinet in highschool” like Kate 9:37 pm i like that more than actual smut Prelude 9:37 pm subtle yknow Kate 9:37 pm LOL Prelude 9:37 pm see, you get it 😉 Kate 9:37 pm but you say things like"fuckfest" and it makes me happy b/c the deed was done, but again your imagination fills in the details Prelude 9:38 pm exactly and honestly the hardest thing about writing this stuff is writing what they’re both actually doing because I can’t just have the pair of them lying there but i’m very bad at visualizing I need like a pair of very bendy barbies artist doll things Kate 9:39 pm i like it when it’s right there, right at the edge, but then you (as the reader) take it there b/c we all have our own ideas and interpretations of events and what should happen and the way it happens Prelude 9:39 pm yeah! Kate 9:39 pm lol right Prelude 9:39 pm like, i will give you all of the bricks and all of the mortar you fit 'em together Kate 9:39 pm yes, love it! Prelude 9:40 pm ahhh but also like Kate 9:40 pm aw dang now i need more, prelude Prelude 9:40 pm well I mean also like, talking about the terms of their relationship and the fact that they’re going to have a relationship or at least see what happens Kate 9:41 pm i need it okay Prelude 9:41 pm oh man kate if I keep it going there’s gonna be So Much drama with Scotty Kate 9:41 pm like romance is also my New Thing okay like WAIT WAIT WHAT ABOUT DRAMA WITH SCOTT Prelude 9:42 pm oh yeah Kate 9:42 pm TELL ME MORE Prelude 9:42 pm if Gordon gets Penny pregnant, Scott is gonna rip him the fuck in half Kate 9:42 pm BUT LIEK like i don’t care i need it i need to see how it shifts the dynamics for all of them Prelude 9:42 pm oh yes it’s gonna be like, to the point of massive overreaction, almost for a Reason Kate 9:43 pm but that fits with scott i would expect that from scott does it have to do with age Prelude 9:43 pm well, i think for Scott the thing is that he like got a girl pregnant when he was in high school Kate 9:43 pm with scott stepping into dad role OMG YES keep going i am so excited Prelude 9:43 pm and she didn’t keep it, and that was for the best Kate 9:43 pm there are 5 boys in this family you can’t tell me an oops didn’t happen at least once Prelude 9:44 pm But he hates himself for being so irresponsible and stupid and impulsive and young Kate 9:44 pm yes yes yes the scott/gordon dynamic i am fucking HERE for it Prelude 9:44 pm me too But this is also just such a huge thing for Penelope because like her whole life and this was just supposed to be a sort of “well we’ll see” kind of a thing and the first impulsive night they have together, the unthinkable happened and of course she’s not on birth control, she hasn’t been in a serious relationship in a couple of years now And why would he have brought condoms to his grandma’s birthday party and they both should’ve thought about the potential for this consequence, but there’s such an afterglow and it seems more important to think about their relationship and neither of them figured this could happen Kate 9:46 pm right right and passion is like a real fucker that changes everything Prelude 9:47 pm no pun intended Kate 9:47 pm HA Prelude 9:47 pm and they were both looking forward to that courtship phase like Kate 9:47 pm but passion is a fickle bitch, it’s all about the moment she comes for even the most sensible Prelude 9:48 pm the thing that’s going to happen in this chapter is that she’s going to say “okay, let’s do this right. would you rather I took you out for valentine’s day or for your birthday?” “And would you rather go to Paris or Nice?” Kate 9:48 pm oh man grabby hands i’m super excited for the scott parts of this like i love the g/p part too obvs but what scott would go through would be a big Thing he is very emotitonal Prelude 9:49 pm oh yeah Kate 9:49 pm emotional Prelude 9:49 pm I think like Gordon doesn’t know about Scott’s thing And like john or somebody sort of has to take him aside and quietly explain Kate 9:50 pm also, you may not have ever even gone here, but due to my recent obsession, that then makes me think of virgil and kayo if they’re messing around too to be careful shit happens any of them, really, i guess Prelude 9:50 pm oH yeah Kate 9:50 pm i wanna be inside scott’s head when the news comes out Prelude 9:50 pm no they are fanatically careful and they are like Kate 9:50 pm so they are like straight up doing it though? Prelude 9:50 pm no, they’ve been doing this for like a year and a half No one knows Kate 9:50 pm like they are THERE Prelude 9:50 pm Oh yeah They are total fuckbuddies Kate 9:50 pm OH WAIT really? that long?! Prelude 9:51 pm oh yeah Kate 9:51 pm wow, that’s even ebtter better Prelude 9:51 pm no, they have a Thing They have a System Kate 9:51 pm also, i am super impressed that they kept it quiet for that long Prelude 9:51 pm Oh yeah Kate 9:51 pm which makes sense considering kayo Prelude 9:51 pm Yeah, entirely Kate 9:51 pm is special ops or whatever Prelude 9:51 pm I think Virgil’s just like I mean Kate 9:51 pm but like, i dunno, i love it Prelude 9:52 pm I think he’s the place where everybody else goes with secrets Kate 9:52 pm and i kinda like looking at the various dynamics Prelude 9:52 pm but he’s insanely good at keeping his own Kate 9:52 pm of what is and what isn’t YES i’ve always headcanoned virgil that way too Prelude 9:52 pm I think Somebody might know about Virgil hahahaha I also kind of I mean like Kate 9:52 pm wait tell me about the system Prelude 9:52 pm there’s a place I wanna go with Virgil Kate 9:52 pm i am sorry Prelude 9:52 pm haha I don’t know much yet Kate 9:52 pm i hijacked this conversation Prelude 9:52 pm but it’s like no no, it’s cool Kate 9:53 pm from pen and ink to virgil Prelude 9:53 pm No, I gotchu fam Kate 9:53 pm and kayo lol but i have thought lots about the first 2 Prelude 9:53 pm I think they have like Kate 9:53 pm and v/k is new and exciting for me lol WAIT THIS PLACE TELL ME MORE Prelude 9:53 pm hahaha well like I mean, it’s meant to be sort of an overall examination of relationships in the family Kate 9:53 pm yes yes Prelude 9:54 pm and how some of them know some things about each other and some of them know other things and some things are secret Like, Scott/Jane have a secret relationship, but I think like Alan knows or something Alan also still kind of has a thing for Kayo, but he’s aware that it’s dumb and he needs to get over it but he’s still gonna be really hurt if he finds out about her and virgil Kate 9:54 pm awww yeah Prelude 9:54 pm And then like I waaaaaant like Kate 9:55 pm poor ala alan just in general Prelude 9:55 pm like, there’s sort of two major ships with Virgil are V/B and V/K. and I kinda wanna go both places. I think Virgil is bi, but people tend to assume he’s gay. And I think maybe for a while he and Brains were kind of a thing, but also with that same sort of secrecy, and not like, in the fuckbuddy kinda way. I think they did more like traditional dating, just out of curiosity. But that hasn’t been a thing in ages, and they basically came to the conclusion that they’re happier as friends. Kate 9:57 pm hmmm would you try to explore both within this universe? Prelude 9:57 pm I think so. Kate 9:57 pm like the TA universe? wow! girl, you’ve got your work cut out for you! Prelude 9:57 pm Mostly just because I want Gordon to get mad as hell at Virgil, for having fooled around with the only two people on the island that they’re not related to, “you enormous lumberjack slut.” like, i want FIGHTS Kate 9:58 pm hahahahahha Prelude 9:58 pm “you beefy plaid whore” Kate 9:58 pm i don’t know why, but i have a hard time seeing brains in any sort of relationship with anyone Prelude 9:59 pm Yeah, that’s fair Kate 9:59 pm maybe it’s because i never formed an attachment to him? Prelude 9:59 pm I hear you Kate 9:59 pm or because he’s always like WORK SCIENCE OOPS Prelude 9:59 pm I mostly like the idea of Virgil being secretive about his personal relationships to the point that people assume he doesn’t have them. Kate 9:59 pm but also i LOVE the insults from gordon you beefy plaid whore HHAHAHAHA so virgil/kayo would end up coming out? Prelude 10:00 pm “you flannel strumpet” “there are two people on this island you don’t share dna with and you fucked both of them” (he didn’t, actually) (also scott knew about virgil/brains being a thing and this is why he thinks virgil is gay) Kate 10:00 pm like a total accident? how would gordon know? i wanna see this fight Prelude 10:00 pm Oh yeah, they’re in better shape than anyone else Kate 10:00 pm hahahaha Prelude 10:00 pm I think it comes out in one capacity or another Kate 10:00 pm hahahhahahaha the insults are amazing how would scott feel about that? Prelude 10:00 pm Either Virgil owns up for some reason, possibly to keep Scott from really tearing into Gordon Kate 10:00 pm with his whole secret jane thing oooh you know that is EXACTLY what virgil would do try to reason Prelude 10:01 pm i think there’s a massive blow out Kate 10:01 pm ooooh no i’m getting even more invested in v.k now Prelude 10:01 pm and Virgil grabs John and is like “okay, I’ll take Scott, you take Gordon.” Kate 10:01 pm like, what happens from there OOOH OOOH Prelude 10:02 pm i think V probably goes to Kayo and says “okay, i think I need to talk to Scott about us” Kate 10:02 pm KEEP GOING TELL ME MORE Prelude 10:02 pm And she’s like “MMMMMMM NOT SURE I DIG ON THAT, THERE IS LITERALLY A SMOKING CRATER WHERE GORDON WAS STANDING” “yeah but that’s why we gotta” I think John’s a bigger factor for Gordon vs the whole potential parenthood thing because I’ll always write him as aro/ace But he’s also the person with the closest analogue to a child, in EOS Kate 10:04 pm okay okay although, scott too Prelude 10:04 pm Oh yeah Kate 10:04 pm kinda assuming father role Prelude 10:04 pm Oh totally Kate 10:04 pm oh man oh man sarah Prelude 10:04 pm “I’m just telling you what Dad told me when I did this” Kate 10:04 pm you have no idea the kind of feels i have right now OH OOOH MAN Prelude 10:05 pm Gordon being like “excuse me, I did not knock up a cheerleader I’d known for three weeks in the back of Grandpa’s truck when i was seventeen” Prelude 10:06 pm “if the great state of kansas had an age of consent any younger than sixteen, what you did would’ve been statutory” then probably there’s some punching Kate 10:06 pm ooooh shit lol yeah yeah, there’s definitely some punching Prelude 10:07 pm hahaha oh man i just wrote a line Kate 10:07 pm OH DID YOU NOW Prelude 10:07 pm “Not much for sleeping late, then?” she inquires, curious more than she is critical. “Personally, I’ve got a terrible fondness for a good lie-in.”

