#we were of course all a little shaky but None Of Us Have Played Before so. again we will see

[masterkeynobi]

session 1 recap

i Am party notetaker but i think i'm just gonna do this for myself ldhgadsfjghdfj but! we finally finally started today after many months of Scheduling Issues <3 highlights:

"i'm trying to channel my inner startup ceo, it's not working!" "reach deeper into yourself..."

our barbarian skip being just. so FUCKING cute i could die. the sole tank among pathetic cringefail squishy guys AND THEY'RE JUST A LITTLE GUYYYYY THEY'RE SO CUTE the art for them has me on my knees weeping

"gundren rockseeker is, for the time being, our boss... maybe not yours, actually, but his name is rockseeker, so you'll probably be fine."

[entering initiative][guys who have only ever watched acoc before: getting a lot of acoc vibes from this!][nah it was just the setup of bend in the road+roadblock+ambush]

our first npc getting hit round ONE and making death saves the rest of the combat

see the thing is the last (first? first And last?) time i played i played a wizard but lav was level 3 so i am. realizing now how fucking pathetic my level 1 baby is... she can't do shit and has seven (7) hit points... good god. i am going to die

aldrich getting attacked bc he failed his vicious mockery like 2 turns in a row and the goblin (and i quote) "thinks you're a weenie"

figuring out that rohan is maybe something of a crybaby? idk i'm soooo new to this and i don't know... how to play... but i've ended up playing her a little more idk delicate/pathetic than i originally intended. i don't mind though she's little and small

the decision our dm offered us re: chasing down that last goblin or making our way into town was neat bc i got to Think it through in character @.@ rohan isn't a coward but she wants desperately to keep her head down & do her job and therefore wants to avoid interactions/skirmishes with criminals of any kind — she kills a dude but cries afterward, clams up when the shopkeep asks what happened to them, takes some convincing to not just. leave gundren to die

on the topic of rohan crying: skip offering her all their money because she's sad and they have no use for it (it's metal :( and the shopkeep doesn't sell cool rocks anyway) absolutely has to be my top 1 moment of today's session that was very very sweet and legitimately surprised me. and i got 10 gold pieces fr so

it's interesting that i think aldrich is fully the most like. Adult? member of the party thus far i do want to watch where his dynamic w rohan goes based on the conversation they had at the end there

[weirdgenetic-fuckup]

Charity Work

A/n: I needed to get this thought out

Warnings: smut, cockwarming, voyeurism, age gap, daddy!kink, if you think I missed anything let me know, otherwise enjoy!

Slash was evil. He was also the most supportive boyfriend ever. Anytime you found a new hobby he would do whatever he could to encourage it, even if he didn’t fully understand it.

You made videos online, your fandom full of people following along with your latest obsessions. Recently you’d gotten into gaming, it was expensive and you told Slash repeatedly that you didn’t need a better set up because you’d move on soon.

Of course he ignored you.

It was your birthday and he used that as an excuse to spoil you again, getting you an expensive computer and fancy monitor along with games you’d been none stop talking about among other things.

It was always he’d sit in while you made videos though your fans loved it when he did, always talking about how sweet he was with you, how cute you were together despite the age difference.

You were setting up to stream a new horror game he got you when Slash came in.

He wrapped his arms around you, draping them over your gaming chair. “About to start?” He asked, his voice soft and a bit raspy, you knew what that tone was.

“Yes, I am.” You said, making a few changes to your camera.

“How much time do you have?” You looked up at him with a raised brow. “Like, before you start.” He gestures towards the computer.

You shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m trying to start soon though, why?”

Slash placed a kiss on your cheek, then your jaw and down your neck. “Do we have enough time?”

You let out a heavy, shaky breath. “No.” You said, reaching for his hand.

“No?” He asked. “I could just hide under the desk, you know.” Though his offer was tempting you couldn’t bring yourself to accept it, feeling it was too risky.

You shook your head.

Slash sighed and headed to the door. He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “That’s your new game, right?” You spun your chair to face to him, nodding at his question. “Can I watch?”

You thought nothing of it and agreed.

You hadn’t expected him watching you game would include him pulling down your pants and sitting you on his cock.

