#we need to talk about the fear street books more

[sunsetthedragon]

Is it weird that the thing that makes me the most excited about Fear Street Prom Queen getting a movie is the chance of seeing Suki Thomas, Lisa Blume, and Gary Brandt in live action. They show up quite a bit in the books and are very interesting so I will lose my mind despite knowing that at best they will get a small bit role in the movie.

[notsopersonalcharlie]

Honey Belle

Biker!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader fluff - Part of the Biker!Bucky Series

One part lead-up to the future and one part how Bucky and belle met.

Warnings: Mentions of sex and alcohol, discussion of a past relationship that bordered on abusive (non-binary reference), more car talk because i love mini coopers.

Note: My apologizes because i lost all my progress on this when i was about halfway through. Also I just have brainrot about them now sorry in advance.

"No no no no, please baby you can make it its just a litt-" The engine shuddered and then gave out. You groaned, banging your head against the steering wheel as you pulled off to the side of the quiet street. It was getting stifling in the car very quickly. The heat wave was precisely why you needed to take Baby Blue in. Your phone showed another mile and a half on the map you saved. This shop was in some dead end town, but it was the only one that had agreed to service the vintage coop.

"Couldn't have saved me the walk?" you asked to the car as you grabbed your bag and hauled it over your shoulder. You scrawled a note to leave on the windshield and began down the straight road. The trees on either side provided some shade, but there was no sidewalk, so as you continued you could peek back at your car and to check on any oncoming traffic.

The first signs of life you saw came ten minutes into your walk. You hadn't gotten far. It was sweltering and you had to leave straight from work, so your shoes were the least comfortable thing to walk in as you sweat.

Two motorcycles were headed your way, and to your surprise they both stopped. One was wearing a light brown leather jacket, and he pulled off his helmet immediately. He had blond hair and a kind looking smile, but you were also alone in a mysterious location with no signal.

"Hey, you alright?" You stared at them, and took a step back when he took a step toward you.

"Uh-"

"You had an appointment at the Howling Commando? Twenty minutes ago? Blue vintage Austin Mini Cooper?" The other guy had popped up his visor, but hadn't taken off the helmet yet. His blue eyes were sharp, watching you. You took another two steps back.

"Buck, lose the helmet," the blond guy admonished, "We work there, you said when you called that you were worried about the heat and the engine, so when you no-showed we thought you might have gotten stuck. I'm Steve. We talked on the phone the first time I think, and then you talked to Yelena to get the details." The other guy pulled off his helmet and you thought your heart might stop. Sure the blond, Steve, was handsome in a clean cut preppy kind of way, but this guy looked like he walked out of one of the fantasy books your read as a kid. Dark eyebrows slanted over his bright blue eyes, his scruff adding to the rugged look he was sporting. He waved, a shy smile slicing away the fear you had held entirely. It changed his face, you wanted to make it happen again.

"Bucky. We'll get you all fixed up."

-/-/-/-/-

"Belle, ya home?" You looked up from your laptop. You hadn't been able to pull yourself away from the document you were building for the new hires.

"Yeah- I- oh shit. I forgot to start dinner." You turned to find Bucky stepping through the doorway from the kitchen. His grease stained tshirt was tossed over his shoulder already, leaving all his tattoos on display. One in particular always caught your attention, the sketch of a mini cooper right over his heart.

"How many time do I gotta tell you?" He asked, dropping the shirt in the hallway before coming over to you. You stood, tilting your chin to look up at him as he wrapped one arm around your back and cradled the back of your neck with the other.

"You don't have to worry about that stuff, honey. I'll take care of dinner. Finish up your work, it'll be done in no time."

"I need a break, baby, seriously. I'll help." His eyes narrowed.

"You sure?" You nodded, turning back to hit save and taking his outstretched hand to go back into the kitchen. You chopped veggies while he marinated chicken and he told you about his day at the shop. It was a familiar routine by now, three years into your relationship, but you couldn't help but feel the guilt in your stomach again. He spent all day on his feet.

"Hey, lose the face." You looked up at him.

"What?"

"I can feel your thoughts from over here." He set down the spices, rinsing his hands and patting them dry before coming over to you and wrapping you up in his arms. He was anything but weak, and carefully lifted you onto the unoccupied part of the counter and stood between your legs, looking you dead in the eye. You blinked slowly, trying not to fall into the trap of his icy-blue silence. It was impossible.

"I just feel bad is all, you spend all day on your feet and working and then you come home and make dinner. It feels, not fair." Bucky tilted his head to the side, eyebrows up. It was a conversation you had all the time, and you knew how he felt about it. He did serious very well, even if you knew there was a smile lurking just behind it.

"You know that's not how I feel. I love taking care of you. You work so hard every day trying to change the world for the better. I go dick around with my friends all day playing with cars." You snorted.

"I'm serious! My number one and most important job is taking care of my girl. I will make you dinner every night for the rest of our lives together, if that's what it takes to prove it."

"You don't have to do-"

"Nope, you're banished from the kitchen. Go feed Alpine. Get lost." You laughed, taking his face into your hands before he could lift you back off the counter. His lips were warm and soft, and his hands wrapped tighter around your middle as you tilted your head to deepen the kiss before pulling away. You rested your forehead against his, breathing in the smell of motor oil and coffee.

"I love you, James Barnes." He gave you that sweet smile, the one that transformed him into an entirely different man.

"I love you, honey belle. Now get the fuck outta my kitchen."

-/-/-/-/-

You woke up and stretched, yawning as your rubbed your eyes and sat up. And then you became aware again that you were not in your own room and you were laying in an empty bed. You glanced around, noting the distinct lack of a tall tattooed biker who had left hickeys on your chest and had all but fucked you to sleep the night before.

In his place lay a small gray cat, it sat up when you did and surveyed you before jumping gracefully off the bed and leaving out the open door. You stood up, glancing at yourself in the mirror. You were wearing a shirt that said the Howling Commandos Garage and Bar on the front. It was well worn and soft, with little frays on the bottom and the collar. Your hair was a mess and you smoothed it out before following the cat into the rest of the apartment. Your clothes which had been strewn across the living room were neatly folded in a pile on the back of the couch, and there was a note scrawled on top.

Had to head off to fix up your baby. Coffee in the pot. Stay if you'd like. Bucky

Bucky looked wistfully down the block at his apartment building.

"What is your deal today, Barnes?" Sam asked. He was newer, and Steve had brought him in to tend bar, but also help with the books at the garage. Bucky grumbled that they didn't need new people, and Steve returned with patience that just because Bucky didn't want to make new friends, didn't mean they didn't need new staff.

"He's got a crush," Steve laughed from the other side of a pickup.

"I'll have you know I sealed that deal," Bucky shot back. There was a thunk sound and then Steve appeared over the hood, rubbing the top of his head.

"What the hell are you doing there then?" Bucky shrugged.

"She was still asleep. I left her coffee and a note." Sam snorted.

"See her never."

"Her car is literally right in front of me."

"She's gonna take it somewhere else," Sam shot back. Bucky's eyes narrowed, dropping the wrench he had on hand. He was starting towards Sam when a new voice echoed through the garage.

"I would really appreciate it if you fixed my car, not got blood on it." You strolled in the front of the garage and Bucky considered falling to his knees and begging for you to stay with him forever. You were wearing your jeans and sandals from the night before, but on top you had on his Howling Commandos shirt with the original design and logo. You were holding one of the mugs from his kitchen and had an easy smile on your face.

"I thought I'd come check on the progress on my baby. Maybe learn a thing or two." Steve smirked at Bucky and turned back to his work. Sam had suddenly made himself scarce into the office.

"Sure thing, but can't let you learn too much, you might notice some things going wrong just so you can stop by to see me." You nudged Bucky with your elbow, taking a sip of coffee as you followed him back to your car.

"I don't know, I think I could have other reasons to stop by and see you."

-/-/-/-/-

You woke up to sunlight coming in through the open curtains. Bucky was sound asleep on his stomach, face pressed into his pillow and his arm thrown over you. After a moment of relishing the cuteness of him keeping you close while he was asleep, you slipped out of his grasp and headed for the kitchen.

It was mostly clean, and you started a pot of coffee for the morning before tidying up just a little bit more. Bucky had slipped in after you fell asleep. He was working the bar when you left full of a burger and with kisses pepper to your nose promising he'd be home soon. The rest of the staff had ribbed him endlessly while saying goodnight to you.

You grumbled to yourself about having to wake Bucky's whining ass up to take you to work when you noticed something on the counter. Your car keys. Trying not to get your hopes up, you peeked out the front windows and let out a squeal when you saw your car sitting in the driveway, a comically small bow on the hood.

"Wha-Who's there?" Bucky ran out in just his boxers, fists up prepared to fight an intruder apparently, but instead got a chestful of you.

"She's done?" It took him a moment to register what who you were and what you were referring to.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, belle, she's done." You threw your arms around Bucky's shoulders, squeezing him tight.

"Thank you thank you thank you! She'll run for another three years? No problems?" Bucky held you tight, sleep already returning as he nuzzled against your neck.

"Even better. She should be alright for at least another five to ten." You pressed kisses to his face and then his hands, and kissed him goodbye for the day. Your outfit for the morning was already hanging in the bathroom and it made your morning to not have to pack extra clothes for the bike. Instead you put your coffee in a to go mug, your lunchbox in your purse, and headed for the door. The car started up with a hum and you patted the dash, turning on your favorite radio station and rolling down the windows on your way to work.

-/-/-/-/-

You sighed on your way into your apartment. Bucky said he was headed over after you left, and now you had to clean up and start on dinner. Work had been exhausting, and you had found yourself fixing other peoples' work first thing in the morning, which put you back on your own deadlines.

Still, you tossed your bag onto the black hole chair of random items in the bedroom and changed out of your work clothes into something comfy for movie night. You had bought all the ingredients for homemade pizzas over the weekend when you were ambitious about when you were going to get out of work.

"Five minutes on the couch," you muttered to yourself, "then back to work." Five minutes quickly turned into doom scrolling until Bucky knocked on your front door.

"Shit." You jumped off the couch and started pulling things out of the fridge frantically to make it look like you had already started the process. The knocking grew frantic after a minute and you rushed to the door. Bucky's eyes were wide, but he relaxed when he saw you were fine.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." His soft smile melted your nerves a fraction, and he leaned down to press a kiss to your lips.

"You had a long day, I understand." He followed you into the kitchen, and you frowned at the array you had pulled out. Sure you had the pizza dough and sauce but also a jar of pickles, some miso, and a block of tofu.

"What were you planning on making?" Bucky asked, examining the contents of a mystery tupperware.

"Uh..." You considered coming up with a lie about cleaning your fridge, panic welling back up that he would be upset you had gotten sidetracked away from making dinner.

"I... I'm sorry, I panicked when I heard you because I hadn't started making dinner and I knew you would be hungry so I just started pulling things out of the fridge and I..." you could feel yourself beginning to ramble into a spiral.

"Woah! Woah, belle, calm down. It's okay!" Bucky came around the counter, hands on your shoulders to ground you.

"It is really okay, belle, I know you had a long day. You don't have to make me dinner. I mean it. You work long hours and clean up other people's messes all day." You could feel tears prickling at the corners of your eyes and looked down at the logo of some motorcycle brand on Bucky's shirt.

"You just work all day at the shop and I know that can be exhausting, so I just wanted to make you food so you'll be..." you trailed off. So he would be what? Had never gotten pissed at you because dinner wasn't on the table or that you didn't get him his drink before yours. He had never thrown his empty can in your direction when you didn't get a new one for him before it was empty. Bucky called your name, pushing your chin up to meet his eyes. They were big and blue and full of concern that grew when he saw the tears in yours.

"Honey, where is this coming from? We could have ordered takeout for all I cared?"

You swallowed and took a deep breath.

"My ex, they were blue collar. Worked in construction. They didn't... they thought I should do all the housework and make dinner since I sat at a desk all day. They would get... angry when I didn't or said I was too tired or it wasn't ready when they got home or I ran out of their favorite drink and... I just want you to be happy." Bucky's frown had deepened and the concern in his blue eyes had turned to anger.

"Where are they now? Who would ever do that to you?" His head turned to see if he could spot any memory of them in the apartment. To your surprise it made you laugh to see him be so protective over something that wasn't there.