“I get nervous when I don’t know what time it is,” he admits, a little sheepishly. “I mean—it doesn’t matter. S’just…I dunno, I’m all hungover. And we’re supposed to be outta here by noon. And—and I don’t mean to keep coming back to it, but my entire family, Penelope. Right outside your bedroom door. My grandmother. We weren’t supposed to get her anything, but like…happy birthday, Grandma! I slept with our London Agent.”

“Well, if it helps, it was well after midnight before anything of consequence actually happened.” Penelope tilts her head slightly (adorably), and seems bemused by the concept. “But then, it does beg the question—is that something she would consider a gift?”

Gordon shrugs. “There’s a reason Grandma rhymes with drama.”

On the topic of drama, her answering sigh is exaggerated, but tolerant. “Yes, because you’re an American and you pronounce everything incorrectly.” Kate 10:08 pm lol penny but seriously, i LOVE this and i love the direction it’s going and i love everything i know about the overall shakeup for the family Prelude 10:09 pm oh yes I’m very excited Kate 10:09 pm i can’t describe to you how excited i am for all of this!!! Prelude 10:10 pm hahaha good! motivate me! Kate 10:10 pm how?!?! i’ve done LOTS of screaming!!! lol Prelude 10:11 pm hahaha i mean you are! you are super motivating me Kate 10:11 pm YAYAYAYAY!!! i’m a sucker for relationships and analyzing them throwing wrenches into them lol Prelude 10:11 pm yeah! also Gordon and Grandma and “grandma i fucked up” and just like Kate 10:12 pm OH my gosh yes!!! Prelude 10:12 pm being so upset at how this changes what he thought was goign to play out like, he wanted the chance to fall in love with her i mean, more in love with her but like, to do it Right Kate 10:13 pm right, follow kind of the natural course Prelude 10:13 pm and to have to figure out how to make their relationship work out between their respective jobs because I also think she’s like “I don’t want an abortion” Kate 10:14 pm and the added pressure of distance Prelude 10:14 pm I kind of don’t think that’s in her nature Kate 10:14 pm or how to come together like at least v/k are on the same island Prelude 10:14 pm yeah, exactly Kate 10:14 pm i would assume too, for penny, there’s some sort of expectation of how things should be like, from a social standpoint from a name standpoint Prelude 10:15 pm Yeah, exactly she’s just like staring down the barrel of this scandal and like she’s run into a crumbling south american temple without batting an eye but this scares her Kate 10:16 pm yes that makes perfect sense things are going to change moving forward, forever but there’s really no way of knowing how things will play out Prelude 10:16 pm And their family is so private like so incredibly private she’s lived her whole life in the public eye and he just hasn’t aaaaaah and like man Kate 10:17 pm yesss there are so many factors at play Prelude 10:18 pm he wants so much to do right by her, and like, he already loves her enough to marry her but now he doesn’t know if he should ask or what she’d say if he did or if she wants that Kate 10:18 pm and emotions are so high that i’d think that’d impact a lot like as far as asking for marriage Prelude 10:18 pm also preggo hormones yeah, exactly and like Penny being told that she can’t do that secret side of her job any more she has to be just a socialite Kate 10:19 pm and i’d think maybe this might challenge the nature of their jobs? for anyone involved? Prelude 10:19 pm oh yeah Gordon’s gonna get benched Kate 10:19 pm yeeeep good thing they don’t need him for things like deep sea rig explosions Prelude 10:20 pm wELL not like Penny can do it either Kate 10:20 pm right but that’s what i mean they both do these kinds of things Prelude 10:20 pm exactly Kate 10:20 pm but now adding a child brings in a whole lot more to think about and i am thrilled to see how it plays out!!! Prelude 10:20 pm and now they both have each other on the sidelines Kate 10:20 pm ahhhhhh!!! Prelude 10:20 pm yeah!!! i gotta!!! write it!!! Kate 10:20 pm on the sidelines YES and the virgil/kayo Prelude 10:21 pm “go have a tea party with penny or whatever it is she does” oh yeah Kate 10:21 pm i hope you know you’ve created a monster and i will NEVER let this go even if it takes YEARS AND YEARS Prelude 10:21 pm I think v/k going like “…well should we try and be a thing now? like a real thing? like stuff is changing, should we take that opportunity?” Kate 10:21 pm i’ll always be there, whispering in your ear HAHAHA Prelude 10:21 pm “…what if we don’t work as a thing?” Kate 10:21 pm YES YES and it would be virgil that makes the proposition, yes? Prelude 10:22 pm Oh yeah oh man Grandma taking Gordon aside and being like “the only reason your mother and father got together was because Scott was conceived in a hayloft when your dad was twenty-one, he can get off his high-horse.” “And there are five of you and your parents loved each other more than anything.” Kate 10:22 pm was it intiially like, one of them that said ‘let’s just keep it where it’s at’ or like, very adamantly keep it as fuckbuddies on the dl Prelude 10:22 pm “this doesn’t have to be a disaster” Kate 10:23 pm YES Prelude 10:23 pm I think Kayo is a little bit scared to be caught keeping another secret from the boys. Kate 10:23 pm GRANDMA FOR THE WIN Prelude 10:23 pm and also being like “your dad never meant for IR to be your entire lives” Kate 10:23 pm at least she has virgil in it with her and if anyone is sensible in that family, it’s virgil yes 😔 ir really is literally everything Prelude 10:23 pm “you’re meant to have partners, you’re meant to have your own futures, you’re meant to grow up and learn how to make this a part of your lives and not the totality” And like Kate 10:24 pm impacts ALL areas of their lives Prelude 10:24 pm the core of the reason why any of them keep these secrets at all is because they’re afraid of how it would impact IR and Dad’s legacy Kate 10:24 pm oh my gosh sarah i am fucking here for it and fucking pumped!!! Prelude 10:24 pm and none of them want to be the guy to ruin that. hahahahaha ily kate you complete me Kate 10:24 pm <3 Prelude 10:24 pm i am down to talk about this always Kate 10:24 pm ME FUCKING TOO cuz see, you’re looking at what comes next, and what happens later, not just right now and i fucking APPRECIATE THAT Prelude 10:25 pm oh yeah I am a Big Picture Person and I am very much about the interplay of all these relationships Kate 10:25 pm ugh me too Prelude 10:25 pm and how these different connections form and also like Kate 10:25 pm YES Prelude 10:25 pm unexpected connections Kate 10:25 pm and they’re all getting older Prelude 10:25 pm Like Kate 10:25 pm and things change Prelude 10:25 pm exactly! like it’s so significant that Gordon goes to her intially because he’s like “i need to start getting over you” Prelude 10:26 pm and she’s like “well first you’re gonna be under me for a bit” Kate 10:26 pm and if they’ve found someone that they could make a life with, it’s important that those things happen Kate 10:26 pm b/c of fulfillment and everything Prelude 10:26 pm exactly! and like This is the break scott’s been waiting for, even if he doesn’t realize it And he’s gonna be in this massive funk and he’s gonna be like “I’M GOING OUT FOR SOME AIR” Kate 10:27 pm YES! KEEP GOING KEEP GOING Prelude 10:27 pm and he’s going to fly across the globe to whatever airport Jane is spending the night in and be like Kate 10:27 pm GOOOOO KEEP GOING Prelude 10:27 pm “my fucking little idiot brother knocked up an english socialite” Kate 10:27 pm omg omg Prelude 10:27 pm “let’s get MARRIED.” Kate 10:27 pm i love this Prelude 10:27 pm “that’ll teach him.” Kate 10:27 pm this is literally what i live for omg ahhahahahaha scott Prelude 10:27 pm “he’s not the only stupid impulsive idiot in the family” Kate 10:28 pm hahahaha i love it omg Prelude 10:28 pm And Jane’s gonna be like “slow your roll, babe 😃 " “ily but you’re dumb as hell when you’re mad.” like that Scott’s found someone outside the family who does what Virgil does for him in IR in like an emotional capacity Kate 10:29 pm YESSS omg beautiful i love love love these things Prelude 10:29 pm saaaaame Kate 10:29 pm and like, above all else, these boys DESERVE this Prelude 10:29 pm yeah!!! Kate 10:29 pm they deserve love and something to indulge in and get that ultimate fullillment outside of what they know Prelude 10:30 pm and also I want Penny to go to John first with the news that she’s pregnant because bffs and also I think he’s just who she calls when she’s in trouble Kate 10:30 pm that makes sense and i thought she would cuz bffs hahahaha Prelude 10:30 pm well and also because that was where she went when she first kissed Gordon Kate 10:30 pm right follows patterns Prelude 10:30 pm and i live for callbacks yes also i just like Kate 10:31 pm yes i’m like in my glory right now thinking about it all Prelude 10:32 pm really love that she would trust him and would be correct in trusting him and that he’d be the person to say “well, I will help you handle this however you want to handle this and no one else has to know” “but also please don’t keep this from Gordon, because if he ever finds out any other way he’ll literally die.” “i cannot explain the degree to which this would hurt him and i know you don’t want to hurt him.” Kate 10:32 pm yessss yes Prelude 10:32 pm also parker is going to be Furious Kate 10:33 pm ooh i never really even thought about parker! Prelude 10:33 pm yeah, I keep remembering him at the last second Kate 10:33 pm there are so many players involved and so many lines to follow so many people impacted Prelude 10:33 pm yessssss i live for that shit hwd is like that Kate 10:34 pm like, nothing anyone in this family does only impacts that person Prelude 10:34 pm so complicated so many relationships Kate 10:34 pm or that couple there are repercussions for EVERYTHING any of them do that impact EVERYONE else Prelude 10:34 pm Exactly and deep down at the core of it, it’s just that they all want to protect each other Kate 10:34 pm yes comes from a good place and i’ll never think they’re in the wrong for wanting something more Prelude 10:35 pm and also none of them can BELIEVE that they’ve all been keeping these sorts of secrets with varying degrees of success Kate 10:35 pm i did laundry today and i missed one half of 6 pairs of socks lol Prelude 10:35 pm hahaha Kate 10:35 pm right!?!?!?! Prelude 10:35 pm skillz Kate 10:36 pm like, the kayo/virgil