#watch MY lungs start to glow lol

[super-antelope]

DOLORES DEI - The Greatest Innocence

”When her innocence was declared -- and the queen she had advised for years fell on her knees before her -- she was so overcome with emotion that her *lungs* started *glowing* in her chest.”

[void-wolfie]

Paper Rings

summary: you take jenna on a surprise date.

pairing: Jenna Ortega x gn!Reader

tw: extra fluffy super romance-y

words: 1.1k

a/n: i had an idea and went with it lol, i have requests i'm working on but progress is slow, i'm still around if anyone wants to chat though

"Just a few more steps," you held on to your girlfriend’s hands, watching the little furrow of her eyebrows as she kept her eyes closed.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're just leading me out to the middle of nowhere to kill me,"

You scoffed, glad she couldn't see the embarrassingly big smile spread across your face, "I couldn't kill you, you are way too cute,"

"Alright, just one more-" You took another step only to lose your footing. You fell backward, your back slamming into the ground harshly. Jenna, who was holding your hands to keep steady, tumbled forward with you. She fell on top of you, the impact knocking all the wind from your lungs. You heard a noise akin to a groan or a yelp, but you couldn’t tell if it was you or Jenna through the commotion.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" she quickly pushed herself up, straddling your waist as she checked you over for any injuries.

"Fine," you groaned out, your chest aching from the fall, "surpriseee..."

Her head tilted as she looked at you confused, wondering if maybe you hit your head on the way down.

You pointed behind you and her eyes followed. The white sheet laid out across the sand, the candles lit in the center, the little picnic basket at the edge. The ocean sat just in front of you, not even twenty feet out. It was cliche, but romantic nonetheless.

"You did all this?" you nodded, not lost on how she was still straddling you, her thumbs lightly brushing beneath your shirt and sending electricity through your nerves.

"It's amazing, I love it," she kissed you, making sure to pour all her emotions into the action.

You never knew a kiss could be so soft and sweet, and at the same time take your breath away and leave your head spinning.

"Wow…" it was all you could think to say as Jenna pulled away.

She giggled, loving the dumbstruck smile that overtook your features, "Come on, Romeo,"

She helped you up off the ground, pulling you towards the picnic blanket.

The sun had just set, hues of red and orange faded into pinks and purples as night crept over the beach. You and Jenna were still cuddled on the sheet you had laid out, a spare blanket was wrapped around the two of you. Soft music played in the background as you both watched waves roll in and out.

Jenna moved to snuggle deeper into your lap, wiggling back and forth in your arms before suddenly stopping. A confused expression made its way across her face.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?" You looked at her sitting in your arms, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What's in your pocket?"

You thought about it, your pocket? You didn't have anything in your- oh-

Then you felt it, digging into the side of your hip. How could you forget?

"Oh, that," now she seemed curious, "I got you something, close your eyes for me?"

She spun around in your lap to face you, giving you her full attention and closing her eyes like you asked.

You pulled the little ring box out from your pocket, opening it to make sure it still looked perfect for her. It brought a smile to your face, newfound excitement coursing through your veins like lightning in a bottle. You took a second to compose yourself, trading in that toothy grin for a softer smile instead. You closed the little box and held it out towards Jenna, who still had her eyes closed as patiently as ever.

"Ready?" you asked, doing your best to sit still despite your excitement and nerves.

"Open!" You couldn't wait for an answer, you were too excited.

Jenna opened her eyes, the gaze immediately landing on the box in your hands. Her eyes shot back up to yours, her brown eyes filled with curiosity and excitement lit up by the faint glow of sunset.

"Baby-" she took the small box from your hands not yet opening it but examining it with curiosity.

You started to get nervous, she didn't think you were proposing right? It was still way too early for that...

…right?

"Open it,"

She looked up at you excitedly before gently opening the box in her hands. You watched her jaw drop, staring down at the little ring inside.

You started to get nervous, what if this was a bad idea? what if she didn't like it? was it too much? too little? maybe this whole thing was just a stupid idea-

"Oh my god... It's amazing baby!" her face lit up, and she went from shock to amazement. One of the happiest looks you'd ever seen on her face.

Inside the box was a little silver ring, made to look like the origami rings you made her. You had it custom-made just for her, and by custom you mean you made it for her yourself. Your friend taught you how to cut metal and use a welder just so you could make it for her. It was far from perfect, but you thought that that's what made it special.

You and Jenna had a tradition. Every time you went out, you gave her a paper ring. It started as just a way to keep busy at restaurants, giving you something to fidget with to help hide your nerves, but over time it grew into something more. Now whenever you and Jenna go on a date, you have an origami ring waiting for her. Except now, she could take one with her wherever she goes, and this one would last much longer than the paper ones.

Jenna slid the ring onto her finger, admiring the way it looked on her hand. Her eyes held more adoration than you'd ever seen before. You wanted to kiss her right then and there and never let go. And as if the universe were listening, you got your wish.

Jenna grabbed the back of your neck and pulled you in for a kiss. You were caught off guard, but that didn’t matter when all you could focus on was Jenna's lips on yours and the taste of her strawberry chapstick.

She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you in tight. Any tighter and she might as well have been suffocating you, not that you would've minded. You wrapped your arms back around her and buried your face into her neck, the smell of vanilla and oak overwhelming your senses.

You didn't really care what the future held as long as you had Jenna there beside you.

[helplesslyblue77]

You Can't Deny(That Beast Inside)

Genre: Smut, minors dni

Pairing: Hybrid!Felix x Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: Hybrid!Felix is a golden retriever, Friends to Lovers, heat - Freeform, Breeding Kink, Mentions of pups and all the usual stuff that comes(haha get it lol) with a hybrid au, Dirty Talk, hints of Sub!Felix but its mostly Dom!Felix. He gets a little posessive and crazy but we love it

Notes:

bro i love hybrid au's. they weren't something id ever seen out of the kpop fandom, and ive been in a LOT of fandoms. i wonder why thier so specific to kpop

Felix, your best friend of ten years, your lovable Golden Retriever Hybrid who always smiles and makes time for you no matter what, your crush of so many years is avoiding you. It hurts your heart to admit it but it has to be true.

It started three days ago, when you texted him, asking him to come over for your weekly movie night. You received this in response:

“I'm sorry, I can't make it this week.”

He had never, ever skipped out on your weekly movie night.

You had asked if he was ok, and he had told you he was fine, just a little sick. 

“Can I come over to help?”

You'd texted and promptly been shut down, rather harshly in your opinion. Fine, whatever. 

Ok, so maybe Felix was sick and just didn't want to get you sick as well. You believed that until you saw him at the grocery store, perfectly fine. You marched over to him, intent on giving him a piece of your mind, but to your surprise, he had practically run away from you. Without so much as a greeting. 

So you called Chan. 

“Is Felix avoiding me?”

He coughed and stuttered out. “N-no of course not, why would you think that?”

Chan was a horrible liar. 

“He ran away from me at the grocery store, and he won't answer my texts or calls.”

“He's just sick. It's not too bad, he just doesn't want to get you sick.”

You frowned, “If it's that bad, I should go over there—”

Chan interrupted you.

“No wait, he told us not to let you—”

“WHAT?”

“Wait name don't—”

That infuriated you beyond belief, so he was avoiding you huh?

You hung up, intent on giving him a piece of your mind. 

Too bad for him, you knew his address. So you collected yourself and stormed over there, opening the door with the spare key hidden under the rocks by the porch. The house was silent when you entered, storming down the dark hallway you slammed on the lights, shouting at the top of your lungs. 

“LEE FELIX.”

⊛⊛⊛

Felix felt bad about ignoring you, every minute apart from you tore at his heart, and your sad face as he had all but run away from you at the grocery store haunted him every moment.

But it was for the best. He couldn't be around you when his heat was approaching, it wasn't safe for you. He felt tense as if any minute he could jump on you and take you, with or without your permission and he would rather die than ever mess up your friendship, even if he wanted you, had wanted you for years now. 

Felix had resigned himself to being permanently stuck in the friend zone years ago, and yet he still hoped that one day, you would reciprocate his deep feelings for you, but he knew it was just wishful thinking. 

It had started years ago, these urges, and every heat since then Felix had barred alone, accompanied by only thoughts of you. It was dangerous to be near you when he was so close to his heat, your scent tempted him constantly, the pretty sundresses you wore exposed the crotch of your panties when you bent down, and Felix had to do his best not to take you over the kitchen table, in front of all of his friends.

Even if he knew they would enjoy it(Probably a little too much for their own good.)his sense of possessiveness couldn't let the other see you like that.

But it had been worse lately. You had been babysitting your younger cousin, a baby of only two and Felix had watched in agony as you practically glowed with the baby. He couldn’t help imagining the child was yours and the hybrid side of him longed to put his pups into you.

He knew you would look so good all swollen with his pups, and that was when Felix realized his heat was approaching and he needed to get away from you before he did something potentially disastrous. So he had locked himself in his room, in constant agony and accompanied only by his vivid fantasies of you.

So when he heard your pretty voice, shouting his name at first he thought it was just his fantasies. 

But the longer he listened, the more wrong it sounded. First of all, the tone was all wrong, you sounded furious and it was acconpanied by a loud slamming sound.

And then he smelled you, you're scent too fresh to belong to the small heap of your clothes he had been desperately sniffing. And then his kitchen door slammed and Felix realized you were here. In his house. Less than a wall was separating the two of you. Felix almost came right then and there, your scent overwhelming him as he humped desperately into the mattress, still fully clothed. 

You were stomping around his house, shouting his name and Felix hurriedly pulled himself out of his fantasies and bit his hand so hard it started to bleed.

The sharp burst of pain cleared his hand for a moment and he hurriedly stood up, trying and failing to hide the bulge in his pants, before giving up and taking a deep breath, exiting his bedroom.

You were furious, he could tell as you laid eyes on him, marching right up and planting a finger in his chest. Felix held his breath desperately trying not to lose it as you yelled at him. 

“Lee Felix, how dare you ignore me, your not sick—”

You were still yelling but all Felix could focus on was your pretty face, you looked so radiant when you were mad, and Felix would gladly get on his knees and worship you, let you step on his hard cock with your pretty feet or maybe you would slap him, and call him a pervert. He could be your good boy, he could do that. Or if you wanted he could beg you to sit on his face, he would gladly suffocate in your pussy.

That would feel like heaven.

Or maybe if he begged for it enough you would let him fill your pussy with cum, pumping his pups into you until you were nice and round and full, and—

“Felix! Are you even listening to me?”

Felix could help it, he let out a whimper. You frowned, finally taking in his flushed cheeks, his sweaty hair plastered to his forehead, his wrinkled clothes and most telling of all, the large bulge tenting the front of his gray sweatpants. Your eyes widened, and you stepped back hurriedly. Felix followed you, trying to be as close as possible to you, even if he knew he couldn't have you. You frowned, your back hitting the wall, and parted your pretty lips, asking him a question. 

“Felix? Are you in Heat?”

Felix pressed against you, and buried his face in your neck, breathing in your scent in large gulps, trying his best to memorize it before you ran out of the house in disgust.

You shivered a little and Felix groaned as he smelt the sweet smell of arousal emanating from between your thighs. The strings holding his sanity were thin, too close to snapping as you thrashed against him, rubbing your thighs together. You shuddered and ground out a question. 

“Felix? Do you need help? I can get someone—”

“No…”

He moaned out, his voice rough and deep and you whimpered. “Only want you, please…”

His tale swished back and forth, the soft yellow fur catching on your leg and you moaned as his pretty hands gripped your thighs desperately. “You…want me?”

The question came out haltingly, your brain muddled and overcome with arousal. 

Felix nodded against your neck. “Only wanted you, always. I love you.”

You gasped at the admission, your heart full, even as your empty pussy pulsed.

Felix whined against you, the scent of arousal driving him nearly insane. He was about to tell you to leave, you needed to leave before he lost it and fucked you against the wall, but then you grabbed him by the collar, dragging him into his room and shoving him onto the bed. 

“I love you too, Felix.”

He whimpered as you pulled off your shirt and skirt, your panties and bra hitting the floor. He made quick work of his clothes, and you stared greedily at his cock, gulping. 

You realized that Hybrids had, um, bigger dicks than humans, but you had never realized how truly big he was. Just the sight of it made your mouth water desperately, and another time you would have loved to have your mouth on it but right now, you just wanted it inside you, spearing your insides and rendering you nearly dumb.

You could tell Felix wanted the same, even as he waited patiently for you, you could see his impatience in how his hands gripped the sheets, ripping holes and he desperately held himself back, trying to not look too desperate. His tail was wagging back and forth, at an embarrassing rate and all he could see was you. He couldn't believe this was even happening.

After years and years of deserted hopes and dreams of you, he tried to hold on to as he woke to a cold empty bed, you were finally his, not Chans, not Jisung's, his mate.

Felix could smell your arousal scenting the air, and the sight of your naked body was just too much for him. He was about two seconds from just jumping on you and taking you against the floor but thankfully, you ceased his torture and moved on top of him gracefully, lining your entrance up with his tip. 

You were tempted to tease him, he looked too cute with that desperate look in his eyes, his cheeks flushed and his chest heaving up and down with the effort of restraining himself, but you didn't know if you would last, your arousal driving you nearly insane with want. So you spared him, easing down slowly on his cock, taking him one inch at a time. 

He was big, and the stretch was slightly painful but the pain only served to turn you on more, and when you looked down, and saw that only half of him was inside of you, you felt yourself tighten around him. Felix knotted his hands tighter in the blankets, letting you take your time. You felt so good, so tight, the hot walls of your pussy fluttering around him and your pretty moans filling the air.

Felix still half believed this was a dream. 

It took a lot of time, but finally, he was fully inside of you. You felt stuffed, unbelievably full as he pulsed inside of you, and you nearly came there and then as you looked down, noticing the bulge denting your stomach.

Felix was almost gone by now, his hybrid side so close to taking over and all he could think about was fucking you full of his pups, filling his precious mate up completely, and fucking you until you were moaning and screaming dumbly on his cock. 

Before he was completely gone, he made sure to grip your face, turning your eyes to his own. 

“Can I let go?” 

You shuddered, and leaned in, kissing him gently. “Yes, Felix. I'm yours.”

And with those words he was gone.

He lunged forward, gripping you close to him and he pounded your pussy desperately, moans and whimpers filling the air and mixing with your own. He set a ruthless pace, his thick cock felt like it was rearranging your internal organs with each thrust and you didn't think you would ever be able to go back. He had quite literally ruined you for another man. 

“Your mine, m-my mate. The others cant have you.”

At the mention of the others, you almost stopped him, but his words were slurred and desperate, and his possessive nature turned you on. You could almost feel your thoughts slipping away like he was fucking them out of you. 

“Oh Felix, y-yes I'm y-yours…” you interrupted yourself with a loud moan as Felix picked up his thrusts, humping into you with wild abandon. 

This desperate, possessive side of your Felix, who was always sunshine and smiles was new to you. It turned you on beyond belief. You could feel your high coming, feel the tense knot in your groin as Felix fucked you closer and closer to completion. You could feel his thrusts stutter as well.

You tried to warn him. “Felix, ‘m c-coming!”

He mumbled out more nonsense, interspersed with desperate moans as he sucked possessive hickeys into your neck. 

“Make sure the o-others know your mine…fill you up with my c-cum, breed my pretty mate full of my pups…”

His hand makes its way to your clit and you scream, fingernails leaving large scratches on his back. 

His thrusts turn sloppy and he ruts into you desperately, his moans mixing with yours. 

“So pretty, always been so p-pretty, and n-now you're mine.”

You whimper, gripping his shoulders tightly. Your high crashes over you, and you clench around Felix's cock, he stutters, shoving inside you one more time, and moans as he cums. You feel his knot swell inside you, locking his cock inside you as he cums and the extra stretch makes you orgasm a second time, clenching around Felix as he lets out an especially raspy grunt. 

He seems to cum and cum, his hand making its way down to your clit, and he rubs circles into it, prolonging your orgasm. You pull him down, sealing your lips as his cum pumps into your stomach. The kiss is all teeth and tongue and as your orgasm finally dies down, Felix’s still hard cock lodged in your stomach you feel beyond exhausted. Felix collapses on top of you, kissing your neck.

He hugs you fondly, his voice almost shy as he asks you, “Be my girlfriend?”

You giggle a little, how is this the same man who fucked you ruthlessly into the bed and still has his cock lodged inside you. You can tell he's pouting against your neck so you put him out of his misery, wrapping your arms around his naked back. “Oh course Felix.”

His cock is still hard inside of you, and you can feel yourself clench around him. He sounds almost cocky as he teases you. “Are you ready for more, Baby?” 

You slap his back. “How long do heats usually last?”

He smirks, pulling away as his hands and planting a chaste kiss on your lips. 

You wiggle, clenching around him. 

“About a week.”

You moan as he flips you around, entering you again from the back even as his cum drips down your thighs, wetting the bed below you. You're in for a long week. 

originally posted on ao3 on 2023-06-04

reposted on ao3 on 2023-06-08

[asirensrage]

Plz

I beg of you

I need kisses from Gojo

just anything soft

OKAY! I think this turned out really cute and I hope you like it.

Rating: PG? Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen Pairing: Gojo Satoru x Reader Words: ~978 Warnings: SPOILERS FOR the JJK 236 leaks. Unbeta'd.

Notes: This mentions the latest spoilers for JJK 236. It's supposed to be a bit of comfort after it. I hope this is in character and that you enjoy it. Please tell me what you think.

tagging @nejires-hado and @bisexualterror since I know they're just as upset lol

Below the cut contains spoilers. You've been warned.

You wake up with a gasp. Your heart pounds in your chest as you struggle to breathe. Tears are already falling. 

“Hey,” a soft voice calls out from next to you. You feel someone touch your back. “Hey, hey, you alright?”

You turn to the voice. Satoru’s eyes seem to glow in the dark as he looks at you, half asleep even in his concern. For a moment, he doesn’t look real. You can almost see him as a ghost, remnants left over from the dream you had. The one where he was…

You lunge towards him, hitting infinity for a second in his surprise before it releases and you fall into his chest. You clutch at him tightly. The tears fall harder until you find yourself sobbing into his chest. It felt so real. 

Satoru wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer into his chest. He moves you until your legs are across his lap and he’s sitting with his back against the headrest. He hums slightly as his hand rubs your back, waiting until you’ve calmed down enough. 

“Bad dream?” he asks, his voice already sounding teasing. 

You nod against his chest, unwilling to give him any space. 

“Going to tell me about it?”

You mumble it into his chest. 

“Hmm?” he asks, his finger tracing up your spine. “Can’t hear you, darling, when you’re talking into my chest.” He reaches for your face, moving it away just enough so he can tilt it up to face him. “Well?” 

“You died.”

“What?” he laughs at that.

Your throat tightens and you can’t help but start to cry again. He’s not taking you seriously. The dream felt real. It felt so real and all you could do was watch. 

“Hey,” he keeps his voice soft. “I’m sorry, it’s just-” he cuts himself off. “How’d it happen?” His hand is stroking up and down your back again. 

“Sukuna,” you mutter. 

He laughs again. “Oh, darling…” he drawls. “You know I’m the strongest. Sukuna has nothing on me.” 

“He was stronger,” your voice breaks as you say it. “You didn’t–”

“It wasn’t real,” he cuts you off. 

“But–”

He reaches up and cups your chin, fingers digging into your cheeks. “It wasn’t real,” he repeats, sounding unusually serious. “Nothing happened to me, sweet thing.” 

You glare up at him, eyes still shining with tears. It still doesn’t feel like he’s taking you seriously. He doesn’t understand the way your heart felt like it stopped, the way he was there and then wasn’t and Sukuna was just gloating. 

“Darling, I told you. I’m the strongest. Nothing will happen.” He bends towards you slightly, lips brushing your cheek as he lets go. “I’m fine.”

“It felt real,” you say, voice insistent. 