In his defence, he wasn’t totally evil. He wouldn’t move and helped cover up any sounds you may have let escape.

However, he was still evil. He’d point out figures in the corners of your screen just to watch you jump, he’d tap his fingers on your thighs, whisper things in your ears. Anything that might make you move.

Your fans weren’t obviously, the comments filling with people pointing out your flushed cheeks or Slash’s wandering hands. They couldn’t see anything pretty much below your chest but they could all see how you flinched your heart those screams that sounded a little too enjoyed.

Slash moved the mic away and leaned into your ear. “You suck at pretending, sweetheart.” You huffed.

“I didn’t expect to have to.” You grumbled.

“Everyone knows.” He pointed to the comments in the corner of your screen. “‘Enjoying some kind of monster, huh?’” He asked, reading the comments. “‘I joined for horror not porno’” he couldn’t help but chuckle at that one. “Think they like it?”

You bit your lip, looking over some of the comments, few were negative, most were asking for a better view.

What really got you was when someone donated fifty bucks with the note “can’t even play when you’re getting fucked?” More people agreed, a small influx in donations coming in.

It might not have been much but the money was going to a good cause…

Slash rolled his hips into yours pulling a moan from you that you didn’t even try to hide.

He brought the mic back and let you continue with your game while he set a good rhythm beneath you, nothing that would stop you from playing but it was more than distracting.

When you stopped hiding it even more money came in, you kept telling yourself you were happy because it meant good for charity. “You love having people watch you, huh?” Slash said, pulling you from your thoughts and you realized you’d been walking into a wall. “Or do you just like when everyone praises you?” He emphasized his words by adjusting himself and hitting that spongey spot deep inside of you.

“Yes-! Yes, I like it.” You said with a dopey grin as he held your hips in place, fucking that same spot again and again.

Slash grinned widely at your response, lifting you up a bit and thrusting into you faster, pulling louder moans from you.

You still tried to play but as that knot built up in your gut you just couldn’t be bothered, focusing on Slash’s thick cock buried deep in you. “Look at that, you’re almost at your goal.” He mused. “You can celebrate that, can’t you?”

You nodded, ignoring your stream and begging to cum. “Please-please, daddy, feels s’good!” You whined, gripping your desk so tight your knuckles turned white.

“Aw, they like it when you call me that.” He mused. More donations came in, everyone talking about how hot you were, the pretty sounds that came out of you, those faces you made.

A donation came up on your screen; three thousand dollars, reaching over your initial goal.

You barely had a chance to celebrate before you were sent over the edge, babbling out whatever you could. “Oh, fuck, thank you, daddy!”

Your back arched, eyes rolling back as you came, Slash still pumping in and out of you.

He managed to get out of frame and pinned you against the wall, groaning in your ear as he filled you with his cum.

He pulled out of you, admiring his cum seeping out of your puffy, fluttering hole. He ran two fingers through your folds, gathering your mixed juices before sitting back down and going back to the camera, holding you close to his chest.

“Open up, sweetheart.” He whispered in your ear as he brought his fingers up to your mouth, pushing them past your lips and letting you lick and suck the mess off.

You were laying in bed, scrolling on your phone. Slash was laying next to you, hiding his face in his pillow as per usual.

“Hey, Slash.” You said to get his attention, still scrolling through everyone talking about you and what you’d done on stream. Slash looked up at you with tired eyes. “I think I found another hobby to get into.” You smiled down at him.

[girlkisser13]

bags

"can you see me? i'm waiting for the right time" "i can't read you but, if you want, the pleasure's all mine" "can you see me using everything to hold back?"

pairings: annabeth chase x fem!reader

warnings/tags: none. purely fluff. annabeth’s an oblivious yapper.

summary: you’re trying to kiss annabeth for the first time.

annabeth's room was a familiar haven, filled with blueprints, sketches, and the faint scent of her favorite lavender candles. she was in her element, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a massive blueprint spread out before her, detailing her grand plans for new cabins at camp half-blood.