"Long gone. I moved states away to leave them. It's why I've been working so much, honestly. When I switched positions I had to do it for a cut, since at the headquarters I was making more. I don't regret it for a second though." You were looking at him now, sincere. If you never moved you wouldn't have been looking for an apartment when your car overheated and you had to go to the Howling Commando. You would have never met Bucky or found an apartment a few blocks away from the bar and him.

"I'm glad you made it here too," he said finally. He wrapped his arms around you, big arms keeping you safe and his chin on your head grounding you to him.

"I know you spend every day working super hard with people you don't really like. I know you love what you do, but I would never hold any of that against you. I spend every day working with my best friends for as long as or short as I'd like. If you never cook me dinner again, I would still be happy as long as we get to sit down and eat together." He paused, and you could feel his heart beat a little faster, a shift in his posture. For the first time:

"And I love you." Your heart leapt, the tears that you had been wiping against his tshirt flowed again.

"I love you too, Bucky."

-/-/-/-/-

You texted Bucky on your way out of work, and blessedly got into your own car with air-conditioning and seatbelts. Not that you didn't trust Bucky or that you didn't like to ride with him, but it was nice to have a seat to sit in.

You began the journey home, it feeling a little longer than it had for the last few weeks when you clung to Bucky's middle with your eyes closed. You were most of the way home when a telltale rumble of motorcycles started up behind you on the long empty road. It reminded you of the first time you rode with Bucky, down this very same road when your car broke down and he took you back to the shop with him while Steve waited with the car. He had said, after securing his extra helmet to your head, that it would be only time you ever rode without the proper shoes or pants on. You had responded cheekily, since he was hot and it didn't seem like it could hurt the speed at which your car got fixed, that he was suggesting that there would be another time. He had followed that with a quick, "I have your phone number. I find another time."

The bikes were getting closer, four of them, and to your surprise Bucky wasn't with them. Steve and Sam rode on either side of you, offering salutes. You couldn't identify who the two behind were but you could tell one of them was Yelena or Natasha. It was not a regular procession, though when they did see your distinctive car when out riding, they always did stop by for a wave. Instead of leading you home, Sam and Steve guided your car to the parking lot at the Howling Commando. The fairy lights were up for the summer and a few of the regulars were already outside enjoying the weather.

"I was going to go home first you know," you whined at Steve, tossing your blazer into the passenger seat before getting out of the car.

"I think this is more important," he said, turning you away from the bar and toward the shop. The garage doors were open, but inside was obstructed by the shadows from the sunset. When you stepped in you froze. The cars and equipment had all been cleared out and a beautiful flower arrangement was across the floor, Bucky was standing a few feet away, looking nervous as the first time he came to pick you up for dinner. He spotted you and swallowed, standing up straighter as you walked towards him.

"Bucky..." You didn't have the words to say as you joined him in the array of flowers.

"Belle. I love you, I have loved you since the minute I saw you on the side of the road. From the second you wrapped your arms around me on my bike for the first time. The first night we spent together and every night since then I have known that I would spend the rest of my life with you. I promise I will make dinner every night if that's what it takes." You grinned at the little inside joke, tears pouring down your cheeks as he got down on one knee.

"Make me the happiest idiot in the world and marry me?"

"Of course I will. I love you."

[kozumesphone]

💌┊₊˚⊹꒷ FAVOURITE .ᐟ

⤷ leo valdez x fem!reader ‧₊˚ ⋅

♡ liked by mcshizzleman, aphroditesfav.piper, j.grace, sallysgoldenboy and 89,856 others

tagged: mcshizzleman

yn.yln darling, can I be your favorite? i’ll be your girl, let you taste it . . .

view all 42,069 comments

mcshizzleman are you single, you beautiful, gorgeous, smart, and amazing woman 👹

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln bro 😭

ㅤ ↳ aphroditesfav.piper haven’t y’all been dating for the past two years 💀

j.grace DUDE!!! DID YOU SEE THE!!!!!! NEW COVERS!!!! FOR THAT ONE BOOK!!!!!! WE WERE TALKING ABOUT????

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln BRO YES OMG I DID AND I’M DYING RN!!!!!! I NEEDED THE BOOKS WITH THAT COVER, LIKE, YESTERDAY 😔😔

sallysgoldenboy my babiesssss <3

ㅤ ↳ chasingannie fr, we should adopt them

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman YESSSSSS 💪

h.lev.0 guyyyyys you’re so cute 💓

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln tysm hazieeee (also??? did you and frank go to that new couples café down the street?)

ㅤ ↳ canadianbear oh yes!! it was so good, they have the BEST coffee ☕️ you guys have to go too!

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln HDKSKD WAIT FR?? okay, we’re running there this weekend 🫡

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman YAY

mcshizzleman also, yes to the caption since always <3

♡ liked by yn.yln, chasingannie, aphroditesfav.piper, j.grace and 83,415 others

tagged: yn.yln

mcshizzleman darling, can I be your favorite? want you to tell me you crave it; my name is whatever you make it . . .

view all 56,624 comments

yn.yln I could reach that book easily, shortcake. also, coffee date after library date >>>>>

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman SHORTCAKE?? ME???? I’M the shortcake? okay, princessa 😔🙂‍↔️ (and ikr 💓)

aphroditesfav.piper HELP THE MATCHING CAPTIONS I WILL ACTUALLY SCREAM AND DIE ‼️

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman sometimes, I have to check the username to figure out if it’s a fan account commenting or you 💀

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln leo stop 💀💀

sallysgoldenboy WHY ARE YOU KISSING HELLO STOP IT RN AND GET YOUR ASSES HOME AND STOP SPENDING MY MONEY

ㅤ ↳ chasingannie what’s ours is their’s, I fear, since we adopted them

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln who was gonna tell me we already got adopted 💀

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman I didn’t know either 💀💀

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln as long as we’re spending their money on getting hunger games and once upon a broken heart, it’s ok <3

yn.yln idk about you but about the caption?? think your name is ‘mine’ <3

ㅤ ↳ j.grace help, leo short circuited just now-

♡ liked by yn.yln, mcshizzleman, j.grace, h.lev.0, canadian bear and 67,532 others

tagged: mcshizzleman, yn.yln

aphroditesfav.piper weirdos in love?? send help.

view all 20,578 comments

mcshizzleman wtf I date her?!!!!??? <3333

yn.yln WTF?? I date HIM????? <333333

sallysgoldenboy people in love are so weird

ㅤ ↳ chasingannie 😐

j.grace ALSO we should totally go to the new movie (sunrise on the reaping) next year TRUST

ㅤ ↳ aphroditesfav.piper BRO YES

ㅤ ↳ mcshizzleman YESSSSSS

ㅤ ↳ yn.yln DEFINITELY (I call dibs on dressing up as rue idc)

yn.yln also that ass should be illegal, valdez

masterlist

answering this req from mori !

~

kozumesphone © 2024 | don’t repost my works onto other platforms, or edit and post them even on tumblr, without asking me first • don’t steal my works, steal my heart instead • reblogs and comments are more than appreciated !

[squerlly]

Fair Exchange Chapter 1

------"whatever you cant receive on a spoon you'll lick off a knife"------

Alastor x (F! doe wife reader)

The Doe ----------------------------------------------------

knocking on the door to Alastors office I walk in, holding a tray with a plate of venison and utensils "I made sure to cut off all of the parts you don't like" Setting it on his desk I take the tray "Thank you my dear" people have always asked me if it bothered me that my husband was a cannibal. although it can be a bit disturbing to most, after a while of living with Alastor and preparing his meals I have gotten quite used to seeing him eat meat like a wild animal.

turning I start to make my way out the door "Before you go...I have something I think you would be interested in" I turn to face him once more "Yes?" "on my outing yesterday I happened to stumble upon an advertisement for a hotel on the far side of the Pentagram, it was hosted by none other than Princess Morningstar" Princess Charlie Morningstar the king of hell's only daughter and heir to the throne. Alastor forbade any form of technology in his manor but occasionally when I make trips to cannibal town, there are always newspapers that tell what's going on in the pride ring. it did not take long for word to spread that the princess of hell made a hotel to redeem sinners.

"it has been the recent talk around the townspeople, what about it?" he sets his fork down, whipping the blood off his mouth with a napkin "Well I have decided to pay a visit and offer some.... assistance~" I raise an eyebrow in suspicion, Alastor never offers "assistance" to anyone unless he gets something in return ten fold, I out of all people should know that. "I know you don't really get out much unless it's for errand's so I was thinking you could accompany me, if you want that is" "I would like that.." he stands up walking towards me handing me his empty plate "wonderful, pack your bag with any necessities and well be off in an hour"

he walks out of the office leaving me standing, Alastor never takes me anywhere with him. I have always stayed at the house tending to it until he gets back from his outings, it would be a nice change to stay someplace new. I head down to the kitchen, whipping it down and washing any dishes before walking upstairs to my bedroom. I packed lightly I didn't have many belongings, not that I needed to anyway, just the normal clothes and toiletry items and maybe a book or two.

I walk back downstairs, Alastor waiting for me at the door. "ready?" I nod and he snaps his fingers teleporting both of our bags to who knows where, he opens the door for me and we begin to walk down the streets of hell. demons make way scattering like roaches when they see Alastor and I can't blame them, Alastor was terrifying, his never-ending toothy smile, mysterious persona, and merciless reputation made him feared by all, its why he's the most powerful overlord.

However... no matter how scary and bad he can be he has his moments where he can be calm and charming, it's why so many women adore him and also the reason why I get so many nasty looks when I stand beside him. not many people know that the radio demon has a wife and its for the safety of me and the sake of him, even if people found out Alastor had a wife and kidnapped me to get to him I doubt it would benefit them.

I am nothing but another soul on his leash, being his wife is just a mere title. the only exception is that Alastor doesn't treat me like any ordinary soul he possesses. he never hurt me, touched me, or treated me with disrespect but as his wife, we never had anything romantic for each other. not that I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of anything romantic, after all, I don't hate Alastor but... I don't think he likes me very much at least not in that way.

we walk up a stone Path leading to a door with apples on painted glass, Alastor knocks on the door it opening before a girl with pale white skin and long blond hair peeks outside "Why hel-" the door closes interrupting him. She finally opens the door again "May I speak now?" she nods "You may" Alastor shakes her hand and with a cheery voice introduces himself walking inside while I follow shortly behind him. I looked around the hotel was not in the best condition but it was something.

A woman with a spear in her hand points it at Alastor stopping him in his tracks "I won't let you hurt anyone in this hotel you pompous cheesy talk show shit lord!" Alastor moves her spear giving her a threat before moving on, I'm surprised she's still alive.

the girl introduces herself as vaggie and the girl with blonde hair being Princess Charlie, although I have heard of her I wouldn't have imagined her to be so bright, her being almost doll-like and innocent. "so where is your hotel staff?" Charlie gives a nervous look before she points at vaggie "Uh huh ho, we're going to need more than that" he walks over to the fireplace lighting it aflame before summoning a little girl covered in ashes who turned out to be nifty.

she runs around and immediately starts cleaning before Alastor summons Husker who was in a game of poker, I haven't seen Husker in a long while I feel bad that he has been dragged into this. everyone introduces each other before Angel Dust the tall spider demon notices me "Hey who is this cutie ya brought with ya" I turn and wave before Alastor steps in "That is my wonderful... friend y/n"

Charlie walks over to me shaking my hand "Nice to meet you!!! I'm so glad you are joining us" "It's nice to meet you too princess" "Please just call me Charlie!" introductions were cut short when the wall got blown open revealing a blimp outside and a demon inside calling out for Alastor. he revealed himself as sir pentious and pulled out a death ray? Alastor made quick work of him before everyone went back inside to get settled in.

Charlie gave me a room across from Alastor, Alastor teleporting my bag in my room I started unpacking putting my clothes in their drawers, and hopping on my bed. thankfully the floor had a carpet otherwise I would have been slipping all over the floor. hooves and hardwood don't mix, I learned that the hard way when I first landed down here.

I changed into a short comfy nightgown, brushed my teeth, and slid under the covers of my bed. it wasn't as cozy as the ones back at home but if it meant I got to stay and do something other than housework, how could I complain. and with that I drifted off, until the next morning...

chapter one YAYYY!!!! sorry for taking so long but I have bright ideas for this series and cant wait to publish them. chapter 2 is in the making so stay tuned and have a wonderful day/night love you guys!!!