“I’m real.” He tilts your face up again, thumb stroking your cheek. “Want me to show you?” he grins at you. He kisses you gently. “I’m okay,” he says, kissing your cheek again. He kisses the other side of your face, before moving to the tip of your nose, your eyes…his pace increasing until you can’t help but laugh, shoving him away as he tries to lay kiss after kiss on your face. 

“Saturo!” you laugh, “stop!”

“What? It got you to smile, didn’t it?” he teases. 

You stare at him for a moment before you turn away, the memory of the dream still lingering. 

“Come on…” he drawls before pulling you closer. “I’m alive. Let me prove it.”

You push him away but he doesn’t let go. “You don’t get it.” How could he understand the fear you felt? The way you saw him…

He presses his mouth against yours, kissing you softly at first as his hand moves to the back of your neck to tilt your head for better access. You hold him tightly, afraid that if you let go, it’ll somehow turn real. The kiss deepens and he moves you with ease until you’re straddling his waist. His arm wraps around you until your chest is pressing against his and the kisses are turning desperate. He doesn’t complain. You feel him smile against your lips as you both break apart long enough to breathe.

“I’m not leaving you,” he promises. 

“You don’t know that,” you say softly. 

“I do,” he nods. “I’m never wrong, after all.” 

You roll your eyes, annoyed at the way he’s still too cavalier about it. “You’re always wrong,” you point out.

“What? Impossible. I’m Gojo Satoru, after all.”

“You tried to convince me that daifuku was one of the main food groups today,” you point out dryly.

“And it is! Just because the general public has yet to realize..”

You smile at that, trying to hold back from laughing at the expression on his face. You look up, catching the soft expression on his face. “What?”

“Think I prefer you like that instead of your tears.” 

“Yeah?” you ask softly, leaning forward to rest your face in the crook of his neck. 

“Of course,” he says. “Especially when they’re caused by something I can’t fight. All I can do is ease your worries.”

“You cause my worries,” you point out, wincing as soon as you say it. 

“Yeah,” he says softly. His hand slips under your shirt, fingers stroking the skin of your waist gently. 

You sit up to look at him. “You ease them too,” you insist. “I trust you, Satoru.”

“Then trust that I’m alive and here with you, okay?”

“Okay,” you agree, voice quiet. 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Because you’re Gojo Satoru?”

He kisses you again, taking his time to memorize the feeling of your lips against his. When this kiss breaks, he rests his forehead against yours. His gaze is soft but intense, as if he’s trying to make you understand something he has yet to give words to. 

“Because I’m yours.” 

[thatone-brightstar]

The Bear & The Fox (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 6: The Fantastic Mrs. Fox pt. 2

Words: 5 k

Summary: Your two families meet and Carmy sees a different side of you.

a/n:Thank you all so much for the support and sweet messages! Also, new trailer just dropped and know that I'll need 2-3 business days to recover because ohmygodddd . Enjoy! xx

PS. Reader is Latina in this but I don’t specify from where so you can just fill in the blanks (it’s also why it’s all over the place lol)

PS2. The movie I’m referring to is The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson and it’s an absolute gem, you gotta watch it!!

WARNINGS: Smut ahead, oral sex (female receiving), p in v, dirty talk, reader is on birth control but isn't mentioned (wrap it up IRL tho), minors DNI but you'll do what you want so don't say I didn't warn you

“Can you please be careful with that, Jesus!” Carmy shouted from the wheel of Richie’s car, looking through the rearview mirror at the backseat where his three workers sat smushed together, one carefully balancing the delicate pastry.

“Why does Richie get the front seat?” Fak questioned with half his thigh against the right door.

“Cause it’s my car, now shut the hell up before I kick your ass out!” He fought back.

Sweeps began to argue on why Richie couldn’t carry the cake if he was sitting shotgun and how that was stupid because it was, again, ’my car and I can do what I want!’

“Is it still far? I think some of the gelée is starting to leak…” Marcus asked from the middle seat, moving his leg further out to not stain his pants with the syrupy liquid. 

“Nah, like two more blocks.” Carmy answered.

Soon enough, he found a parking space as close as he could to your building, then killed the engine. He climbed out first to help Marcus with the heavy box, which was in fact leaking slightly from one of the corners and he placed it on the roof of the car. He almost unconsciously wiped his hands on the back of his jeans, but immediately stopped when he remembered he swapped his usual dark jeans for a pair of clean deep blue ones. He had also added a beige short sleeve button up over the usual white T that covered him and a few rings to his fingers, hoping he was decent enough for the occasion. 

They could hear the buzz of rhythmic music and voices as they moved closer to the side of the building where he saw an opening in the fence. He gave the cake to Fak and pulled out his phone to double check your message to make sure they weren’t crashing a random person’s party, but before he could unlock it, he felt Richie elbow him continuously on his side. He looked up to him in annoyance, then he saw who his cousin was gawking at and the air in his lungs left in a shaky exhale.

Ravishing was the only word he felt could do you justice. Stunning, captivating and beautifully breathtaking were up on the list, but none seemed to be enough to describe how the slick red fabric accentuated every one of his favorite features on you. Your olive skin glowed under the afternoon sunlight as you walked towards them, dark curls held up with a soft ribbon that bounced with each of your steps. The frills on the hemline of your dress caressed your mid thigh as you moved, making him envious of a piece of cloth for the first time in his life. 

“Carmy, you lucky son of a bitch.” Richie whispered beside him, but he was more concerned on how he would keep his hands to himself during the whole evening when you looked like that.

“You guys made it!” You said excitedly once you reached them by the entrance.

You pulled each one into a quick hug, offering a welcome kiss on the cheek. You hugged Carmy for unperceivably longer than the rest, your citrus perfume invading his nostrils and engraving itself in his memories.

“What’s in the box?” You asked Marcus with a confused grin.

“Well you always bring stuff for us so we wanted to pay the favor back” He said with a wide smile. “I made it and Carmy helped decorate it.” He shrugged.

Your eyes danced between both men in admiration, the tears glossing them over  and a big smile taking up half your face.

“You guys are the best.” You whispered and threw your arms around them again. 

“Ugh- sorry I'm a bit tipsy-” You said to yourself once you let them go and chuckled, fanning your hands in front of your face to dry the upcoming tears. “I can take that to the table so you guys can enjoy yourselves… where’re the others?”

“Oh they took an uber behind us, they should be here in a bit.” Carmen answered, still dumbfounded like a moth to a bright light.

“Awesome, well the drinks are on the right and the food’s on the left so… enjoy!” You said taking the heavy box from Marcus, who clapped Sweeps on the back as they moved towards the drinks.

You rolled your tinted lip between your teeth staring up at Carmy for a second, before saying “Can you give me a hand… with this?”

“Wha- Oh, yeah, yeah sure.” He took it from your hands and followed you towards the food table, hearing a ‘Guess you're stuck with me’ from Richie to Fak as he walked away.

He followed mindlessly behind you, too enticed by how the dress accentuated the curve of your hips. You could have been leading him to his death and he would gladly follow with anticipation. He could feel himself grow slightly hard at the racing images flying through his head and he was glad that the shirt he decided to wear was long enough to cover his groin.

He reached the table after you, placing the package in a small space you had cleared in the center, then undid the latches at the top and took a butter knife to cut the cardboard down the side. A small gasp escaped your lips and you grasped his forearm at the sight of the gleaming pastry.

“Carm, it’s beautiful” 

“You think so?”

“Of course.. It kinda reminds me of the-”

He pulled up the picture saved on his phone and your eyebrows knitted together at the sight of the bright image.

“I kinda ripped off your design.” He confessed through a breathy laugh, scratching the back of his head.

“I think you made it better” You responded, then you hand slid from his arm to cup under his palm. “Thank you, it truly means a lot.”

Carmy swallowed dryly when your eyes flicked down to his lips momentarily and for a brief second he wanted to see what would happen if he leaned down and kissed you in front of all these people… but a voice shouting your name from behind made you lose grasp on his hand and step away instantly.

“Carmen, you came!” Your mother called excitedly, walking towards you by the arm of a tall older gentleman who he assumed was your grandfather.

“Hola, señora” He spoke carefully. He had been practicing some words with the teasing help of Syd, but unfortunately, that had been as far as the lessons had gone.

“Ay, muy bien!” She cheered and his ears reached a new shade of red. “Have you met my father yet?”

“No uh, w-we just got here.”

Carmy reached his hand out to the man, who swept his appearance then reached out slowly to clasp his hand with a firm grip. Your mother turned to her father and explained something in a quick spanish that was impossible for him to understand. What he did understand was the universal language of an embarrassed child, as your eyes grew wide and you let out a sharp ‘Mama!’ through gritted teeth.

“What?” He asked you amused.

“She told him you’re his next grandson-in-law” And when he looked down at you, a soft blush dusted your cheeks and your hand rubbed at the bottom of your nose to hide the shy smile.

“My Fox?” He heard the deep voice come from your grandfather and was more confused about the nickname than your mother’s statement.

“D’you want some Sangria?” You interrupted.

He nodded with a nice smile and you walked off to the drinks table with your mother behind you. He was about to follow behind, but the man beside him placed a gentle hand over his shoulder to stop him. 

“Carmy, yes?” He spoke with a slight crack in his pronunciation.

Carmy gulped and nodded.

“What is it that you do, Carmy?”

“I, uhm.. I own a restaurant.” ‘More like a burning shithole’ the voice in his head added.

The older man hummed in contemplation. “You know hard work, then?”

Carmy let out a nervous laugh then answered “Yeah, I-I do.” That would be an understatement.

“Good, good.” He patted Carmy’s back, the intimidating facade slipping when he turned to look at you laughing beside Syd and Marcus while you served two drinks. “She's been through a lot this year y'know... and I want only the best for my little Fox.” He turned back to him “Are you the best?”

Carmy’s eyes stayed glued on your figure, his heart warming at how you swayed naturally with the upbeat music, reminding him of vibrant hibiscus flowers in the breeze. “I want to be… yeah.” He confessed wholeheartedly.

A smile that reached your grandad’s eyes appeared before him, leaning to his side and whispering. “Good answer.”

“Can I ask you something?” He asked the man after a few silence filled seconds and took the small grunt as a sign to continue. “Why do you call her that? Fox?”

He heard the man’s booming laughter above the music before he began to speak.

“Do you know that fox movie? Where he steals all the chickens and lives in a tree?” Carmy shook his head. “She does, seen it a hundred times or more. When she was little, she walked around wearing fox ears her grandma made her and would chase the chickens around in my other daughter’s house. So she’s been my little fox since.”

A grin appeared slightly at the picture of a little you running around with cloth fox ears pinned to your hair. He wanted to ask about your grandmother, but before he had the chance, a woman in a tight blue dress tackled her arms around the older man. He only understood her excitement and giggles, then she signaled to someone across the area and the man moved with open arms to new arriving guests.

“Hi” She turned to him, stretching a well manicured hand towards him. “I’m Sarah.”

“Uh… Carmy.” He gave her hand a single shake, a little taken back by the light scratch of her nails on his skin.

“Oh yeah, my aunt told me about you.” She batted her long lashes at him and he readjusted his weight on his legs under her heavy gaze. “You’re the chef that works with my little cousin, no?”

Carmy nodded and swallowed nervously, assuming this was the cousin your mother wanted to set him up with.

“Cooking is such a hard job, with all the heavy lifting you do, I’m sure you don’t even need to work out.” She gave him a breathy laugh and he tried to hide his lack of comfort under a chuckle, his eyes scanning the space for you or any other person that he knew could pull him out of the situation.

“Maybe you can come over one day and cook for m-”

“Babe, d’you think you can help me with something?”

The sound of your voice hit him the way soft ocean breeze hits the rocks after a crashing wave and he unconsciously stepped further away from your cousin.

“Babe?” They both asked in surprise.

He raised his brows at the pet name, a slow fluttering sensation filling his insides because you had never called him anything other than by a variation of his name, or chef, in your whole time of knowing each other, yet now that it slipped past your cherry tinted lips, he could not ignore the shaking sensation the two syllable word had unearthed in him.

Your brows raised, expecting an answer from his parted lips. All he could do was nod slowly and take a few steps in your direction. You smiled softly up at him then turned to your cousin.

“Your mom’s looking for you. I think your kid knocked his tooth out again.”

Then you turned towards the door that led to the stairway with him following right behind.

You didn’t say a word as you made your way up the multiple floors and his hands developed a thin layer of sweat at the idea that maybe he had done something wrong. He was about to ask what it was you needed help with when you reached the door, but the moment he stepped into the dim hallway, your hands grabbed the two sides of his shirt and pulled him down to your awaiting lips. It caught him off guard, but the breathy sigh that left your chest  had him pressing himself closer to you. Carmy groaned into the kiss, the floral taste of red wine exploting his senses. His hands instinctively reached up to cup the sides of your face to deepen the action, tongue lapping at yours trying to get more of the intoxicating flavor. He felt your fingers circle around the loops of his jeans and pull him forward as you took small steps back down the hallway.

“You have no idea… how much I’ve wanted to do that.. today.” You managed to say between peppered kisses while pulling him deeper into the room.

One of his hands moved to the dip between your back and ass while the other extended long digits under your chin. In a second of bravery, he wrapped it tentatively, applying light pressure to the sides and causing a hefty gasp to rip from your chest. His smile unraveled at the melodious sound, dick now pressing hard against the material of his jeans.

“Just that?” He asked in a whisper then left your mouth to plant wet kisses along the edge of your lips and down to the valley of your jaw. He could feel your pulse quicken at his actions and your grip grow tighter on his jeans.

He felt the hand on your lower back hit the hard edge of the kitchen counter and he pressed himself flush against you. You shook your head at his question, attention trained at his lowering head now reaching your chest. Sultry kisses rose small bumps on the tender skin of your upper breast as your hand flew up to tangle in between golden strands. You pushed your head back to allow him an open access.

“More than that..” You whispered through difficult breaths.

“Yeah?” He asked, withdrawing from your skin and rising back up to your face. His nose rubbed along yours as his hands fell from their grip, down past your waist and to your hips. Fingers clawed at the fabric of your dress and bunched it up into high fists.

A low shiver left your lips at the contact of his hot skin against your thighs, fingernails raking along the sensitive area. Your hands rested on his shoulders, gripping tightly when skilled thumbs feathered over the thin hem of your underwear.

You hummed in affirmation, eyes wide and bright staring hungirly up at him through hooded lids. Your lips twitched up and you bit it slightly before speaking. 

“Y’know…” you whispered to Carmy, lips brushing over his with every word. “I chose the dress knowing how much you’d wanna fuck me in it.”

The breath he had struggled to take was forcefully knocked out by your admission. A groan moved past his  lungs, because fuck were you right. He felt like a mad man, unable to control himself from the moment your skin touched his. 

Without thought, he dropped to his knees, face buried in the material of your dress.

“Fuck, Carm-” Escaped your lips in heavy breaths. 

He looked up to find you a beautiful mess of shaky breaths and blushed cheeks. The golden necklace around your neck was disarranged and your exposed skin glistened from his wet kisses. He smiled at your glowing physique. 

Carmy never considered himself religious. He grew up catholic from his parents but never bought into the whole idea of an ever present being creating everything around him. In that moment, however, with the glowing rays of sunshine filtering through the windows and cascading over your form- red fabric bunched at your hips like an impending fire- he undoubtedly confirmed the existence of the godly being he wanted to spend all his mortal life worshiping. You had him like silly putty in your lovely little hands and he was too far gone in the moment to rationalize if he was fucked for good or not.

He hooked his index fingers on the band of your underwear and pulled it down torturously slow, following the drag of the fabric with his teeth. He didn’t want to waste the little time you had, considering you were also in the middle of your kitchen and anyone could walk in at any moment. But god did he want to slurp you up and bottle every last one of your desperate sighs, make you feel so good until the only word you remembered how to pronounce was his name. 

When the flimsy piece of clothing was finally down to your ankles and you had stepped out of it, his palms pushed the fabric up once more and he was greeted by the wonderful image of your glistening pussy. He swallowed down the sudden rush of saliva that invaded his mouth, a usual reaction from his body when he’s been starving for so long and is graciously presented with an appetizing dish.

He breathed out delicately above it, a clear pearl of slick forming on your folds, taunting him. He looked up at your aroused expression through hooded brows and without losing contact, stuck out his index finger  and swiped it over the tender flesh to collect the juices, then popped it in his mouth. The tangy taste of you on his tongue was all he needed to lose the last grips of control left in him. 

Carmy gripped firmly at your hips then pushed his face deep into your folds, tongue first. The force and the surprise of his actions had you losing your balance over him and holding on to his shoulder for support, mouth ajar. He used one hand over your stomach to keep you and the dress still against the counter, while the other held on to the supple bend behind your knee, raising it to rest on his ample shoulder and granting him greater access to you.

A mixture between a moan and a whimper invaded his ears, fueling the blaze of his actions and speeding up his attack on your cunt. He used his index and ring fingers to part at your labia, lapping with his flat tongue around the whole area. With blown eyes he looked up at your disheveled face, head thrown back as you tried to control your erratic breathing and he smiled to himself at how responsive you were to his touch.

He had learnt this like he had everything else, through technique, observation and a shit ton of practice. Everyone around him always assumed that just because he had never had a girlfriend before, that meant he had never had sex either. But they’d be surprised at what having your face and name linked to the top twenty best chefs in the country could do for your sex life in a supercilious city like New York. This was probably one of the few good things that he gotten out of it. Seeing you tremble through his actions over his mental stability seemed like a fair trade.

As he saw you fall into a breathless mess above him, a proudness flourished inside him. To know that it was he who turned you into a heap of mumbles and praises with just his skilled mouth.

“Shi-t, babe- so good. So so good…” You were too far gone to be able to say anything else.

He used his fingers to spread you open again and a high pitched cry vibrated in your throat when he wrapped his lips to suck on your clit. You pushed on his shoulder at the intense sensation and he let it go with a ‘pop’ of his mouth, kissing the velvet skin on your thigh and giving you some time to breathe. He took a few seconds to calm his racing heart and his cock jerking inside his jeans.

“As much..” You could barely speak between breaths “as I want you to make me come with your mouth- and I do-" your leg unhooked from his shoulder and you pulled him up by the collar of his shirt. “I really want you to fuck me right now.”

You didn’t give him time for an answer, only sealing your lips above his and groaning when you tasted yourself on his tongue. Your hands flew to the buttons on his jeans, undoing them with practiced ease, but before you could pull his stiff member from its confinement, Carmy grabbed at your hips and turned you towards the counter. On the wall across from the counter, by the door to your room, rested a tall mirror, long enough where you both could see your heaving upper bodies.

 His hand slid to the front to massage at your aching clit, chest pressed tightly to your back.

“God, you’re fuckin’ gorgeous, look at you.” He used his free hand to wrap around your neck and tilt your head to the mirror. “My pretty, pretty girl.” He whispered near your ear.

He had no idea what came over him when it came to having sex with you. The way your body responded to his touch caressed a part of his ego he thought dormant so long ago. Yet her you were, all doe eyes and shaky moans, ready for him to fuck you in your kitchen with your family only a few floors down. He really was a lucky son of a bitch.

Carmy used his slick covered hand to wrap around his cock, then gave a few taunting jerks on himself before aligning with your entrance; all while maintaining eye contact with you through your reflection. You gave him a little nod in the mirror, your hand covering over his inked one around your throat, then he pushed slowly into you until he felt your warmth swallow him completely. 

Your hands fell flat on the cold counter, the metal clink of your rings hitting the surface as you tried to scratch at something to hold on to. He kept his grasp on your neck steady and his eyes fixed on yours as he quickened his snaps on your hips. He could see your tits bounce in the mirror at his brutal force and it only made him want to go faster.

“I’m not gonna-fuck baby- not gonna last l-longer” You uttered in gasps.

Your back arched towards him when he hit that particular spot he had learned you liked, then he did it again and again until the strength from your legs disappeared completely, folding you over the counter. The fluttering around his cock signaled to him you were almost close and with the way his movements stuttered lightly, he could feel it too. 

He closed his hand around your neck again and pulled you to him. A mess of curls and reddened cheeks stared back at him, a pleased smile tattooed across your face.