"and this area here," she said, pointing excitedly, "will be perfect for hecate’s cabin. it’s close to the woods, which will be ideal for any magical work they want to do."

her voice was animated, her grey eyes shining with passion. you tried to keep up, really, you did. but your mind was elsewhere, fixated on the way her lips moved, the curve of her smile, the occasional brush of her curls against her cheek. you’d been best friends for what felt like forever, but recently, something had shifted. there was a tension, an unspoken longing between the two of you that neither of you had dared to address.

you shifted closer, your heart pounding. you placed your hand on her thigh, trying to convey your feelings through that simple touch. maybe then she’d realize how you felt.

she glanced down at your hand, then up at you with a soft smile. she took your hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "thanks for always being here," she said. "it means a lot."

you forced a smile, trying to hide your frustration. of course she thought you was just being supportive. her hand felt warm in yours, and you wanted so badly to pull her closer, to kiss her senseless. but you held back, not wanting to ruin the moment.

annabeth continued talking, her voice a soothing background melody. "and over here," she pointed again, "we can have a communal area for everyone to gather. it’ll symbolize unity among all the campers."

you nodded absently, your thoughts consumed by the way her lips formed each word. you leaned in slightly, your free hand inching up her thigh, desperate to feel more of her.

she turned to face you fully, your knees touching. "are you okay? you seem a bit distracted," she asked, concern lacing her tone.

you took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. "yeah, just... thinking about how amazing your plans are," you lied, your voice barely above a whisper.

she beamed at the compliment, her eyes softening. for a moment, you thought you saw something more in her gaze, something that mirrored your own feelings. but then she turned back to her blueprint, continuing her excited rambling.

you sighed internally, your heart aching. maybe she didn’t feel the same way. maybe this was all just wishful thinking on your part. but then, an idea struck you.

you reached out, your hand trembling slightly, and gently cupped her cheek. annabeth’s words faltered, her eyes widening in surprise. she looked at you, her breath catching.

"you talk too much," you said softly, a teasing smile playing on your lips. before she could respond, you leaned in and kissed her, pouring all of your pent-up longing and frustration into that single, passionate kiss.

for a heartbeat, time seemed to stop. then, to your immense relief, annabeth kissed you back, her hand came up to rest on yours, holding it against her cheek. when you finally pulled apart, both of you were breathless, your foreheads resting against each other.

"i’ve been wanting to do that for a while," she admitted, her voice a little shaky. "but i was too scared to make the first move."

you laughed softly, your heart swelling with joy. "me too. i guess we’re both a little clueless, huh?"

she smiled, her eyes shining with happiness. "maybe, but we figured it out eventually."

you sat there, wrapped up in each other, the blueprint forgotten. in that moment, nothing else mattered but the two of you, and the realization that you’d finally taken that terrifying, wonderful leap.

[chronicowboy]

"Can I tell you something?"

Honestly, Eddie isn't sure where it comes from. One moment he's watching Buck trying and failing to bite through the long line of melted cheese stretching from his mouth to the slice of pizza held at arm's length, the next something scolding tears through his chest like a bullet from a sniper's rifle and Eddie's mouth falls open before he can think of what he's going to say.

"'Course," Buck mumbles through his mouthful of pizza, breathing around it because its still too hot of course. There's a smear of red sauce on his chin and the pizza is still held aloft about a foot away from his mouth, Eddie finds him desperately beautiful.

"In the truck, after I was shot," Eddie slides the plate under the pizza slice just as Buck drops it, "and after you told me you weren't hurt, there was one last moment that I fought to stay awake."

"Eddie—"

"Not for Christopher, not for you, but for myself." Eddie nods, eyes trained on the picture of Buck and Christopher on the fridge. "I just wanted to look at you. Just for one last moment. When I knew that you were okay, that you weren't hurt, that I didn't have to worry about you or Chris. I just wanted to look at you." Ironic, he thinks, that he can't look at Buck now. He sucks in a sharp breath and turns to meet Buck's dazed blue eyes. "I wanted you to be the last thing I saw." Buck swallows, that damn string of cheese still hanging from his lips. "And then I woke up to Ana sat next to me in the hospital, and I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in my life."

The loft hasn't been this silent since the morning after that one fateful night during quarantine when they'd thought it would be a good idea to get hammered and play truth or dare, and nobody could look each other in the eye over the several terrible secrets that had been revealed.

Its that same cloying silence now.