-squerlly

@pooplyface1423 @strippezzz

for more content and chapter please click this masterlist

[mossbone]

The recent Dracula Daily updates are interesting to me. This book is infamous for being about the vampiric Horrors, as defined by their sexual immorality and hedonism; unlike our Heroes who are proper and British and christian. And yet...here we see the horrors being compounded and enabled by the rigid social structures emphasizing morality. And for all Bram Stoker's biases, I think that was intentional.

Firstly, the horror is compounded by the Need for Propriety. Lucy is sleepwalking, in nothing but her nightgown! How awful! So awful it is unthinkable as an option to Mina until she sees undeniable proof Lucy left the house. When that is proven true, "ever growing fear chilling my heart" Mina feels turns to "a vague, overmastering fear obscured all details." She then runs through the streets and finally turns to the cliffs, not fearing like Lucy's mother, to see her in danger of falling of the cliffs, but simply fearing to see her safe in their favorite seat—exposed to all the town.

She in fact sees in shadowy detail, an unidentified man leaning over Lucy. Yet..the whole update is strewn with Mina's massive and unfortunately justified fear for her friend's reputation, maybe more than her safety. Did someone take advantage of Lucy, enact some violence or violation of her while she was sleepwalking? Irrelevant, compared to the question: will anyone see them and assume they were up to some promiscuity? After all, she can't help but be "thinking how the story would become distorted—nay, infallibly would—in case it should leak out." There is the psychological horror on top of the nights events, which were traumatic enough.

An indictment of the present state of late Victorian values and their strict judgments already. But then. The consequence of our young heroines being unable to share their story is that Dracula continues to work unnoticed. He will get more victims, he will continue to grow in power and terrorize Lucy and whomever else he wants. Just like Jonathan being trapped in an increasingly abusive work contract because he feels he must stay to the strict matters of politeness [an imbalance of power that work relationships had then and continue to fucking have], here Lucy and Mina are trapped in very clear physical danger because they cannot share the predator hunting them without surely being accused of being a liar and a whore.

Of course, the loved ones of our protagonists are not of that malicious nature at all. If only they could talk to each other freely, Jonathan and Arthur and Lucy's other suitors would obviously not blame her. And Mina, or likely anyone, would help Jonathan recognize the red flags as what they were. But such close communication is impossible given the heavy expectations of the day.

Social standards were very bad and restrictive in 1897, and I think Bram Stoker consistently criticizes how they are with his novel, even while it serves as a cautionary tale against immorality. The solution to sexual abuse and immorality, in his words, is not punishing people for suffering from them or talking about them. I think he is saying this masterfully, as well, by allowing the audience to feel the visceral fear and helplessness through the perspective of the narrators so closely. Unlike many novels of the time which had people near the protagonist serve as cautionary tales and indictments of society, he forces the reader into those shoes through intimate first person narration.

Anyway. Good chapters, huh. Sadly still relevant.

[glassartpeasants]

The Fire Will Pass

Trafalgar Law x F!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, hurt to comfort i think, spoilers for Law's backstory, mentions of death and blood, not edited cause my computer was DYING

A/N: Alright so i already posted the first part of this a hot second ago but i deleted it so i could write the rest of it cause i ended up loving it to much to let it not be finished. @mandiemegatron here is the gift. its the amber lead reader story i said i was gonna do centuries ago.

~~~

“Why is everyone avoiding that girl? Is she sick or something?”

“Don’t go near her! She’s contagious!”

Once again, here you were, treated like some sort of plague. Like something to be feared. New town, same reaction. No matter how hard you try to convince people, no one will listen. Even if there had been books and research about the disease you’ve been cursed with, they all see you as a walking sickness.

You supposed you did look contagious. Patches of white cover your body, and burns cover your already marked body. What happened that day that caused all your grief replays in your mind like a broken record.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Wake up!” The smell of smoke invades your lungs as your eyes flutter open. The scene of your frantic mother shaking you awake was the only thing you saw.

“Mom? What’s…what’s going on?” You were ripped from your bed as your mother held you in her arms—something she hadn’t done in years.

“Mom! Wh-”

“Shush! Baby, we need to be quiet.” The hushed whisper of your mother sent shivers down your spine. Never in your life have you heard your mother sound like that. And when you looked into her eyes, all you saw was fear.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Your mother hid your head in her shoulder as she rushed down the stairs. The only thing you managed to see your childhood home was the bright light of flames. Its heat burned your lungs as you let out a cough.

Opening the door, your mother ran out of the house quickly. Dry coughs slipped past her lips as you held onto her tight.

“Mom…I’m scared….” You whisper into her ear as your body begins to tremble.

“It’s okay, baby, everything will be okay.” Petting your hair, your mom held you tighter.

Looking up, all you saw was a black, smoky sky. Your eyes darted from place to place as the horror of everything going on around you began to sink in. Flames ate away at the buildings around you, and what you could only begin to realize were the lifeless bodies of your friends and neighbors, lying along the cold ground with patches of white dancing along their skin.

You were speechless as your eyes widened, seeing flames eat away at everything you’ve ever known.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Tears rim your eyes as you struggle not to sob. Why was this happening? What was happening? Why was the sky a mucky grey and the streets a ruthless red? It was a sunny and beautiful day earlier. People talked with happiness, but now those same people were lying lifeless on the street, their voices forever silenced.

You desperately looked along the streets for a certain boy with a funky hat, yet you couldn’t see anything through the flames. The flames burned brighter as ashes fell from the sky, each one you feared would be the remnants of the home of your only friend. 

As the buildings collapse from the fires eating away at them, you try to pinpoint where exactly you are. But as more buildings fall, everything seems the same until a red cross catches your attention. Your eyes widen as you see your mother, and you get closer to the hospital where you knew the boy’s parents worked at. A sense of hope filled your being as you stopped almost in front of the hospital. Opening your mouth to scream out and pray that he heard you, you were cut short as an explosion from inside the hospital caused the fire to burst out all windows, the glass shattering. 

“Their….dead…” Your voice barely came out as it felt like the air was stolen from your lungs. The world spins as the heat of the blaze fans your face as you look on in horror. All of them gone, yet here you were, alive as your mother ran down the dark streets of Flevance.

The cold water of the new world licked at your feet as you dangled them over the edge of the wooden dock. Patches of white decorated your skin, even though you wished the water would wash away the painful reminder of how alone you would forever be. Not a soul to call your friend, let alone love.

Why were you alive? Based on what research you were able to do and what you saw, you were supposed to die as a child. Why were you 23 and only a month away from 24? How dare you live while the rest of everyone you ever knew decay and rot away.

You look out to the sea and wonder that maybe, just maybe, there was another. Someone else like you. Another soul that survived the massacre thirteen years ago. Maybe they were immune just like you.

You didn’t know how or why, but despite showing the physical changes the amber lead did to your body, you’ve never had any symptoms. No weakness, coughing, just nothing. The one thing that showed you were a survivor of the disease was the white blotches that stained your skin.

“Hey! You!” Your body went rigid as you heard a voice call out to you. Swallowing a lump in your throat, you turn your head to look over your shoulder. A million things you were expecting, but a waving polar bear was not one of them. You rub your eyes to make sure you aren’t seeing things.

“You! You're the sick girl, right?” A frown worked its way on your face. Even though you’ve heard it countless times, it still didn’t make it easier to hear.

“What’s it to you? Come to mock me?”

The polar bear shakes his head. “No! Not at all! I just wanted to let you know that my captain can probably help you!”

“What I have can't be cured. So it’d be useless to try.”

“Come on! What do you have to lose?”

“Mom, please, we’re almost there!” You whisper as you try to drag her faster. Yet, with every step you take, your mom gets slower. Using both your hands, you grab your mom's as tears rim your eyes. Trying your best, you start pulling even harder.

You turn your head to talk to your mom. “Mom, we have to-” The words stop short as you see your mom's once white shirt splotched with ever-growing red. Time seems to stop as you try to comprehend what you're seeing.

Stumbling, your mom turns you around. “Run baby. Run and don’t stop till the smoke is no more.” Tears stream down your face as everything seems to stop.

“No! I won’t leave without you!” You cry as you try to turn around, but your mom keeps her grip tight.

“Please, baby, you have to go on without me. You need to live. Live for the ones that couldn’t make it. Live for me, baby.” Your mother presses a kiss on your head as her grip turns light. A final gasp escapes her lips as you hear her collapse behind you as you begin to run through the flames.

“Live for Flevance.”

“Alright. I’ll go. Show me the way.”

The polar bear smiles before grabbing your hand. “You won’t regret this!” He exclaimed as he started to pull you to another end of the dock. The action making your eyes widen and pang shoot through your chest. His ‘hand’ was in yours even though you were obviously sick.

How many years had it been since your hand has been held? Since youve felt the touch of a living person?

“Your not scared of getting sick?” A whisper escapes from your lips.

“Nope!”

“Oh…” The sound of your footsteps hitting the wooden dock did nothing to calm the rapid beating of your heart.

“It’s just up ahead!” The polar bear grinned as he ran faster. His happiness was contagious as you couldn’t help the smile spread on your face. For some reason, this time felt different. Like hope had filled you once again after all these years.

The closer you got, the more you see what he was dragging you too. A yellow submarine with black markings along it. Odd shapes but you kept yoru mouth closed. Now wasn’t the time to insult or question. But you notice that you feel an overwhelming pull to it. Like your heart was trying to jump out of your chest to it.

The polar bear stopped in front of the submarine. “Here we are! The Polar Tang!”

“The Polar Tang?”

“Yep! Now come on!” You watch as the bear climbs up and opens a hatch before motioning you to follow. With an exhale of breath, you follow. The cold metal making a shiver run down your spine. The ladder felt shaky even though it was simply yourself as you begin to grow nervous.

Finally stepping on teh metal ground the bear once again motions you to follow. As you walk with him, you realize you never caught his name.

“Um, you never told me your name?”

The bear looked over his shoulder. “Oh, I didn’t? Sorry! But my names Bepo! Yours?”

“(Y/N). (L/N) (Y/N).”

“Perfect. I’ll let the captain know.” With a hum,you follow the bear to an office around the corner. You watch as teh bear knocks on the door.

“Captain! Are you busy? We really need you!” You hear a sigh from behind the door before the doorknob turns.

“Bepo I’m really busy, what do you-” The captain stood quiet as he looked at you. A look of horror and shock in his eyes. Your heart beat against your ribs as time seemed to stop. With your eyes scanning the captain, your eyes stop at his hat. It looked so familiar…

“Bepo leave.”

“What? But captain-”

“Go!” He points away from him before turning back to you. “You stay.”

You watch as Bepo leaves and you can’t help but feel like your being crushed. The air seemed tense between you and him. But before a word left your lips, a cold hand grabs yoru wrist and pulls you into his office. Locking the door behind him, he begins to pace.

“This isn’t possible…this has to be some sort of nightmare….” Taking off his hat, he runs his fingers through his hair. Soon he turns to you, a bewildered look in his eyes.

“That’s amber lead disease isn’t it? The white patches…” Swallowing the lump in your throat, you respond.

“Yes.” Your answer only seemed to make it worse.

“Thats not possible! No one was supposed to survive after the government…” He trails off and you can’t help but feel tears gloss your eyes. Clutching your hands into fists, you look down.

Suddenly, you feel him grip your shoulder. “No one was supposed to live to see fifteen! So how are you alive?” His voice desperate.

“I don’t know.” You spoke with a soft voice as the tear begin to slip down your cheeks. “I don’t know.”

“Did you eat a devil fruit?” While still frantic, his voice was much more gentle. 

“No. I’ve never even seen one in my life.” There was a few seconds of silence as you watch teh gears turn in his head. “How do you know so much about Flevance?” You asked as you looked into his eyes. His golden orbs almost hypnotizing.

“I’m from Flevance.”

“What?”

“I’m from Flevance.” Your body seems to shake as you gently place yoru hands on his arms. The world seemed to spin as your eyes look into his own, trying to see for any lies.

“What’s your name?” He looks hesitant for a second before answering.

“Trafalgar Law.” Your hands fly to your mouth as it all begnis to make sense. The familiar hat, the pull you felt when you neared the sub, his eyes. All the pieces fit together. The boy you once thought was gone, now stood in front of you all grown up. Your heart jumped in yoru chest as what used to be tears of pain, were now tears of joy.

“Your alive…I can’t believe your alive!” A huge smile lays across yoru face as you grip his arms tighter. “I thought you died all those years ago but you didn’t! Your here with me!” Law looks at you intensely before his eyes widen.

“(Y/N)?” You nod and let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah.”

Without second to spare, Law pulls you into a tight hug. Wrapping his arms around you like you’d disappear if he so much as lighten his grip. You wrap your own arms around him and begin to sob uncontrollably. Despite his cold touch, knowing that he was alive gave you an unbelievable warmth.

After spending years alone, wandering around the world, you finally had someone. The feeling of behind hugged for the first time in thirteen years was overwhelming as you criedd into Law’s shoulder. You can hear him crying as he cried into your hair. Both your bodies trembling as the combined sobs echo in his office. Cries of pain and the finally ending loneliness slipping down your cheeks.

“I thought i was all alone. That i was the only one left.” You whisper into Law’s shoulder. Law said nothing and only gripped you tighter. His sobs echo in your ears as the two of you subconsciously begin to sway side to side.

“How did you get out? They had everything fenced in and guarded. How did you escape?”

You ran as fast as you could along the bloody flame ridden streets. Everywhere was a dead end or was guarded by the government who wanted you dead. It seemed like you were stuck in an endless loop as you went in circles trying to find an escape.

As you ran forward, a big wall of burning hot flames raged before you. Yet, beyond the flames, you could see the port. The water reflecting the horror that is your crumbling home. This could be your only shot.

Looking at the wall of flames, you took a breath before running into the heat, determined to get to the other side.

 “I managed to hide in a crate on a navy ship. And the next stop they went to after Flevance I got off.” Looking you at him, you sniffle. “What about you? How did you escape?” You watch as Law grows silent and clings to your shirt.

“If you don’t wanna say it’s okay. We’re already been through enough.” Rubbing his back, you try to soothe him.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been hugged, thank you Law.” You’ve never felt so calm since you were a child. Such safety in his arms.

“I don’t understand though, how did you survive the Amber Lead?”

Law lets out a shaky breath.”It’s a long story, but to keep it simple, I ate a devil fruit.” You pull your head from his shoulder and look at him with shock before stars appear in your eyes.

“You have devil fruit powers?! Really?! You must show me!” Law looked at you, a smile on your face. He can see the tired look in your eyes and the heavy burden you bear with teh more noticeable spots then his own.

It intrigued him: how you could still have such prominent spots that look like you're still fresh with the disease, but you're still healthy, walking fine, and showing no signs other than the spots. Could you have truly been immune?

Law goes to say something but he watches in shock as you examine his office before standing in front of his doctors licsence.

A shock gasped leaves your lips as you turn back to Law. “Is this real?! Did you really become a doctor?!”

“Yeah.” A chuckle leaves his lips before a silence falls between he two of you. Suddenly a sigh leaves your lips.

“I’m sorry if this is awkward. I just…I didn’t think I’d ever met someone from Flevance who was still alive and lived to tell the tale.” You say with a shaky tone. “And I know I’ve already said this….” With a trembling lip, you run up and pull law into another hug.

“I’m so happy your alive!” You wail as your legs grow weak. The inside of your head pounded like a drum as you struggle to breath through your sobs. With your legs finally giving up, your knees hit the ground taking Law with you. 

Law’s heart hits against his ribs at your words. After years of feeling so alone and hiding what truly happened that night, there felt a bright warm feeling in his chest.

“Please, I’ll do anything. Just let me stay with you.” Law hears your sniffles as you cry into his shoulder.

He hadn’t about that. What would happen now? By the looks of it and what you’ve said, people still treat Amber Lead like they did all those years ago. Medicine has advanced so much, and yet you were still stuck with a painful reminder of what you’ve lost.

“Of course, don’t worry.”

“Hello Mrs. Trafalgar! Is Law available?” The sound of your voice breaks through Law’s study session. Knowing his mom would let you in the house with no questions asked, he began to panic. He looked around his room and saw the slight mess that it was. Jumping from his seat, he begin to pick up the dirty clothes and quickly make his bed.

A few knocks reach a Law’s ears. “Law? Can I come in?” Your voice echoes in his room. Whipping his head around to check his room to see any mess, he pulls off his hat to straighten out his hair before throwing it on his bed.

“Yeah!” Law hit his head as he critizes himself for sounding too excited but quickly straightens himself out as you enter.

“Oh wow, your room is so clean!” You say as you look around before turning to him. “Hey, where’s your hat?”

“I just took off for a second.” Law says with a nervous chuckle. He watches as you spot his hat on his bed before grabbing it.

Going up to him, you put it back on his head. “There we go. Much better.” Your smile made his heart beat heavily as he swallows.

“How’s your studying going? I heard from your mom that if your not hanging out with me, your studying. Am i just that awesome?” Your teasing and smug smile makes his heart beat even faster.

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!” Law exclaims as his face feels hot. “She’s making things up!”

“Alright calm down. I’m just teasing!” Grumbling, Law looks away.

“Whatever.”

You laugh before moving towards his desk after something caught your eye. Once your eyes finally got a good look, you squeal.

“Is that the new Sora: Warrior of the Sea book?! Why didn’t you tell me you got the new volume?!”

“I was walking for you to come over…” Law whispered.

“Huh?”

“I forgot. Lucky for you, I haven’t read it yet so you get the privilege to read it with me.” Crossing his arms, Law tries his best to exclude confidence. Not wanting to show just how excited he was to read with you.

“Well what are we waiting for?! Let’s read it!” Grabbing the book, you sit on teh bed before patting the spot next to you. With a leap of his heart, he goes to sit next to you.

“Law?” Your soft voice in his ear pulls him from his memories and back to the present.

“Hmm?” He feels you pull back from teh hug, eyes bloodshot from tears as some still streamed down your cheeks.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any Sora comics would you? Do you still like Sora?”

Law’s heart beats even faster at yoru question. “I probably have some somewhere, why?” He didn’t want to tell you just yet that he had every single volume in his room safely stored in a book case. Along with many, many action figures.

“Well, we, or I, have never finished reading that volume or have read them since. Do you think we can read them together again? Like we used to?”

“I’d like that.”

[eflen-n-reegee]

Little Big Changes (An ‘Inside Out’ Regression Fic)

Riley becomes overwhelmed and regresses for the first time, but her parents are there to help her. Suggested by Anon