He whispered filthy praises into your ear. “Look how good you look taking my cock.” He accentuated the words with a deep thrust. “You like lookin’ at yourself while I fuck you?”

You nodded frantically, pulling one of your hands up to grab at the back of his head.

“I like looking at you fuck me.” You answered back in shrill breaths. Your puffs blew on the sweat covered strands around your face, some clinging to the surface of your hot cheeks.

Your answer had him chuckling in delight and he picked up the pace one last time, heavy thrusts creating ripples on the tender skin of your ass cheeks. He circled his free arm around your waist and rubbed on your bundle of nerves until he felt you shiver with an upcoming orgasm, then he skillfully rolled the nub between his fingers and that was enough to have you break under him with a strong moan. Your cunt clung with breathtaking strength around his twitching cock, allowing him three more thrusts before he found his own release inside you. 

He took several large puffs above you, the lavender shampoo from your hair calming the erratic beats of his heart. Carmy pulled out slowly out of you and you let out a sensitive whine. He looked down at your tinted skin, attention fully on the drops of creamy white beginning to slip out of you with every involuntary spasm and it surprised him to feel the need to be inside you again.

He kissed your naked shoulder and smiled towards your reflection, the disarrangement of dark curls framing pink cheeks and kiss swollen lips had him clutching at his heart. You could have been there for an eternity, both afraid to break the bubble you had so cautiously created around you, but knowing you had to. 

“Is that what you needed help with?” He asked with a grin, reaching for a paper towel and running it under warm water before helping you clean up the mess he had gladly partaken in between your legs. "You coulda just asked..."

A relaxed laugh escaped your lips as you retied the ribbon in your hair and asked him to pass your discarded underwear, then brushed your hands around the ruffles of your dress to make it less wrinkled.

“Honestly I just wanted to get you away from my cousin.” You confessed, then walked towards him and combed your fingers through his hair while he readjusted his jeans.

“Guess I should make you jealous more often then, huh?” He asked and you stopped rubbing the lipstick off his cheek, giving him a glare. “I’m just joking!” Then he pulled you in for a tender kiss.

“C’mon, they’re probably looking for us.” 

“Let ‘em look, I don’t fuckin’ care right now.” He whispered back, catching your lips into another sweet long kiss.

“No, seriously. We gotta go.” You managed to say in between kisses and laughs. He planted his lips by your ear and inhaled your perfume.

You smiled, then intertwined your fingers with his and began your hefty walk back down stairs, a mild ache in his abdomen that would keep your escapade present in his mind.

“What the hell?” You faintly said.

A sudden rush of trumpets and string instruments reached your ears the moment you crossed the heavy metal door back into the courtyard. He could see all the guests crowded in a semi circle around a group of men belting out the lyrics to an unfamiliar but attractive song. Your hand held tighter around his and you turned to him with a confused grin.

“Was this you?” You asked above the overpowering music.

He shook his head ‘no’ and turned back to the Mariachi band, only to see Richie walking to them with extended arms, like an orchestra director but with a beer in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.

“Whatup fuckos! You missed the whole surprise!” He yelled through the noise. 

“This was you?!”

He shrugged, taking a sip from his beer and turning towards the band.

“I felt kinda bad that you quit cause of me, so hope this makes up for it.”

Your hand released Carmy’s as you walked a couple of steps towards his cousin, circling as much as you could around his waist with your arms. Richie stayed frozen in his spot with his gaze down on you, then he looked up to Carmy who just stayed with raised brows. He moved his slender arms around you to hug you back, chin resting down on your head.

He cleared his throat after a few seconds and let you go.

“Okay, enough of that mushy shit.” Richie took another swig.

Someone called your name from the crowd and you turned to Carmy promising you’d be back in a bit, then ran to Syd, who took your hand and spun you around to the beat of the music. 

Richie strutted to his cousin’s side and offered him the burning cig. 

“That was nice of you. The Mariachi.” He clarified while taking a drag.

“Was nothin’.” He shrugged again. “The fucker owed me a favor.”

Carmy nodded slowly. Riche’s eyes flickered towards him then raised the bottle to his lips.

“She’s..uh… She’s good for you. Try not to fuck it up.” He stated simply, then added “Also you both reek of sex.” and this pulled a soft laugh from Carmy.

They both watched the crowd move rhythmically in silence for a long while, maybe three or more songs, until the musicians stopped and an uproar of clapping and cheers began.

People dispersed into their seats around the long table and you waved Richie and Carmy over to the empty seats around you and the other guys. 

As the sun hid behind the skyline and the lights under the trees casted a soft yellow glow around everything, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment away from his looming responsibilities. He ate everything you or your aunts offered him to taste, to the point where both his stomach and his heart felt like they could burst. He then downed it with glasses of Sangria and the constant beers Richie threw at him so he could show off his skill at opening them with a lighter, the only party trick he knew. 

At some point, his arm rested on the back of your chair and you leaned your back to rest on his chest, head nestled in the crook of his neck as your grandfather entertained their end of table with the romantic story on how he had met your passed grandmother. It was a beautiful story of ‘the old homeland’ as he called it and as he skimmed the back of his fingers on your smooth arm, Carmy listened attentively. He felt brave enough to let his guard down and plant a single kiss on the crown of your head, but didn’t notice the lingering stares and multiple hidden smiles from both families surrounding you. 

Your grandfather’s words swam peacefully in the light haze of his mind, both from the alcohol and the warmth radiating from your palm mindlessly tracing figures on his thigh.

‘Her father pointed a rifle at my head when I asked for her hand. I was not afraid because I knew she would say yes. And if she didn’t? Why would I ever want to live in a world without her by my side?’

Chapter 7.

Taglist: @pearlstiare @teteminne and that’s it lmao

[ghouly-boiiiii]

A Light in the Dark 🕯️

Chapter 1: Throwing Stones

Lucy x Cooper Howard / The Ghoul

Summary: Takes place directly after the end of Season 1. As they begin their journey, Lucy is understandably very angry and fearful towards the Ghoul. She hates him, and is only joining him because she wants answers. He, however, is harboring secret feelings for Lucy ever since she saved his life. Having not been with anyone since Barb, and believing she would never feel the same, the bounty hunter has to deal with these feelings on his own. Little does he know, Lucy finds herself having inexplicable feelings for him as well, and struggling to make sense of them.

Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Casual Sex Lucy and No Wait Let Me Court You Cooper, Cooper is touch-starved and rusty in bed, He's also self-conscious about his body, Ghoul channels old romantic Cooper, Lucy is confused by strange surface dweller mating customs, She helps him discover his old self, He helps her discover her true self, Did I mention there would be angst

Rating: Mature - Word Count: 1,742

SPOILER WARNING: Contains all the spoilers. No trigger warnings except eventual sexy time with a zombie man and lots of angst.

In this chapter...

To her horror, the rock shot straight forward and bounced off the back of The Ghoul’s head.

She threw her hands up in front of her. “I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean to hit you! Please, don’t…”

“Don’t worry…” To her surprise, his voice was gentle and unthreatening. “I ain’t gonna do nothin’ to hurt cha’… But…” The Ghoul kneeled down and picked up a rock, then looked up at her and threw it in her direction.

She watched as fell to the ground at her feet.

“Huh… I missed.” He shrugged with an odd smile, then turned back around and kept walking.

Authors Note: This fic starts out somewhat similar to my other fic, My Name Is Cooper, because it starts directly after the end of the season. They have similar conversations at first, but the tone is much different and the story goes in a completely different direction. This one is more serious (still with some humor though, of course), and is probably going to be longer. I really wanted to do a more realistic, slow burn romance. I know there's a ton out there already, but I wanted to do my own version because idk, reasons I guess lol. But I really wanted to dive deep into how these two navigate their relationship and the very complicated feelings they might have for each other. This is what you might call another free-writing project, so I don't know *exactly* where it's gonna go, but I will do my best to make sure it has a decent ending when the time comes! Inspired by the cool peeps on Discord and touch-starved Cooper headcanons lol.

Lucy felt the cool night air fill her lungs as she took a deep breath and tried to still her mind. It was silent. Nothing but the soft crunch of leaves and dirt under their feet, and perhaps the occasional frog or cricket.

The vault dweller looked out at the distance before them. A fog rose up from the earth, illuminated by the faint glow of a thousand lights that mirrored the stars above. She was in awe, even thinking that it was beautiful. But it was only a distraction from all the pain and confusion she felt.

Her whole world had turned upside down. Nothing was as she believed it was. Nothing was as it seemed. Everything she thought she knew had crumbled into dust within a matter of minutes. She was numb. Overwhelmed. Everything felt surreal. And now she found herself once again alone… with him. 

As Lucy stared ahead at his silhouette in the darkness, she felt nothing but disdain. The young vault dweller was taught to forgive and forget. But she was fairly certain the people who taught her that were never fed to a giant salamander or tied up by their neck and dragged around a desert or sold for organs. How could she possibly forgive, let alone forget, such horrible things that were done to her?

She couldn’t. But she had to stuff down her feelings and let it go… for now. 

“So… where are we going?” Lucy finally asked. They must have been walking for at least thirty minutes at this point. And he hadn’t looked back even once, only reacting to the dog when she came up to him, and even then with barely more than a glance. Lucy wasn’t even sure if he knew she was still following him anymore.

The Ghoul didn’t answer right away. He waited a moment, before he took a breath and said, “Can’t say for sure yet… but looks like yo’ daddy might be headed for New Vegas.”

“...That’s a town?” 

“Big town.” 

“Okay…” Lucy took a deep breath. The conversation seemed to be going… okay so far. “So…  what’s in this town? Why do you think he’d want to go there?”

The Ghoul didn’t answer.

The vault dweller swallowed hard. She wanted to push, but she knew she had to be cautious. “How do you know my father? Are you going to tell me?”

The bounty hunter seemed to be ignoring her.

She huffed. He was so rude. So rude and inconsiderate and unaccommodating, it sickened her. Maybe if she started with something simpler… “Okay, so… do you got like a… name or something?”

Again, nothing.

Lucy frowned, her tone getting exasperated. “I’m just… wondering what I should call you… You really not gonna answer that either?”

“I don’t give a good goddamn what you call me.” He snapped, sounding a bit angry.

Lucy fell silent and her throat got tight, a bit of fear rising in her. She truly didn’t know what kind of madness compelled her to follow this man, after everything he did to her. She was hypervigilant about his every movement. Knowing that at any moment, he could turn around and try to do... something to her. 

With her hand on her pistol, she kept her distance. This one, armed with actual bullets. She wasn’t sure if it would do much, but it was something. 

Truly, every fiber of her being told her to get as far away from this… creature as she humanly could, but…

He had answers. And so did whoever they were going to find. She needed those answers. There was no question about it. Sure, she could just turn around and go home. Go back to her life in the Vault with Norm and Chet and Stephanie and everyone else. But she would never be able to live with herself. Those questions would never stop haunting her. She would never stop feeling compelled to seek the truth. Lucy knew this about herself, and her body acted almost automatically as she took one step in front of the other behind those of this two-hundred year old cowboy. 

“Look… you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. Obviously, we’re not friends. But if we’re going to be working together… we need to at least communicate effectively...”

The Ghoul was silent for a moment, then finally responded, “Well, then… I got a question for you , Vaulty.”

“...Okay?”

“What happened to the doctor?”

“...The doctor?”

“Yeah. How’d he end up with no head?” This time, he did turn his head slightly, although not enough to see her. “...Who cut it off?”

"Uhh... Well, uh... I-I did..." Lucy's eyes fell to the ground.

"You did?" The bounty hunter said in surprise.

“Uhh… well…” She swallowed hard, as she remembered the task. She’ll never forget having to cut off someone’s head for the first time… and, well… hopefully, the last. “He asked me to.”

“He asked you to cut off his head?” This time, he did look back at her, peering over his shoulder questioningly with a raised brow.

“Yes… he… he took cyanide and told me… He told me it would be easier… if I just… brought his head…” 

The Ghoul turned to face ahead of him, then just said, “Huh…”

There was silence for a moment, before he asked another question. “What about the Super Duper Mart? What'd you do in'ere?”

Lucy blinked, then narrowed her eyes at him, flustered by the fact that he would ask that, considering he put her in that situation. “...Why do you wanna know?”

“Curious, I guess.” The Ghoul said simply. "It's just kinda funny... what with all that 'Golden Rule' talk, how many people seem ta' end up dead 'round you."

“It was an accident!" The vault dweller quickly retorted. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt... I just…" She paused and looked down at the ground somberly, remembering Martha. "They... they were holding all those people captive… I... I couldn’t just leave them there…”

“You mean those ghouls?”

“They’re people. Maybe they have a condition, but they’re still people..." She snapped, then added under her breath. "Unlike you...” 

Dangit. That was not a good thing to say. Lucy bit her tongue, hoping he didn't hear.

She swallowed hard and tried to play it off. “But I did have to kill some of them. So, you know…” She said, trying to sound confident in her ghoul-killing skills. "I'd, uh... watch out... if I were you."

"Heh. Well, good for you, Vaulty." He snickered. “…Anyways, how did you get the–”

“Now! Now, hold on!” Lucy said, holding up a bluish-grey finger. “If you get to ask me things, I get to ask you things.” She lifted her head a bit higher. “A question for a question. That’s only fair.”

The Ghoul peered over his shoulder at her again for a moment as he continued to walk, then turned back. “Alright.”

“Yeah… so…” She looked down at the ground and exhaled, then back up with determination in her eyes. “So I get to ask you—”

“Two questions.”

“Five.” 

“Five?” 

“That’s right. You technically asked me five questions. Actually, six.”

“Well, that don’t sound quite fair to me, Vaulty.” He said with a smirk. “I asked you two questions. The rest were for clarification. They don’t count.” 

She huffed in dismay. It was worth a try, she thought.

He chuckled. “Tell you what. You can ask me however many questions you want. But I get to pick which ones I answer.”

“No! That’s not fair! I answered the questions you asked me, now you’re gonna answer mine.”

“Well, you didn’t have to answer my questions. That was your choice.”

“What!? I–” She huffed, unsure how to counter that.

“Alright… question for a question.” The bounty hunter said, raising his voice, and two fingers.  "You got two. Have at it, sweetheart.”

The vault dweller jumped, then quickly ran up closer, but still stayed a few feet behind him. Out of arms reach. “...Name?”

“Pass.”

“How do you know my dad?”

“Hard pass.”

She huffed. “This isn’t fair.”

“And what is, darlin'?” He scoffed, holding his arm out beside him. “What in God’s Green Earth made you think that anything in the wasteland is ever fucking fair? It’s every man for himself out here, sweetheart. Thought you might’ve figured that out by now.”

Lucy growled, and as she momentarily lost her cool, she kicked a rock in front of her. To her horror, it shot straight forward and bounced off the back of The Ghoul’s head.

He froze, and she took a sharp gasp. Oh, no… now she’d done it.

As she watched The Ghoul slowly turn around to face her, she threw her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry!” She said in a panic. “I-I didn’t mean to hit you! Please, don’t…”

The old bounty hunter stood there and just stared at her a moment. “Don’t worry…” His face was in shadow, but she could see the gleam in his eyes. To her surprise, his voice was gentle and unthreatening. “I ain’t gonna do nothin’ to hurt cha’…” 

Lucy rose her head and lowered her arms a little, relaxing somewhat.

“But…” The Ghoul kneeled down and picked up a rock from the ground. He tossed it in his hand once, then stood, looked up at her, and threw it in her direction.

She watched as it weakly flew towards her, then fell to the ground at her feet.

“Huh… I missed.” He shrugged with an odd smile, then turned back around and kept walking. 

She looked up at The Ghoul and raised an eyebrow before she continued to follow, wondering what the hell that was all about.

“One thang you gotta learn, Vaulty…” He said, raising his voice commandingly. “Caps ain’t the only form of money up here. Everything you have is potential currency. That includes information.” He said. “You see, that Golden Rule a yer’s only works if other people agree with it. Now that might be all peachy down in your vault, but up here, you don’t wanna be givin’ nothin’ away unless you know you gettin’ somethin’ in return. If you don’t do that, you’ll be eaten alive out here.”

“So… You’re giving me survival lessons now?”

“Yeah… I guess I am.” He said as he turned to smile at her, then tipped his hat up with a single finger. “...But those you can have for free.”

To be continued...

[earlgreytea68]

im the one who sent the lyrics questions (ty for answering!!) and i totally didnt mean to restrict you!!! by underrated i just meant like. ones you really love and want to show other ppl why theyre so great as well. feel free to rant abt them!!! apologies for bad wording haha

hahaha do not apologize for bad wording, I probably take everything way too literally!!!!

Anyway, other favorite Peterick-coded lyrics lol:

We'll make them so jealous, we'll make them hate us

The only thing worse than not knowing is you thinking that I don't know

Tell me you like boys like me better in the dark lying on top of you

Watch you work the room

This is a love song in my own way

I want to scream "I love you" from the top of my lungs, but I'm afraid someone else will hear me

And I want it so bad, I'd shoot the sunshine into my veins

Doing lines of dust and sweat off last night's stage, just to feel like you

You're a bottled star, the planets align, you're just like Mars, you shine in the sky

It's your club, so let me in, knowing how heartwarming it is inside your skin

You put my head in such a flurry, flurry, oh, freckle, freckle, what makes you so special?

This is the road to ruin, and we're starting at the end

I'm outside the door, invite me in, so we can go back and play pretend

Your hot whiskey eyes have fanned the flames

I miss missing you, now and then

The person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger

I will sing to you every day if it will take away the pain

I don't know what you're doing to me, mon cheri

And in the end, I'd do it all again, I think you're my best friend

It's our time now if you want it to be, maul the world like a carnival bear set free

I said I'd never miss you, but I guess you never know, may the bridges I have burned light my way back home

I confessed, confessed to you riding shotgun, underneath the purple skies

I got too high again, realized I can't not be with you or be just your friend

Every line of Last of the Real Ones

I hate all my friends, I miss the days when I pretended with you

If you were church, I'd get on my knees

In the end, if I don't make it on the list, would you sneak me a wristband?

I got dreams of my own, but I want to make yours come true

You're the one habit I just can't kick

Stuck in the sunshine riptide

You were the sunshine of my lifetime

My mood board is just pictures of you

I closed my eyes inside of your darkness, and found your glow

[sunnyfoxsstuff]

Hey sorry couldnt write Yesterday but im writing today the very first chapter! I thought about it way too much lol

Enjoy ;3

Chapter 1:New beginning

After the event at the black water manor and being stripped from his divinity the former wind master has tried his best to get around and survive, xie lian had offered him to stay at puqi shrine 'til he gets back on his feets he had agreed but he only stayed for a day or two he was more fearing hua cheng than living outside, however xie lian adviced him to try and go see at the royal capital knowing there is some beggar's living there he thought that he'll find refuge over there

The former windmaster of course took the advice and went over to the royal capital however he took atleast two good days to get there because of his injuries he was limping and slow

After getting to the capital he found some beggar's just as xie lian had told him they got along pretty well shi qingxuan had always a talent to get along with anyone he'd meet, a day After he started feeling nauseous he tried to ignore it but soon his body made him know that he was gettin too weak to even move, often he would just lay down Somewhere and sleep it was all he could do after all, the beggar's had a kind heart and couldnt bear leaving him on his own so they tried their best at helping them.

It was a morning when shi qingxuan woke up in the halley way he had fallen asleep at he looked around still weak and Saw his beggar friend's still asleep

he looked at the Sky above his head and closed his eyes shut again opening them soon after he somehow felt more..light felt better like as if he wasnt ill anymore

Looking down where his hands are supposed to be he couldnt see them but he could see his beggar friend's waking up,

He ran up to them excited and happy "guy's look! Look! I Can walk! I Can move im feeling better!!" However they walked passed him to where he was sleeping, confused he followed them, soon enough one of them started to cry another pray for some god's and the other one just went on his way to try and find their breakfast,

when the former windmaster took a look at what was going on he gasped almost all of his air out of his lung's and felt nauseous seeing his own body laying there lifeless and gettin more pale.