one is kind of mind blowing based on sheer length and thought that goes into it and keeping sage safe Prelude 10:36 pm oh yeah Kate 10:36 pm and secret like shit Prelude 10:36 pm they’re both just like I think they almost get more satisfaction out of the secrecy of it than any other aspect Kate 10:36 pm it’s kind of daunting lol Prelude 10:36 pm Like the sex is fine and great and whatever But what’s almost more fun is that they’ve gotten away with it for so long they’re both kind of competitive and they work really well together as a team and Virgil likes getting one over on his brothers and Kayo feels incomplete if she’s not keeping SOMETHING secret like it probably started up shortly after they found out about her uncle like Kate 10:37 pm oooh Prelude 10:37 pm if that’s the way the context of their relationship changes like that whole sort of “well, at least now it’s easier not to feel like we’re the only family you have” Kate 10:38 pm oooh yes yes yes dude there is so much to explore Prelude 10:38 pm I knoooooow Kate 10:38 pm also like how the hell do they keep quiet? in the literal sense Prelude 10:38 pm it’s a big island Kate 10:38 pm on an island eh true i bet they have A Place Prelude 10:39 pm little huts on the beach TB2 is Pretty Big Kate 10:39 pm but also like, if something really tough happens, do they sometimes just NEED tht touch, that reassurance i think they got the best end of the stick Prelude 10:39 pm (hahaha Gordon: “IN THE CO PILOT’S SEAT. I SIT THERE.”) Kate 10:39 pm they’re both right there HAHAHAHAHAH hahhahaha i love it so much Prelude 10:40 pm “ALAN’S SAT THERE.” “YOU’VE TAINTED OUR BABY BROTHER.” Kate 10:40 pm i don’t understand how my laundry piles up so quickly HAHAHAHAHAHA gordon questioning literally everywhre Prelude 10:41 pm “in MY POOL.” “DRAIN THE POOL.” Kate 10:41 pm hhHAHAHAHA this is my favorite part of that relationship everyone else finding out and gordon with his insults SO ENTERTAINING and i wonder if virgil keeping that sort of secret, in light of gordon seeking him out for a similar type of secret, would lead to some hurt feelings or if he’d be like, i gotchya bro Prelude 10:42 pm oh man i think the thing with Virgil is that like everybody trusts him but he also tells Kayo everything Because couples just do that. Kate 10:42 pm right, which she even told gordon LOL Prelude 10:43 pm exactly and so the thing with Virgil is going to be less that he kept his own secret and more that he didn’t keep anyone else’s. Kate 10:43 pm and like, even if they’re calling it ‘just a thing’ if it’s been a year and a half, like, they’re invested Prelude 10:43 pm oh yeah no, more than either of them realize Kate 10:44 pm that’s the shit i am 100% here for gawd i’m a total slut for that shit Prelude 10:45 pm ehehehe man and like the idea that maybe the secrecy was the only thing that kept them going Kate 10:45 pm also like, friends with benefits is great in theory but i really think it’s more of a short term thing Prelude 10:45 pm I think he’d probably try to argue that they haven’t ever been that. they’re definitely more than friends Kate 10:45 pm and when you don’t see them super often Prelude 10:46 pm like, her being really vulnerable to people knowing something so personal about her Kate 10:46 pm yes yes i think so too that’s a super vulnerable position to be in to even open yourself up to someone that much and put that kind of trust in them Prelude 10:46 pm and him being like “we’re still your family, you can still trust us” “nothing’s going to change about the way they feel about you” and her being like “literally everything will change about the way they feel about me.” Kate 10:47 pm right and more than friends i think has a really high probability of leading to more over time i think it was bound to happen Prelude 10:47 pm yeah, entirely Kate 10:47 pm they’re both right Prelude 10:47 pm I think the best place she could get to by the end of it would be “willing to try with a high hope of success” Kate 10:47 pm but like not in the way they expect, i think Prelude 10:47 pm yeah for sure Kate 10:47 pm i mean, this is just me thinking about it obvs Prelude 10:48 pm no totally, I need thinking about it Kate 10:48 pm also, i had a friends with benefits thing that turned into something more and it was a fucking mess so Prelude 10:48 pm Ooh see like Kate 10:48 pm that kind of impacts, for me, the way i see this playing out Prelude 10:48 pm the thing with me Kate 10:48 pm also Prelude 10:48 pm is that i have been in one (1) relationship Kate 10:48 pm why i am so attached to this idea of v/k and it just happened to be with virgil Prelude 10:48 pm and it has lasted for 14 years and we have a kid Kate 10:48 pm but like, the relationship itself is what got me hooked right, which by the way is fucking amazing!!! Prelude 10:49 pm hahaha thank you we got very lucky Kate 10:49 pm from my experience, and that that friends have had, it’s never easy, and it’s rarely clean Prelude 10:49 pm entirely Kate 10:49 pm even if the agreement is made at the beginning that it’s a ‘whatever will happen’ feelings change damn, memories lol you did get very lucky i think, i am also at the age, the ripe old age of 28, where these things are making a much larger impact on me like, the idea of finding someone or something as the next step 28 is a Year, man Prelude 10:51 pm oh yeah what the hell you’re only 28 you baby you infant Prelude 10:53 pm I’m 29, and I’m going to be 30 so I can say these things Kate 10:53 pm i was about to sya i am pretty sure you are not much older than me lololol Prelude 10:53 pm no, i am not but like I think that’s where Scott’s at I think he had a FWB thing with Jane but it turned into “well, now you’re the person I want to talk to at the end of every day” “even if you’re on the other side of the world” “and even if this is the least physical relationship I’ve ever had” “And usually I rely on that more than I rely on the other thing” Prelude 10:56 pm I think Scott’s been waiting for his moment for like this big reveal and whatever and he thinks that “I have a secret girlfriend and today is our six month anniversary” is going to be a big deal but possibly Gordon swipes that out from under him with “I got Penelope pregnant.” Kate 10:57 pm yes yes, that was one of my first thoughts, actually i feel like, scott’s secret is actually the last on the OH SHIT reveal list like, in order: Prelude 10:58 pm oh yeah Kate 10:58 pm 1: pregnant 2: 1.5 years sneaking around IN THE SAME HOUSE 3: 6 month relationship, not so physical Prelude 10:58 pm but like! the shame of it is, Scott’s so damn proud of himself because I think they started out as like Kate 10:58 pm right!! Prelude 10:59 pm she was just someone he’d bootycall occasionally and then it just got to be more Kate 10:59 pm and it’s good for him to have found that anchor Prelude 10:59 pm and his relationships don’t usually get to the “more” stage I think that was the mistake he made in highschool Kate 10:59 pm it is all very exciting Prelude 10:59 pm like he was seventeen and ready to marry this stupid girl Kate 10:59 pm but even with him, there are more complications Prelude 10:59 pm and her parents were like “NOPE.” Kate 10:59 pm b/c they do not live near each other so as far as more goes that can be hard, i’d imagine! Prelude 10:59 pm yeah, entirely I mean, I did the LDR thing for a few years with the husband Kate 11:00 pm dude and he (scott) totally would have Prelude 11:00 pm entirely he was young and stupid and he thought he was in love it would’ve been a dISASTER though Kate 11:00 pm aww poor scott lol yeah he wouldn’t be where he is! Prelude 11:01 pm no! Kate 11:01 pm and like the dynamics of the entire family would have changed!!! Prelude 11:01 pm and he would’ve had a horrible marriage that lasted a terribly short time and would’ve ended in a messy divorce because he cares way too much like, the way it worked out is still the best way it could’ve worked out but like, he also got a vasectomy as soon as it was reasonably possible (aaaaugh but also Grandma and Gordon sitting side by side at the edge of the pool, and he is just DEVASTATED.) (because Scott came down on him so hard, and even in spite of everything there’s this tiny tiny tiny little part of him that wants to be excited) (that thinks this is new and amazing and wonderful and maybe it means something) (and maybe it could be okay) (but like, Scott pulled the roof down on his head and made him feel like a bad person) (for something that was a mistake/accident) Kate 11:04 pm yesssss yes i see all of that Prelude 11:04 pm (and grandma being like “you know, you remind me very much of your brother and very much of your father right now, because I have been right here with both of them, and Scott was the cause of one of those situations and the result of the other. so don’t worry kiddo. it all works out.”) ('i’m going to have a very very pretty great grandbaby. those creighton-wards have some excellent genes.”) Kate 11:05 pm hahaa yes Prelude 11:05 pm (“and don’t tell your brothers, but you’re the cute one.”) Kate 11:05 pm i do love grandma tracy HA HAHA Prelude 11:05 pm (“best possible baby. let me get my phone, let’s look at your baby pictures.”) Kate 11:06 pm hahaha yes the comedic relief that is very much needed Prelude 11:07 pm For sure Kate 11:07 pm but also proof that things will be okay or that they can be okay that it can work out

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vantaestummy · 6 years ago

Note

urgh now i need to read about jungkook puking in the sink while one of the members throws up. m-maybe could we get a little tiny drabble of that tonight?

i can do a tiny drabble for you haha. enjoy! ❤︎

TW: emeto

————————————

It was a mistake getting Hoseok to play video games with him all night.

He knew that his fellow band mate was sucesptible to motion sickness, but video games?! Jungkook thinks that’s going a little overboard if you asked him.

But the screen had been too bright, and as a first person shooter game, the point of view kept swaying and spinning and moving all night. Hoseok was only able to handle so much before he ran off to puke.

And Jungkook felt awful, being the cause of Hoseok’s sickness. So, he followed, which if you haven’t guessed, was a terrible mistake.

Because the second Jungkook entered the bathroom, Hoseok was in the middle of gargling on a thick stream of vomit, the color of it the same as their dinner of ramen.

Jungkook lost it right then and there.