~~~~~~~~

Things were getting better. Riley felt more comfortable in her new house. Her parents were paying closer attention to her feelings. The coach of the local hockey team even agreed to let her have a second tryout, and she made center.

A week had gone by when things got bad again.

Except… BAD wasn’t even the right way to phrase it. Riley had gotten a B- on her book report; not a huge deal. Some kid had bumped into her in the halls; he said sorry, so whatever. She had to wait a long time for the trolley to pass before she could cross the street; no problem.

Except… she didn’t want a B-. She didn’t like being bumped into. And the trolley kept clanging its bell really, really loudly.

(Inside Headquarters, Sadness was tapping buttons, and the console was turning a very deep blue.

“It’s not usually like that,” Fear said nervously.

“And what’s up with the bells?” Disgust added, covering her ears. “Why are they so loud?”)

By the time she got home, Riley was crying. She didn’t feel right - not sick, exactly, but not normal. Really not normal.

“Riley?” Her mom peeked into the living room then hurried over, cupping her daughter’s face. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Riley opened her mouth but all that came out were fresh sobs.

Her mother led her to the table and helped her into a chair. “Bill!” she called up the stairs. “Bill, come here!” Then, in a much gentler tone, “Did something happen, sweetheart? Did someone hurt you?”

Riley quickly shook her head, scrubbing her eyes and trying to stifle her crying.

Her dad was suddenly at her side, rubbing her shoulders. “What’s wrong, monkey? Rough day?”

Riley hiccuped and nodded, finally forcing out a few words. “The… trolley’s… loud…”

Her parents looked at each other, then back at her. “Yeah,” he dad said uncertainly. “Yeah,  it sure can be. Was there… anything else?”

Riley shrugged, staring at the floor. “Want… I dunno!” Her sobs resumed and she hugged herself.

Her mom looked somehow more worried. “Baby, are you sick? Does something hurt? Should we take her to the hospital?”

Her dad was frowning with thought. “Riley,” he said in a very soft and gentle voice, “Riley, did the trolley hurt your ears?”

She nodded.

“Remember when she was a toddler,” her dad said, still in that soft voice, “and loud noises would scare her? She used to cry just like this.”

“But she grew out of that,” her mom pointed out. “Why is she so upset now?”

Her dad nodded slightly, then said, “Riley? How would you like to come with me to the store? We can get some of those fishy crackers you like.”

“Wha-” her mom started to say, but she stopped when Riley nodded. “Oh… okay… Let’s all go, alright?”

~

In the car, over the hum of the engine, Riley could hear her parents whispering.

“I thought she was ‘too old’ for Goldfish crackers, that’s what she’s always saying.”

“You know that psychology class I took in college? They told us about this thing, this… regression thing.”

“I think I remember you talking about that, but… that was for TRAUMA, wasn’t it? I know she’s upset about the move, but…”

“Right now, this makes the most sense to me. Once we’re home I can do some research, but I think for now we just kinda… act like she’s three again.”

Riley watched her mom think on this for a moment, then she turned in her seat. “Riley,” she said in a gentle voice. “Can you… can you tell me what color that truck is?”

The girl nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “ ‘S blue.”

“It IS blue! Good job, smarty-pants!”

(Now the console was an almost blinding shade of yellow.

“There we go!” Joy said excitedly. “Alright, you heard Dad, guys, Riley’s in toddler mode! Disgust, keep little things out of her mouth. Fear, keep an eye out the window for clowns. Sadness, help her cry when she needs help. Anger, check the mind manuals, see if there’s a protocol for this. We’ve gone through worse, so let’s help our girl!”)

Riley giggled. Some part of her was aware that this was strange, that she still felt abnormal; but mostly she was glad she had made her mom proud.

While her dad went into the grocery store, Riley stared out the window. Her mom alternated between asking about colors and playing kids’ songs on her phone. When she started the Bloofy theme, Riley squealed and sang along as though she’d heard it the day before.

When the song ended, her mom turned around so she was facing Riley. “Sweetheart, you know… you know Dad and I love you, right? No matter what. And we’re gonna take care of you, okay? Always.”

Riley smiled, chewing on one of her fingers. “Uh-huh,” she mumbled.

Her mom smiled back, then pointed out the window. “Hey, who’s that silly monkey man?”

Riley gasped, pressing her hands against the glass. “Daddy!”

Her dad climbed into the car, reached into his bag and pulled out a small package of Goldfish crackers. “Here you go, Riler! I got some dino nuggets for dinner, that sound good?”

“Yeah!” Riley exclaimed, snatching the crackers and shoving a handful into her mouth.

“Riley,” her mom scolded gently. “What do we say?”

“Fank oo,” the girl mumbled, crumbs falling into her lap.

By the time they were pulling out of the parking lot, the little bag was empty and Riley was shutting her eyes. She could hear her parents whispering about their plans for the evening, but she didn’t pay much attention. She was comfortable, the taste of cheese was still in her mouth, and everything - EVERYTHING - was going to be okay.

[sky-kiss]

For the prompts: I’ve been thinking non-stop about your professor/barista au and would LOVE to see the date/the aftermath of said date 👀

A/N: Dude, I’m so glad to hear people like this dumb universe. Have a second prompt coming in for the same verse later. 

_____

Raphael x Tav: You Cannot Invite Her to Italy Yet, My Guy

_____

The temperature has dropped low enough to warrant a coat when they leave the restaurant. Tav shoves her hands into her pockets, turning her face up to feel the breeze on her skin. It’s fresh in a way you rarely experience in the city. Her head is pleasantly swimmy off good wine, food, and better company. 

Tav smiles to herself. Raphael lingers on her left. The wine has left a flush of color in his naturally tanned cheeks. She reaches out without thinking to adjust the hang of his scarf. He stiffens momentarily before relaxing, allowing her to smooth nonexistent wrinkles from the lapel of his jacket. “Well, I’d call that a successful first outing.”

“How gratifying to hear. Haarlep would never have let me live it down otherwise.” He holds out his arm. “Come, the night is young.”