The now soul of shi qingxuan stood there watching his own body for what felt like minute's but had been atleast 3 hour's

until he'd look at his right side where there was a ominous shadow with what seemed like two golden eyes looking at his body quickly After leaving, it was he xuan.He xuan had came to check on him? But why? Shi qingxuan was more confused by he xuan coming over than his own situation

After some more minute's of standing there he decided that he wanted to make it up to he xuan for what shi wudu had done to him "atleast try" he said to himself determinated,

for the next couple hour's he'd try to manifest his New form but if anybody could see him all they'd see is a little bouncing spirit

"ugh! Why cant i just get my form to manifest already?!" He said pouting 'bout it, even so he still went on his plan and started to move away from where he had died and stayed for the past day's

He decided to make his way to puqi shrine first often stopping to still try and get his New form or to just stare at everything living in the forest the Sun soon started to set down, shi qingxuan isnt used to not sleep at night or even the no breath needed so he setted himself Somewhere and looked at the night Sky with the glowing star's smiling enjoying the cold air and little glowing bugs standing besides him on the grass.

Hey sorry imma stop there for the first chapter i feel like its long enough however i already know what im gonna write in the seccond chapter so do not fear it shouldnt take too long until i post it ;p i rlly Hope u enjoyed it atleast im tryin my best to think this through

[levi501ackerman]

Steel Heart Chapter 19:

This Action Will Have Consequences

Hange x Reader Chapter Index Masterlist

Megan's Note: Thank you so much for your patience. I really care about this story and have worked so hard on it and we are practically half way : )

Word Count: 10.1k (wtf sorry. this word count surpasses my "That Day" Levi one shot lol) The next chapter is shorter than this I swear.

Mud squashed under Beauty’s hooves as Levi guided her outside. The sun warmed her skin, and beauty whinnied at Eren passing by with his horse. Levi brushed Beauty gently on her neck and patted her. 

Based on the dark clouds, Levi and the knights expected another storm to hit the area they planned to travel towards. During breakfast, Flegel offered Hange and Levi to stay another evening to avoid the storm, as the storm would likely hit his area around dinner time again. They weren’t sure what the better choice was. Levi and Hange wanted to reach the capital before the Marleyan Cult had another chance to strike. The option to stay another night or the choice to set off later in the day . . .

Levi noticed the window to your room was opened, and he could hear you speaking to what he figured was Rai. He could hear the excitement in your voice as you noticed the vegetables in Rai’s cage were gone. Levi heard how you hoped Rai was starting to get comfortable with you now that she was eating. He rolled his eyes, muttering to himself that he just knows he’ll be taking care of your bunny. Levi realized if he could hear you from the top floor of Flegel’s home when your window was opened, who else could . . . 

Levi and the other knights were grooming their horses near the building Flegel had them stay in. Eren was carving dirt from his horses' hooves, and Connie was feeding his horse in the building. Apart from the incoming dark clouds, the bright sky cast a warm glow over Flegel’s land—the calm before the storm. 

Levi heard you gasp and you called Rai’s name.

“Princess Y/N caught a rabbit?” Eren asked, scraping the dirt and then flinging it to the ground.

“You know she didn’t.” Levi gruffed and then he started brushing Beauty’s shoulders. 

“LEVIIIII!!!!!” Hange was walking from the front side of the house. They were waving at him with both hands and a grin on their face.

“That one did.”

“Commander Dame Hange, are we staying another night?” Eren called. 

“The best course of action is to stay out of the rain—more really, the carts to stay dry. The night it stormed in Karanese District, the carts got disgustingly drenched. The tarps could only do so much. I bet the carts staying in Flegel’s barn another night will be better in the long run.” Hange approached Beauty and petted her mane. Then Beauty licked her fingers. They recalled when you told them how you named Levi’s horse against his wishes. They crossed their arms and watched Levi put away the brush. 

“I’ll tell the others,” Levi said. 

“Great!”

“One more thing,” Levi crossed his arms and gave Hange a sharp glare. “Why did you help her catch a rabbit?!”

“Levi, I didn’t know I’d actually be able to catch one,” Hange whispered and shrugged with their palms toward the sky. “I thought it would be a nice distraction for her—“

“If that rabbit dies or runs away. You will be the one dealing with a moping and crying Princess.”

“Relax, Levi! Damn!” Hange laughed. 

“Hange!” You called behind the two and the knights all turned in the direction of your voice. You had your cloak on with the hood over your head and were jogging from the front of the house. Your boots left footprints in the mud, covering your soles with the slick dirt. As a child, you didn’t run much, maybe barely at all, until you escaped Shiganshina with Sir Miche Zacharius. That was a test of your athletic capability and perhaps the adrenaline from fear and the near possibility of death fueled your lungs. When you got in front of Hange, Levi, and Eren, your chest was puffing and your face was red. 

“Take it easy,” Levi said, and Hange touched your back encouragingly. You giggled to yourself, embarrassed of how easily your energy was drained. 

“I need your help,” you turned to Hange. 

“What’s wrong?!” Levi asked. You glanced at Levi and then to Hange. There was an awkward pause—an unsure silence—you didn’t want Levi to know why you needed help. You knew he would be smug about your need for assistance. 

“It’s . . . girl trouble, Levi . . . only Hange can help me . . .” You pulled Hange’s wrist and started walking toward the front of Flegel’s home. A drop of glistening sweat dripped down your temple and you wiped it off in a hastily manner. Hange’s amused chuckle filled your ears and caused a small smile to grow. 

“And you ran all the way out here for what, my dear?” Hange let you continue to pull their arm. 

“It’s Rai . . .” you said hushedly, knowing Levi might have been able to overhear. “I . . . I wanted to hold her and so I took her out of the cage . . . I’m sorry.”

“Oh! Don’t apologize, Princess. You heard what Flegel said: bunnies need lots of room to run around, remember? Plus, I was going to tell you after telling Levi, but we are staying here another night.” Hange poked your arm with the index finger from their free hand and you groaned at Hange’s jab. “So little Rai can run all around the room until we travel tomorrow.”

“You decided we are staying another night?”

“Correct.”

“Honestly . . .” you leaned in closer to Hange. Though no one was around, you whispered. “I’m glad. It was nice to sleep in a comfy bed.” 

“Then it’s officially the choice we’re going with!” Hange kicked at the dirt, sending a thick, damp chunk into the air.

As you followed Hange into Flegel’s home and up the stairs, the quiet memory of you gazing at Hange sleeping stayed in your mind. You thought of how perfect they were. The pattering of the rain hitting the window panes and the crack of thunder blared outside, yet Hange’s distinct even breaths were the concern. 

Last night, when Hange was asleep, they were on their side and curled toward you. The candlelight flickered in the bathroom and Rai was sleeping in her cage. Like always, Hange was only wearing underwear and the blanket was up to their neck. Hange’s eyepatch was on the nightstand and the way Hange was burying their face in their pillow hid their scars. As you admired their thick eyelashes and the wispy hairs that framed their face, you couldn’t help but wonder what the skin around their injured left eye looked like. It was something Hange was self-conscious of. You recalled the day you approached Hange when they were bathing in the river. The first thing they did when they noticed you was put their eyepatch back on. 

With their scarred face buried in the pillow and the right side of their face revealed from the candlelight, Hange breathed evenly. You scooted closer, laid your face on Hange’s pillow, and wrapped an arm around them. While they slept peacefully and vulnerably, you protected them. You can’t turn the clock backward and prevent Hange’s eye from getting stabbed and you can’t fight off people twice your size to protect Hange, but you could do this. You stroke the side of Hange’s head—gentle and lightly, like you were given a chance to pet a sleeping deer. Hange hummed.

Deep inside, a seed of determination grew. There was a moment when you felt your thoughts weren’t yours—a hidden instinct you possessed. If anyone were to hurt Hange, you wouldn’t know what to do, but you knew you couldn’t be useless. But did you seek to harm? Only the desire to defend, protect—to save. Levi’s words crossed your mind: there are no good or bad people—only people with beliefs and those against the beliefs. There are sides in this world. There’s the Royal family and there’s the Marleyan Cult. There’s also Hange Zoe and you and those who wanted to harm Hange Zoe and you. If or when you needed to hurt someone to save the precious person lying next to you, you’d go to the lengths of killing.

You recalled the thoughts you had last night. What has become of you? The thought of killing . . . a path you can not return. Once you murder, you take the soul of another. Why was there a drive to hurt someone that hypothetically would hurt Hange, and yet there was mere helplessness in saving yourself?

“Hange?” A man’s sluggish voice said behind you. Jean was holding himself up by the rail and he was rapidly blinking. It was noon, yet the skin under Jean’s eyes was dark. He looked heavy and exhausted. 

“Jean?!” Hange questioned and Jean shut his eyes, wincing from the noise. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I have a bad headache and need medicine,” Jean said. Then he sat down on the stairs. Hange and you met Jean at the bottom of the stairs. You sat next to him, and Jean put his elbow on his thigh and rested his face on his hands.

“I’ll get a pill,” Hange dashed up the rest of the stairs into your shared room.

“I’m sorry about your headache,” you whispered.

“Thank you, Princess Y/N. I’ll be alright once I take a pill. I get headaches, but this one is killing me.” Jean whimpered into his hands. You weren’t sure how to be helpful and you wanted to take Jean’s pain away. Gently, you rubbed circles into Jean’s back, giving the comfort you would have wanted. 

“Here, Jean,” Hange came down the stairs. Hey held out a small white pill and Jean reached for it. “Why don’t you go back to bed? If you haven’t heard, we are staying another night at Flegel’s Farm . . .”

“I need water to swallow pills,” Jean said quietly and he groaned, covering his eyes from the light. You rubbed more circles into Jean’s back. 

“Go lay down, Jean. Y/N, take him to his room and I’ll get some water.” Hange towards the kitchen and Jean inhaled deeply then, with what looked like all his energy, he grabbed the railing and pulled himself up. You followed him, worried that Jean might fall or throw up. Jean walked down the stairs slowly. His head hung low, focusing on where he placed his feet on each step. The bottom floor had lots of space with more rooms for the knights to share. It also appeared to be a little storage space for Flegel to put furniture he didn’t want on the main floor. Jean entered a room with a queen-sized bed and three other bedrolls on the floor. 

“Which one’s yours? " you whispered, and Jean set the little pill on the nightstand and then crawled into the queen-sized bed. He looked relaxed like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Eren was going to sleep in the bed, but he let me have it because I’ve been sick.”

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.” You sat on the bed beside him and grabbed his hand, giving it a light squeeze. 

“We’re almost to the castle, your Highness. I’ll feel better then.” 

“I’m worried about you,” you said under your breath, and Jean closed his eyes. The light peeked through the window, and you knew Jean had been sensitive to light. You approached the window and pulled the thin covers, making the room darker. 

“Thank you, Princess.” Jean turned over to sleep on his side and you sat on the bed next to him again. You wished there was something you could do to make Jean feel better, but he laid restlessly in the bed. You weren’t sure whether to speak or stay silent.

More than ten minutes passed, and Hange had not returned with the glass of water. Knights passed by the door, but none of them were Hange. Jean had a difficult time returning to sleep. He would switch positions and turn over every few minutes. Jean adjusted his head on his pillow as if trying to find a position that didn’t hurt his head more.

“I’ll go see how Hange is with the glass of water so you can take your pill. " You gingerly walked to the door, avoiding making any more noise. As you opened the door, you rolled your eyes at the door creaking. You walked toward the stairs, passing Thomas and Daz, who greeted you with a good afternoon. You smiled at them and then politely returned a hello. 

You could hear Hange laughing in the distance, and you furrowed your eyebrows. Why is Hange laughing so hard? Was someone making them laugh? Who? You peeked your head through the kitchen door frame and three knights and Flegel surrounded Hange. Their head was thrown back and they were laughing hard, holding their stomach. It was a pleasant view to see Hange look happy. 

“Hange . . . ?” The knights, Hange, and Flegel turned to the sound of your voice. You kept your eyes on Hange, who smiled at you. Then, you walked through the threshold of the kitchen.

“Oh, right! I got a little distracted,” Hange turned and reached for the glass of water on the counter behind them. “Here, take this to Jean. I’m going to help start the process of braising the beef for tonight’s dinner.”

“Okay . . . How long will it take? I was thinking maybe . . .” you glanced at the knights and Flegel. Their presence created a sense of shame in you. You didn’t want them to know you didn’t fully know how to take care of Rae. You only caught her yesterday and were still learning. Plus, you didn’t want them to tell Levi. Hange walked past the group, and they put their hands on your shoulders, turning you away from them. It was almost like they were creating a division of privacy between the group and you. 

“Yes?” Hange whispered and their warm eye eased your nervousness. With Hange, you felt like you could share anything with them. 

“Well . . . I wanted to play with Rai . . . together. I wanted you to help me catch her and . . . I don’t know . . . take care of her.”

“Once I’m done. I’ll join you upstairs and we can befriend Rai all day,” Hange’s comforting voice assured you and you glanced over your shoulder to the knights. They were talking amongst themselves, but you met with Flegel’s eyes. Your head darted forward, facing Hange’s once again. You weren’t sure if it was the right thing to do in front of the knights—the right choice, but friends hug. Hugs are innocent. Parents hug their children. You wrapped your arms around Hange’s waist and they tensed up. A jolt shot through your body and you held your breath. You weren’t crossing lines, right? Friends hug. A hug isn’t romantic? When they wrapped their arms around you, Hange erased the worried thoughts that were soaring in your mind. Hugging Hange in front of others doesn’t look romantic . . . ?

“Okay . . .” You pulled away from Hange and saw the fond smile on their face. Then you jabbed your index finger into their chest, causing Hange to grunt. “Don’t. Forget. Hange Zoe.”

“I won't,” Hange raised their arms, playfully surrendering to you and chuckling. “Please, no more punishments catching a rabbit was hard enough! I can’t imagine what other punishments the Princess will have for me.” 

“That’s right!” You nudged their abdomen with a fist and Hange exaggeratedly winced. “You don’t want to find out.”

“Are you sure you need to learn to fight? You already beat me up a lot.” Hange clutched their abdomen. Then Hange turned to address the knights and Flegel. “You see what the Princess does to me? I’m under her thumb.” The knights chuckled at your interaction with Hange. Then you turned to face them to

“Send Hange upstairs when they’re done helping, or you’ll get a little nudge from me,” you boldly sassed. The knights amusingly played along, agreeing to your demands. There was a satisfaction in making the knights laugh, especially in front of Hange. You ripped the glass from Hange’s grasp and walked past Hange with your head held high. 

“Cheeky, isn’t she?” You heard Hange chuckle with the knights and Flegel as you left the kitchen. 

As you walked down the stairs with the glass of water, another group of knights passed you, wishing you a pleasant afternoon. You greeted them back in a friendly manner, smiling at them and hoping they had a good day. When you were outside Jean’s room, the door was partly opened and you couldn’t do anything to avoid the creaking noises. The room was dark and creaked when you slowly pushed the door open. Jean hummed in his light sleeping and he rubbed his eyes. 

“Jean?” You whispered. “I have some water so you can take the pill . . .”

“Hange, I meant to ask—”

“It’s Y/N—”

“—why would Erwin leave the castle?” You blinked. 

“What . . . ?” Jean adjusted his sleeping position and his eyelids were shut. He sounded awake, but maybe Jean was talking in his sleep.

“I saw Erwin Smith last night, standing outside your door.” The air from your lungs disappeared, yet your heart was racing. You felt chills on your face and you weren’t sure if Jean was asleep. If he were dreaming, then it would just be a coincidence. If Jean was lucid, then would he be saying that the bloodied knight was Erwin Smith? And he was outside your room when you and Hange were sleeping?

He’s still out there.

Watching you.

He’s real. 

“Are you awake?” You hoped he wasn’t, but you were wrong when Jean’s eyes opened. 

“Oh, I thought you were Hange.”

“No . . . I have water for you.” You set the glass of water on the nightstand next to the pill. Jean sat up and then reached for the pill and glass of water. You sat on his pill and pondered whether to ask about what Jean saw. If he was just dreaming. Jean has been acting off lately . . . was it even worth entertaining the questions you had? “What do you mean you saw Erwin Smith? What does he look like?”

“I don’t remember why I was in the kitchen,” Jean placed the pill in his mouth and then chugged the glass of water. “But as I was returning to my room, I saw the back of a knight who looked like Erwin on the top landing of the stairs.”

“What does he look like?” You leaned closer to Jean. Erwin Smith was the Commander of the Royal King’s Guard and Hange told you that he was Levi’s secret lover, but you didn’t know what he looked like . . .

“Erwin is tall, has short blonde hair, has blue eyes, thick eyebrows, and a commanding presence.” The man Jean described was like the bloodied knight.

“Does he have one of the jeweled swords?”

“Actually, yes, Erwin’s sword has blue jewels.” You recalled the bloodied knight having a crested sword that a Knight of the Royal King’s Guard would have. Maybe Jean was right . . . what if the bloodied knight was Erwin Smith? But Levi quickly dismissed Jean’s idea when he proposed it the night you saw him in the forest. Another memory flashed in your mind. When you were eavesdropping on Levi and Hange in the conference tent, you remember Levi telling Hange that he got a message from Erwin that he was going to meet them in Trost District and Hange asked why Erwin would need to leave the castle. It was as if Erwin Smith leaving Mitras Castle was something that didn’t happen often or was out of character for him being the Commander of the Royal King’s Guard. Something’s not right . . .

But if the bloodied knight was Erwin Smith—someone all the knights knew—why wouldn’t he show himself to the camp? Perhaps he was watching you, the knights, and the camp from afar in case the Marleyan Cult attacked. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to leave the castle and hiding in the shadows was his way of protecting the camp.

“Do you think the man I saw in the forest was Erwin Smith?”

“Maybe,” Jean set the glass onto the nightstand, pulled the blanket up, and adjusted himself to lying on his side. He exhaled tiredly, but rather tired of his headache instead of lacking energy. Jean yawned, which caused you to yawn, and you decided to give Jean time alone. As you were almost to the door, you heard Jean’s quiet voice behind you: “I think it was him.”

You closed Jean’s door and made your way to the stairs. Why would Erwin not show himself to the knights and what was he doing standing outside your door as you slept? The thoughts swirled in your mind and a foreboding feeling crept in. The bloodied knight was Erwin Smith? There was an unsure feeling with your conclusion. Jean saw him and Jean knows what Erwin Smith looks like. 

I need to see his sword.

You climbed up the stairs and got a sick feeling when you got to the top landing. Thinking of how the bloodied knight was standing last night. You shivered at the thought of what he did when you were asleep. 

You thought of the bloodied knight opening the door and watching you and Hange vulnerably sleep. Then you imagined him silently coming to your side of the bed and hovering over you. A dark silhouette of a man inches away from your unconscious state, able to do anything to you. Your legs were shaking as you walked to the bedroom door thinking of the bloodied knight raising his sword to Hange’s neck and slicing their neck open. Then he slices your neck open.

Erwin Smith, Commander of the Royal King’s Guard, wouldn’t do that . . . if he’s on your side, he would protect you—The Royal Princess. Was he outside your door with the intention of guarding you? Protecting you? Perhaps Jean was dreaming . . . Jean has been off lately. He called his new horse Thunder . . . but he put down Thunder after the Marleyan mutts attacked on the way to Karanese District. He’s been having headaches and you recalled during dinner last night how Jean said the light was giving him a headache. Jean also thought you were Hange . . . He’s just tired . . .

You opened the door to your room carefully, not wanting Rai to escape and quickly shut it behind you. Rai was next to the nightstand on Hange’s side of the bed. She was wiggling her nose and she looked adorable. You thought maybe Rai was starting to get used to the room because she wasn’t always in the corners anymore but moving around the room, wanting to explore her surroundings. It made your heart swell with the idea that Rai was getting comfortable and maybe she’ll one day approach you, easily, like how she did with Levi. 