His spine curves, gagging as the smell hits him full force. Jungkook covers his mouth with his hand as he throws himself to the edge of the sink. He grips it tight, gagging harshly once again with a belch, one that sends a spurt of undigested ramen into the sink. Jungkook gives out a retch, one that morphes into a sickly belch that brings up a copious amount of vomit that can’t be washed out with just the faucet. Hoseok groans before puking once again.

“No more video games at three in the morning...” He says before heaving. Jungkook laughs a bit, coughing up another splash of sick.

“Agreed.”

——————————

probably the shortest thing i’ve ever written lmao. thank you!

#bts sickfic #sick bts #sickfic #bts emeto #emeto #sick #sick!jungkook #sick!hoseok #sick!hopekook #tw emeto #emetophilia

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turtlestanfirst · 6 years ago

Text

To apologize for doing nothing productive on this blog over the past few days i offer design ideas for the Rising Heroes AU babies???

Tora:

Age: 17

Gender: female

Sexuality: lesbian af

Parents: Raph and Atari

Personality: firey and hot-headed, but she's certainly inherited both her parents' soft hearted ways. She comes off as intimidating, but deep down she's actually goofy and fun-loving, even sentimental at times. Above all else, though, she has Raph's protective spirit and takes her position as eldest sister and eldest cousin very seriously. She's sort of the lieutenant of the team; not quite the leader, but she's always ready to take charge and help the team to victory.

Appearance: tall and stocky, wild brown curls, brown eyes, bright green skin (tougher like a turtle's skin), a flatter, softer shell on her back

Fun facts: she loves hip hop and hamburgers more than legally allowed, and hates every single horror movie ever. She'd much rather watch something funny or romantic

Aries:

Age: 16

Gender: trans guy

Sexuality: bi af

Parents: Donnie and Talise

Personality: He's about as chill as they come. It takes a lot to get him to panic, but once he reaches that point he's absolutely hysterical. He can act cocky and sarcastic like both his parents, but is just as empathetic and sensitive to emotion as Talise, and as such is the best listener in the group. While he loves a good fight, he puts his best talents to work as the team's researcher- the spy if you will. He can learn anything about anyone and is slowly developing his own mental manipulation abilities to really up his spying game. He's clever and smart, taking after both parents in Donnie's love of science and Talise's fascination with the supernatural.

Appearance: dark blonde hair, heterochromatic eyes (the left one is grey and the right one looks almost violet), pale green skin with some darker jade green splotches on his face, arms, and torso, slightly taller than Tora, lanky form, sharp canine teeth (inherited from Donnie bc in this AU the purple boi has those softshell fangs), freckles on his cheeks

Fun facts: when they found out they were having a baby, Donnie and Talise had one major problem; he wanted a scientific name while they wanted a more magical name. They argued right up until Talise have birth, and after seeing them suffer like that (their labor was not an easy one), Donnie decided that they deserved to pick the name for their son after all that work. Moved by his decision, Talise picked a name that fitted both their tastes; a constellation and a zodiac sign. Aries is a talented drummer and loves old rock (as do hos cousins Enzo and Ezzie, who are good guitarists and singers. They have a lil rock trio and it's pure and good)

Lorenzo:

Age: 15 (the older twin by 2 hours)

Gender: demiboy

Sexuality: pan af!

Parents: Leo and Vinny

Personality: He might be just a tiny bit reckless, but he makes up for his impulsive nature with an unyielding bravery. He's every bit as adventurous as his mother, and as charming as his dad. He feels like he needs to live up to their legacies as a Battle Nexus champion and the leader of a team of ninjas. Unlike Leo, however, his son starts out as the leader, with Tora there to balance him out and support him along the way. He can act with a lot of confidence even if he doesn't feel so sure of himself. Surprisingly, he has a quiet side as well, and can be very gentle and understanding from time to time.

Appearance: short, dark brown hair, lots of tiny light blue freckles, several bright red markings on his face, three bright red markings on each of his arms and thighs, two large, bright red splotches on his lower back, yellow markings on his tail, lime green skin, a flatter shell on his back, about the same height as Tora, lean frame, long limbs that give him a sort of gangly look, brown eyes.

Fun facts: Enzo is a sucker for comics, and loves to draw his own (only Ezzie has ever seen them and she's been sworn to secrecy about them). Not only is he good at writing comics, he's a talented songwriter as well! He writes rap rhymes, poems and ballads and they're absolutely stunning.

Esmeralda:

Age: 15 (the younger twin by 2 hours)

Gender: female

Sexuality: bi af

Parents: Leo and Vinny

Personality: The mellow twin and the strategist of the team, she's a logical thinker with a knack for getting out of a tough situation with brilliant plans. She's snarky and cocky most of the time, but she's got her soft spots and they show themselves every now and again. She's an innovative thinker and shows an incentive spirit her uncle Donnie hopes to help nurture. She's not likely to start a fight, but she sure as hell can finish one.

Appearance: Shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes, three light blue spots on both her cheeks, bright red markings over her eyes like her father's, three yellow markings on both her arms and thighs, bright red markings on her tail, slightly darker shade of green than her twin, flatter shell on her back, second-shortest person on the team (and highly bitter about it).

Fun facts: Ezzie has a photogenic memory, she can remember a surprising amount of information just by reading and looking something over for a few minutes. This has definitely helped her learn more languages than anyone else in the family; she's fluent in English, Spanish, Japanese, and French.

Risa:

Age: 14

Gender: nonbinary

Sexuality: pan af

Parents: Mikey and Rhys

Personality: Tough little cookie right here. The official muscle of the team, they're surprisingly aggressive when in battle. Out of it, they've still got an aggressive streak, but it's overshadowed by their friendly energetic nature. They're very confident and is a jack of all trades, showing talent in all sorts of fields.

Appearance: Mink yokai; brown fur all over her body, grown longer on her head to resemble hair, amber eyes, shortest member of the team, stocky build, fairly muscular

Fun facts: They aren't pyrokinetic like their father, but they do use his kusari-fundo as their primary weapon, and under Talise's guidance has become surprisingly familiar with handling the fire demon. They've taken a real interest in the supernatural, and wants to learn about all the mythical beings on Earth.

Taigen:

Age: 14

Gender: male

Sexuality: gay af

Parents: Raph and Atari

Personality: The real heart of the team, he's the one who looks for peaceful solutions to conflicts. He's thoughtful and intuitive, very in touch with emotions. He always has a calm disposition, and is a bit of a pacifist. He doesn't like fighting, and is always confident there's another way to solve a problem.

Appearance: the only human in the group; pale skin, brown eyes that turn violet when he's tapping into his powers, shoulder length black hair shaved on the left side, light dusting of freckles on his cheeks, shoulders, and arms, shorter than Tora and Enzo but taller than Ezzie, lean, slim form

Fun facts: He was born with psychic abilities, and Talise is training him in the art of controlling those abilities. When he's not training, he likes to garden! He loves growing edible things, much to the joy of the family cooks Mikey and Enzo.

#rising heroes au #i'm slowly working on maybe drawing them so we'll see how that goes

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dragimalsdaydreams · 6 years ago

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JESUS rewriting all this info almost took longer than the damn ref itself.... it’s about 15 pages at single-spaced, 11pt font if anyone was curious.........................

anyways TLDR desc for folks that don’t wanna read all that bullshit:

Haunts are tiny, chipmunk-sized dragons with two sets of arms, one set of hind legs, and one set of wings. They can change their fur/skin colors due to mutualistic cyanobacteria. Haunts have healing, mental/emotional, and nature-based abilities which help them communicate and bond with one another and their environments. They form mutualistic bonds with various plants/fungi/mosses that root into the flesh along their spines/hips/necks, which causes bleeding and rot (they’re fine, though). Because of this and several other factors, Haunts are heavily associated with death, whether in a positive or negative light.

~~TABLE OF CONTENTS~~

NAMES

ANATOMY/PHYSIOLOGY

Stats

Appearance

Locomotion

Senses

SELF

PERSONALITY/SOCIALITY

Temperament

Group Structure

Belief System

Inter-species Sociality

Human Associations

COMMUNICATION

ECOLOGY

Habitat

Trophic Web

Mutualism

Battle

LIFE HISTORY

~~NAMES~~

Common Haunt Dragon:

The colloquial name, as coined by human travelers unfamiliar with the species and thinking them to be supernatural spirits (see “Human Associations”). They aren’t actually true dragons by taxonomic standards, but many creatures fall under the colloquial use of “dragon”. This is how they will be referred to throughout the following text.

Ocularis ocuuli:

The taxonomic name. Haunts are actually part of the superclass Octopodae-- an early offshoot of Arthrodira and a direct sister clade to Hexapodae. This clade is so small that Haunts are considered the representative species of Octopodae, and are the only currently surviving members.

Eyefolk:

Technically the “self-given” name. Haunt language is abstract at best (see “Communication”), but they tend to refer to individuals by the unique eye patterns across their bodies. Some researchers have taken this as Haunts’ self-title, translated to “Eyefolk”.

~~ANATOMY/PHYSIOLOGY~~

Stats:

Height:

From Shoulder- 1.5 - 2 in From Head- 2.5 - 4 in

Length:

Torso- 3 - 4 in Head to Rump- 4.5 - 6 in Tail- 9 - 15 in Tail+Fin- 11 - 17 in

Wingspan: 16 - 20 in

Weight: .8 - 2 oz

Speed:

Land- 15 - 23 mph Air- 60 - 80 mph Water- 20 - 40 mph

Strength: 2 - 4 oz, varies by appendage-- the wings and first set of arms are on the lower end, while the second set of arms, legs, and tail are on the higher end. Though all appendages are able to comfortably hold the full weight of the Haunt, if need be.

Appearance:

Torsos are bottom-heavy, with a gently upward-curving spine and areas of loose-hanging skin, fat, and fur along the belly. The ribcage is slightly long to account for multiple limbs, and held at a lower level than the hips. The torso, head, upper legs, and neck are covered in thick, soft fur; bare areas of skin include the tail+fin, lower legs and paws, wings, inner ears, and skents. One set of nipples is based on the pecs of the first set of arms, while another two sets are based on the lower belly, near the crotch.