Not their usual silence. Not the comfortable silence Eddie revels in. Not the warm silence that greeted him when Eddie walked into the loft with a pizza after asking Buck to call him with an "emergency" to get out of a date with Pepa's latest "perfect woman".

"W-why are you telling me this?" Buck stutters out. "Why- Why now?"

"Because I've been on four dates since you died and none of them have felt remotely close to the night we scammed ten Porterhouses out of the Chief." Eddie shrugs, looking out to the red umbrella flapping in the wind on the balcony. He swings his gaze around to Buck. "Because you said you had the answers, and I'm hoping with everything in me that you have the answer to this question."

"W-what, um, what question is that? E-exactly?" Buck asks, voice breathy.

"If I told you that I'd been falling since that ambulance exploded," Eddie smiles, its a shaky thing full of fear, "would you catch me?"

"Always," Buck breathes without any hesitation, laying his big hand on Eddie's forearm. "Always, Eddie."

"And if I asked for your heart?" Eddie manages to choke out.

"You've had it the whole time, Eddie." Buck smiles, just as shaky as Eddie's had been, but bright and brilliant. "It only started beating again for you."

"One last question?" Eddie raises an eyebrow, his own smile beginning to ache in his cheeks.

"Anything," Buck promises.

"Will you kiss me?"

"Now, I'm not sure about that," Buck grins, all smug and self-assured despite the fucking cheese still on his fucking chin. "Don't I get a date first, Diaz?"

"What? Pizza and beer isn't good enough for you?" Eddie quirks an eyebrow, plan already forming in his head for a homecooked meal lit by candles in the kitchen at home, undoubtedly a panicked call to Bobby when the lasagne doesn't go to plan.

"I'd like to be wooed," Buck says haughtily. "I died, I won you steaks, I think I deserve a little wooing."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"I do actually," Buck grins at him.

"How about you finish your pizza first," Eddie reaches up to cup Buck's cheek, uses his thumb to catch the string of cheese and gently pushes it past Buck's lips which open for him willingly, "and then we can circle back round to the wooing?"

Eddie pulls his thumb from Buck's mouth with a pop and watches Buck's pupils dilate until the blue of his irises is entirely eclipsed.

"Nope, wooed enough," Buck blurts out before grabbing Eddie's face and crashing their lips together clumsily.

Its the best first kiss of his life.

[googleitlol]

AAAAAA This took longer than I wanted, life has been wild. I was planning on showing more of the Yellow-Robe Demon arc but with how long this took I'm just gonna give you guys this instead. Maybe if I ever decide to put this on AO3, I can include more of it but for now, this has been LONG overdue

Dove Masterlist:

Doubles

“There is no way this will end well for us, you know.”

You roll your eyes from behind Zhu Bajie, the pig demon carrying you on his back as he soars over the sparse clouds of the chilled night sky. Everything had been alright after Sun Wukong left– for a little bit, at least. Everything went wrong the minute your friends became involved in a royal debacle between a kingdom and a powerful demon. The demon, called Yellow-Robe, had kidnapped the kingdom’s princess to be his wife. After that princess aided you in rescuing Tripitaka from her monstrous husband, you and your friends agreed to help save her and dispose of her captor.

Unfortunately, things had gotten out of hand the minute Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing left to defeat him. Wujing was captured instead, and to make it worse, Yellow-Robe tricked the king and his court into thinking Tripitaka was a beast. You and Ao Lie had nearly defeated him, but you alone were not enough. With enough berating, you managed to convince Pigsy that the only course of action now was turning to the only disciple Yellow-Robe had yet to meet. You only hope he will go back with you.

“There is none that monkey hates more than the two of us.” Bajie persisted, and you roll your eyes at his pessimism.

“Will you cease your whining? I am sure Sun Wukong will understand and agree to return with us.” You try your best to reassure him, though your belief in your own words is shaky at best.

The demon huffs. “And if he doesn’t?” You frown, your companion voicing the concern that’s been picking at you skin since you started flying to the Monkey King’s mountain. What if he refuses to help? With how his involvement in the journey ended, you’re not sure what it might take to convince him to come back.

“…He will.” He has to.