You checked the bathroom and saw the corner where she pooped last night had more poop droppings. Though Levi wasn’t in the room or watching, you thought that cleaning up the dried droppings would be a good way to be a responsible owner for Rai. When you were done picking up the poop pellets with toilet paper, you threw it in the garbage. If only Levi were watching you and seeing you be a responsible owner. 

That’ll show him!

You heard the clanking of steel swords outside your window. The sounds were softer and friendlier than the sound of swords in a fierce battle. Outside the window, Eren and Connie were sparring with a group of knights, including Levi, around watching. It looked like the horses were put away back in the barn and the knights were finding a way to entertain themselves. The distant clashing of the swords sounded more satisfying when there wasn’t the intention of defense, murder, or battle. You watched as Connie ended the sparring when he held his sword to Eren’s neck. The knights clapped and then Connie theatrically bowed.

Some knights were trying to get Levi to fight Connie next to show off his skills, but he was shaking his head, denying getting involved. Then Franz appeared out of the crowd and he and Connie started sparring. You crawled onto the bed, deciding to lie down and wait for Hange to be done preparing some of the braised beef. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the storm was approaching. 

You exhaled, feeling relaxed with the strain of light disappearing as you closed your eyes. There was light scratching against the wood floor and you realized it might be Rai. You crawled to the edge of the bed and hovered over Rai. There were small scratches on the wooden floor and you groaned that your new pet rabbit was damaging Flegel’s floors. 

“Rai . . .” you reached out toward the tan bunny and they hopped away from your hands. You swung your legs toward the edge of the bed and got up. All morning, you have been chasing after Rai. Earlier, you wanted to hold and pet her, but she escaped your grasp. Once again, it was a battle to catch Rai and each time she would sprint away from you. 

You cornered her by the door and cage, but she was too quick. You tried again when they were in the corner near your nightstand and by the window, but Rai hopped over your hands and ran under the bed and went into the bathroom on the other side. You sighed defeatedly. Hange’s words crossed your mind. The memory of the moment Hange caught Rai came into your mind, how they tried to guess where Rai would hop and put their hands there. You walked to the bathroom, and Rai was in the corner by the tub. She thumped her little rabbit feet and your heart swelled. She was absolutely adorable. You just wanted to protect her and snuggle with her. 

As Rai looked like she was about to hop, you moved your hands in the direction of her hop and you caught her small, wriggling body in your hands. You joyfully exclaimed. Without any assistance from Hange or Levi, you caught Rai. Her hind legs kicked and you ensured your grasp on her was secure, yet firm. You placed Rai against your chest, holding her like how you would have a baby. Then you walked over to the bed and using your knee, you got onto the bed while holding Rai. She was so precious and you pet her gently with two fingers.

While on the bed, you figured the bed was too high off the ground for Rai to jump off. You lay on the bed and released Rai next to you. She was frozen as if not sure if she was free again or if you would capture her. You stretched your legs and admired her soft features and whiskers. Rai hopped away from you toward the edge and it looked like she was contemplating whether to jump off. She was so precious and you wanted her to snuggle next to you and seek comfort from you.  She hopped back toward the center and you watched her sit still. You hoped she was learning to trust you or getting used to you being her new owner. 

Rai hopped closer to your ankle and she began sniffing the fabric of the tan slacks. You hoped this was Rai’s way of exploring you, maybe getting used to your scent. Rai’s little nose was tickling you as she sniffed. The clanking of swords and Rai’s little tickles relaxed you; your eyelids began to get heavy and you couldn’t help but doze off. 

Your eyes fluttered open at the feeling of movement from the bed. The room was darker than earlier, and you were fully jolted awake when the window was slammed shut. Hange’s back was to you, and you could see the sky was darker through the window. Light rain started falling, and Hange nervously turned to you, noticing they had woken you. 

“Sorry,” Hange whispered and walked to their side of the bed. The bed dipped from their weight, joining you and laying beside you. “I tried to be quiet, but the window fell.”

“How long was I asleep?” You groaned; you always hated sleeping through the day. You rubbed your eyes, picking the crust from the inner corners.

“Two hours-ish,” Hange bent their knees and opened the book they created with their late friend Moblit Berner. They flipped to a blank page that had light traces on it. You huffed, annoyed with yourself.

“Why didn’t you wake me? I hate sleeping through the day!”

“I would have, but you looked so peaceful. Plus, when I opened the door—you won't believe what I saw.”

“What?” You scooted closer to Hange, wanting to be close to them. 

“Rai . . .” Hange flashed you a small and their eyelashes fluttered. “She was sleeping next to you when I walked in.” You gasped and got up on one elbow. Rai wasn’t by your feet anymore. She wasn’t on the bed at all.

“Wait! Where is she?!”

“I took her off. I think she’s under the bed right now.” You sighed, knowing you missed the precious moments of Rai peacefully sleeping next to you. 

“Was she really sleeping next to me?” 

“It was adorable.”

“So you just laid next to me while I slept?! Wake me up next time! I don’t want to sleep through the day!” You whined and Hange chuckled. 

“I promise I’ll wake you up so you don’t sleep through the day from now on.” You kissed Hange’s cheek as a thank you and thunder boomed in the distance. Hange furrowed their eyebrows and their eyes darted around the ceiling. “It’s going to be a rough storm tonight.”

“Are you scared?” You gripped Hange’s arm, shaking it a bit, and wiggled your eyebrows at them. 

“Oh, I don’t know . . .” Their face turned into a feigned look of fear. “I do get a little scared of thunder . . . if only I had a Princess to cuddle and calm me down.” You giggled at their silliness and pulled them in closer. You rest your head on their bicep and a part of their chest. The book had a few traces of drawings and you realized it was of Rai, your rabbit. You gasped excitedly.

“Are you trying to draw our bunny in your book?” You lifted your head to see Hange’s dull brown eyes staring back at you. They blinked and then they sighed, frustratedly. 

“I’m trying. But I’m not the artist . . . Moblit was . . .” Hange shut the book and then placed it on their nightstand. Then they wrapped their arms around you and one hand was stroking your hair. You closed your eyes, feeling all the tension leave your body at Hange’s touch. Another thrilling sound of thunder rumbled not too far away. The rain was light, yet the storm was approaching.

“What was Moblit like?” You asked quietly, not knowing whether Hange wanted to talk about their late friend. Rai’s hops could be heard on the wooden floor and the sound of the rain filled the room. “You don’t have to talk about him though . . .” 

“It’s alright, dear. He was a great friend . . . Moblit was intelligent, caring, a wonderful artist, and a great listener . . .” You wanted to hear more about Moblit, but at the same time, you didn’t want Hange to feel pain or sorrow thinking of their friend. Then you boldly crawled on top of Hange, straddling them. Their doe eye looked up at yours, yet there was a smirk on their face. You leaned over and placed a soft kiss on their forehead. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know . . .” Hange’s arms were lying on the bed near your legs and they laughed at your ridiculousness. “Trying to comfort you.”

“By seducing me?”

“Am I?” You planted another kiss on Hange’s forehead and rested your forehead against theirs. Two swans. Hange closed their eye and you leaned back and toyed with the cotton of their white shirt. You rolled the fabric between your fingers and thumb. “Do you think your friend would have liked me . . . ?” There was an honest truth behind your words. The yearn to be liked by those who associated with Hange. Hange copied you toying with the fabric of the tan slacks by your left calf. They hummed thoughtfully.

“Honestly . . . I think he would have more than liked you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Moblit and I have coincidently developed feelings for the same girl one or a few times. It got quite annoying over the years.” Hange chuckled bitterly to themself. “I think Moblit would have developed a huge crush on you, just like most of the knights here, probably.”

“What?” You blinked. You didn’t know which thought to explore. Hange saying you were their type or the history between them and Moblit having feelings for the same girls multiple times. Did some of the knights have a crush on you? That couldn’t be . . . none of them have done anything romantic . . . they’re all just incredibly nice and helpful. But that’s only because you were a Princess. You scoffed, “You’re making that up to flatter me, Hange Zoe.”

“Oh! Come on! You’re a sweet, kind, compassionate girl who is beautiful inside and out and needs protection. You bring out their primal instinct to protect you. There’s gotta be a few that have developed crushes on you.” You gently took Hange’s hand away from your leg and held it against your heart. Hange’s doe eye twinkled and you felt your heart swell with your thoughts.

“I’m loyal to you, Hange Zoe. I’m grateful for the protection that the knights give me, but I don’t care if any of them have a crush on me because I am yours.” Hange pushed themselves up and sat up. You adjusted yourself so they could be comfortably sitting up. They fondly glanced at you, and you knew their heart was beating as hard as yours. When their eye met with yours, your breath hitched at the unforeseen thoughts. 

The image of Hange chopping potatoes the same way Fairy Godmother Ymir did while you were cleaning dishes. Hange and you bantering and making each other giggle while cooking dinner. Then another thought of Hange watering the beautiful flora in front of a cottage and you were planting vegetables in another part of the garden. A thought of you bringing a cold glass of water and a sandwich into a room that was filled with different bottled formulas and Hange is creating a medicine that would save humanity from a disease. The last image was waking up on a beautiful morning and Rai was snuggled between you and Hange. There’s no castle and no cult, only a safe and quaint life. 

When you know, you know.

“I’m devoted to you too, Y/N,” Hange’s whispered voice pulled you out of your thoughts. Your breath softly hitched and Hange brought your hand to their lips. “Our bond truly is the most important thing to me. I will protect you, help you, and stay with you through any hardship.” Hange’s words brought a sense of clarity and touched a depth of you you hadn’t felt before, and your eyes began to tear up in gratitude, and you felt a strong fondness for Hange. This is a person you could count on. A person who will protect and stay with you. A person you wanted to protect. A person who distracts and shields the evil of the world from you, shining a bright hope. The light in the dark. The halo from the heavens. 

“Do . . . Do you think our souls fit toget-together?” You thought of Levi’s words. 

“Darling, you are my other half . . . you turn wilting flowers into blossoming, colorful bouquets. Everything bitter tastes a little sweeter because you turn the dull into the exquisite. Just like you said by the river . . . I give you my life, Y/N.”

“I give you mine . . .” Hange placed their hands on your face and their delicate lashes fluttered as they scanned your face, lips, and body. There was a heartfelt gratification of Hange feeling the same deep romantic feelings for you as you did for them. It was something you haven’t experienced before and knowing that Hange was your person—your other half was securing. Comforting. You didn’t need anything more. You knew they would keep you safe, care for you and make you laugh harder than anyone. When you know, you know. 

Hange leaned in and you met them with your lips on theirs. Your heart raced and their soft lips guided yours. You placed your hand on their waist and the other one cupped their face. Their thin frame in your grasp, made you think of their nude body by the river. You wanted to feel their skin and feel more than their waist. Feel their breasts, their thighs. You wanted them to touch your breasts and thighs. A new desire filled you and you led a rougher kiss, putting more pressure against Hange’s lips. You inhaled and heard Hange whimper. Their sounds sent an ache between your legs and you noticed the pleasant feeling of their body between your legs.

Hange adjusted their hips to get a better balance of you sitting on top of them and a part of their leg brushed against the ache between your legs. Your breath hitched as you broke away from Hange’s lips and you gripped the fabric around their waist. You wanted to see what that tingling feeling was and you subtly moved your hips forward, adding friction. You whimpered in Hange’s ear, feeling pleasure as you swayed your hips and grinded on their lap.

“Does that feel good, Princess?” Hange breathed and their words had you panting by their ear—enjoying this intimate new discovery. You let out a soft moan and then you felt Hange’s hand pushing against your chest. You stopped the motion of your hips and you and Hange were both panting. Their face was flushed and their doe eye was gleaming. You placed your forehead against theirs. Two swans. “We should . . .” Hange inhaled sharply. “We should stop . . .”

“Okay . . .” The disappointment in your voice was evident and the ache was yearning for more friction—more pleasure. 

“It’s just . . . it’s obvious you’re a little . . . innocent to . . . sharing your body with another. I want you to be comfortable and not feel taken advantage of. I know you want to explore and I do too, but trust me. Let me guide you gently, safely, and in a way you’ll be comfortable . . .” Hange whispered and you caught your breath. 

“Okay,” a smile tugged on your lips and their doe eye were the prettiest you’ve ever seen. “I trust you, Hange Zoe.” You poked their nose and Hange scrunched it playfully. You stroke their hair gently and batted your eyes.

“Can I tell you a beautiful fact about swans?”

“Yes.” 

“Did you know swans mate for life?”

As evening time drew closer, the thunder did too. Cracks of lightning illuminated white light into Flegel’s home through the windows. The lightning would be followed by a blasting sound of thunder that shook the oil paintings on the wall. It was a couple hours from dusk, yet the sky’s angry clouds towering over the farm gave the illusion of twilight. Flegel was preparing everyone by ensuring each room had multiple candles to burn. He made sure everyone had water and then went outside in the piercing rain to ensure all the horses and the buildings were locked up. 

Your concern was Rai and worried that the thunder would spook her. Hange took one of the used towels and wrapped Rai securely, keeping her cozy, yet she couldn’t escape your grasp. It was a surprise yet pleasant feeling when Rai wasn’t struggling against you holding her as if she was seeking comfort from you because of the thunder. You cooed and petted her often, wanting her to learn that you would protect her. The milestone of Rai starting to feel comfortable around you made you proud and excited about your bonding. Since Rai wasn’t as frightful or skittish when Hange caught her, you wanted to introduce your pet to all the knights. 

When you went downstairs with Hange, you proudly introduced your pet punny, Rai, to the knights. You offered each knight to pet her with two fingers. Each knight had a fond look on their face for Rai. Abel and Keiji cooed and gushed over your bunny. The knights were taken by Rai’s cuteness and preciousness. Franz commented how Rai was lucky to have you, which made you blush. Rai would sometimes shift in the towel, but overall, she was willing to be petted by the knights. Daz and Thomas joked about how adorable it would be if you got tiny clothes for Rai to wear. You gasped excitedly at the brilliant idea and wanted to know if rabbit clothes existed. When you got to the kitchen, the room Levi was in, he was shaking his head at Hange, finding your antics ridiculous.

“Levi? Do you want to pet Rai?” Rai sensed Levi’s presence and poked her head out of the towel further as if wanting to be closer to Levi. Levi had his arms crossed, he wasn’t angry, but you couldn’t tell if he was amused. “Look, Levi . . . she’s saying ‘hi’ to you.” 

“No, she’s not.”

“Rai’s saying ‘thank you for letting me live with my mommies, mister’.” You said in a softer and higher-pitched voice with an attempt to sound cute. 

“No, she’s not.” 

“What’s that, Rai?” The Hange furrowed their eyebrows playfully. Then Hange put their ear closer to Rai. “Oh really? Rai’s confused she just wanted me to ask you, ‘are you my daddy’?”

“Quit it!” Levi gruffed, which sent you and Hange into a fit of giggles. 

“Come on, Levi. Last chance to pet Rai . . . I mean, look at her; she's so cute!” Then you turned to a nearby group of knights. “Right guys, don’t you think Rai’s cute?!” The knights unanimously agreed, gushing over how small and adorable your pet rabbit was. Levi uncrossed his arms and hovered two fingers over the spot between Rai’s ears. Rai tilted their nose to Levi’s fingers and then she purred as Levi petted her. You gasped, hearing Rai grind their teeth and emitting a purring noise to Levi’s touches. You held back a smile at the thought that Levi wanted nothing to do with her, yet he was her favorite. 

“Well, look at that. She really does like you!” Hange exclaimed. 

“Yeah, yeah, dinner’s about ready, so go put that thing upstairs.”

“Her name is Rai!” you said firmly to Levi, then turned to Hange with a smile, and they poked your nose. 

“I’ll get you a plate while you take our little Rai upstairs.” You nodded and walked out of the room. Then you blushed and turned around to the knights.

“Say bye to Rai!” You playfully said with a large smile on your face. The knights playfully greeted Rai a farewell and then you turned to Hange to see they were grinning at you.

As you left the threshold of the kitchen doorway. You walked toward the stairs and then Jean was standing there shaking. His eyes were wide, alert yet it appeared he wasn’t focused on anything. Jean was sweating and had his hands over his ears. Your heart stopped and Jean paced in the foyer. As you got closer, you heard Jean mumbling to himself. Then Jean stopped pacing and crouched down, his hands still covering his ears, and his eyes were squeezed shut. You carefully took a few steps toward him, holding Rai against your chest. You and Rai were seeking comfort from each other. Something was off about Jean.

“Jean,” you crouched down and gently spoke. “Are you okay?” Jean shot up from his crouched position. You slowly raised yourself from the ground. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes were wide. The whites of his eyes were pink and your breath caught your throat. 

“Hange!” Jean said in a hushed whisper and grabbed your shoulders. He put his face inches away from yours, and your shoulders tensed. Jean’s hot breath was on your face, and the right pupil of his hazel eyes was over-dilated. 

“I’m not Hange. I’m Y/N.” You whimpered at the contact. Your heart was beating fast and Jean’s behavior was not normal.

“Hange. I need your sword.”

“I’m not—”

“Give me your sword.”

“You’re scaring me. Please let go of me.” Jean's grip on you loosened, and his face had a mere expression of remorse amongst the alarming demeanor. “Jean, you know I don’t have a sword.”

“Hange, I saw Erwin Smith again!” Jean whispered, and you stepped back, getting further from his dazed, pink eyes. Jean then motioned out the front door and your heart rate spiked. Did Jean see the bloodied knight, who he thought was Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Royal King’s Guard? “I don’t have my sword and I need yours!”

“Jean, it’s Y/N. You know I don’t have a sword. I only have the dagger Hange gave me—”

“Give me your dagger!” Jean whispered harshly in your face. Your breath hitched and you shook your head.

“It was a gift from Hange . . . I can’t.”

“You must! I don’t have my sword and need something to fight the knight!”

“Jean . . . please calm down. You’re scaring me. I thought you knew Erwin Smith. Why would you want to fight him?!” 

“To protect us!” Some of Jean’s spit landed on your cheek, and you felt unsure whether to trust Jean. There was a layer of irritation and impatience in his whispered voice. “Give me your dagger. I will find a way to return it to you.” 

Jean stretched his hand out, waiting for you to hand over your dagger. Jean was one of the knights you first met, along with Captain Levi and Connie. He was tough and someone who protected you during the night in the Karanese District. You recalled fond memories of eating delicious food with him, Connie, and Captain Levi at the Karanese Headquarters. Then his defeated face flashed in your mind when he realized he had to put down his horse, Thunder, after the Marleyan mutts bit two of his legs off and injured his horse’s shoulder. The crazed Jean before you was unlike the charming one you first met, but he was still a Knight of the Royal King’s Guard. 

Something inside told you not to hand over the dagger Hange gave you. But Jean was going to be right back, right? He’s a great fighter, but he couldn’t go out in the rain alone. 

“Can’t you go get your sword downstairs . . . ?” You whimpered.

“Because Erwin’s getting away! Give me your dagger!” You didn’t want to give Jean your dagger, yet you didn’t want Jean to go chase after the bloodied knight with no weapon. But Jean said the knight was Erwin Smith. An ally. Someone he knew. He didn’t need a weapon to confront someone he knew . . . Jean started shaking his head frustratedly and went toward the door. He opened it and the sound of the rain filled your ears. The rain was thick and pounded the ground. From how he acted, you could tell Jean wasn’t joking; he saw the knight and believed it was worth going out in the rain to chase after him. He couldn’t die. No more people can die. 

“Wait!” Jean spun on his heel. Then, you lifted your knee high enough to reach into your boot. You felt the steel dagger, pulled it out, and held it out for Jean. This was the choice you made. Give Jean the dagger so he would have a weapon to defend himself. “Here . . .”

“Thank you, Hange! I’ll make sure you get this back. One way or another.” Jean collected the dagger from your grasp. As he took the dagger from you, you felt a tinge of regret. An empty feeling in your chest. A foreboding feeling. 

This action will have consequences. 

“Are you going alone?!” 