Skulls are set on a somewhat short, thin, upward-curving neck. The throat sports long, thick fur, enhancing the deep curve of the neck. The skull has a long braincase and slightly longer snout, with a prominent nasal cavity. The flesh/cartilage of the snout is a bit droopy, further enhancing the prominent upward-curve of the snout. While most snouts are thick, some may thin to a more delicate tip, and the exact curvature of the snout can vary. Wide nostrils are based at the tip of the snout, following the under-curve of the fleshy snout, and mostly facing outwards. A few small, light whiskers sprout from the lips and chin.

The jaw is adaptable to all sorts of vegetation, with rounded molars and wide, sharp incisors. Sharpened premolars help with cracking nuts and seeds, and tearing up decaying flesh. The lips are somewhat stretchy, pulling back about halfway into the jaw at their limit. They droop a bit with the fleshy chin when relaxed. The tongue is flat and smooth.

Three large eyes are set into the skull, with the main pair facing largely outward, and the 3rd set into the forehead, facing up/forward, depending on the tilt of the head. All pupils are vertically-oriented, with a wide range of size when expanding/contracting. Each eye has a second eyelid for protection in water or the rare high-altitude flight. The third eye also opens sometimes during deep sleep/meditation, which the second eyelid automatically covers. Sclera are rarely visible. Pupils are notably lighter than the iris, which biologists find puzzling. Eye colors tend range in yellows, greens, and blues, with purples, reds, or oranges less common, but not necessarily rare.

Ears are based behind the jaw, just above the gill operculum. The bases are small, lending to their wide rotation/adjustment. They flare out wider past the base, but the exact width and shape can vary quite a bit. Despite the variation, all ears are large compared to the head, and have some semblance of a pointed tip.

Gills are set into the sides of the throat, just under the jawline. The operculum is anchored to the bottom jaw and back of the braincase, protecting delicate gills. The operculum locks tight when out of water, and glands within keep the gills moist. The respiratory pathway leads right past the gills, with valves that control whether the path opens into the gills or the lungs. Like all Octopodes and Hexapodes, Haunt respiratory and digestive pathways are completely separate. In Haunts, the nasal passage splits into two trachea which lead independently to a single lung each.

The skents are the antennae-like extensions from the skull-- thin, flexible structures which flare out into wide, flat lobes at the tips. They grow anywhere from half the length of the neck to just past the first shoulders, with lobes that can vary widely in size, shape, and lobe number (though they range from 3-8 lobes). The bases are anchored on the snout, just above and between the eyes. These skents have some bone structure comparable to vertebrae which support the first 3rd-to-half of the base of the skents. The rest is built on thin muscles and flexible cartilage. The lobes themselves can flex and curl as well.

Two sets of arms are at the front of the ribcage, each with a set of clavicles. The first set is small and thin, and tucked up against the chest when not in use. The thicker/longer second set of arms is based on the ribcage just behind the first set, and the paws settle plantigrade against the ground. There’s one set of hind legs-- digitigrade with a somewhat long foot section. All paws have thick padding, three gangly toes and a thumb, and can nimbly manipulate objects. All arms and legs are thin and somewhat gangly. The first set of arms have rounded, flat nails, and a shorter ‘pinkie’ with only one knuckle compared to the other fingers’ two. The second set of arms and hind legs have long, curved claws for clinging, and all fingers are long with two knuckles. The hind paws have webbing between all the toes for swimming.

A set of membranous wings are based on the ribcage just behind the second set of arms, each with three fingers and a thumb. The clavicle and associated shoulder/chest muscles create a subtle bump on the chest, but there is no keel for these wings. The leading edge of the membrane attaches above the first set of arm shoulders, while the trailing edge of the membrane flows smoothly back into the first set of spines on the tail, the membrane surface area thinning out along the tail. The wings have a mostly elliptical shape with a low aspect ratio and rounded wingtip. Wing thumbs have long, sharp claws for clinging and climbing.

The long, prehensile tail starts starts somewhat thick at the base of the hips, gradually slimming to a thin tip. Three spines sprout out along the topside of the tail, near the base of the tail and articulated between the vertebrae. The middle spine is usually the longest, but in some cases the first spine is longer. All the spines can vary anywhere from 1 - 4 in in length, and each have 2 joints. Webbing stretches between each spine, with the leading edge reaching up onto the furry rump a bit, and the trailing edge reaching as far as a third of the way down the tail. Decorative cartilage lobes on the tips of the spines are practically universal, though this can sometimes be absent due to select mutations. The size of the lobes and consequential depth of connective webbing can vary widely between individuals.

Four pairs of spines flare out of the last inch or two of the tail, anchored between vertebrae. Lengths of each can vary (anywhere from 1 - 4 in), though the 1st set is typically the shortest with either the 3rd or 4th set as the longest. These spines all have joints throughout, allowing them to control the curvature/malleability of the fin surface, and to grasp while climbing. The underside has padding on the joints and tips of the spines for this reason. Joint numbers vary depending on the length of the spine, but the shortest tend to have 1 while longer spines can have up to 3 joints.

Pelt colors vary quite a bit due to cyanobacteria which Haunts can consciously manipulate towards different colors (see “Mutualism”). Haunts typically choose to match palettes with their environment for camouflage, with bare skin always in some range of green hue. Claws can also slightly change color, but are always some shade of near-black for whatever reason. Patterns vary quite a bit as well, with spots/splotches and stripes as the most common choices. Some sort of ‘eye’ pattern is always present due to cultural significance (see “Belief System”). Throats and belly/crotch regions usually feature a basic swathe of color. The cyanobacteria fade out as you dive deeper in the body, as seen in a Haunt’s mouth, where outer skin colors fade to typical fleshy pinks farther back. Cyanobacteria are NOT present in the eyes, thus can’t change their color.

Haunt fur is always tangled with some form of plant life, typically around the hips, spine, and back of the head/neck. Wherever plants root, the flesh will tear open, bleed, and eventually rot, only to be continuously rebuilt. The fur surrounding these areas of growth is always matted with blood and bits of rotting flesh. See “Mutualism” for more.

Sexual systems are completely separate from excretory systems, leading to a combination digestive/urinary cloaca just under the tail, and gonads just below that. Female Haunts are called Jays and typically have wider rumps, with a vaginal opening and womb. Male Haunts are called Johns and typically have thinner rumps, with a small retractable penis and testis. There is little sexual dimorphism beyond this, and researchers often can’t tell the difference outside of mating behavior. Denotations of “male” and “female” in the biologic sense are only really useful when discussing mating, as they don’t apply very well to Haunt interactions otherwise. Gender doesn’t seem to be a concept among Haunts, thus doesn’t seem to influence their behavior.

Locomotion:

Generally, Haunts are much more comfortable with swimming or climbing than they are on the ground or flying.

Arboreal movement typically involves the second set of arms and the hind legs, though the wing thumbs and tail also help with clinging depending on the situation. Haunts can quickly scurry up trees, bound across branches, and leap across gaps.

A Haunt’s main gait is a gallop, with the front paws landing first, then the hind paws landing in front and ahead. This can also be slowed to a bound, with the hind paws landing behind the front.

Wings, fins, ears, and both sets of arms are usually tucked in when underwater, minimizing drag. Haunts paddle their hind legs, with the second set of arms quickly flicking out for any directional changes. If the Haunt is swimming along the surface of the water, they may simply flap their wings in what is best comparable to a human “butterfly stroke”, but this isn’t common.

Haunt wings have a low aspect ratio, high loading, and rounded wingtips, making for high maneuverability, burst speed, and precision. This is perfect for navigating habitats crowded with vegetation. They’re able to hover for short time periods (up to 10-15 seconds at a time), but this is rare as it eats up a lot of energy. Haunts have low endurance when it comes to flight, and generally use their wings to glide from tree to tree.

Senses:

Spatial Awareness: Extremely important sense, highly sensitive to Self. Haunts have an intimate understanding of their immediate environment, and can consciously sense even beyond that.

Touch: On par with spatial awareness, these senses often feed back into one another. Bare skin is highly sensitive to Self, especially the paws and skents. The skents are delicate and sensitive to direct touch, and can cause pain if handled roughly.

Sight: Close third in importance to a Haunt. Vertical pupil, highly functional in both low and high light conditions due to their ability for spectral tuning. Though bright+flashing lights can be disorienting. Color vision ranges from ultraviolet to infrared, with the main set of eyes containing 6 unique cones, and the third a different set of 6 unique cones. Excellent eye for details and depth perception in each individual eye-- ocular fusion does not occur. The third eye individually views the alternate, Self plane of energy via unique cones. “Self vision” and “physical vision” are spliced together when all three eyes are open.

Hearing: Haunts’ large ears are rather sensitive, with a range from 18Hz - 40kHz. Hearing isn’t socially vital like the previous senses, however, and is mostly in service of predator avoidance.

Smell: Poor; Haunts can barely distinguish any smells unless they are particularly strong. Nostrils are used more for breathing than anything.

Taste: Extremely poor, to the point that Haunts can barely taste anything unless they are outright smelling it. Food preferences are based much more on texture.

~~SELF~~

(notes on my concept of Self found here but can basically be understood as “soul”)

Haunt Self is based largely on physical touch/kinesthesis and spatial awareness, followed closely by the visual. Their skents (the antennae extending from the bridge of their snouts) and third eye are their main points of Self-detection-- spatial/touch and visual, respectively. Paw pads and other bare areas of skin are also highly sensitive to Self in terms of touch, but not nearly as sensitive as the skents and third eye.

The third eye can see Self in abstract shapes/clouds and colors. When both the main eyes and third eye are open, the physical and Self plane are spliced together in a complex cacophony of color and motion. The third eye can open without the Haunt actually making a conscious effort to do so, usually during alpha or slower brain waves (such as sleeping or relaxation/meditation). In this state, the third eye is covered by a nictitating membrane. The skents sense Self through a combination of touch and spatial awareness, which can sometimes be described as a sort of “projected kinesthesis”. In close proximity, Haunts gently drag their skents’ flared tips over objects/areas of interest, in combination with touch from their paws.

Since their mental structures/thoughts/emotions are so socially/ecologically-bound, Haunts rarely ever rope their Self into themselves. Self is essentially a Haunt’s most important sense, so they naturally let it flow uninhibited out and around themselves to connect with and sense everything around. This is not necessarily the norm with other creatures, especially those that can’t directly sense Self.