It’s difficult to see much once you reach Flower-Fruit. With the cloak of darkness, you’re not sure where to begin your search. After a second, you’re able to land by and begin the trek uphill. While he was still with you, the Great Sage often mentioned his home.

All you had to do now was find it. “He said the entrance was behind a waterfall, didn’t he? If we find running water, we can follow it upstream and hopefully it can lead us to him.”

“Hmm…” You turn when you hear Pigsy’s voice a little ways behind. “Perhaps we can cover more ground if we split up?”

His smile makes it clear that he isn’t digesting the tired look you give him. He isn’t fooling you with this proposal, no matter what reasoning he conjures to justify it. You know he will likely wander off somewhere and leave you to do all the talking, he’s too afraid of Sun Wukong to confront him head on. Maybe he’ll find a cosy little space tucked away somewhere to doze off.

In all honesty, you would rather Bajie not be around to accidentally set off the Monkey King with his nonsensical ramblings. It also didn’t help that you had to listen to him all night during the flight here, and you feel completely done with the demon at this point. “Fine.” At your agreement, the pig perks up. You gesture over in one direction. “I will go this way, you go the opposite. If you find him before I do, try not to give him any more reasons to be spiteful.” You warn.

“You think so low of me, I have a silver tongue!” He argues, to which you can’t help but chuckle.

“I would say you were right, but I’d rather not waste my breath lying.” You sigh, making the pig demon look back at you in surprise.

He gives a shout as you begin walking away. “Hey!” His clear irritation makes you snicker. He played a big hand in his master banishing Wukong, so some light teasing was the least of the punishments he could receive.

You don’t acknowledge the pig any further, instead moving deeper into the mountain. Crickets sing their songs in the safety of shadows as you move, the croaks of hidden frogs overlap one another. Even with the veil of night blanketing the mountain, you can see the beauty of the landscape before you. Several of the trees you pass are ripe with fruit, bushes are peppered with bundles of berries, and in some areas you have to shift into a dove to get through the dense greenery.

It’s only when you hear running water that you perch on a low-hanging branch. You take a moment to listen for where the sound may be coming from before following it. It takes you only a few seconds to fly your way over, transforming back once you see the stream of water running downhill. 

The moment you do, something lets out a startled noise from the opposite side of the water. Squinting, you notice a flash of brown behind the trunk of a tree. Is it an animal?

It peeks out from behind the trunk, the curious eyes of a young monkey following your every move. You subconsciously smile at the timid creature. “Hello, there.” You greet, but the monkey remains still as a statue. After a few moments of being subjected to its little stare-down, you tear your gaze away and spot a mango tree on your side of the stream. You take a fruit before holding it out to the monkey. “You don’t have to be scared.”

The little monkey looks between you and the offering before disappearing behind the tree again. Then, ever so cautiously, the monkey emerges on the ground behind the tree. The creature takes a few careful steps closer, reaching the edge of the stream. Now closer, you can see some scarring on the side of the monkey’s faze, by her ear. She manages to hop across the water, undeterred despite how she was missing a large portion of her left arm.

You frown for a moment as she approaches, kneeling down to greet her. Taking out a small dagger, you cut the mango in half, offering it to her. “Here you go, take it.” Part of you understands her skittish nature now, as she quickly grabs the half and runs back to keep her distance. You wonder what could have happened to give the poor monkey those wounds.

With the monkey still watching, you sit on the ground and take a bite of your half of the mango, the little simian watching as you do. After another bite, she slowly approaches again. It takes a little time, but eventually, she’s at your feet again.

“You are a brave one, aren’t you?” You smile, offering your hand to the young monkey. Her head tilts with curiosity, and she puts the mango back in your hand, making you laugh. “No, that’s yours.” You hand it back to her and give her head a slow pet.

She chitters at that, and in a flash she’s climbing up your arm and onto your shoulder, holding her mango in her mouth to get up. The picture of the little monkey right in your face with mango hanging from her mouth makes you giggle. She starts to eat with you, her tail wrapping around to the other side of your neck for support. You tend not to see many other monkeys on your travels, and the glimpses of the ones you do see in the treetops rarely approach like this little one. She seems much too young to be on her own, though. Could she have a mother nearby?