“There’s no time! He’s right over there!” Jean ran out the door and you gasped. He was running toward the evergreen treeline. Your heart raced and watched Jean run into the rain and a crash of lightning lit up the farm with a cold flash. Followed by a quake of thunder. Jean was alone. 

You groaned and ran up the stairs into your room, unwrapping the towel to free Rai. She carefully hopped out and sniffed the bedroom's wood flooring. Her soft fur was adorable.

“I’ll be right back, Rai. You stay here.” You whispered fondly along with a sense of determination. You gently shut the door and then ran down the wooden stairs. As you placed your hand on the doorknob, a sudden clarity of thought ran through your mind. Should this be something you tell Hange and Levi about? Another flash of lightning cracked, and along the tree line, a beaming light reflected off of steel armor. Jeans right over there. You didn’t need help. You could do this. Bring him inside. He’s right there.

You decided to go through the front door's threshold and close it behind you.

This action will have consequences. 

You ran in the mud, nearly slipping a few times toward the area where you saw the reflecting light. The rain was landing on your face, pinching your cheeks and forehead. It drenched your hair, and a wave of coldness took over once the drenched fabric stuck to your skin. You berated yourself for not bringing your cloak with you. You carefully ran through the patch of crops toward the orchard. You rolled your eyes at the situation you put yourself in. Why was Jean running so far into the orchard? 

You watched the muddy ground, making sure you weren’t stepping on any of Flegel’s crops. Lightning struck the ground, and the thunder made your heart flip. The light reflected off of armor that was now past the tree line. Your chest was heaving and you were puffing out air. There was a pinching feeling in your lungs as you reached the Pimenta Dioica treeline. You hunched over, placing your hands on your knees, trying to catch your breath. The trees provided some coverage from the rain, but drops of harsh rain still landed on you. Going out into the storm wasn’t a good idea. It wasn’t a good choice.

There wasn’t any sign of Jean and you couldn’t see any armor in sight. It was darker and though you didn’t like the thunder, you wanted another lightning bolt to light up the area.

“Jean?!” You walked further into the trees. “Where are you?!” You weren’t sure if you’d be able to hear his reply with the cacophony of rain and the rumbling of thunder. You figured after a few more minutes of searching for Jean, returning inside and telling Hange that Jean ran off into the rain and you couldn’t find him was the best choice. 

“Princess Y/N . . . ” A deep, pleasant voice said behind you. It didn’t sound like Jean’s and you whipped your head toward the voice. You gasped and a bolt of lightning lit up the man’s face. His tall figure and blonde hair were the first thing you noticed. His sharp blue eyes were focused on you and he didn’t flinch at the booming sound of thunder. Erwin Smith was how Jean described and you eyed his crested sword. His armor looked like how it did the night you saw him in the forest. Blood was on his gorget and it was smearing off in the rain. 

Hange opened the door to their room and saw Rai in the corner by their nightstand. They furrowed their eyebrows at the emptiness of the room. You should have been in the room. It was around twenty minutes since you said you would take Rai back upstairs. 

“Y/N?” Hange walked to the bathroom and the tub, toilet, and sink were alone. No Princess. Where were you if you weren’t in the bedroom or bathroom? Hange heard a door slam downstairs. Their heart raced. Did you go outside in the storm? Hange dashed out the door, shutting it behind them. They went for the stairs and as they raced down the stairs, Connie, Abel, and a few other knights surrounded Jean, who was drenched, dazed, and muttering. Jean was sitting slacked against the door and blinking rapidly, trying to sputter out words. “Jean?! Why did you go outside?” 

“Commander, somethings wrong with Jean!” Connie yelled. Hange approached him and kneeled next to him. Jean was shivering and his chest was heaving. He was muttering incoherently and Hange was focusing on his lips, trying to possibly read what he was trying to say. Hange noticed Jean’s dilated pupil and they froze. 

“Get him into the living room. Seat him on the couch and get a towel and some water.��� Hange stood up and knights were peering from the living room doorway and some were standing in the hall trying to understand the commotion of what was going on. Jean groaned as Connie and Abel pulled him up. They walked him into the living room and the knights made way for Jean to get through and sit on the couch. “Give him some space. Somethings wrong with him.” 

“Commander,” a knight behind Hange was holding a few towels and Hange nodded, taking the towels. Hange walked over to Jean, threw a towel around Jean’s shoulders, and then laid another towel on his lap and legs. Levi came through the sea of steel with a cup of water. Jean reached for the cup of water and chugged half. 

“Are you going to tell us what you were doing outside?” Levi asked, and Jean gasped for air, taking the cup away from his lips. Water dripped from his mouth and ran down his chin. Jean was inhaling and having trouble catching his breath. His face was flushed, and his eyes were disoriented.

“Levi, we have a problem.” Hange started. Their voice was low and calm, not wanting to panic the knights. “Y/N wasn’t upstairs and I’m not sure where—”

“SHE’S . . .” Jean huffed out and then coughed. The room was silent, hanging on Jean’s words. He knew where you were? Jean’s chest was heaving and then he choked out, “Erwin abducted her.”

“Enough!” Levi said he stood up and Hange followed. They didn’t know what Jean was trying to say—what he meant. Jean’s accusation of Erwin Smith, Commander of the Royal King’s Guard, abducting the Princess was absurd, but there was something to Jean’s word. Hange recalled when Jean suggested Erwin Smith was the knight you saw in the forest. It couldn’t have been because Hange knew Erwin wouldn’t leave the castle without extreme circumstances. Hange leaned closer to Jean’s face, wanting to take another look at his eyes. Jean’s right eye was over dilated compared to his left and Hange had a hunch. 

“Levi, look at his eyes.” Hange motioned to his right eye. Levi and the closest knights to Jean leaned in closer, noticing his dilated eye. “When I tested Jean the morning after the night in Karanese Headquarters, his eyes were shuttering as they followed my finger. A sign of a concussion. Perhaps his mild concussion was more than that, as he is showing symptoms of a severe concussion. Last night, he said the light was giving him a headache, which is why he skipped dinner. Now, his pupils are dilated and are different sizes. Has anyone noticed odd behaviors Jean displayed?” 

“Well . . .” Connie started, his eyes furrowed, and he looked at the floor. “When we were taking the horses to the extra building, Jean was petting his horse and calling him Thunder. The horse he put down. I made a joke to him, telling him he’s crazy . . . I didn’t think it was a sign that his concussion was getting worse.” Hange placed a comforting hand on Connie’s shoulders.

“Don’t feel bad, Connie. Most people miss signs and symptoms of concussions unless they are extreme cases. Earlier today, Jean mentioned he had a terrible headache and it slipped my mind that he had a concussion. Uneven dilated pupils, mixing up names, bad headaches, and cognitive difficulties are signs of a moderate concussion.” Hange hummed and stared at Jean’s dazed presence. He was staring off as if he wasn’t listening to any of the conversation around him. Hange put an arm around their chest, rested the other arm’s elbow on it, and put their hand near the corner of their mouth. Then they turned to Levi, who had their arms crossed. “Say Princess Y/N was abducted and Jean did see it happen . . . due to Jean’s concussed state, he saw a person who looked like Commander Erwin. Y/N described the man she saw in the forest as tall, blonde, and had a suit of armor covered in blood and he had a crested sword like the Knights of the Royal King’s Guard would have. That’s a general description for Erwin and Y/N hasn’t met Commander Erwin, so if someone convinced her the bloodied knight was him, she might have believed the knight was Erwin.” Hange sighed and rubbed their eye. Jean’s implications could have had the Princess abducted.

“Erwin was outside your door last night.” Jean slurred and the knights gasped and murmured. Hange’s heart dropped. If what Jean was saying was true, then the strange knight would have been a few feet away from Hange and you. He could’ve taken you then or harmed Hange. 

“And why did you keep this information to yourself?” Levi clipped.

“I told Hange.” Levi’s face and a few of the knights whipped their heads to Hange. 

“Jean, you didn’t. You didn’t tell me this.” Hange firmly said and was shaking their head. 

“I guess I told the Princess then.” Hange and Levi furrowed their eyebrows. They looked at each other knowingly. Why would Y/N keep this to herself? Was she frightened, or did she simply forget? Hange remembered Y/N taking a nap most of the day. They hypothesized that the nap cleared her mind of the troubles and that she was focused on spending time with Hange when she woke up. Hange sighed stressfully.

“When did you tell her?” 

“I told Hange when they brought me water.” Hange rolled their head toward Levi and once again looked into his steel eyes. Levi and Hange nonverbally concluded that Jean’s cognitive impairment was causing him to not remember events clearly. He was mixing up you and Hange. 

Pounding came from the front door and everyone turned toward the door. Was that Princess Y/N returning from outside? Perhaps Jean’s memory of where you went was incorrect. What really happened with Y/N’s whereabouts? If you were abducted but not by Erwin Smith, then who? Thomas nervously walked to the door. The person on the other side was pounding their fist rapidly, desperately. 

Thomas slowly opened the door and Hange saw the person fall through the doorway, drenched and huffing. The man was catching their breath. His blonde hair was drenched, and he was wearing an armored suit. 

“I AM A TRAITOR OF THE MARLEYAN CULT AND I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR CAPTAIN LEVI!” The blonde man’s chest was heaving and Hange was stunned. The man addressed himself as a traitor to the Marleyan Cult. Was this man’s message worth listening to? How did he find the knights? Were there other cultists?

“Seize him!” Levi yelled, and Thomas and a few knights close to him grabbed his arms. A few drew their swords, ready for the blonde man to defy or fight. Thomas and the knights grabbed the grunting man who was thrashing, wanting to be released. 

“Captain Levi! I have a message!”

“Levi . . .” Hange turned to Connie’s voice. “It’s that chef from the Karanese Headquarters! The one who gave us lunch during the meeting! I think his name was David?!”

“Niccolo!” The man yelled.

“Yeah, Niccolo!” Connie yelled. Levi skeptically eyed the blonde knight and recalled Niccolo’s desperate plea to be one of the knights that the late Commander Lobov assigned to join the knights. Levi remembered Niccolo’s strong salute and his shaking leg. 

“Put him in a chair,” Levi said and Hange followed Levi into the connecting room, where the knights forced him into one of the chairs. Four swords were pointed at Niccolo and Levi’s pointed expression stared at Niccolo. Hange and Levi had their arms crossed. 

“Levi! Remember me? I served mushroom risotto to you and the Princess—”

“Keep your mouth shut! You’re in no position to be speaking. You’ll only be answering questions.” Levi’s stern voice said, and Niccolo caught his breath. He glanced at Hange and then darted his eyes back to Levi. “What’s this message you have?”

next chapter, Chapter 20: Orange

chapter index masterlist

[brunchable]

2319 Chapter 9 — Start of Love & War || Young!S.S × F!Reader.

Word Count: 2K Genre: Young Love, Diary Entry, Flashbacks. A/N: Inspired by the Korean Drama 2521. Thank you for being patient guys, I do apologize if it's short! I admit I've sorta forgotten some stuff so I'm rereading everything lol. I might focus on the present next chapter.

The night of July 25 1999, it was a hot, scorching summer, and night had come with a breeze like a balm. It was noisy all around the camp; not only your group was the one waiting for the meteor shower to start. The radio was on for the forecast and some people were singing, others were telling stories and laughing around the fire. 

The midnight blue sky is exuberant, twinkling with bright, white sparkles and fireflies.  Stephen turns his head to look at you, his face illuminated by the stars. He digs his fingers into the soft grass of the hill.  

At some point, you caught Stephen staring at you as you blew a deep sigh out of your lungs and you felt embarrassed, somehow. Especially after confessing to each other that both of you have lingering feelings mutually. 

"Oh my! Look up!" Donna gasped and pointed skyward as millions of diamond streams fell from the sky.

Stephem smiled at you and asked you if you had ever seen a meteor shower before. “No, it’s for the first time”, you answered and suddenly quickly turned away to hide the hint of pink blooming on your cheeks.

He pretended he did not notice and he went on, “It’s interesting how people are fascinated by this phenomenon, when the Earth basically passes through the tail of a comet, which collects everything it finds in its journey through the Universe.”

Both of you gazed up at this dark, vast canopy sprinkled with millions of diamond lights. So mesmerised were you by the sight of it, your voice took on a dreamy tone when you answered him, “Yes, but how beautiful it all looks from down here.” you softly chuckled. 

He laughed softly together with your silvery laugh. It was so sweet and sunshiney, he half-expected flowers to sprout on the ground wherever you walked and a coterie of singing woodland animals to trail behind you while you traipsed through meadows or whatever girls like you did.

Both of you lifted your gaze and saw small shiny globes shooting across the sky, leaving behind a neon-like effect. Exclamations and applause could be heard around you, and you felt him take your hand and clutch it slightly. All he seemed to notice were your bright eyes, they were close enough that he could see the way the lights from the comets reflected in your eyes, like tiny star-beams streaking across an endless night. Your lips parted, lush and pink, and an insane desire to find out whether they tasted as sweet as they looked now gripped him. He nodded with a very warm glow in his eyes, a very softened looking face and an almost hidden smile.

You were too absorbed by the meteors to react to his actions but your heart did skip a beat as you watched the whole show on an indigo background, like a huge canvas, which would lift with the sunrise. 

Stephen closed his eyes and made a wish for time to stop for a short while, so that he can savour the moment with you. His chest aches at the idea of losing the thread of this night, and the ease that has shaped between you, an ease born of weeks instead of months or years, but it is something, fragile and lovely.

Stephen sighed softly, stealing glances at you whenever he can so that his photographic memory will have your image seared into his brain. Then, he looks skyward to see the night sky, twinkling with myriads of mysterious stars, blue-black velvet, making the heart stop from the power of mystical attraction.

Something inside Stephen sparked and right there and then, he has made up his mind. He was going to finish what he started, he will graduate university. 

Stephen's Flashback 

“It’s laughable, isn’t it?” He says. 

“What?” Beverly asks him.

Stephen gestures to himself. “This.” He leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. “I should just quit Mom. I’m obviously not cut out for this.” 

Beverly sighs. “Not cut out for what? College? Real life?” 

Stephen shakes his head. “Responsibility in general, really. Dad was right when he told me that I'm no better than his estranged brother, Uncle Rainer. He was right about that, at least.”

"This year is just a really bad year, Stephen. A really, really challenging year. Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective.” His mother reached out to hold his hand while keeping the other one controlling the steering wheel.

"You might not see it yet, Stephen but you have what it takes. Your grandfather always tells me to finish what I started, thrust aside your trepidation and self-doubt. Bare your teeth and embrace the process. Most importantly, finish what you start. You’ll be surprised by what unfolds and presents itself before your very eyes." Beverly continued with a slight imitation of her father. 

She continued, "And if at the end of it all, you still don’t like medicine, you can do whatever you want to do. You're young, this is not the end of the world."

▪︎▪︎▪︎

August 5th 1999

“Again, (Y/N)!” If you hear the words 'again' and (Y/N) together in a sentence one more time, it might be the thing that finally tips you over the edge. 

You've been on the edge since you woke up this morning with a headache sent directly from the pits of hell, so the last thing you need right now is more grief from Coach George Laurier. You focus on suppressing your annoyance, like you do every training session when he makes it his mission to push you to your limits. 

Rationalising it’s his dedication that makes him such a successful coach, he decided throwing your ice skates at him is something that should stay in your imagination. 

It’s been a few days since the camp and right when you got back home, your father instantly gave you a condition. A condition to make it ‘fair’ according to him. Since they allowed you to go on that trip, the least you could do was start training. So here you were, training for the next olympic games. You’ve been so focused that you haven’t been able to hang out with Donna.

“You’re being sloppy, (Y/N)!” he yells as you fly straight past him. “Sloppy skaters don’t get gold medals!” 

What did I say about not throwing skates at him? I already have a gold medal.

“Come on, (Y/N)! Put in some effort for once.” Alex snickers, poking his tongue out at you when you shoot him a cold glare. 

Stupid Alex Laurier. Just because he is the best male hockey player the University of Washington, Devonport has to offer and having an ex-figure skater as a father, Alex acts like knew everything about both figure skating. 

“It’s coming, Coach,” you say with as much fake enthusiasm as possible. “I’m getting there; it’s not perfect yet, but I’ll keep practising.” It’s a minor lie, a harmless one. You are getting there. What you've failed to mention is you're only getting there off the ice, specifically when you're attached to equipment that helps you get there. 

“She’s getting there,” Alex lies, throwing an arm around his Dad's shoulders. “Hang in there just a bit longer, (Y/N).” 

It was nice for Alex to be on your side and show a united front to his father. 

George mutters something inaudible and waves you off flippantly. “I’ll see you two back here tomorrow, and if you could both not be late, that would be great. I’m fairly certain eating McDonalds before training isn’t going to get either of you onto the Olympic team. Understood?” 

Shit. “Yes, Coach,” you say in harmony. 

Alex is staring at his phone, waiting for you in the lobby when you finally exit the women’s locker room. 

“I freaking told you he’d know.” you groan, swinging your bag toward him as soon as you're close enough to hit him in the stomach with it. “I didn’t even have anything!” 

He grunts at the impact, tugging the bag from your hands and flinging it over his shoulder. “The man has the nose of a bloodhound.”

You climb into Alex's new SUV, the latest guilt gift from his uncle, and head home. Alex and you decided it would be cool for him to be your ride since he has practice two hours after yours. 

Alex stops at a stop light and looks over at you while you rummage through your purse for your most prized possession. 

“What does the planner say you’re doing tonight?” 

 You snicker, ignoring his teasing tone. “Getting laid.” 

“Ew,” he says, the tip of his nose wrinkling as he grimaces. “Keep your imaginations to yourself.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing,” Alex smiles to himself while you roll your eyes, “So. . . I heard Paris talked to you before we left camp. . .What did she say?”

You scoff at the memory of that morning before separating, “Y'know she apologised but then she said I should've let everyone know I couldn't swim.”

“Wow.” Alex widens his eyes, “What a massive bitch.”

“I'm over it, just as long as I don't see her again. . . Robbie was more upset than her.”

Alex pulls over in front of your house and lifts the handbrake, “To be honest, me too,” Alex said. “You know what?” 

“What?” You asked, looking over at him. Before you could even register what was happening, he leaned across the car and pressed his lips against your cheek. You almost jerked back in surprise. 

“All right,” he said, pointing at his cheek. “Lay one on me.” 

Before you could think twice, you planted a kiss right on his cheek. He smelled like pine trees. “There.” 

He grinned, sitting back just as fast as he’d leaned over. “That fixes it for both of us—and by that I mean my Dad being a pain in the ass.” 

And that’s when I fainted. Okay, I didn’t really faint. But something inside you snapped like an elevator cable, your heart plummeting to your feet. You felt light-headed and combustible, your neck hot beneath your collar. 

“Thanks,” You said, laughing a little. Thanks?! Someone kisses you and you say thanks?! Did you learn nothing from Stephen Strange? 

“That takes the pressure off.” 

No, it doesn’t! Now I have no idea what’s going on! Do you like me or are you just being a good friend in the most confusing, lip-touching possible way?! 

“Hey,” he said. “What are friends for, right?” 

Not this! You climbed out of the car onto shaky legs. Alex Laurier kissed you. Alex. Laurier. Kissed. You.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

You shut the door of your room and that’s when you snapped out of your trance. You dropped your bag on the floor and combed back your hair, “What the hell was that guy thinking?”

You rushed to the window to let some fresh air in, not realising that Stephen was there, “You look frazzled.” He looked up from the guitar he was holding.

You jumped slightly and cleared your throat, "It's nothing."

“Really? That didn't seem like nothing to Alex.” 

Your face flushed at the mention of his name. You sat down, wondering if Stephen saw Alex kissing you on the cheek. He seemed so casual about it—he probably wouldn’t even think about it again. 

“He was just trying to cheer me up. His dad was very hard on me during training today.” You replied, which was not all a lie since you think that's what Alex was doing—at least that's what 'taking pressure off' is to him.