Haunt connection to Self manifests as direct bonds to either the neural systems of individual organisms, or the broader ‘life networks’ of ecosystems (interacting cells, souls, and ley lines, generally). Connection is initiated through eye contact, skent projection, or physical touch (paw touches, snout/skent bumps, etc.)-- usually it’s some combination of the three, for a more effective connection. The energy for this connection is self-sustaining, where the Haunt transfers energy to the subject, that energy manipulates the subject’s energy, then the energy is reflected back to the Haunt, resulting in an (ideally) balanced connection. In this respect, Haunt Self is a delicate balancing act between Logos and Pathos– Haunts must have enough mental capacity to keep calm and grounded when dealing with various emotions/thoughts/memories, but also open and flexible enough to actually sense and experience the emotions/etc. at hand. Self manipulation can sometimes be achieved without this consensual connection, but it’s rarely-- if ever-- something Haunts do without consent. For one, non-consensual connection is SUPREMELY difficult without a balanced energy exchange. More than that, though, Haunts intimately understand the fragile nature of the mind and ecosystem, and the devastating issues that can arise from unwilling participation.

Connections to neural systems allow Haunts to read the neural charges of individual organisms and manipulate these neural charges towards different emotions, senses, thoughts, etc. they’re dealing with. The balanced transfer of Self energy provides Haunts with a current mental map of what areas of the brain are active during the experiences of certain emotions/thoughts/memories/etc. so the Haunt can make informed decisions on what areas of the brain must be manipulated. Manipulation of organisms/areas without neural systems is somewhat more abstract, but is still comparable enough to connections to neural networks. Self tends to flow in predictable paths throughout all matter, following ley lines and mimicking the flow of physical matter. It’s simply that these patterns vary according to physical material and context, so this sort of connection requires more forethought and flexibility.

Some examples of different abilities include:

Perception and Health:

Haunts have a very precise sense of the world around them, which may be described as “extrasensory perception”. They subconsciously connect to the Self systems of their broader environment, leading to an advanced spatial awareness. This is especially true for their home ecosystems, where they can precisely locate and even gauge the states of various organisms within a 50 yard radius. They can consciously search farther, but it must be directional in this instance-- as their general radius shrinks, they can search out specific paths of Self formed by organismal/ecological connections.

This spatial awareness feeds into Haunts’ sense of those near them-- specifically their physical/psychological states. It’s near impossible for signs of illness or distress to slip by a Haunt, whether in their own or others’ bodies. Thus, Haunts subconsciously direct Self to heal any broken-up Self energy and wounded systems, and push neural systems to work more efficiently. This helps their own and others’ wounds heal quite a bit faster, especially if the Haunt consciously makes the effort to connect, heal, and soothe. However, knowledge of illness/injury doesn’t always spur the Haunt to act (see “Mutualism”).

This subconscious connection also gives an extra boost to the growth of nearby flora. It’s not very noticeable in short time periods, but high-traffic areas (such as nests or the growth on their own bodies) show a large spike in plant growth.

Environmental:

Similarly to how Haunts connect to individuals and give them an energy boost, Haunts subconsciously connect to their environment and help pull the Self around them into balanced flow. This helps bring ecological systems into more stable structures over long periods of time, alongside a Haunt band’s daily goings-on about the environment. If an environment is particularly out of balance, Haunts can consciously redirect and re-pattern Self into something more healthy, alongside physical environmental manipulation. Self may also concentrate in certain areas to an unhealthy degree, which Haunts may break up and spread over a much wider range around the area, especially those areas which may have been drained. This ultimately nullifies the energy and returns it to the greater cycle of Self. Cemeteries and places of recent war are common areas of unhealthily-concentrated Self, but are certainly not the only examples.

Haunts are attracted to strong energy transfers, which may be found in both the death and birth of individuals. While their species is heavily geared towards “creation”, Haunts intimately understand the importance of “destruction”, and feel great satisfaction in helping a soul move from this plane of existence to the next. Haunts are often found around grave sites for this very reason. Souls without physical form (ghosts, spirits, etc.) are just as visible/tangible to Haunts as any physical being. In fact, young Haunts often have a hard time differentiating between the living and the dead (despite the often fragmented nature of ghosts).

Information Processing:

Haunts can influence information processing in others, such as enhancing the encoding/storing capabilities of the brain. Haunts can even dig up forgotten memories (the issue must be in retrieval, however-- if the issue was in encoding or storage, the memory is gone). Anything the Haunt specifically ‘reads’ will be activated by the brain, and relived by the mental partner in the form of vivid flashbacks.

Haunts may also “hush” the mind of another by quieting the neural charges firing off. This could be directed at specific functions (such as nociceptor pain information, excessive sensory info, sections of the brain triggering flashbacks, etc.), or a broad settling of the brain. Haunts may even ease an individual into sleep, if the mental stress on them is too much. Haunts can usually can prevent themselves from passing out if they work slowly, but if the Haunt is forced to quickly knock out their subject, the Haunt will most likely pass out as well.

Projection/Manipulation:

Haunts can project certain stimuli, emotions, etc. onto their subjects, which can be used for direct telepathy (see “Communication”), induced hallucinations, or emotional manipulation.

New information (a Haunt’s own memories, for example) must be projected to the hippocampus and frontal cortex, while raw emotions may be induced by directly activating the areas of the brain associated with those emotions. Sensory info may be induced by certain areas of the brain or by influencing sensory neurons around the body, depending on which is most appropriate for the situation. Similarly, organs/organ systems and muscles that are primarily controlled by the nervous system (such as the lungs and heart), and can be influenced by the Haunt through the “back routes” of motor neurons rather than the brain. For example, the Haunt can cause the nodes of the heart to tap out a faster beat, or can cause other muscles to twitch, spasm, or move directly through their motor neurons, without instruction from the brain.

Sensations/emotions/etc. can be pulled from a participant’s memory or projected from the Haunt’s own experiences. When pulled from a Haunt’s own experience, the projections must be activated in the Haunt brain before reflecting onto their subject (IE- the Haunt must be feeling the emotion/sensation/etc. being projected). Haunts must be careful with system control especially-- if they wanted to shut down a given system, for example, that would certainly reflect back to their own bodies.

Haunts rather enjoy taking in and experiencing the senses of others, especially those with strong senses of taste and smell, since their own senses of smell/taste are incredibly dull.

Mind Control/Partnership:

This is an advanced level of manipulation, requiring an incredible amount of energy from both participants. This can leave both participants unconscious after their session is finished. While the Haunt can certainly be the driving force in control (and often is, when paired with non-Haunts), equal partnership is much easier and more fulfilling for both parties.

Depending on the subject, conditions of manipulation, willingness of the subject, etc., the Haunt may have to take extra steps to facilitate the mental connection needed for manipulation. This can include holding their body in the same position as their subject (which can be rather awkward when working with creatures with body plans very different from the Haunt), or making the same expression as their subject (again, difficult when Haunts lack a lot of minute facial muscles).

Connection between brains initiates at the most basic sections (such as the brain stem and cerebellum) then radiates out from there. Since this is such an energy and focus-intensive procedure, Haunts rarely connect to the entirety of the brain-- only the parts required to complete whatever task is needed. This may leave the subject open to, say, continue speaking, even as their body moves on the Haunt’s accord. As with any other form of manipulation, the Haunt must activate their own neural centers before reflecting them onto their subject; IE- the Haunt must be doing the task they are transferring to their subject.

Depending on just how much of the brains are connected, the experience can be rather surreal. The Haunt and subject are both fully conscious of themselves during the control, but both are aware of being each other at the same time. For a Haunt this is nothing new, but for another creature, sensing the world and thinking through two minds at once can be rather daunting, if not terrifying.

If the Haunt or the subject dies during this connection, the other will almost certainly die as well; if one brain shuts down during this intimate connection, that energy will transfer back to the other, whose own brain will follow suit.

~~PERSONALITY/SOCIALITY~~

Temperament:

Generally a docile species, known for being curious, excitable, and energetic. They can spook if something happens suddenly, such as a loud noise or a fast movement, and can be up a tree in a flash. Despite this, Haunts’ abundant curiosity and friendly nature often overrides their wariness, given enough time.

Haunts have a hard time keeping their paws still, and often carry around trinkets (such as smooth stones or shells) to keep their paws busy. Haunts are also attracted to colorful/shiny objects, which they’re prone to collecting for the simple aesthetic pleasure. Haunt nesting grounds are covered in these trinkets, often arranged into complex patterns throughout the nests. Researchers have found bits of colored glass to be a popular gift for Haunts.

Story-telling is another common artistic pursuit, and a favorite bonding experience among Haunts. Since Haunts are practically mute, this story-telling occurs through direct mental connections, as the storyteller projects fantastical images and emotions to their eager audience.

Haunts are hardly territorial-- if at all-- thus are welcoming to new faces. This can sometimes lead to trouble with other, more territorial species that try to stake a claim to land, when Haunts don’t understand the meaning of a “claimed” land. While not territorial, Haunts are protective of the environments they call home, and will react negatively-- and sometimes even violently-- to severe imbalances to the ecosystem.

Haunts aren’t prone to extensive grooming, but they are fussy about clean paws-- they just can’t stand dirty paws.

Group Structure:

Collectively called a band, Haunts typically hold to a generational hierarchy. Elder members are referred to for band-wide decisions and are generally considered the most knowledgeable. There are no specific leaders beyond this.

Band sizes vary based on environment, but typically they can range anywhere from 15-100 Haunts. Individuals rarely leave their birth-band, but large bands may end up splitting into smaller groups due to size restrictions in their environments.

Individuality is a tenuous concept among Haunts, as their self-concepts are based heavily around their communities and ecosystems. Haunts typically let their Self flow freely around themselves, and Haunts instinctively connect to the Self of others around them, particularly those that are receptive to connection (most of the time, these souls are fellow Haunts). Thus, Haunts tend to feel/sense most things through several souls at once, rather than just their own individual experience. For example, the elation of a single Haunt will quickly travel through the whole band, and all the band will celebrate the feeling, or the anxiety of one Haunt may spread throughout the band if not swiftly recognized and checked. Laypeople have often misinterpreted this system of interaction as a “hivemind”, which is far from correct. Though it is true that this intimate connection to one another keeps Haunts physically close-- if you see one Haunt out and about, at least three others aren’t far behind.