“Oooh, a secondary location. I am doing well.” She tucks her hand in the crook of his elbow. 

“Exceeding all expectations, my dear, I assure you.” He sighs, angling down the street. She relaxes, hugging her guide's arm to her chest. Heat radiates through his jacket, much needed. The material smells pleasantly of him, a touch of spicy bleeding into the cherries and musk. A little creepy to go around smelling your date, but she won't apologize. Most men didn’t smell half as nice. Raphael continues, his movements and voice looser. He’s in his element, rarely liquid; it’s charming. “You read, you brew, you’re well-spoken…what more could I ask?” 

Tav snickers. “My, I’m uniquely qualified.” 

He tips her a wink. “Almost as if we were made for one another” 

It’s a terrible line. Raphael is attractive enough to make it work. Tav rolls her eyes, shrugging under his arm and dragging it over her shoulders. If he’s going to make his moves, she'll try hers. The barista winds her arms around his waist. “Look at that. We fit, too.” 

He stiffens, staring at her in a mix of amusement and wonder. It’s too open for the typically confident man. Tav fears she overstepped. Raphael chuckles, bringing her free hand to his lips for a kiss. “Wonders never cease.”

They wander for a while. He angles them towards a park. They talk about books they’ve read and the places they have traveled. Tav has never been to Italy. Raphael spent a decent portion of his childhood on the Mediterranean coast. 

“Do you get back often?” 

“Less than I’d like. But I am always looking for a new excuse to visit.” He glances down at her, eyes glittering. “In the dark heart of winter, Italy, Spain…they seem like a dream.” Raphael purses his lips. A real mischief crosses his face. “If you require a guide one day…” 

Oh, she shouldn’t. It’s the magic of the evening; it’s the chemistry and the company. She can't stop from saying, “I’d like that.”

They walk a little longer. When it comes time to part, Tav lingers by the door, chewing her lip between her teeth. It’s too early in the relationship, but she’s still chasing the high. “You could come up?”

Raphael chuckles. The professor leans over her, curling a finger under her chin, tipping her head up. He brushes his lips across hers, more delicate than she’d like, still tasting the rich cabernet they had with dinner. “Expectation will make such things all the sweeter, pet. Perhaps next time.” He kisses her knuckles and turns to go. 

Tav just stares after him like a love-sick idiot: a little disappointed and a little giddy. 

Before she drifts off to sleep, she sends him a text. Dinner, Saturday. There is a tapas bar near her apartment, and it only seems fair to continue their faux Mediterranean tour. 

She hates that his response makes her blush: he is, as ever, delighted to serve as her guide. 

[gillyeowalters]

I love the small things about Warframe's design so much. Like, the Duviri architecture.

[Spoilers!]

The houses obviously are just wall parts of the Zariman, arranged to look like settlements/towns. The same goes for many of the harvestable plants, that also mimic Zariman design elements (especially noticeable with the cactus-like Ueymag, that has an unnaturally symmetrical shape, mimicking the often repeated tuning fork-shape).

Duviri has multiple bioms, plains, snowy mountains, a desert, but they are all way too small to exist naturally.

All this paints the picture of a world created by the mind of a child, who might have never seen anything else but the inside of a spaceship. They might have never seen other architecture, so all houses have to look like they were ripped straight out of the Zariman's structure. They know that mountains and deserts exist, but they do not understand their scale, so they become just one more small piece of Duviri. Just like cartographs back in history they fill the unknown of their world with set pieces and the skeletal structures found all over Duviri lend themselves for a comparison to this "Here there be dragons" mindset.

Children build and recreate what they know all the time to learn and better understand it, but also to express their wishes and creativity. This gives the idea of a child, confined in space, wishing to get to be somewhere else, visiting the places they have heard of.

We get to see quite a few rather large settlements in Duviri, but the amount of houses and people does not seem to match. In general, only very few people seem to be roaming the streets. This is not an adult doing extensive worldbuilding, this is a child with a lot of building blocks but very few dolls building a world on which they can project their emotions and memories onto.

Most of Duviris normal inhabitants are just decorations, not existing to be characters, but because a town "needs to have people in it". They are not defined by who they are, but by what they do- and what they do is react to the player, sit around, talk and cower in fear when enemies approach.

The simple shapes of the buildings are very close to the concept of real life building blocks. Paedagogic toys often are simple, to allow for easy handling and more creative freedom.

The theme of death is also omnipresent. Every animal resembles a carcass build from metal plating and even the Dax enemies are skeleton-like, the Gladius' helmets lower part even resembling a rabbit skull. We obviously know how the story of the Zariman ended and the skulls and bones might be just an indicator of potential danger, but what if the skeletal design of Duviri's inhabitants are not supposed to indicate not (just) death, but an infinished state? They are walking skeletons, yet missing a skin, their shape, just like the fractured bodies of the townspeople, not fully formed out in the child's head. Since the townspeople are humanoid though, they look more finished, while all the child might have ever seen of sheep, cats, dogs, horses and owls could have very well been just pictures in a school book, maybe next to a diagram of their underlying anatomy (after all, one of the few things we get to experience of the daily life on the Zariman, is school).

There is also an enemy called the Dax Herald. A Herald was a specialist in ceremonies, making sure that they were held correctly (besides also having diplomativ tasks). Their head resembles a security camera, adding a layer of oppressive social norms normal humans certainly suffered under in the orokin empire

[upat4amwiththemoon]

I havé no idea if I asked this already but if I did I apologize😭 Could you do a villanelle x readers where the reader already has a child from a previous relationship please?

A package deal

Summary: It’s either both of us or neither of us.

Pairing: Villanelle x fem!reader, fem!reader x daughter

Warnings: none

Word count: 667

a/n: short and sweet

Tags: @sayah13

masterlists | guidelines

“Are you excited to meet her, bubs?” Y/N smiles to the small girl of five she is holding on her hip as she walks down the busy street.

The small child holds onto Y/N’s shoulder, her eyes wandering around all the different people walking past them. She’s always been curious about her surroundings. “Yes, mama.”

She lets out a shaky breath, giving her daughter a small smile. She’s glad to see her happy and clearly more confident than she is feeling. Y/N is absolutely terrified. Villanelle knows she has a daughter, she’s more worried about her changing her mind, deciding that raising her girlfriend’s daughter would be too much.

“Okay, bubs.” Y/N slows down her steps as she sees the right cafe in front of her. “Do you think Villanelle is already there? Maybe she’s just as nervous as us.” She’s glad she can use her daughter as an excuse to talk things through out loud.

The small bell rings when Y/N opens the door. It’s a small family owned cafe, one filled with books and flowers.

“There she is.” She whispers, pointing at the blonde sitting at the corner table. Taking a one last deep breath, “let’s go,” she walks to the table. “Hi, honey.”

Villanelle stands up the instant she hears Y/N’s voice. “Hi.” Her eyes are wide, moving between her girlfriend and the small girl in her arms. “Hey, should- should I hug you?” Her already strong accent is even stronger now.

With a giggle, Y/N sets her daughter down on a chair, pulling Villanelle into a short but warm embrace. Then she lifts the girl again, “this is Villanelle. Remember when I told you about her, bubs? She’s mama’s girlfriend.”

“Hi, ‘nelle.”

Somehow Villanelle’s eyes widens even more, and a bright smile grows on her face. “Hey. Aren’t you a cute one?” She takes hold of her small hand, giving it a shake.

“Mhm.” The girl giggles, kicking her feet in the air.

Y/N smiles as they all sit down. “I already ordered.” Villanelle states from the lack of drink menus. “I hope that’s okay. I know what you like, and you- you’ve told what your kid likes so…so I ordered for her too. We can order something else if she ends up not liking it-“

“Villanelle.” Y/N reaches over the table, taking hold of the woman’s hand. She finds her nervousness endearing, especially since Villanelle is usually the confident one. “It’s okay, I trust you to order for us.” She giggles.

She lets out a breath. Of relief most likely, but she’ll never admit to being nervous. “Mama loves you.” The small girl speaks up after their food and drinks have been brought over.

“I love your mama too.”

Giggling, she looks up at Y/N. “I love mama too.”

Y/N gasps, nuzzling her nose against her daughter’s cheek. “And I love you.” She murmurs, her gaze moving between her daughter and girlfriend. “You know we’re a package deal, right?” She gives her daughter a colouring book with some crayons to keep her occupied while she has a more serious conversation.

“I know that.”

“If you don’t want to be part of her life, if you don’t like her or if she doesn’t like you, if you hurt her in any way…I’m out.” Villanelle listens to her words in silence. “I will trust her word over yours, because I will not allow my daughter to grow up in fear.”

“I know.”

Y/N swallows, tapping her nails against the table lightly. “So what does that mean to you?”

“It means you’re a great mother,” she takes hold of her hand, “and I would love to be part of your family.”

A smile grows on her face. Y/N squeezes her hand, giggling when a third, smaller hand joins the pile. Her daughter starts giggling too, it’s full of joy, and it’s just the sign that Y/N needs to know this’ll work.

[lisbeth-kk]

May Prompts (21) Fire

The Luckiest Girl in the World (chapter 21)

Summary: Rosie muses about her peculiar family, and gets invited/ordered to come to the pub.

Twenty-One Years Old

My family wasn’t exactly what you would call average or normal, but as Dad and Papa constantly pointed out: who wants normal. Certainly, none of us. Being an only child and without any cousins, I was mostly exposed to adults outside school. By now, I think you can agree that that wasn’t as boring as it sounded.

Uncle Myc made sure that our small family was extended when he and uncle Greg finally realised that what they had was too precious to ignore. 

Papa tried to warn the DI in his normally dramatic flair.

“You know this is playing with fire, Gavin? Falling for a Holmes, means there’s no escape. You’ll be trapped for life, and our love is fierce and protective. A bit like that dragon. John, which film was it?”

“The Hobbit,” Dad answered and reassured uncle Greg that he had nothing to fear. “Deep down, they’re as fluffy as new-born kittens.”

This got him glares that brave men would’ve flinched under, but Dad only laughed and gave Papa a kiss on the forehead and uncle Myc a pat on the shoulder. No one knew how to deal with the Holmes brothers like my Dad.

Of course, this didn’t stop Papa’s attempts to abuse uncle Greg’s name but probably increased it. From that day, every name in the book was put to good use. Dad told him he was being childish, but Dad’s poker face in such matters was laughable at best, so he fooled no one. My uncles just rolled their eyes, knowing that arguing with Papa would accomplish absolutely nothing.

The less said about my aunts, the better, but I’m not exactly one who’s able to keep my mouth shut, am I... 

Aunt Harry, the one who was still alive, just barely, by the state of her liver, according to Dad, another one playing with fire, had never been a part of my life. Just like Papa’s deranged and murderous sister, thank God. Dad gave Harry an ultimatum after we moved to Baker Street; get help to get sober or stay away. It sounds harsh, doesn’t it? I had started school when I learned of her existence. We got an assignment to make a family tree.

“Extended and chosen family can also be included,” our teacher told us.

I had no idea what she was talking about, and neither did my friends, so I turned to my main source of information, my parents.

When Dad told me he had a sister, dozens of questions were instantly on the tip of my tongue, but he cut me off before I could utter any of them.

“She’s only my sister by biology, not by heart. You can put her name on the family tree if you like, but she’s sadly not interested in switching the bottle for family.”

“What Dad means, is that the biological part doesn’t always matter. Chosen and extended family can be just as good, sometimes even better,” Papa explained.

***

I found it comforting when uncle Greg moved in with uncle Myc, because the older I got, the more I worried about uncle Myc’s solitary life. He deserved to be loved by others, not just his family. 

The pair were even more peculiar than Dad and Papa. Dad and uncle Greg were much more similar, coming from the same upbringing and social class, while uncle Myc and Papa were posh gits. (Dad and uncle Greg’s words.) But still, they fitted together, just like Dad and Papa.

And where did that leave me? Somewhere in the middle, I guess. I wasn’t really that exposed to the upper classes. That was uncle Myc’s area. At least in the connection with his job. I had the advantage of being raised by people of both societies, though, so I coped better at posh events than Dad for example. Granny and Pops were quite down-to-earth people, who obviously rose to the occasion if need be.

***

Uncle Myc was unable to deny the love of his life anything, but he drew the line when it came to pub quiz nights. He didn’t budge a millimetre when uncle Greg tried to flatter him into participating.