“Nice to see that it worked.” Stephen chuckles and sets his guitar on his stand, “Enjoy your sessions with him.” With that, Stephen grabbed his jacket and left his room, shutting the door behind him. Stephen's actions stung and it caught you off guard, rendering you speechless. Even though he was casual about it, it felt as though there was a blizzard right beneath his calm persona.

SERIES TAGS: @goldencherriess @lokislov3 @strangesweetheart @mydearalmira @veryladyqueen @seasonofthenerd @artsherlocked @bobateadaydreams @classicrebound @holygalaxyprincess @sobeautifullyobsessed @winsteria @allie131313 @gaitwae @sherlux @the-royal-petals @keistange @omgstarks @evelynrosestuff @withalittlehoney @strangeions @gwephen @cemak @patbrdac @siredlust @downtownshabby @nicoletk @lilithskywalker @youcantseem3 @samisubi @strangelockd @bloodyxsaint @lady-harvey @paola-carter @jotaros-bara-tiddies @delightfulheartdream @strangefilms @strangeobsessed

[supernovaa-remnant]

I'm crying lmao just had such a sequence of events happen haha

so I had a movie night at a friend's house tonight. it was him, another friend, my sibling, and me. it was a great time actually—we were a bit distracted while watching the movie but that's normal—but after we finished the movie, we dipped our toes into a bit of spooky™ conversation. not for long because I had to get home cause I have work tomorrow morning, and it wasn't that spooky, either. but, y'know, we're walking to the car in the pitch black, phone flashlights out just so we can see, and it's a bit spooky haha.

so my sibling is driving us all home (with the exception of my friend who's house we were at, obviously). we get in the car, my sibling in the driver's seat, me in the passenger's seat, and my other friend behind me. we have the car turned on because we're ready to leave, but we're still getting a bit settled.

I think the setting is important, so I'll add that we're in a very rural area. pitch black, we're pulled off onto the grass on the side of the road by my friend's house (should be pointed out that we're a bit away from the main gate to my friend's house and there's a few trees between us and the house).

anyway, we see a car driving on the road towards us. pretty normal, whatever. my friend behind me makes a joke about it. we laugh, and I turn around to watch the car drive away.

except the car isn't driving away. the car has fully stopped a few feet behind us.

"why did they stop?" I ask.

"they stopped?!" my sibling exclaims, also turning around to look.

the car starts backing up towards us. my sibling and I scream at the top of our lines (reminder that we're already a bit on edge because of the previous spooky conversation), and my friend is like "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god."

listen. it's pitch black. on a rural road. we are three afab people alone in a car as another car—not even from our state so definitely not someone we know, as we find out when my sibling notices the license plate—is backing up towards us.

it ended up being fine. my sibling locked the doors, and when the car rolled down their window, my sibling just rolled down theirs a crack.

"are you guys okay?" asks the stranger driving the car. his companion looks on with worry from the passenger's seat.

to them, we are a car turned on sitting on the grass beside a random rural road. all things considered, it's sweet of them to check in.

"yeah, we're fine. this is our friend's house, and we're just leaving," my sibling says, whilst I am coming to the realization that these people most definitely heard us scream at the top of our lungs when they started backing up.

anyway, we also saw multiple raccoons on the drive back, which, considering how high-strung we were, certainly was an experience. just seeing their glowing eyes in the dark lol.

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

Word Find Tag

Catch up p4, completing May's backlog 😅 Thanks for the tag, @dogmomwrites! <3

Special rules for this one: If you can't find a word, leave a fun fact about your WIP, OCs, or writing process!

My words: harbinger, reserve, viscera, lunge, and note

Your words: denial, death, deserve, distance, and distress

Gently tagging: @k--havok, @poetinprose, @experi-sketches

Wow,, these words were hard! Had to skip back to Shattered Soul to get four out of the five, instead of three lol.

CW for blood, and extremely crude language in viscera, im so sorry 😅

Harbinger

Yeah, didn't think I'd have this one (in any of my wips, apparently lol). Fun fact time!

I enjoy this book so much that I've considered making Shattered Dreams a prequel and starting with this one.

Reserve Alaia

"Who—what are you?" she whispered. He cocked his head. "I'm Darian Arrio-alvaro Devante, a Guardian class mage. What has happened to you, little fae? Where is your clan?" Her eyes widened as golden scrollwork appeared on his temples, framing his eyes for a moment before fading out again. She bit her lip, unsure how to answer that. Why did they think she was fae? Was that the only reason they weren't slicing her head from her body at this moment, or ripping into her with those fangs? Pain cascaded through her again, even worse this time. Tears pricked her eyes as she leaned forward, a whimper escaping as her shadow pulsed with waves of urgent warning. She felt whatever reserves of magic the Veil had given her gutter and recognized her borrowed time was running out.

Viscera Serin

"She was easy enough to manipulate the first time," Marcus said with a laugh. "She's nothing but a lying whore, but at least she's an enthusiastic whore. I can see why you risked being sent to Menai for a chance to fuck her. I hope her cunt was worth it." Serin shook with rage and a visceral terror as Marcus approached him as well. Serin's body remembered what Marcus had done to it, what he was capable of. The goddess licked her lips. Delicious. He has such fear of you, Marcus. He feels such despair at the thought of you fucking his lover.

Lunge Alaia

Kiral crumpled beneath her, and she fell with him, twisting to avoid falling on his sword. Scrambling up, she lunged across the sand to Darian. Jesam held him in his lap, tears tracking down his dirty face as he held a hand over the wound, trying to staunch the blood that was gushing out. "Get the leathers off!" Alaia shouted as she kneeled beside them, taking Darian's pale ash-streaked face in between her hands. "You will stay with me. I will never forgive you if you told me I'm your mate only to run away from me to die." He tried to speak, his amber eyes pained as they locked onto hers, but nothing emerged from his mouth except blood, and he coughed.

Note Aleix

Aleix scrubbed a hand over his face, thinking he had never been so bored in his entire century of existence. Alaia was incredibly wary of all of them. As a result, she spent most of her time outside in the gardens behind the Hall of Healing. After Aleix had persuaded her to come to the beach with him, no one had been able to keep her out of them. So, he had spent the last four weeks watching as she weeded, pruned, and watered the plants. She resisted any attempts to draw her into conversation and continued to refuse offers to see the city or visit a grove. Which left him with nothing to do but stand there. Kiala said the gardening was good exercise to rebuild her endurance after her ordeal. Alaia had accepted the herbal and the little journal Kiala had offered her, taking the book outside with her and making notes about the various plants when her body made her rest. That had been fairly often to start, but he could tell she was gaining strength. The sun had given her pallid skin a healthy glow, and she was starting to put on some weight. All good signs of physical recovery. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, stifling a sigh. He was not used to being inactive.

[sykilik101]

Syk’s Snippets #7

This is a combination of “Writer’s block can suck it” as well as me taking a rare request. I’m trying something personal with this little snippet; I doubt anyone’ll notice, but I think (aka, really freaking hope) it’ll help break this mental block I have with writing right now. [This is being added on after I’ve already started writing, but man, this snippet is already longer than my others by a long shot; it might as well not even be a snippet anymore. LOL]

Ash’s footsteps pounded into the otherwise flawless sheet of snow blanketing Pallet Town as his lungs ached from inhaling frigid air. The wind nipped at the beads of sweat building up on his skin as he raced, one icy step at a time, down the familiar path. He needed a moment to catch his breath, to tend to the side stitch throbbing in his ribs, but he couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.

I’m at the hospital.

Those four words looped in his mind, and it was the fear that made the cold dig deeper into his clothes, finding any skin in need of frigidity and cutting deep inside. Misty’s text had been brief, but his reply had been even shorter.

What’s wrong?

She never answered back.

Ash knew he had some kind of guardian angel watching over him; more times than he could count, he’d been able to escape dangers that would have ended most others. As a child, a teen, and now even in his adulthood, he’d often been emboldened to pursue new challenges, take greater risks because of that safety.

But those were always his risks to take, because seemingly nothing could happen to him. The same couldn’t always be said for his loved ones, and he knew that.

His legs quivered, his throat dry and sore as the air continued to chill his body. It wasn’t much further now; over this little hill that lead to a dip in the road, around the bend, and then the hospital’s glow would be visible. The lit-up rooms would shine from a distance like the stars he’d admired in his travels, and in one of those rooms, Misty would be there.

And, if his guardian angel was truly kind, she would be okay.

Over the little hill, down the dip, and around the bend; even as his body felt like lead, even as his lungs felt like they would freeze over before shattering, the sight of his goal gave him a second wind, and his body’s exhaustion evaporated as he trudged through the snow. More than once he almost stumbled in his manic trek towards the hospital, but eventually he made his way to the entrance, finally allowing himself a moment of rest.

Misty, please be alright.

A final icy gust followed him through the sliding doors before they closed behind him. The receptionist peered over at him with a smile, though it quickly dropped as she made eye contact. In her defense, he was certain he looked like an utter mess, though that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

“Can I help you?”

Her tone couldn’t decide between professional and concerned, though neither mattered to him as he shook his head. “I’m looking for Misty Ketchum. She’s...she texted me saying she was here.”

The receptionist’s eyes squinted briefly before being flooded with realization. “You’re Ash Ketchum!” Then, as if an afterthought, “I’m sorry, you just look really different with, y’know...”

The snow and frost clinging to him, leaving him utterly disheveled? He tried to decorate a rueful grin with a coat of politeness, as small talk wasn’t really his priority. “Yeah, I guess maybe I look different on TV?” He glanced over at a door that seemed to lead to the other rooms. “But I’m really trying to find Mist- uh, Misty, so if you could just...”

“Oh, of course.” She turned to her computer, typing away as Ash crossed his arms, rapping his finger against his elbow. After another few keystrokes she turned to him. “I seems like she’s currently in room 20, so if you’ll just-”

“Room 20, thanks.”

His mom would probably chastise him for dashing away from someone mid-sentence, but he could offer an apology on the way out. He trotted through the door, glancing around for signs that could lead him to Misty. Why do hospitals always have to be so complicated, he mused internally, though he figured he’d have an easier time if he wasn’t still panicking.

“Do you need help?”

A nurse’s voice jolted his already fried nerves, though he took in a shaky breath to try and compose himself. “Hi, yeah, I’m looking for room 20. Misty- my wife is in there.”

Her eyes softened, and she gestured to a hallway to the left. “Go down there, and it’ll be on the right.”

Ash offered a hasty thanks and a wave, trying his best to move as quickly as possible without potentially getting in trouble for running in a hospital, though he wasn’t sure that was a rule in the first place. He eventually reached a series of doors, scanning the number etched onto each one as he walked.

12. 14. 16. 18. 20.

His hand hadn’t even landed on the doorknob when it suddenly opened, and a man in a white coat nearly walked into him. He opened his mouth, but after an inquisitive cock of the head, he offered a kind smile. “Ash Ketchum?”

“Is Misty in there?”

“Ash?”

Her voice meant that she was awake, which was a good sign. She didn’t sound like she was in horrible pain; another good sign. With as much respect as possible, Ash forced himself past the doctor and was gaze to gaze with the red-headed love of his life.

Misty smiled at him from the bed, though his attention was quickly drawn to her bandaged foot. She followed his eyes down to it, hunching forward to trace her fingers along her ankle. “Sorry to surprise you like this.”

“Mist, what’s...what happened? And what are you doing here?” His relief at her well-being was practically tangible, though he was immensely confused as to why she was here in Pallet Town instead of at the Cerulean Gym.

“Well, I was gonna come surprise you, instead of waiting for you to come to me tomorrow.” She pulled the blanket she wore tighter around her shoulders. “But I tripped on a rock that was hidden under the snow, and, well, here I am.”

Ash’s shoulders sagged, the stress slowly melting from his body. Wordlessly he took two steps forward and pulled her into him, her cheek pressed into his chest. Without fear tensing his body, he felt his eyes begin to water. “You should’ve said more in your text, dummy. I was scared.”

Misty was quick to place her hands on his back, deepening the hug. “Sorry, but when I wrote the first part, the doctors and nurses started examining me. I figured I could at least tell you I was here, and I was gonna reply when we were done talking, which was actually just a minute ago.”

He inhaled sharply, offering a nod that she couldn’t see but he knew she’d feel. His emotions were still in recovery, though a clearing of the doctor’s throat attracted their attention. “Mrs. Ketchum, I’ll have the nurse come in for one last checkup, and I still recommend that you stay overnight just to be safe.”

“Alright, thank you, doctor.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot.”

Ash hadn’t meant for his voice to sound so hoarse, but exhaustion and the cusp of tears held his throat in a vice. With a nod the doctor left the room, leaving the two to their silence and thoughts.

Misty’s gaze went to the window, and Ash followed suit, admiring the gentle downpour of snow. Ash’s hand quickly found hers; his body grew warmer when she squeezed back.

“I didn’t expect it to snow this much.”

“It’s not a lot, compared to some of the other snowstorms we had to deal with.”

“It never snows like this in Cerulean.”

“Why did you try traveling through it?”

Misty’s thumb stopped caressing his hand, her eyes falling for a moment before she smiled warmly. “I told you, I wanted to surprise you.”

Ash cocked an eyebrow, his hands resting on his hips. “Surprise me how?”

Misty’s cheeks went flush, her fingers fiddling together. “Well-”

The door opening interrupted her as a nurse peered her head inside the room. “Mrs. Ketchum? And Mr. Ketchum?” The two nodded in response, and the nurse turned her attention to Misty. “As the doctor said before, we recommend that you stay here for the night, just to be safe. Other than that, everything else seems fine.”

Ash knew at a glance that Misty was alright, but hearing it from the nurse’s mouth eased any remaining worry he felt. He let out a small sigh; the night had taken a toll him physically and emotionally, and the exhaustion was starting to sink in.

Misty, however, spoke up to the nurse. “And, the other thing I asked about...”

The nurse offered a gentle smile and a nod, and this sent a red flush to Misty’s cheeks. Ash glanced back and forth between them, feeling a bit out of the loop. “What other thing?”

Misty held her hand out to him, and Ash took it in his own. Her fingers wrapped around his, and when her eyes met his, they shimmered in a way he’d never seen from her before.

“Ash, I’m pregnant.”

Ash blinked, his thumb grazing her knuckles absentmindedly. The words seemed to echo in his brain, and his mouth hung open before, slowly, it began to curve upward. Misty’s elation at his response spurred further giddiness inside him, tightening his grip on hers. “You- you’re-”

Misty nodded, and in an instant, she, with worn eyes, bangs matted against her forehead, and bundled in the hospital’s most unflattering blanket, was instantly the most beautiful woman in the world. Ash’s heart hopped into his throat before it made way for the laughter that had mixed together with a cough and a gasp. Unable to control his body’s emotional response to the news, he settled for leaping forward to bring hers against his. “You’re- I’m gonna be a dad!”

“And I’m gonna be a mom.”

And in an instant, Ash was reminded of where they were, and he gripped his hands on her shoulders before easing back, his eyes drilling into hers. “Wait, did you know? Before coming here?”

Even without anything else, she could tell where the conversation was going, and she sighed softly. “I didn’t, but, I mean...I had a feeling.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to go through a snow storm when you had a feeling?” He hadn’t meant to sound so upset, but between briefly thinking his wife was in danger, finding out she was going to have their child, and then hearing that she’d put that child at risk just to see him, his emotional dam had run dry.

Misty, to her credit, had been the first of the two to develop control over their flare ups, and her pained expression was paired with her hand landing on his. “It wasn’t snowing that badly when I left, and by the time it had gotten really bad, I was close enough to Pallet that I thought I could get here sooner.” She lowered her head, her fingers tightening around his. “But you’re right, I shouldn’t have put myself in danger like that.”

Ash took in a shaky breath, though it came out as a worn sigh. Realistically speaking, he knew that if he’d gotten news like that, he’d have probably done the same. They were too alike in that aspect; if anything, he was worse so thanks to his guardian angel. He’d certainly done stupider things in the past.

He brought her forehead to his chest, kissing the top of her head. “You’re safe now. Just stay safe, okay?”

She nodded against him. “Okay.”

He let out one last sigh before reclaiming that skipped heartbeat from before. Months from now, he’d be saying hi to the mini version of himself, one made with Misty. He’d be a parent. It still sounded unbelievable, but Misty’s fingertips aimlessly gliding along his back reminded him that he wasn’t alone.

She was the girl who’d started his journey towards being a Pokémon Master with him. Now, she’d be starting another with him, and he hoped that she’d never leave his side for this one.

[narrators-journal]

ryomina hanakaki au bc they’re doomed or ryomina orgasm denial and ryoji’s a whiny bottom bc they’re silly

Ngl, this sort of au is probably gonna stick w me now lol. I’m not usually one for angst, but I did my best to make this good and painful in that department heheheheheh. Bc while I love Ryomina, no beloved ship of mine can escape a bit of pain lol. I hope you enjoy it tho!

CW: Spoilers for p3! Both implied and outright said! Do not read if you don’t want anything to spoil your playthrough, bc this is set in late-game timing!

Every week day, the SEES’ chosen dormitory would sit still and silent in the late morning hours. And, that day was no different from those ones. Even with a thick layer of clouds to dampen the already weak winter sun, the dormitory sat almost empty. After all, winter break had ended, and classes had started back up. And even as The Fall crept closer and closer, grades couldn’t be allowed to slip too far.

What else would they be doing though? They can’t train their personas before the dark hour, so what does that leave them to do other than go to school? Sit and rot inside? Ryoji thought as he sat against the heavy metal door of the dormitory’s roof. His once lustrous eyes dull as they watched the lint-colored clouds boil and stir above his head. Wouldn’t that be poetic. The brunette thought with bitter amusement, I give Minato a month to decide what to do about me, and then I reap his friends one by one while I wait.

If Ryoji hadn’t felt like the wrong breath would break him, he may have laughed at the morbid thought. Fill the chilly winter air with a sound that wasn’t the depressing gurgle of his breaths or the distant coughs of the only SEES member that occupied the massive dormitory building that day. Minato…

Despite being the harbinger of the fall and thus not human, in the few weeks Ryoji had attended Gekkoukan he’d grown a softness for the asocial wildcard. A soft spot that the many girls and boys who’d taken a shine to him hadn’t managed to achieve. Even with how sweetly they treated him. Which, in the moment, had stirred up twinges of guilt for them after each date. But, now that he’d realized his true identity, that guilt had not only switched targets, but taken root to bloom a bitter flower. After all, how could Ryoji grow to care for a human so fast yet so much, and still look into those smokey eyes and tell him that he’d end the world in a few short months? Yes, Ryoji was never known for compassion and good timing, but confessing to his affection for the wildcard only a few hours before confessing to his deception felt a step too far.

A wheezy cough drifted up from Minato’s dorm room to draw another shakey sigh from the brooding brunette. “What did you expect? To grow old with him?” He muttered darkly to the still chill of the season, his words punctuated by a coughing fit of his own.

But, the fit that tore through his already aching body wasn’t the result of a simple cold. Ryoji Mochizuki was Death, he could streak through Antarctica with nothing more than a shiver, so the flu wasn’t something he had to worry about. Plus, the flu didn’t leave a thin, delicately curved petal of crimson in Ryoji’s pale palm. What did famously choke its victims with the silky petals of flowers though, was a more insidious disease.

But, as he watched that petal wither and yellow in the cold air of the winter, Ryoji still didn’t fear for himself, only Minato. After all, he was a god, he didn’t need to breathe. So, whether his lungs inflated with petals didn’t matter. On the other hand, though, was his beloved wildcard. The deadpan wildcard who had coughed up his first snowy flower petal a mere three days after Ryoji had came across him in front of that train station.

Back then, Ryoji was new to the world, stupid. He’d seen Minato at the stairs of the train station and thought he’d found an angel with the way the soft light of the full moon made a halo of light on his hair, and that same silver glow set the snow alight with winter fire.

But, that was weeks ago, at that point. Back before the roots of the toxic flowers had begun to sap the color from Minato’s skin and sheen from his blue locks. Back before Ryoji had destroyed his life for the second time.