As if to answer your silent inquiry, you start to hear more chattering in the treetops. A gasp escapes you the moment you look up from the sheer number of curious eyes looking down at you. More monkeys begin to show from the trees, sharing little hoots and hollers between themselves before a small portion of them move to meet you as well. Some smaller ones that try to follow are dragged back, supposedly by their mothers, while the others hop across the stream.

“Wow, there’s quite a few of you, huh?” Were they all hiding before? The few that approach you tilt their heads, their seemingly synchronised curiosity makes you smile. One brave soul hops onto your lap, snatching your half of the mango from your hands and biting into it himself. “Hey!”

The first monkey on your shoulder gives a little shout, and the newcomer chitters back some sort of argument before continuing to eat the stolen fruit. “Count yourself lucky that I think you’re cute.” You mumble with a smile, resting your hand on the monkey’s head to give the thief a little scratch. The monkey begins to lean into your hand as you coat him with affection. “I don’t suppose any of you could lead me to the Water-Curtain Cave? I need to find some simian royalty.”

Unsurprisingly, none of them answer. In fact, many of them start to retreat back into the shadows. In just seconds, the only ones still there are the two on your shoulder and lap. A twig snaps from behind and you whip your head back to find the source of the noise. Is someone else here? Could it be–

The monkey in your laps hops away, shouting as you jump to your feet. The one on your shoulder climbs down to face the newcomer as your face contorts in confusion.. “What the…” Your words trail into nonexistence, confusion stopping them before you can speak. A stranger standing as still as a portrait, their eyes stare into you, their expression as concerned as you feel. But how else can you feel, when you’re staring at yourself?

Everything from facial features to clothing, she looks like an exact copy of you. There’s barely any time to process the lookalike before she turns to run deeper into the trees. “Hey, wait!” You call out, giving chase to the new you. Leaving the monkeys, you chase your copy past trees and around bushes, jumping over exposed roots and ducking under low-hanging branches.

No matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to catch up to her, though she never seems to make out of your sight. The second you shift into a dove, and you follow suit, taking flight and manoeuvring between leaves and branches. She makes a few tight turns that you’re able to follow, right until following her into a small clearing where she vanishes completely.

Now, more confused than before, you perch on a tree to scope out the area for any trace of her. What was that? It looked just like you… could have been an illusion? Or maybe a trick of the eye, a hallucination? What else could explain a second you? In all your life, you have never seen something so… odd. These past days have been stressful to say the least. Even before the stress of Tripitaka being captured, your life has been nothing short of chaotic since this journey began. Perhaps now it is starting to take its toll on you. Part of you had been wondering how long it would take for you to snap. Maybe this is it.

Before you can ponder any longer, you’re tackled out of the tree from behind. A small noise of surprise escapes you as you’re forced to meet the ground, hands keeping your small form stuck beneath them. You transform back to your original state but your assailant is ready for the change, grabbing hold of your arms and keeping you pinned to the ground. You try to push back but whoever this might be is strong, supernaturally-so. "So, you're looking for the Monkey King?"

The stranger chuckles as you pause, attaining your focus. "Why waste your time with him?" The weight keeping you down lightens, and you're able to get back to your feet.

Standing, you're now able to see your would-be attacker. It's another monkey demon, his build similar to the one you were looking for, maybe a bit leaner. His hair is black, eyes an unnatural violet. His arms stay close to his chest, crossed, with a lazy smirk stretched over his face.

Though, what catches your attention the most are his three sets of ears.

You don’t let the oddity throw you off guard. “Who are you?”

“Someone who can help.” He shrugs casually, one arm dropping to rest at his side while he holds his other out to you. “That is, if you’re willing to give me a chance.”

You eye the gesture with suspicion. “Do you expect me to believe that? You just knocked me out of a tree.” You scoff, though it only seems to amuse the stranger.

“I ask that you pardon my actions, I meant no offence. I could not pass up the opportunity, you were just sitting there…” He trails off for a moment before chuckling, almost sheepishly. “Sometimes my impulses override my judgement.”

He moves around you as he speaks, circling. You follow his movements, refusing to turn your back on this demon. “I doubt you want to waste time debating my actions. Your friend might only have so much time.” His words make you frown. “How long do you think that poor monk has before that king decides to kill that evil ‘tiger’, hmm?”