“Myc, love. You would ensure that my team won the whole shebang. At least when the questions are about politics, language, history, mathematics et cetera.”

“Gregory, mon cher,” uncle Myc said softly and arched an eyebrow.

Uncle Greg admitted defeat and turned to me. I was twenty-one, drank alcohol on occasion, and was above average intelligence. Three good reasons to join the team apparently.

***

“So, do I call you uncle, Greg, or Lestrade?” I inquired before we entered the pub.

“Just avoid Gaylord and Grimmwolf,” he deadpanned.

“Those are his latest then?” I giggled.

“John said he looked up obscure ones online when he’d used up all the names in the book he found among Mary’s things.”

“Sounds like Papa,” I replied.

I had seen the book now and again, but I never knew it once belonged to my mother.

Luckily for everyone involved, Philip Anderson was no longer a part of uncle’s team Division. Sally Donovan was, but she and Papa had long since buried the hatchet, and she welcomed me quite civilly.

Uncle Greg mocked me the entire evening for my choice of drink. 

“Sour beer has nothing to do with beer in my opinion,” he scolded looking disgusted at my pink brew.

“I don’t mind what you call it. Your Guinness looks more like tar than beer to me, so I guess we have to agree to disagree,” I retorted. “Now, do you know the answer to the fifth question or not?”

“You’re a good mix of Watson, Holmes, and yourself,” Sally told me after that.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” I said. “Thank you. I take that as a compliment, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. That was the intention. They’re…um…good men and are evidently skilled at parenting. I’ll obviously deny it if I’m ever confronted with this,” she murmured.

Uncle Greg placed another glass of the “undrinkable” beer in front of me and gave Sally’s shoulder a pat.

“Getting sentimental on my, Sally?” he inquired with a smile.

“Hardly,” she scoffed and headed for the bar, but her soft expression gave her game away.

Also available on AO3

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @raina-at @helloliriels

More tags in the replies

[lostinforestbound]

Hello There ! 👋😊

Tw : slight Dune spoiler, since the book is rather old.

Could you write Zevlor Headcanons about his Tav!love interest being someone with such passion and determination to change the world, that they may sometimes scare people off, please ? ( if you know those work of fiction, I'm talking about someone similar to Eren Jeager in SNK, Anakin Skywalker in Star wars, or Paul Atreides in Dune ) 👀

Smooches ! ☺️

Oh wow this was definitely a brain exercise for me! I did my best, so I hope this is what you were looking for! Thank you so much for your patience!

Zevlor with a Passionate Tav

Zevlor is a leader. A Hellrider, a Paladin; he has led many people in his prime. Seeing other leaders is not something new to him, as he's seen many.

But something about Tav is very different. It's honestly part of why he fell for them.

Not only are they ambitious, they are passionate. He admires their resolve, but he notices how nervous others get around them.

They're so strongly convicted that they scare others around them. Never him, though. Gods, never him.

He always asks what keeps them going. Their motivations, their dreams, how believe they're in the right; it's all so fascinating for him.

It makes him wonder why they chose him; an Oathbreaker. Shouldn't they hate someone like him?

Although they work together, he honestly leaves most of the leading to them. They make amazing speeches and inspire many people like them, including himself.

Whenever he doubts himself about his resolve, Tav is always there to lift him up. They will hug him from behind and tell him he's doing everything right, in their eyes.

He would do anything they say. It's not in a pathetic way; he just trusts them so much. With his love, life, and soul.

Every day he still wonders how he managed to get their attention, when he's so dull compared to them. He never asks, so he'll never know.

Writing Blurb

They're speaking. A speech, one made up on the spot as terror rushes through the streets of Baldur's gate. A speech, one that has everyone absolutely enthralled, including Zevlor.

He's never seen them stand so tall, so brightly illuminated by the reddening sky. There's hope being lost as more destruction erupts, but they have become a beacon. Everyone has never looked more alive, even with the world's end at their doorstep. Some even looked scared, but were determined to fight this Netherbrain at their sole command.

At the end of their final sentence, voices cry out and cheer, almost startling him out of his thoughts. Everything became more real in that moment; they're about to go fight the brain, but he can't go with them. Not until they call. His Hellriders are ready for anything.

When they finally approach him, he notices how their smile disappears, letting him know their true feelings. They believe they can pull this off, no doubt about it, but they worry about him of all people.

He presses their forehead against theirs, minding the horns, and he cups their face with a free hand. "We will be fine, my love. You should worry about yourself."

Their grin returns immediately as he speaks, and his heart can't help but flutter. How did he get so lucky, to have someone that has such a determined, beautiful smile?

"I have nothing to worry about, then." They state, placing their hand over his.

Usually, he would argue lightly. They should be more worried about themselves; they're not invincible. He wishes they were, most days. Then he would never have to fear them getting hurt. But now is not the time, they all have a catastrophic brain to fight. They need all their heads in the game to win.

He sighs in resignation but returns their smile. "Do not be reckless, and do not be stupid."

"I won't."

They gently pull him in for a long kiss. It's gentle, as if they're savoring it, in case they won't see each other after; in case it is the last one.

It won't be, but they never know.

[barcaluvv]

Lamine yamal x reader You and Yamal, the bond of friendship, which no one could ever separate, whether together or not at all, but as they say, a man can only kill his happiness because of feelings, but this time they both separated their wires that held many years of friendship.

One night, everything snapped and huge feelings came out of you both.

You were talking, you were sitting on the very bench, talking about irrelevant things, because you were both thinking the same thing, and if only you knew that, everything would be different. Yamal was teasing you with the book he was holding tight in his slender arms,grabbing your pens away as you were just out of class, second shift, laughing loudly and not caring about what others thought but yet not a single soul was seen. You felt like the while city was sleeping, as your paths will slowly diverge any moment from now. When you calmed down a bit Lamine said something condescending, his voice shaking not from cold but from fear "Can I tell you something?but dont be mad okay?" He was admiring your hair slowly but precisely fluttering in the wind, he looked at every line that your smile leaves, all that persuaded him to say what he was going to say now. "Listen y/n" he grabbed you by your palms, creasing your hair, tucking every strain of hair behind your ear, slowly and softly. He clings to you, his voice barely above a whisper "I feel so guilty sometimes... like I'm such a burden on you. I want to be perfect for you." he sniffles, looking down at the leaves falling from the branch.

"What are you trying to say?" U get worried. Tears form in his eyes as he continues "I'm scared too, ... scared of losing you. You mean everything to me." he takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself "I just want to make you proud and happy, but i cant continue like this, i wake up everyday thinking about how my emotions tremble against your will, not being enough to express them to you, i love you y/n, u have every right to be mad at me and leave, and end our conversation forever but you cant run from the feeling of guilt" he sobs uncontrollably, burying his face in the cold current wind, that was trying to remove a tear from his cheeks ... I need you so much. he clings to you tightly, his entire body shaking from the intensity of his emotions "I don't want to lose you."

"Now maybe i did threw 7 years of friendship away in 5 minutes of speech but, ive waited for these few minutes my entire life now I'd have to break our contact." Said lamine with tear drops falling off his eyes, down to his sweatshirt. This all happened too fast, you're literally out of words but this sentence felt powerful. "Maybe we are soulmates after all".

Lamine wipes off his tears, trying to act tough not understanding your words. "What? What do you mean?".

Lamine, u lean closer feeling his heartbeat acrobat as u get to him.

"The truth is, ive been meaning to tell you that too, but also many thing more such as that my family is moving back to Portugal, this is my last goodbye my love". He sits in shock, feeling his empty-handed heart break in pieces, watching it flow like ashes.

He stands up, kisses your forehead soflty, not leaving any hope after it.

He pulls you tightly,holding you for seconds, treating them like years not wasting any of them, atleast that's not wasted besides the love potential we had.

He pulls away, giving you a bracelet, which says "Why not this universe"

that was written on the black buttons, like he was prepared for this. "Let this be a remember, it might be temporary but my love for you wasn't." He starts walking away, the streets carried him off, and poof suddenly our love too. Two months later, you found out he burned himself down. You were devastated, it took you so many months to put yourself together after this. 6 months passed, you heard a loud knocking on your door, it's better if you didn't open them, just like that I found out that the police was holding a paper, that was apparently held by Yamal when he died. The letter said "when you quietly told me that I won't be able to do without you. X your Lamine." That was supposed to be shifted the same night to Portugal. With a bracelet next to it.

[heartfullofleeches]

imagine you're just a funny lil imp who does your devilish deeds in a pretty small sphere, just making humans stumble and getting them to drop their coffee or something. it's all you can bring yourself to do, and it's not like you're a renowned imp (or want to become one, either).

since you're not particularly strong, you try to avoid ever getting in contact with any of the high level demons or so, they seem too scary and dangerous after all. except once you happen to meet gemi[ni], thinking them to be a normal demon considering how down to earth they are, you become little pals of sorts, telling them all about the human world and the silly pranks you do. well, once you find out their true identity, you just feel so embarrassed for treating them so casually, you just can't bring yourself to ever see them again, at least for the next one thousand years or so at that.

how would gemi[ni] react?

Shit- How could you make such a careless mistake?

Your friendship began due to a single, faithful accident. One event that could've easily been avoided - had it not been for a mischievous little imp who had yet to get their daily fix of humanly woes.

For a while, you had taken up shop in a shopping center somewhere out in a decently sized city. A wide, open space with plenty of stores and alleys for you to reck havoc in. On that day, your shop of choice happened to be a little comic store huttled in the corner of the mall. You had been the cause of multiple people quitting and the ban of general displays after you knocked them over one to many times, but today you had your eyes on the customers - one in particular to be more precise.

"What do you mean you don't have it?'

You snitch from behind the cash register as the patron in question slams their fist on the table. The cashier flinches in response as they lean in, teeth bared in a snarl.

"I preorder that figure the day it was announced- and you sold it to someone else?!"

You cover your hands over your mouth to prevent yourself from bursting out in laughter, despite the fact that no one could hear you. You thought nothing of this specific person at first. If you got to them, you got to them, but upon hearing them shouting in rage at the cashier you couldn't pass up the opportunity to suck up their misfortune. You weren't even sure what was going on for the most part other than something they wanted was out of stock. It would be such a shame if what they had got happened to get mixed up with another patron's items.

"I'm really sorry about this-" The cashier replies. "we can give you a discount for what you've picked out today."

The customer sighs. "Fine. You're a bunch of incompetent bastards, but I'll take what I can get."

While they pay, you reach into the bag on the counter, and swap its contents with the one to their left. Snickering to yourself, you slip out the front door onto the next location. Sometimes the idea of the reaction was better than seeing the real thing, and the you didn't know how long it would take so it was best not to waste your time when you could pull off more hits.

"Hey!"

You don't even turn when your hear a shout. It wasn't like humans could see you, so you were the most unlikely suspect.

A rock hits the ground by your feet.

"I'm talking to you, shrimp."

Fearing the worse, you glance back; locking eyes with the ill-tempered customer. No further conformation needed, you book it; speeding off down the street before they take their first step. You dart into the nearest all, knocking into a few trash cans as you come to a halt. You peak around the corner. With the crowded streets and how fast you were going, they should be far behind and soon a thing of the-

"Nice try."

Spinning on your heels, the previously bumped into cans go flying to the ground as you jump ten feet in the air. The customer stands behind you, tapping their heel against the dirt as they check their nails.

"Took you long enough. I was starting to get bored." They grab you by your shirt collar. "Normally, I'd have squished a bug like you by now, but..."

You squirm under the sharpness of their finger as it drags across your face. It's been so long since you've met another demon that you had completely forgotten your own kinds' scent. You thought they were a little off, but never in a million years did you think they were like you. Given their stature, they had to have some power, but the weakness of their scent led you to believe they weren't that much higher on the class scale than you.

"...this isn't a normal situation." They flick you in the forehead before letting you go as they smirk. "Your little prank let to me getting what I really wanted and seeing the joy you got from it sparked some interest. My other half always tells me I need to interact more with this world, along with people in general- and I believe you'll be the perfect one to help by out."

You swallow your breath. "Do I have a choice?"

They laugh. "You're a class act already. "

-

And thus began your budding relationship. At first it was just retailing your greatest pranks over desserts, but soon they joined you on your ventures as well. Nothing too crazy, but the occasion push or shove. To make things far, they told you about the hobbies they fancied as well. From video games to comics, they had a vast knowledge on human media, but not so much their people. You would soon find out your new companion's name was Gemi. It rings some bells, but not loud enough for you to recall where you heard the name before.