Maybe all this could’ve been avoided if I’d not made myself known… He mused while he stared down at the petal he’d coughed up. Images of all the petals he’d seen Minato stealth into his pocket or toss away on repeat in his head. If only I’d kept to myself like I was supposed to, Minato would’ve left Tatsumi port. He could’ve spent his remaining days blissfully unaware and happy instead of choking to death.

But, when his inhuman senses picked up yet another of Minato's rough coughing fits, the gentle splash of his tears in his palm were all he could do to help. Yet another fight that Minato wouldn’t have had to face if Ryoji Mochizuki hadn’t been so selfish.

[sonasnowdrop]

Decided to make a fic about my qftim! I started writing it awhile ago and recently gained the courage to post it lol. Anywayyy enjoyyyy I might post more chapters to this

Chapter 1: Respect

-D:Qtfim-

The year was 2070, the most dreadful day of my entire life. I try not to think of her. Everyday I feel like a failure for letting her down. Every time the image of her plays in mind, I think of her glowing skin and wise words. I think of her delicious food and calm voice.

I think of how those wretched beings that dragged her away. Her screams chocked as the chain around her neck tightened. Those filthy creatures held me back, I watched as they dragged Mama into the abyss to never return. The wails of my siblings still sting me to my core, it makes my blood boil to see those disgusting things make them cry.

And yet, I couldn’t build the courage to fight back. The Archangel’s gaze made my throat tighten and my limbs weak. I could only watch as she was taken away from us.

~~~~

Mama Maria makes her way around, her crimson eyes gazed at each girl. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to appear as ready as possible. I was certain she wouldn’t pick me, she always skinned pass me when choosing someone to stand in the arena. All the other Demon girls didn’t like me either, for I was the only Angel of the group.

Daisy stood in the middle of the arena, smirking ever so obnoxiously as Mama struggled to pick someone to duel her. I sit up with my back straight, trying to keep a perfect posture. Daisy was a tall Demon compared to me and the rest of the girls, but I was more than ready to fight her.

“Azael”

Mama’s voice broke the silence, my eyes fly open in surprise. Every other girl in the room exhaled in relief. They already gossip on how I might lose, but I remain confident. I scramble to my feet when seeing Mama’s eyes narrow, I stand up straight and give a respectful bow.

“Thank you, Mama. I’m ready.”

Each girl parted aside as I made my way to the arena. They look at me in doubt, but I strode forward onto the black soft mat. I hear my sisters voice in the crowd, she wishes me luck. Daisy grins at me and chuckles. She’s the first to bow, and waits for me to do the same. There’s no respect in her stance, no promise for a fair fight. I however, bow.

We both scoot our heels back. I dig my clawed feet into the mat, and I tighten the grip on my staff. Daisy does the same to her glimmering metal rod. Mama puts her hand between us and begins to count down. I tighten my stance.

“Commence!” Mama shouted, Daisy was the first to strike, but I was quick and fiercely blocked her attack. Our staffs cracked together when I blocked.

Gasps from the other girls filled the room, along with a few more cracks from our staffs. Mama would shout at me whenever I missed an opening, and Daisy would tease me whenever I followed Mama’s warnings.

We both take turns trying to stroke one another, unfortunately, Daisy gets her first hit. She wacks my chin and I stumble back in pain.

“Azael, duck!” Mama yelled, I look up to see Daisy’s staff lunge in my direction, I quickly catch on and roll out of her attack. She’s visibly annoyed, I see an opening and attempt my first strike. To which she blocks. Our staffs smack together once again and we are face to face.

Daisy smirks, unknowingly to me, she’s about to piss me off. She leans closer and whispers,

“That’s right, be a good little Seraphim maggot and listen to your Mama.”

I feel my eyes widen with rage. That word, that stupid god forsaken word. She stares me down, like I’m beneath her. I quickly retract my staff and strike her in the stomach. She groans and hunches over, in pain. I then uppercut her with my staff, she falls backwards and drops her silver rod. More gasps fill the room.

I pin the demon down enraged, but Mama calls out,

“Enough! You won.” She shouts. Daisy gains her strength back, and kicks me. I stumble back a bit as the other girls help her to her feet. The bitter Demon shoots me a nasty glare and storms off, other girls run after her. I rub my hands together; anxiously, and lift my staff.

I feel hands wrap around my waist, feeling startled; I wack the fingers with my staff and quickly turn around. Only to see my sister, I regain myself and apologize. She hugs me tight. “You won, you actually won!” She cheered, I faintly smile “All thanks to you and your hopes, Brin.” I reply, hugging her tenderly.

I suddenly feel a shadow loom over us both; I look up to see mama standing in out path. She stares down at me, with a…unreadable look. I gulp, very sure she’ll scold me for being too aggressive in the arena in front of Brin. But instead, she pats my head, my side wings flap from the sudden affection.

"Good job Anne, you’ve really proved yourself today." She says with a smile, I feel my cheeks flush as my mama smiles at me. I smile back.

“Uh, thank you mama.” I look up, her hands lifts off my head. I respectfully bow. She walks off into the blind spots of our cabin, Brin leads me outside with the other Demons, break hour begins.

My sister sits down in a field of grass, another young demon; her friend, sits next to her. I soon join them. They both pluck daisies and drink their honey suckle. I’m not one for flower eating, so I feel a bit outcasted. Brin’ s young friend turns to me, her orange horns glimmer in the suns light.

“How does it feel to win against my sister Daisy? I saw the whole thing you did so great!” The little demon smiled, her sharp teeth on full display. “I know right? I wanna be able to fight like that!” Brin added, both girls admired me, once again I feel my face flush at the affection.

The two girls soon get up and rush towards other demons playing ball, I arise too and head inside. My older brother and sister, Tzian and Audrey, sit at the dining table, seemingly chatting to one another until I walked in. Audrey waved, and Tzian gazed in my direction.

“Good morning, I saw your fight today. You did good.” Tzian said, almost gruffing. “Oh yes, Mother told me about it.” Audrey added, I nod and thanked them both.

“You know, you could pair with the royal guard’s, I’m sure they’ll accept you.” Tzian muttered, lifting his spoon of hot soup to his lips. I scoff, if I was going to be a warrior, it definitely wasn’t going to be along side guardsmen.

“He’s right you know.” Mama said, exiting the kitchen with a tray in her hand. “The royal guards would be thrilled I’m sure, you’d have to train more, though.” She continued, laying the tray down onto the table gently. Was she serious? I was so sure mama hated the royal guards and everything they stood for. Perhaps she was just teasing, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.

“I think I’ll pass, if they ever asked me that is. I think I’d rather stay here and protect all of you.” I say, I’m completely serious. I’d hate working for the angel guards. Mama chuckled, “I know.” She said, looking down at me.

“Oh, could you get your sister? It’s supper time.” Mama says to me, lifting the trays top and revealing the steamy goodness underneath. I agree to fetch my little sibling, who is probably still playing ball with Oierio and the other demon children. I throw on a cap and tuck my wings before heading outside.

“Brin! Supper time!” I shout, though only silence responds. The whistling sound of the trees swaying, and the crickets chirp. “Brin?” I step outside further, and gaze around the yard.

She…she’s not…she’s not here.

My mind races, where…where is she. Where is Brin. I begin to panic, and frantically shout her name in the dead of night.

“Brin!!! Brin?!” I shout aloud, surely the neighbors could hear, I could care less. My sister was missing.

“Anne, what’s wrong?” Mama inquires, as I quickly snatch my staff off the counter. “Where’s Brin?” Tzian interjects, my mind races, too many thoughts fill my mind and I speed past them both. “She’s missing!” I shout, of course, I didn’t mean to let those words slip from my tongue. Tzian, Audrey, and Mama rush outside to inquire further.

“Missing? What do you mean missing?!” Audrey shouts in distress. Who knows what could’ve happened to Brin by now, demons weren’t supposed to be out by this hour, at dusk. Especially not ones her age, the angels scowl the nights for any wanderers at this time of night.

“We need to split up and look for her. I’ll search the woods, you search the around the village!” Mama sternly orders us to split into teams. Mama fiercely walks off, going alone, and Audrey accompanies Tzian.

I was about to depart myself until my older brother crouched down to my eye level, he clenches his metal rod tight. “You sure you want to go alone?” He asks, concerns stains his face. Should I? What would become of me and Brin if that trouble maker did run into an Angel and I just happen to find her? Sweat falls off my chin, and I slowly nod. I need to be strong, for Brin.

Tzian nods and stands to his full height, he and Audrey check the west side of the village, while I decide to check the east.

I run as fast as my legs could take me, asking any native if they saw Brin. Of course, none of them have. I pull my pants up high and continue running around the village. After fifteen minutes of no luck, I stare off into the woods. Feeling oddly confident, I strode into the forest. Not wanting to look back.

“Brin? Brin!!” I shout into the sky, not excepting a response, but surprised once I did hear one. Brin’s voice shakily shouted in response “A-Azzy?! Azzy! Help!”

My head sharply turns into the direction of her voice, her screams being cut off and muffled. I quicken my pace and continue to shout “Brin!!!” My breathes fill the woods, I can hear her shakily answer back. Guiding me through the woods, I finally find her but it’s not a sight I’d ever want to come across.

I find Brin being pinned on her stomach, she squirms underneath the beast holding her down. Archangels grip my sister tightly as they hold her firmly on the ground, I feel my throat tighten.

“Go ahead, call for your family, we will take them out too. You know the rules.” The head angel, Michael, spat bitterly at the young demon. His wrenched brothers held her down, and wrapped cloth around her mouth so she couldn’t scream for help. I feel as if my heart is about to pound out of my chest.

I have to do something, I have to save her, why aren’t my legs moving?

My mind runs wild, I remain behind some bushes as I hear the angels complain on what to do with Brin. I grip my staff tight, so tight that it might make my hand bruise.

I finally gather my courage, I can’t let these bastards take her away. I quickly spring out, wacking one of the angels on their skull, you can almost hear it crack as I do so. The other angels whip their heads in my direction as I land, the angel I struck falls face first into the dirt.

My wings stretch out, I hear another angel charge my way. I react quickly, and block their attack. Surprisingly I’m able to take them all down, blocking each attack and successfully striking every opening. Once the final angel falls onto the sand, I quickly rush up to Brin. Liquid forms in her sockets and tears spill out, I quickly untie her.

Before I could speak, she hugged me tightly while sobbing.

I shush her, and stand. “We need to leave, who knows how many guards they’ll send-“

“AZAEL LOOK OUT!”

I quickly whip my head around, the head angel, Michael, tackles me to the ground. I grunt when hitting the floor, the large angel pins me down by my shoulders. I reach for my staff, but it’s out of reach. No where to be found in my hoister.

“A Seraphim…saving a demon? Are you mad?” The man asked, his grip was burning. My wings flapped desperately as I slightly squirmed underneath him. My thoughts ran wild, I wanted to scream for Brin to run away and escape, I couldn’t see or hear her.

He pushed my face father into the sand, I see the other angels i knocked down previously get up and rub their heads.

“Search the village.” Michael orders sternly, the other angels nod obediently and fly off. I squirm more, and try to reach my staff.

“No! No, no, don’t hurt—“ my plea was cut short as the angel atop of me tied some cloth around my mouth. My yelps now muffled by the rich fabric. I hear the angel draw his sword, it soon grazes against my throat, and he pulls one of my head wings. I feel my eyes water, I squeeze my sockets shut, every happy memory playing back like a tape. I anxiously waited for him to slit my throat. But before he could, he was struck. I see him fall beside me, I look back to see Brin, who had wacked the archangel with my staff, she breathed heavily and shakily.

I also saw Tzian in the corner of my vision, Audrey as well. I feel the fear leave my body. Brin rushes up to my side, and unties the cloth around my mouth, while Audrey unwraps my hands. I squeeze my wrists.

Tzian beats the archangel beside me, making sure he’s dead, or down for good. I suddenly lift my head, in a tragic realization.

“Oh no…oh no. T-the village…Mama!” I should aloud, “The other angel guards, they flew into the village!” Brin adds, I grab my staff. Tzian, Audrey and I rush into the village, while Brin tries to tag along.

My eyes widen as I approach the town. Flames consume my vision, the village…it’s…

“It’s been bursted into flames…” Audrey gasped out, Brin coughs up a storm. Audrey takes notice and lures her away from the flames.

Locals can be seen fleeing the village, as flames consume their homes. I see a little demon stumble, and fall into the dirt. That demon looks so familiar…it’s…

“Oierio!” Brin shouts, she runs over to her friend. Tzian calls out to Brin, telling her to stay away from the flames. She doesn’t listen of course, and helps her friend to her feet. Audrey rushes over to help them both.

Blood curtailed screams rang from the village. I strode ahead fiercely, Tzian grips my shoulder. “Are you insane—“

“MAMA IS IN THERE!” I shout back, tears form in my eyes and roll down my face. “WE HAVE TO GO SAVE HER!” I continue, I see Tzian’s eyes glisten in realization. We both decide to rush into the flames, Audrey stays outside the village aiding anyone who’s injured.

Tzian and I dodge any fallen rubble as the village stumbles into ruins. We see angels fly above us, that means they haven’t gotten to mama yet.

We stumble into our house, all our belongings have been burned and mama is nowhere to be found, I feel a presence behind me, and whip around quickly, staff in hand. Tzian does the same.

“Tsk tsk.” The angel said, gripping another familiar looking demon.

“D-Daisy…” I utter, fear fills the demons eyes as she’s held in a light choke hold. The angel strokes her hair and draws his sword, I feel my heart beating fast. Sweat shoots off of me, Tzian as well. “Are you going to protect this one too?” The man asked, tears fell from Daisy’s eyes, she squirmed her feet a bit. Tzian took a step forward,

“Let her go you mangy thing!” He shouted, rod in hand, the angel tsked again. “I wouldn’t take another step if I were you.” He said, grazing his sword against Daisy’s neck, she squeaked.

“Tzian, no! Step back.” I utter, while grabbing his forearm. I cough as the flames consume us further, we’re going to die here. It’s so intoxicating, causing me to squint. Tzian’s a fire demon, so it barely effects him.

“Hmm…I’d listen to that little seraphim if I were— ACK-“ he was suddenly cut off into a scream of pain as Daisy bit hard into his arm with her sharp teeth, he set her free and she ran over to Tzian and I. She gripped onto me like a scared kitten. The archangel groaned, his eyes now filled with absolute rage, he picked up his sword and pointed it in my direction. “Bad move.” He muttered, and charged towards me, Tzian jumped ahead and blocked his attack.

“Go! I’ll stall him!” My brother shouted, I nodded and hooked my hands under Daisy, quickly lifting her. I run with her outside of the burning village, and place her next to Brin, Audrey, and Oierio. To which the two sisters share a hug. Daisy hugs me next, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She cries, I pat her back. As soon as she releases me, I rush back into the village to accompany Tzian.

My eyes light up when seeing Mama join the fight, she uses her magic to detain the snarky archangel. We both share a hug. The angel yelps as veins consume him.

“Do it, Mama.” Tzian said, wiping his mouth clean from blood. Mama obliged and crushed the angel within her magic spell, when letting go, his limp crunched up body fell to the floor. My lungs burn because of the flames, mama takes notice.

“We need to hurry on out of here, this village is no more.” Mama said sternly, while grabbing me by the wrist. Tzian nods, and helps other demon villagers escape.

Me and mama run as fast as our legs can carry us, ruin falls everywhere, eventually landing in our path. Luckily, mama had quicker instincts than I did, so she was able to dodge the incoming obstacles and flames.

Soon, we both stubble out of the village gates. We both land onto the sand due to how desperately we pushed through, I silently gasp when being pulled to my feet. “We did it Mama, we did it!” I cheer, my smile fades as I look up to see an Angel staring dead at me. It growls, I whip my head over to mama, she’s being roughly handled around by two other angels. To my left, Tzian is also being roughly handled, but Brin, Audrey, Oierio or any other familiar demon villager is no where in sight.

I struggle, and attempt to fight back, “give it up already, maggot.” The angel says, pushing me to the ground, he takes my staff and tosses it away from me. I groan, and squirm.

No, no, no! We were right there!

My mind races, I flinch once hearing mama squeal in pain. The wretched bastard wraps his arm around her throat, soon tightening his hold. Tzian cries for our release, the sound of screaming, flames and buildings crashing fill my ears. I feel a tear drop from my socket, we’re all out of tricks, out of potions, out of weapons, and out of energy. Is this it? It can’t be, there has to be another way, we were all having so much fun today, why did this have to happen?

Mama’s screams interrupted my thinking. The angel atop of me lifted my head so I could see, “Stare on, maggot, there’s nothing you can do. Can’t save your precious Mama.” He snarls, and then chuckles as he sees me cry. Mama’s screams cut out as a chain is tightened around her neck.

“No-“ I say under my breath, I scoot forward slightly, trying to get to Mama. Her screams fade out into quiet whimpers, the same is done to Tzian, but he fights more. Soon, it’ll be my turn.

“No, no-“ I choke, the chain tightens around by soft skin. I grip at the chain as the angel tightens his grip, I’m able to make out mama being dragged away.

NO NO NO!

My thoughts shout, I want to beat their heads in, I want to kill them. If only I could— “UGH!” The angel atop of me falls to the floor, as well as Tzian’s attacker. I feel myself being lifted and carried, my vision is blurry, though I can faintly make out the silhouette of a poofy haired woman, turning to my side. I see Tzian being carried by a woman with a slender ish figure, beside her is a shorter woman with long white hair.

Are we being…rescued?

Just then, I black out.

~~~~~~~~

I think about the women who saved us that day, I wonder who they are. I’m extremely grateful for their rescue, as Bri— I mean Bendy, said he, Audrey and the others were saved by them too. I only wished they showed up sooner, perhaps they would’ve been able to save…Mama.

———

Chapter 2

WOOOOOO, IM SO SORRY THAT WAS ALOT, HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS, I’ll post CH 2 if this does well!!!

[spiriteddreams]

little drabble based on the scene where bosacius paints on alatus' (xiao's) face hehe

"who did this?" silence fell across the open space. all chatter died down as he stepped forward, glaring at each and every one of you gathered in a circle. golden eyes surveyed the area, lingering on each one for a second before his eyes narrowed and they fell upon you again.

"it was you, wasn't it?" alatus growled, holding up his hand to show smudged black ink. you bit your lip as you looked up to his face. a black circle surrounded his left eye and there were streaks across his left cheek.

"no! it wasn't me, i promise!" your voice sounded higher and you covered your mouth so as to not let him see the laughter that was bubbling up. it was no use. alatus lunged towards you as you scrambled backwards, laughter spilling out as he fell atop of you, his hands pinning you down as he scowled.

you could hear the others laughing at you and you couldn't help but join. "alatus, i swear, it wasn't me!" your faces were inches apart, and though he was glaring down at you, there was no hatred in those glowing golden eyes of his. he refused to move, even if he believed that it wasn't you, not wanting to push himself up and have to face the others who he was sure were already cooing at the position the two of you were in.

"i told you he would think it was them first." he hears bosacius snicker, so quietly he almost didn't hear it. "it was too easy for me." he narrows his eyes and turns his head slightly but his attention is brought back to you when you start laughing again and press your hands to his toned chest so you can sit back up. he lets you do so, waiting until bosacius opens his mouth again.

"aren't the two of you cute!" alatus ignores the heat on his cheeks as he pushes himself to stand and does his best to glare at the others. he knows there's no way for him to look intimidating with ink all over his face, but for the sake of his pride, he believes that he's scowling menacingly at them.

they're all struggling to hold in their laughter. indarias and bonanus lean in close together, whispering something he can't be bothered to hear. he knows its not them, they like to sit back and watch the trouble unfold. menogias is usually the level headed one, and though he too is trying to cover up his laughter, he wouldn't be the one to do this. which leaves bosacius, ever the troublemaker.

"it was you wasn't it." he directs his words at the purple yaksha, who sputters out nonsense. too easy.

"get back here!" even alatus can't stop the grin that begins to grow across his face. he'll deal with bosacius first, and then he'll come back to you.

reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! <3 a/n: this popped in my head and i just had to write it lol