Haunts have almost no concept of “family” or “friends” in the human sense. To Haunts, those that they are emotionally connected to ARE their family, whether they are blood-related or not. This extends to any non-Haunts they bond with as well.

Belief System:

Haunts conceptualize their ecosystem as both person(s) and home, treating their ecosystem as a conscious, active entity in all interactions. Thus, Haunts are protective of the balance of their environment, as they are protective of the health of a fellow band member.

This sense of balance extends beyond even their ecological mindsets, as Haunts try to retain balance in all aspects of their lives, from energy exchange, mental/physical health, life/death, etc. Death, for example, is not an end for Haunts, but simply an event or checkpoint in the grand scheme of things; a movement of energy and matter from one form to another. Haunts directly take part in this transition of matter by eating a few bites of a loved-one’s corpse, to help the dead subject continue on in the cycle of life and among their peers. Bodies are then left out in the open for other scavengers and natural processes to take care of.

As mentioned in the previous “Group Structure” section, a Haunt’s sense of self is intimately tied to their sense of community. “My community is, therefore I am,” is the closest comparable motto to a Haunt self concept-- a Haunt truly only exists in the context of their band and environment. A Haunt disconnected from land and band is not just alienated or even wounded, but ceases to be on a sociopsychological level.

Haunts like to display eye-like patterns across their pelts in reference to their sensory connections to Self, and their reverence for observation of the world. Specific patterns vary by individual, and are used to reference one another when communicating via telepathy. These patterns vary over a Haunt’s lifetime, signifying changes in character, personality, etc. as the individual sees fit.

Inter-species Sociality:

It’s very difficult to offend a Haunt, as they are very laid-back in their habits and beliefs. Haunts’ few social taboos include ecological imbalance, and non-consensual breaching another being’s autonomy (in particular, their Self and emotional well-being). Otherwise, Haunts are open to novel experiences and interactions.

Haunt Self is intimately bound to socialization, which lends to their lack of physical/personal boundaries. It would be no surprise to find a Haunt affectionately patting or rubbing up against a stranger. This can be a bit off-putting to species that are more solitary, especially those averse to touch.

Haunts are fascinated by species that have complex control over their vocal chords, and love to listen to singers and storytellers. Haunts receive mixed reactions to their own brand of telepathic story-telling-- some consider it too abstract to understand, while others are delighted by the unique experience.

Raw emotions/thoughts are the cornerstone of Haunt relationships, in a much more intimate sense than most other creatures may realize. To befriend a Haunt is to gaze directly into their deepest Self—their very soul– and to, in turn, bare one’s own Self open and vulnerable to the Haunt. Most non-Haunts are not comfortable or ready for this kind of vulnerability.

Human Associations:

Despite the wide array of unique human cultures across Haunt habitats, there is one constant in all interpretations– Haunts are always associated with death and/or life. Among many cultures, Haunts are seen as guides or guards to the afterlife, companions to both the departed and their grieving loved ones. In these cultures, Haunts are welcome guests to both funerals and births alike-- signs of prosperity in the afterlife or life to come, respectively. Some people even pray to Haunts for fertility, or protection of their to-be children.

On the flip-side, this association with death paints Haunts as spectral beings by other cultures-- mysterious, dangerous omens of doom. The name “Haunt” originates from their attraction to the dead/dying, often “haunting” graveyards, abandoned buildings, etc. First sightings of Haunts by these cultures often weren’t very distinguishable, seeing only Haunts’ reflective eyes through fog or rain at night. Such encounters birthed other legends, such as multi-eyed demons and devious fae, set to steal unlucky souls. Legends of these fantastical creatures persist, but they lost connection with Haunts over time.

Domestication is a modern trend among certain folks, as Haunts match humans in sociality and cater to our attraction to “cuteness”. There has been very little success in this endeavor though, as several factors make Haunts unsuitable for domestication.

For one, Haunts are intimately bound to their ecosystems (see “Belief System”). Thus, living in human-constructed areas that are removed from ecological connections leads to serious health effects and even death in severe cases. Precautions can be taken here, such as setting Haunts up in greenhouses, flower shops, abandoned buildings, or parks, but it’s still highly risky. Humans simply can’t replicate the familial connections Haunts build with their land. Similarly, Haunts will experience severe psychological trauma if separated from their bands, to the point of death within a year of separation. This has been true for nearly every case of Haunts stolen from their bands-- even juvenile or newborn Haunts can’t be trained out of these connections.

Also, despite their “cute” appearance, many humans are put-off by Haunts’ rotting bodies and blood trails. Whether the distaste is due to cleanliness, aesthetics, or a misguided concern for Haunt health, human caretakers usually attempt to eradicate any disease or illness found in Haunts. This, ironically, only ruins Haunt health, as it decreases their exposure immunity and eliminates their mutualistic connections to the plant life that cause the rot in the first place.

Human relationships with Haunts are best kept to non-domesticated companionship. Haunts are friendly and sociable, and have never required domestication to be so. Humans living near or within Haunt territories are often delighted to find Haunts curiously taping at their windows, or following along as the humans hike the trails. The most notable relationships between humans and Haunts have been formed with humans that simply live near Haunts, or ethological/ecological researchers who have studied Haunts or their territory. These situations allow humans a great deal of passive interaction and bonding with Haunts.

~~COMMUNICATION~~

Haunts can seem rather stoic/deadpan to other species-- while Haunts use active body language among their own due to their heavily physical/visual Self, they tend to be deadpan among new species/individuals. They do this to ‘feel out’ the body language and general Self configuration of the being in question before they attempt to communicate. This can lead to awkward initial interactions between Haunts and those of other species. Though, Haunts quickly catch on to another species’ body language and match it over time. If the species in question doesn’t rely on body language, then the next option would be direct mental connection, and then writing. Any other communication is beyond Haunt capability.

Telepathy:

Haunts’ primary form of communication. Telepathy for Haunts involves projecting/reading of either raw emotions or sensory info (visual, tactile, and spatial, primarily). The connection process can be compared to a phone call: it can be a one-on-one call, if both participants “answer” the call and participate; it can be a call on mute, if both are listening, but one has “muted” their thoughts to the other; or it can even be a group call, with multiple participants listening and projecting.

Tactile:

Tactile communication is a primary form of understanding and connection between Haunts, outside of telepathy.

Purring affects Haunts on more of a touch-based level than an auditory level, and the physical vibrations of purring (whether from their own purring or the purring of another Haunt pressed up against them) is incredibly soothing.

The touch of one snout to another is the most common and general form of greeting and mutual trust.

Display of/touching of the paws is a slightly more intimate show of trust, but could also be displayed to anyone, and is important for bonding. Paw display would be answered with grasping/sliding of the arms and paws, or a rubbing of the snout against the paws. Any of the six paws may be used for this, depending on the body position.

Wing-bumping and draping wings over another’s body is treated similarly to paw display.

Skent-bumping signals a direct sharing of emotions and can be used in many situations, from a show of empathy/reassurance, to a strengthening of bonds. While it is a common display among individuals in the species, it is very rare for it to be displayed towards other species. Besides the fact that skents are a Haunt-exclusive structure in the first place, skents are incredibly delicate and can mean certain death if tampered with.

Skent-nipping/licking is a calming mechanism, and is displayed when a Haunt is under extreme distress/agitation, or to just show affection in an already calm situation. Note that this is ONLY done to the base of the skent and NEVER the tip. This behavior is ONLY permitted by the closest of bonds.

Tail-wrapping/bumping is an invitational display often associated with mating rituals, but not exclusively.

Visual:

While the majority of Haunt interactions are based on Self/tactile-sensing, sight is still an important aspect of such interactions (considering the third-eye’s connection to Self-sensing, especially). In fact, Haunts perform a great deal of behaviors based solely on sight, even among their own species.

Ears forward, skents perked-> Listening/attentive, confident.

Ears pointed back and open, skents curved gently back-> Relaxed.

Ears pulled back tightly, skents curled against the skull-> Agitated, anxious, irritated, or simply readying for a dip underwater.

Ears and skents hanging loosely down-> Stressed, exhausted, possibly sick.

Wings and tail fins flared fully out and shaking, displaying the (usually) more brightly colored/patterned underside. Paired with a crouched posture-> Signals extreme anxiety, and is used to scare off predators or other threats.

Wing arms held at a relaxed angle, with the wings creating a semi-circle around the Haunt-> A welcoming gesture, one of trust and reassurance.

Wings and tail fins flared open in quick intervals, either in tandem or one at a time. Paired with quick dips of the body, head bobbing/tilting, and ear flaring-> invitational display, often associated with mating rituals but not exclusively.

Twitching tail fin tips-> Agitation, irritation, anxiety.

Full-waving tail-> Delight, excitement.

Tail-ending fin curling and uncurling at intervals-> Contentment, relaxation.

Tail fins flaring in rapid succession-> Probably trying to get someone’s attention.

Audio:

Haunts are almost entirely mute, thus don’t have very complex vocal language at their disposal. Of this limited vocal language, only a few sounds (purrs and chirps) are used among their own-- any other sounds are only ever directed at other species. Purrs and ferret-like clicks (dooks) are produced by the vibration of the bases of the skents, which resonate in the sinus chamber. Chirps are produced in the trachea via sharp exhales.

Loud, separated clicks-> Discomfort or anxiety; a warning to others to back off. The speed of the clicks increase with the level of anxiety.

Purring-> Contentment, happiness.

High-pitched chirping-> Happiness, excitement, curiosity.

Writing:

Most Haunt bands haven’t produced writing of their own, but they’re shockingly adept at learning the written languages of other species. Most seem to enjoy learning, and have even developed their own Haunt-specific grammatical dialects within a given language.

~~ECOLOGY~~

Habitat:

Haunts are pretty adaptable creatures– wherever flora is found, they can thrive. However, they prefer wet areas and trees for their arboreal lifestyle. Thus, Haunts are mostly found in temperate seasonal forests and temperate rainforests, then boreal forests less often. Plains/grasslands are uncommon habitats, and deserts/tundra are rare.

Within any of these larger habitats, riparian, lakeside, or shoreline environments are ideal-- Haunts have an almost insatiable craving to be around or in water somehow, so it’s rare to find them very far from a large water source. Some Haunts even opt to spend their entire lives underwater, though this isn’t necessarily common, and they tend to stick to the shallows of oceans/lakes in these cases.