“How do you–?”

“Maybe the Yellow-Robe Demon will find where they’re keeping him and eat the Golden Cicada before the humans have a chance to do anything themselves?” He ponders with a small grin, stopping to watch your face contort in surprise. “I know a lot more than you think, Dove.”

You take a moment to stop yourself from snapping back with harsh words. It's obvious that he seems to be looking for such a reaction. “Then do you know where Sun Wukong is?” You ask, and one of his six ears twitches at the question.

“I do.” He replies, his expression never shifting from this smug look as he takes a step closer. You refuse to move back, and notice that aside from the differences you’ve already picked at, this monkey demon also stands a bit taller than the Monkey King.

He stares down at you for a bit, his eyes drifting over each of your features. You almost want to squirm under the intense gaze, uncomfortable. “Well?”

Your voice seems to snap him out of whatever was making his mind drift, and a chuckle rumbles from his chest. “I apologise, you might say I am in awe at the moment. I have heard about you and your pilgrim friends, however, being with you here feels different than what I expected it to be. I suppose hearing about a person is different than seeing them yourself.” Has Sun Wukong spoken about you and the others? It would not surprise you to hear if he had complained about the whole ordeal to his subjects, they must have all been curious as to what happened to their monarch.

“I have heard that you are quite cunning,” He continues, Leaning down a bit to whisper as if it were a secret, “tricking the Monkey King into wearing that circlet? I thought that was an admirable feat.”

You step back at that, regaining some space between the two of you. The reminder of your previous actions makes your skin crawl. “I’m sorry to cut your admiration short, but like you said, I do need to hurry. If you do not intend on helping me, I will be leaving to find Wukong myself.”

Stepping to the side, you move past the demon to continue your search. However, after just a few steps, the monkey is at your side again. “You should know, Sun Wukong is not the only one that can help you.” He smiles, and you roll your eyes.

A scoff slips through your lips. “Oh, really?”

“I have quite a handful of abilities, well-suited for your needs.” He continues. “I can take on that demon with as much ease as the Monkey King, save that Tang monk of yours– not to mention I can be much more well-mannered than the Great Sage.” You can’t help but let out a quiet laugh at that. Did Sun Wukong let all his subjects speak about him like this?

You glance over to the monkey with a smirk of your own. “Your words are sweet, but I would be a fool to take the word of a stranger who attacked me upon meeting. I would rather take my chances with the monkey I know than one I am unfamiliar with.”

The six-eared demon is silent for a few moments, and when you look over to him, you can’t seem to decipher his neutral expression. However, it does not take long for him to regain his grin and shrug. “It is hard to argue with that. It’s wise to choose what you know over what you do not.” He stops walking, his head shaking seemingly in disappointment. “Though, I should mention, your monkey is in the other direction.”

Seriously? You bite back a groan, though the tired look on your face is enough to get a laugh out of your tagalong. “I can take you to him, though he may not agree to go with you.” He voices what you already know. You might have come out here only to be sent away, this trip might all be for nothing. What, then?

“If you would rather not risk it, you have another demon at your disposal here. Just ask, and we can grab that pig demon you brought with you and go.” He offers, and you frown. Why does this stranger seem so insistent on joining the pilgrimage? Everything about this demon, it all felt off. Wrong.

Even if nothing was wrong with this demon, it would not change your answer. The possibility of Sun Wukong refusing to come back may be great, but that doesn’t mean it can stop you from trying. “With all due respect, Sun Wukong was chosen for this pilgrimage. He is the one I have come for.” You step closer to the demon with a smile. “So, please, lead the way.”

The demon scoffs a bit, his clear chagrin quickly wilting into a smirk before he shakes his head. “…It is difficult to feel disappointed with that precious aura of yours.” He leans down at you, a little too close for comfort. “You’re quite a treasure with that ‘gift’ as you call it.”

He stays like that for a moment, his eyes narrowed in seeming-amusement. It feels as though he’s watching for some sort of reaction, some sort of crack to your resolve. You refuse to show any, and with a grunt, he turns back and calls over his shoulder. “I am glad to be of service! Allow me to show you to our Monkey Majesty.” You roll your eyes at the nickname before following the six-eared monkey.