As much fun as you were having, you started to notice something off from time to time. At random intervals, their brass, and bold persona would be switched for a more timid, antsy one. They also refused to take your hand, despite literally carrying you from danger in the space. Regardless of the personality, they began to grow more hostile to those around when you both took humanly forms. It was unlike anything you had seen with the demon before, but since they were still your loyal friend you had no complaints.

That was- until the day you found out their true face.

-

You were at a cafe they enjoyed, having just ordered your treats, when you come to find that yours came with a phone number on the bag. Finding it humorous/an opportunity for a new target, you show it off to Gemi with a laugh.

"Hey Jimmy, check it out. I think that cashier wrote his number on here. Funny, right?"

Instead of a finding it funny, Gemi goes quiet. They stay as such the whole time, taking occasional glances at the counter. As someone walks from the back, they excuse themselves while you finish your snack. With them still gone by the time you finished, you get up to look for them. Entering the unlocked bathroom, you find them standing in front of one of the mirrows - and a body in their arms.

"Are you sure about this, my lord?"

Instead of their reflection, the mirror shows a portal to a room with white walls. A shadowy figure stands patiently before them, arms outstretched despite their query. Gemi scowls as they shove the limp human in their arms.

"Yes, but if you really need the both of us to answer- Gemini is the one who suggested this." Their eyes soften as they continue. "I did not! All I said was maybe he needed to take a short- long-term vacation until we had more time to win them over. Ceres will be on our wings if she finds out about this."

"Be quiet- it's my turn today, so you can't speak unless I give you the say so."

The recollection their name comes crashing back to you. The twin Devils, Gemi and Gemini. Combined souls and a third of the fallen ruler of the underworld. Fear creeps up your chest as you realize you've been buddy buddy with one of the most powerful beings in your realm. What did they want with an imp like you? Did they truly value or friendship, or were they only looking to past the time until something better came along? Would they get rid of you after that like the mortal? Maybe you were the one they were win or- and they wanted you to be their pet. You didn't know what was going to be the outcome and you didn't want to find out.

-

Slipping away beneath the veil of the crowd, you avoided the pair from that day forth. They attempted to contact on the phone you stole a week back, but you chucked it in the streets at the first call. You saw them from time to time in the plaza, but fled before they could spot you. You heard people speaking of a stranger who would demand information on someone with your general appearance, who'd suddenly burst into tears along way through. There was a spot in your heart that missed them, but you valued your safety more.

After a month long hiatus, you were getting back into the groove of pulling your devious tricks. You moved across town to a much smaller, but decently populated area. While going after your next victim, tearing a hole in the plastic bag they caring, you feel the urge to follow them until they noticed. Your venture leads you to an empty street, and you only notice something is off whem the lights start to flicker. The human turns to you. You recognize him.

"I'm sorry.."

As he runs off, a large figure descends from its perch atop a light fixture. They're in their true form, standing over you at over three meters tall. They snatch your arm with the talons of their winged limb; their dozens of eyes full of rage - and grief.

"Where have you been." Gemi hisses. "We both you got hurt. We thought you were dead."

"Please don't kill me!"

Their grimace falls. "Hurt you? Why would we do that?"

"Because I ran. I know I shouldn't have, but I.. I don't want to be your servant!"

Gemi starts at you deadpanned. Their lips slowly curl into a shaky smile as they break out into a full belly laugh. They left you go as they wipe a tear from their eye; face shifting at their other half takes control. You feel the urge to run now that you're free, but something tells you, you shouldn't."

"Oh, Y/...I-.. We'd never see you as below us." Gemi takes the wheel once more. "We love you, you adorable fool. Give our.. condition, we don't agree on much, but we are certain that you are our destined partner. I do tend to have a temper... and steer away from romance so we had trouble pursuing you.

Gemi grabs you with their second pair of limbs, each face taking their turn to kiss your cheeks as they wrap their wings around your smaller frame.

"You are ours, and as ours- you are our equal. We hate to do this, but due to you running away we cannot let you out of our sight again. We promise your punishment will be most pleasurable, before we get started on the wedding plans the following eve."

[kukurykunapatyku]

[I.D.: Drawing of Usopp and Vinsmoke Niji from One Piece. They're both seen from the side, circling around each other, Usopp is aiming his slingshot and Niji is brandishing an electrified sword. Usopp wears sniper king mask, red cape, green pants, brown shoes and blue-white arm warmers. Niji wears black cape with blue '2' on it, blue costiume and yellow-blue boots, he's smirking. /End I.D.]

Vinsmoke shipping week day 4: Red string / Hero x Villain

The neferious Germa group is terrorizing the streets, but fear not, because the great Sniper King is here to save you!

Strawhats are semi-superhero team. Luffy doesn't care about crime, it just happens that bad guys usually target his friends for some reason. Nami somehow convinced him to at least cover his face when they beat up guys on live television.

Niji gets a crush on two people at once and tries to deal with it in completly normal matter - by proving they're actually the same person (he's right).

⬇️Fanfic under readmore⬇️ also on Ao3

Niji carefully pinned the photo next to the others. He frowned, adjusted two more to fit the rest better and stepped back to admire his work. Photos, bus schedules, discarded papers, shard broken off the Sniper King mask, piece of fabric - all gathered together. There was just one thing to do and his board would be complete. He grinned, pulled out a ball of red yarn and began connecting the pins until they formed one massive web of evidence. And like a spider ready for dinner, he finally found that one fly that was pulling at its strings, and come to the single possible conclusion.

"And why, pray tell, do you think one of your regular customers is part of the superhero team? The one that always thwarts father's plans no less?"

"Don't you see?" Niji slammed the board. "It's all here!"

"All I see is an, admittingly ambitious, art project made of coincidences and stalking tendencies."

"Listen, it's too much to just be a coincidence, at this point it's proof."

Ichiji sighed and closed the book he was reading.

"Fine, lets indulge you. What proof?"

"First of, they drink the same coffee - both take exactly two sugar cubes, one puff of cream and two pumps of caramel syrup."

"Why do you know how Sniper King takes his coffee?"

Niji looked at him like he was stupid

"Because I asked him? He's my nemesis, I need to know those things."

"Your nemesis?" Ichiji stuttered. "Since when??"

"About two months ago; we were picking them, don't you remember? You took the witch."

Ichiji tapped his fingers on the table. That didn't sound right, he was sure if something like this happened he would have remembered. If they did it there must have been a purpose, but what? Battle strategies? Did father know? Was Ichiji supposed to tell him? And he picked the Weather Witch? What on earth could Niji be talking about-

Suddenly very tired, Ichiji put his hand on his face and slowly pulled it down.

"Niji. We played 'Fuck, Marry, Kill' about the Strawhats. How did this turn into nemesis thing?"

"Ain't that the same thing? Anyway, we're getting off track." He pointed at the blurry photo of a dark alleyway. "See?"

"See what?"

"Argh, do I have to do everything here? Look, here, it's Sniper's cape!"

Ichiji leaned forward and squinted. True, in the left corner, near the bins, there was something that could be a fragment of red fabric. Or an unlucky rat.

"I followed Usopp one evening and I lost him somewhere here," his finger followed one of the red lines until it reached a cutout of city's map, with big circle drawn in the middle of it. "But I'm sure he didn't walk much further, because he was carrying four of those babies." He tapped on the stock picture of an ice-cream package. "There were other shops on his way and he only stopped to buy them here." Next map had a red cross slapped on it. "Which means he was probably coming closer to home. Other stores in the neighborhood are over there, there, there and there. Since he didn't visit those, he must live somewhere before the road could reach any of them, or he would have just buy ice-cream there."

Niji looked at his brother expectantly. "See now?"

Ichiji blinked a few times. That was impressive recon work, and he could probably agree with him... If he knew what point he was even trying to make.

"So... you think the coffee guy lives somewhere between these streets." He pointed at the marked portion of the map. "But what does it have to do with your theory?"

"Everything! I just showed you, I found a piece of Sniper's cape next to the houses there, it's evidence!"

Ichiji massaged his temples and counted to ten. Did he have to do this? He could just leave. Maybe call Yonji so Niji could bother someone else.

But then, a voice in his head said, you have no excuse if father suddenly decides he wants an audience to hear about another freaking death ray.

If he had to listen to his family's ramblings...

"It's just red fabric, it doesn't necessary mean anything. Plus, your guy could be going to his friends house, or a party. Four boxes of ice-cream is a lot for one person."

Niji waved him away.

"Oh no, I know Usopp will eat it. He once told me he can do even five if he puts his mind to it. Calls it his 'depression repression' meal. And!" He pulled a clipped cloth Ichiji failed to notice before. "Sniper doesn't use any shabby materials! His cape is waterproof, fireproof, really hard to rip and can even withstand acid for a while. And guess what? This piece I took from the alley is exactly that!"

Ichiji sincerely hated that he actually started to consider this. "Still, you can't be sure. A lot of people live there. Plus, if I was trying to hide my identity, I wouldn't throw damming evidence with my garbage. It's more likely, if it even is the same material, that it was thrown there by somebody passing by."

Niji sneered, annoyed that the argument actually made sense.

"We all are hiding our identity; why 'if'?"

"Father's hightech company is one letter away from just spelling his evil codename, we lost a member around the same time Sanji, very publicly, left the family and we barely cover our faces when we go out. Are we hiding our identities?"

"It's different, we're rich. We can do whatever we want and so one will accuse us."

"That just proves my point. I doubt Sniper can afford being find out, so he's probably more cautious handling his leftovers."

"Maybe he's rich too, you don't know that. I mean, he's not since I know it's Usopp, but. Well. Doesn't matter, because I have even more evidence!"

He gestured at another portion of the board, with two papers on it. One seemed to be a photo of Sniper taken in the middle of battle, even more unfocused than the others. The other was a printed selfie of darkskinned guy around 20 years old, with long curly hair and wide smile. But the first thing that caught attention was his- Oh no.

"As you can see," Niji gloated, "they have the same nose!"

Ichiji slammed his forehead on the table.

The twin bang could be heard across the city, in an unkempt apartment (that on paper was shared by five people, which really downplayed how many actually passed by it).

"For the last time Usopp, your favourite barista is not Dengeki Blue just because the hair match!

[heqvenlymoons]

I Gave You Immortality, I Can Take It Back Anytime

Daminette One Shot | Soulmate AU | AO3

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has always known she was immortal. Maybe not always. 

But there had been multiple instances in her life that proved she was. 

Like when she was four, she and Nino had been playing catch when the ball he threw at her bounced and rolled onto the road. Seeing no cars in sight, Marinette had rushed onto the street to grab the ball when a car seemed to have spawned out of nowhere and sped towards her. 

She had frozen in fear, not able to move when the car miraculously broke down just as it was about to hit her. Her parents hadn’t let her out of their sight for a while after that incident. 

That night, she remembered seeing a boy about the same age as her with green eyes, tanned skin and a permanent scowl on his face as he crossed his arms and looked at her with an air full of superiority as he snapped, “Be more careful.” 

She had thought the dream was weird and never saw the boy again until when she was six. She somehow contracted pneumonia and was sent to the ER for a life-threatening emergency. 

She slept at the hospital that night, afraid and alone, her parents weren’t allowed in the room as the sickness was contagious. 

She saw the green-eyed boy again, this time looking older than he was when she last saw him. His scowl was the same, looking down at her with disapproval as if she had sought out the sickness on her own and gotten sick on purpose. 

“Don’t look at me like it’s my fault,” She snapped, unhappy with his disapproving expression. 

He looked surprised but the expression was gone as quickly as it appeared, the scowling expression slipping back like it never left in the first place as he spat, “It is your fault! If you never went near that sick person in the first place, you would not have contracted the disease.” 

Marinette stomped her foot, unwilling to let the boy talk to him like that. “It’s not my fault I’m sick! Everything hurts! I’m scared and alone, I don’t need to add you yelling at me to the mix.”

By the end of her rant, she was struggling to contain her tears, the frustration of everything she had been holding back while she had been awake came tumbling out.

The boy’s face softened slightly and he shifted, looking uncomfortable at the girl looking so close to tears. He gave a hesitant gentle pat to her head as he said, “Get better soon.” 