Haunt connection to nature is more than simply relying on the land, but an intimate connection to land on both a personal and systemic level (see “Belief System”). Thus, Haunts are sedentary in their living arrangements, and are averse to any kind of migration. Only some catastrophic event could push Haunts out of their birthland.

Haunts CANNOT survive in strictly human constructs such as cities/towns or buildings, but may live near human settlements that are located in Haunt territory (see “Human Associations”).

Haunts create communal nests up in tree canopies, with sizes depending on the structure used. Wide trees may hold one large dozen-Haunt nest, while thinner trees may hold several 3-Haunt nests scattered among the branches. The nests themselves are woven together using twigs, leaves, feathers, and any other soft material Haunts can find. Nests are often decorated with random baubles (smooth stones, shells, glass, etc.) the Haunts find on their explorations, arranged into complex patterns throughout the structure. Trails and patches of dried blood criss-cross Haunt nests from their constantly-dribbling wounds.

Haunts flip between short 3-4 hr periods of sleeping and wakefulness throughout the day, thus don’t lean either nocturnal or diurnal.

Trophic Web:

Haunts are primarily omnivorous scavengers, feeding on any dead/decaying organic material they can find. While Haunts can and do often eat fresh vegetation (primarily fruits, flowers, seeds/nuts, and leaves), a large chunk of their diet consists of decaying materials. For this reason, they are often considered key species in the decomposition cycles of their ecosystems. This diet has influenced their beliefs as well, as mentioned in the “Belief System” section.

Haunts need not fear consuming any natural poisons/toxins or diseased materials, as their healing abilities counteract any severe maladies. Some symptoms may still present, depending on the strength of the toxin and the novelty of the exposure to the Haunt’s system, but severe symptoms are rare. Repeat exposure in combination with their healing factor actually strengthens Haunt immune systems.

Haunt predators depend on environment, but raptors (eagles, owls), foxes, mustalids, and other mid-sized predators are common. The thing that usually does a Haunt in is the scent of their blood, which skilled predators can easily track. Though Haunts camouflage with their environments very well (see “Mutualism” below), and can make a hasty retreat on the wing or use their Self for defense (see “Battle”). This is especially effective in groups, as Haunts are rarely alone.

Mutualism:

Haunts form mutualistic relationships with various moss, fungi, and plants found in their natural habitats. Haunts introduce themselves to these organisms by intermingling their Self with that of their floral subjects. When the Haunt finds a compatible partner, they gently uproot the organism (or snip off a bit of it, depending) and tangle them in the fur along their spine, hips, and the back of their neck. It’s not very hard for clumps of plant life to naturally get tangled in their fur as well, since Haunts aren’t prone to grooming their fur. These organisms eventually root into the Haunt’s flesh, settling more permanently over time. Haunts that live more exclusively in water are usually covered in aquatic algae or even seaweed.

The plants/fungi/etc. take up nutrients from the Haunt’s body, whether from the Haunt’s circulatory system or by breaking down dead flesh/fur. They also gain a greater range to spread their spores/pollen/seeds, and receive a boost in health that Haunt Self naturally induces. Haunts benefit from the extra camouflage provided, additional nutrients from the plants (oxygen especially), and the exchange of Self energies.

These benefits aren’t immediately apparent, however, as the excessive amount of bloody rot and decay underneath these plants are what others usually notice first. Contrary to the unsavory appearance of the wounds, this is yet another benefit to the relationship– the wounds gradually expose the Haunts to illness/infection over time. Similar to the benefits of eating poisonous/diseased material (as mentioned in the previous “Trophic Web” section), these repeat exposures in combination with their healing factor grant Haunts an uncanny hardiness in the world of disease. In this sense, Haunt bodies are in a constant state of repair and decay-- neither perfectly healthy nor detrimentally unhealthy. This is not without drawbacks, however, as the scent of blood often attracts predators.

These bonds begin practically from the moment a Haunt is born, as adult Haunts introduce the newborns to different mosses/fungi/plants, which will begin to take root soon after introduction. As Haunts age, they will learn to seek out compatible organisms on their own. Haunts typically search out small organisms for these arrangements, though they will sometimes bond with the seedlings of larger plants. Young/adult Haunts will carefully remove and replant the seedling once the plants grow too large for their bodies, but elder Haunts will allow these plants to continue growing through their body as they near their death (see “Life History”).

Tiny animals (insects, arachnids, frogs) may also hang out in Haunt fur, tucked in among the moss and plant growth. Self intermingles to the benefit of both parties, and the tiny organisms are provided with a safe, mobile home. Haunts that live exclusively in water may house tiny crustaceans or other invertebrates, or have little minnows zig-zagging in and around their plant growth.

Cyanobacteria is just as important a partner in Haunt survival as any other organism discussed here, but they play a slightly unique role. Unlike other organisms which must be introduced to Haunts and checked for compatibility, these bacteria pass on directly from milk to a kit during their developmental stages (see “Life History”). These bacteria evolved alongside Haunts, and are uniquely designed to survive within Haunt bodies. The bacteria are present across Haunt bodies-- not just in the flesh, but in their fur and even in their partnered organisms (given enough time, of course). They provide Haunts extra energy via photosynthesis (mainly in the wings, but other bare areas of skin can also photosynthesize), and can be manipulated to display an array of different colors and patterns. These changes can take up to an hour.

Battle:

Haunts have very little in the weapons department, and are very susceptible to harsh wounds, since they lack much physical protection. Given this, Haunts RARELY ever involve themselves in quarrels. They generally opt for a 'flight’ maneuver, in combination with easing their opponent down from any violent emotions they’re experiencing. Stealth plays a critical factor here as well, as Haunts often avoid predation by simply camouflaging and staying still, or even projecting hallucinations to lead their attackers away.

If Haunts do ever find themselves in a jam, they must rely on quick reflexes and evasive maneuvers rather than outright offensive attacks. Most attacks involve projecting their own fear onto their attackers in order to stifle. More drastic situations may call for system control or shutdown, such as numbing a limb, or knocking out an opponent completely. This is especially effective when Haunts are in groups (as they usually are) and can confuse an attacker with multiple sources of stimuli from different directions.

While Haunts are incredibly weak to physical attacks, they are practically indestructible on the mental plane. Haunts have the potential to wreck a psyche beyond repair, and such mental damage is arguably much worse than any physical damage. However, Haunt bodies can be left vulnerable to attack when focusing on attackers on the mental plane, especially when using advanced techniques like mind control or system manipulation.

Toxic attacks are likely not to work either, as Haunt bodies are practically immune to most toxins and illnesses. Haunts aren’t venomous/poisonous themselves, however.

~~LIFE HISTORY~~

Development:

The gestation period lasts about 12 months. Self abilities begin developing at around 5 months in the womb. Adults-- especially those carrying the kits-- communicate simple emotions of affection and joy to the developing fetuses, whose own simple emotions instinctively project back.

Litters usually consist of one kit, sometimes two, and very rarely three.

Younglings:

Haunts give live birth to kits who are basically precocial in anatomy/physiology, but nidicolous in behavior. The social act of mating/brooding causes a physiological reaction among all adults to produce milk, whether they conceived or not. Younglings drink milk for around 2 years before moving on to solid food. All band members care for each others’ kits, with all adults switching off feeding and protecting the kits as if each one was their own. This leads to little concern with blood bonds, with heavy emphasis on social/emotional bonds instead.

Various plants/fungi/moss/etc. are introduced to newborns soon after birth, in order to promote mutualistic relationships (see “Mutualism”). It may take a few days for adults to help kits find compatible partners, but it usually doesn’t take much longer than that. Kits take in mutualistic cyanobacteria directly from the milk of adults they nurse from, which integrate into their bodies over several weeks. Before full integration, kits are born various shades of white/cream, and must be carefully camouflaged with leaves/branches/etc. by watchful adults. Even after full integration, it takes several more weeks for kits to gain any semblance of control over their colors and patterns.

Kits take a few months to learn to walk, but only a few minutes to learn to cling to nearby adults (with the help of adult’s first set of arms). Kits will cling to adults for about a year before becoming comfortable with roaming about around the nests. Kits learn to fly at around 2 years old, but will flap to develop flight muscles long before then. Kits’ gills are fully developed and functional at birth, and adults often take them down to water sources to keep their gills fresh and healthy.

Despite the early development of Self abilities, it takes a few years for kits’ abilities to extend beyond simple sensing and projection. At this point they hit “Self puberty”, as it were, and their Self experiences a sudden growth spurt in complexity alongside their physical neural networks, extending quickly out to a much wider environment. This is often an overwhelming, terrifying, and painful experience for kits, suddenly feeling thousands of new emotions/memories/sensations, and an enhanced spatial awareness. Adult Haunts are doting and careful with kits in this time, as the kits are hyper-sensitive to strong stimuli and emotions, and fall into hysterics at the slightest rise in emotion.

It takes about a year for kits to grow into their newly expanded sense of Self. Their Self continues to grow in complexity at a much more gradual rate for the next 17-19 years until it reaches a fully-matured state of being, along with their brain and nervous system. Haunts are considered juveniles for this section of time between “puberty” and full maturity.

Mating:

Haunts can become sexually active as early as age 20, but rarely start so early-- individuals usually wait a few years after maturity to mate. During this time, young adults will court one another with short “dances” of flaring wings and fins, twisting bodies, colorful patterns, and gentle purrs. The tactile/visual elements of the dances enhance Self connections and exchanges of raw emotions.

Eventually the real 'heat’ begins, and adults begin mating among themselves, switching back and forth between any partners whose dances caught their interest. Individuals tend to have Self patterns similar to their siblings, offspring, and other close blood relatives, thus are averse to individuals with patterns similar to their own.

Band-wide breeding occurs every 20-25 years, but it’s not completely uncommon for individuals to mate out of season.

Elders:

Haunts hit old age after around 85-90 years, and can live up to 100-125 years total.

Most elders take on the seedling of a larger plant as they near their death (see “Mutualism”), leading to the growth of a new being as their body fails. Some sections of forest in long-held Haunt habitats are actually “cemeteries” marking the resting places of past Haunts, still growing lush and healthy after so many years.

#dragon #dragons #haunts #common haunt dragon

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