The following morning when she woke up, her pneumonia had been cured. 

Since that night, the mysterious boy appeared more often on days when she got hurt or injured, and with her clumsy nature, she saw the boy every few days.  

“I just realized I don’t know your name,” Marinette asked one day as they hung out in the dreamscape. 

They were both doing their own thing, with the boy focused on his sketchbook and Marinette working on some colouring book. 

He grunted, not happy with the interruption. “That is not important.” 

She closed her colouring book and got up to snatch the sketchbook from his hands. 

“Hey!” he glared at her, hoping to intimidate her but she was stubborn, not giving in. 

“It’s important to me. I want to know who my friend is,” she said, referring to his earlier statement. 

“We are not friends,” he grumbled, looking away. 

She stuck out her tongue. “Too bad. You’re stuck with me, you always appear when I sleep.” 

The boy stubbornly avoided her gaze, focusing on some shelves behind her instead. 

“Just tell me your name. Please?” She whined, putting on her best puppy doll eyes, his scowling expression faltering as he all but melted at the adorable expression she was making. 

He huffed, trying to act like he was unaffected by the look but Marinette knew better. She had come to figure out his weakness as her puppy doll eyes and she used it to her full advantage. 

“Damian. Damian Al Ghul,” he said, glaring at her. 

Her smile was bright, his glaring eyes softening immediately and she was happy she had finally got him to tell her his name! He was going to be her best friend, it would be the last thing she did even if he continued to be stubborn. 

At 13 years old, she was given the ladybug earrings and became Ladybug, the heroine of Paris. 

That came with a price. She was injured more often, her meetings with Damian in the dreamscape every few days turned to every day. 

He had somehow known her identity as Ladybug as soon as she saw her the night after the first Akuma and he had thrown a fit about it. 

At 16, the akumas had escalated. Before, when the Akumas avoided killing and only stuck to injuries now weren’t afraid of taking more ruthless measures.

Multiple times when Marinette thought she was about to die, something miraculous happens to change it like the universe was being warped to make sure she doesn’t die and in a way, avenges her while it was at it. 

About to get lava sprayed and incinerated from an Akuma? The lava gun runs out of lava fuel, allowing her and Chat Noir to catch him off guard to break the akumatized object.

A car getting thrown at her by an Akuma and about to crush her? It missed, somehow ricocheting off a building and hitting the Akuma square in the face. 

That one battle where Hawkmoth himself shows up and has her cornered, about to grab her earrings? He gets attacked by his own Akuma. 

An Akuma that absorbs the powers of miraculous holders and cataclysms her? Oh would you look at that, the Akuma gets sidetracked at the last second— courtesy of Chat Noir— and the wall behind her disintegrates to dust instead of her. 

She could go on. It was absurd and a bit (utterly) ridiculous if she was being honest but at least her life never really seems to be in any real danger. 

She had thought maybe it had something to do with her donning the ladybug miraculous and it was giving her insane luck, she even consulted her kwami about it. 

Tikki had debunked that theory, looking confused as she did. “I’m not sure what’s happening to you, Marinette, but the ladybug miraculous isn’t the reason. The ladybug miraculous can give you a little luck at times but there must be balance, which means you would also have bad luck days. All those circumstances weren’t the outcome of lady luck and not to mention, you never seem to have any bad luck days. Even when you do, the event always somehow gets altered at the last second.”

Marinette had brought up her theories to Damian but he always looked uninterested and avoided the subject so she stopped bringing them up in the dreamscape. 

She had a hunch on why this was happening but she denied it and pushed the possibility out of her mind. Damian never said anything about it, so she wouldn’t either. She was good at denying things, it was how she never figured out Chat Noir’s identity. 

Now at the age of 17, Marinette was still contemplating if she was somehow immortal when Scarecrow broke in while her class was given a tour of Wayne Enterprises.

“So this is the famed Akuma Class, you people are the perfect test subjects for my new and evolved fear toxin! I wonder what fears you all have… Oh well, I’m about to find out.” Scarecrow announced, looking around in excitement like a kid in a toyshop for the first time. He pointed to Lila. “You! You look the most scared… Wonder what you’re afraid of, hmm?”

He looked to his henchmen. “Bring her here!” 

Marinette rubbed her temples. She might not be Lila’s biggest fan— an understatement— but her hero complex won’t let her stand by and do nothing. 

Even when it was completely Lila’s fault that Scarecrow had taken an interest in them— you can’t go around saying how you knew the Waynes and not expect any kidnapping attempts for ransom. 

No matter, Marinette can take Scarecrow’s attention off Lila and make him focus on her instead. Marinette knew death avoided her like the plague at this point and if she wasn’t immortal, then maybe she was just insanely lucky. 

“Let her go,” She said in a tired voice, not putting much energy into shouting but her voice rang clear in the quiet room as everyone looked fearful. 

Scarecrow looked delighted by the prospect of someone volunteering. “Oh, a volunteer I see?”

He waved his henchmen off and they dropped Lila, causing her to tumble to the ground with a gasp, the henchmen moving to grab Marinette instead. 

Marinette let herself get manhandled towards Scarecrow as he grabbed his syringe, the pointy tip of the needle gleaming in the light. 

The fashionista in her wanted to protest at the sack-like mask he was wearing and she bit her lip to keep from saying anything to anger him. It’s not like she’s seen worse, Hawkmoth has a worse fashion sense if she was being honest. 

Of course, her mouth didn’t stay shut for long and spat the words out without her permission, the need to critique his fashion overpowering her self-preservation. 

“Nice mask,” She quipped, she couldn’t keep the sarcasm off her tone even when her very life was on the line. “Are you participating in the next potato sack race or are you trying to start a new fashion trend with that?”

Scarecrow’s eyes flashed with anger at her remark and he moved forward, pushing his henchmen out of the way, about to stab the syringe into her bloodstream when she acted on her instincts as Ladybug and sent a roundhouse kick to his face, catching the mad scientist off-guard as he lost his grip on the syringe and fell backwards. 

The syringe seemed to have flown in the air in slow motion, the tip of the needle stabbing into the arm of the fallen villain and injecting the fear toxin into his bloodstream, making him get a taste of his own medicine. 

Marinette allowed her lips to twitch upwards at the sight, her guardian angel had struck once again. Her slight smile faded away at the thought, not wanting to come to terms with the facts. 

She turned to see that Batman, Red Robin, Red Hood and Nightwing had arrived, looking dumbfounded at the scene. 

Red Robin stepped forward, looking cautiously at the screaming Scarecrow before addressing her. “Miss? How did this happen?”

Marinette hummed, looking nonchalant. “You can say he got a taste of his own medicine… literally.” 

The Batboys burst out laughing at her pun while Batman looked unimpressed. 

“What you’re saying is, Scarecrow was hit by his own syringe?” Batman asked, looking suspicious. 

She shrugged, looking towards her class to see they were being ushered out by Ms. Bustier. 

“I did a roundhouse kick to his face,” She admitted, making eye contact with Ms. Bustier who waited for her at the exit. “It caught him off guard and the syringe was knocked out of his hand before the pointy tip landed on his arm.” 

The suspicion in his eyes didn’t clear as he responded, “You must have been extremely lucky. This happened too conveniently, don’t you think?”

Batman was prodding for something but she couldn’t find it in herself to care about the interrogation or to quell his suspicions. “Mr. Batman, I was just in a traumatic situation and now have PTSD. If you don’t mind, I would like to join my class and spend the rest of the day at the hotel to get my mind off of the traumatic experience,” 

She could see Red Hood trying not to laugh at her reply as his shoulders shook and she turned away without waiting for how the Dark Knight would respond. 

She walked away to join the rest of her class as she heard Batman tell Red Robin to get the cure for Scarecrow.

──────────

As she went to sleep that night, she pushed the day’s events from her mind, and the fading laugh of Scarecrow dissolved into the quiet stillness of the dreamscape. 

Damian was already in the dreamscape like usual and was glaring at her with his arms crossed and looking annoyed. 

Marinette sent him her brightest smile, hoping to soften his annoyed look at her recklessness. 

It worked, his eyes softening, although he didn’t uncross his arms as he pinned her with the look he had on every time she did something that injured or almost killed her.

“I know you did that on purpose. What theory did you think you were trying to prove?” Damian asked, unhappy with her lack of self-preservation. 

Her eyes were wide, looking the epitome of innocence. “Did what?” 

He scowled, the soft look in his green eyes gone as it glittered with annoyance. “Tt. Don’t you take that tone with me. You know exactly what you did, don’t make me say it. It is getting increasingly harder for me to save you every time.��

To his horror, tears were glistening in her eyes and he tried to backtrack but the damage was done. 

“You died, didn’t you? Before we met? You were so young,” Marinette whispered, the tears falling as he didn’t respond. His silence was enough to confirm she had been right all this time. 

She looked away, unable to look at him as she came to terms with the facts she had been deadset on denying since young. 

Damian reached out a hand and looking hesitant, he moved forward to hug her from behind, his arms going around her waist and causing her to freeze at how he was initiating physical contact.

“Angel, I was never sure how to break the news to you… but it seems like you’ve always accepted the fact, albeit subconsciously. I did not mean to keep that fact away from you.” he said quietly, resting his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes and savouring the moment. 

He was right, even if she was actively denying the fact that he was dead, her subconscious had long already accepted. 

Since Damian had died before they met, their soul bond activated upon his death, the universe gifting them with the dreamscape and making it so that they would never be apart, even in death.   

There was a catch— she could only meet Damian in the dreamscape if she was injured or came close to death and he warped the universe to ensure she would avoid death. 

It was why she had always been clumsy, her heart knew he would be waiting for her in the dreamscape and wouldn’t be able to see her unless she was hurt in some way even if her mind hadn’t accepted it. 

Marinette voiced her thoughts out loud and he tugged her to face him, his green eyes meeting her blue ones with an intensity that made her breath hitch. 

“I don’t wish to see you hurt, Angel. I do everything I can to make sure you don’t die by saving your life at every turn. You need to stop with your recklessness,” he said, trying to look stern, although he didn’t look very convinced he was going to get through to her. 

She was stubborn and he knew it. 

He reached out to wipe her tears away with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Thank you, Damian, for everything,” she whispered, the weight of her unspoken emotions palpable in the air between them.

With a trembling smile, she tried to lighten up the mood even as her heart felt heavy. “You know I won’t. How else will I see you every night to make sure you aren’t feeling lonely without my company? Besides, I know you will always watch over me.” 

Marinette knew her response held some truth to it, she didn’t like the thought of Damian feeling lonely in the dreamscape. She wouldn’t stop being clumsy, if only so she could see him every night in the dreamscape. 

He softened at her words, though he still didn’t look happy. “I gave you immortality, I can take it back anytime.”

She went quiet at that, looking thoughtful. “Why don’t you?”

His brows furrowed, a rare show of his confusion. “What?”

She elaborated. “Why don’t you? Take away my immortality that is.” 

His brows deepened, not understanding why she was asking him such a thing. “You deserve to be happy.” 

Marinette shook her head, stepping closer to him. “What if my happiness is with you? Why do you save me every time when you could’ve let me die to be with you?”

Damian’s eyes held sadness but no signs of regret at his repeated decision to save her. “You deserve to live the life I could not. You have dreams to fulfill and many things to discover in life. It is not your time yet.”

At her shocked silence, he continued. “You don’t know how hard it is to let you go every time. I am afraid that one of these days I will no longer be able to find it in me to let you go and bind your life to mine in the afterlife forever.” 

The tears she had managed to keep away started to come back at his heartfelt confession. 

“Please, I beg of you, don’t try to die anymore. Live your life, the life that I did not have the chance to live. If not for yourself, then do it for me,” he looked desperate, his stoic mask cracking, allowing her to see every emotion he was feeling. 

Her lips quivered, the tears flowing from her eyes and dropping to the white smokey ground, the droplets absorbing into the void like it was never there. “Will I ever see you again?”

Damian allowed himself to smile if only for her sake, the muscles feeling strange at the unfamiliar expression. He could see her eyes dropping to his soft smile and how her eyes were tracing his features, committing it to memory. 

“When the time is right. I will always be here when you need me, mon ange. This is not goodbye,” he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. 

Marinette closed her eyes, allowing herself to bask in his presence before it was time for her to wake up. 

She would live her life and fulfill her dreams. 

For him.