The two of you travel for some time in silence, so long that the dark sky starts to lighten just slightly. Part of you wonders if this is all some convoluted trap, but you eventually dismiss the idea. He already had his opportunity to do something if that was really his goal. From initial contact, it’s clear that any sort of fight on your own would weigh well in his favour, and with just the two of you, there’s nobody that would ever know what happened. It doesn’t mean you trust him, you still need to be cautious, but at the moment it seems as though he is keeping to his word.

Maybe he thinks helping you will convince you to accept him on the journey, which you still feel confused over. Perhaps he thinks it could be a way of getting close to Tripitaka and taking him for himself? Your thoughts are put on hold as he calls out over his shoulder. “Tell me, beautiful, why are you so intent on bringing back Sun Wukong?”

“It sounds to me like you already know the answer,” You do your best to pretend you didn’t hear the nickname, “we have to save Tripitaka.”

He pushes out a breath of air. “Sure, but you have others you can rely on for that.” One ear twitches slightly, and he turns to continue being your guide. “That Bodhisattva of yours would do anything for the little girl she found in that burnt-down house, why not go to her?”

His words make you pause, your eyes betraying your previously-composed expression with your surprise. You never mentioned how your master found you. None of the other pilgrims knew, not Wujing, not Tripitaka, and definitely not Sun Wukong. How could he know? “Who told you–?” “Like I said, I’ve heard a lot about you and your friends.” Even without seeing his face, you can hear his smirk, and it sends a shiver down your back. He knows so much about you, and he’s just carelessly throwing this information around in idle conversation! What else does he know? You continue to follow him and whether he cares for your concerns over his knowledge or not, he doesn’t show it. “But that’s beside the point. Why come looking for this demon for help out of all the people you know?” He asks again, ducking under a low-hanging branch.

“Don’t you loathe him?” He digs, and you glance away, gaze drilling into the ground in front of you as you follow. You would not say you loathe the Monkey King, he was actually becoming a little more bearable before his banishment. “Your journey has been so much quieter without him there.”

“Why do you care?” You frown, looking back up to face the monkey demon.

He looks back at you with eyelids dropped in an almost bored look. “I like to be entertained, especially by the hijinks of my…” He glances to the side, “…beloved king. I speak for many of my brothers when I say we were troubled by his disappearance.”

He pauses before meeting your eyes again with a twinkle in his eye that screams mischief in the same look you have seen from Sun Wukong so many times. “Luckily, you and your merry band of pilgrims are exactly the excitement I have been missing in my life. But enough about me, you’re avoiding the question.” He smirks, and you stop yourself from grumbling. “You do that a lot, huh?”

He’s right, though you would have rathered he just kept rambling on and forgot about how the conversation started entirely. Mostly because you have an idea of the answer he’s looking for, though you’re not entirely sure it was true. Even if it is, you would never admit it out loud. “I told you before, he was chosen for this journey. He never should have been sent away in the first place.” You frown to yourself, unable to help but relive the events in your mind, how terrible of a disbandment it really was.

Despite your own feelings, the demon laughs. “I see.” You watch him in confusion as he continues guiding, seemingly dropping the conversation entirely as he approaches a larger bush.

“See what?” He doesn’t respond, instead parting some of the leaves and leaning closer to the shrubbery.

He chuckles a bit under his breath, voice now a whisper. “Your friend seems to have already found Sun Wukong.”

“What?!” You race to his side, peering through the opening he holds open to see none other than Zhu Bajie sitting with Sun Wukong on a large stone. Are they just lounging about?! “That little– ugh!” Has he even told Wukong about Tripitaka and Wujing?

Before you’re able to jump out and confront the two, you pause upon taking in another look at Sun Wukong. He is laughing hard at whatever the two are discussing, in seemingly much better spirits than when you went your separate ways. You’re unsure if you have seen him like this before, or perhaps you’ve been so caught up in your vendetta against the King, you never cared to pay attention to his well-being.

You’re so caught up in the difference in Wukong’s demeanour, that you find yourself caught off guard again when your guide clears his throat. Only when you look up to give him your attention do you realise how close you are, just inches apart to share the space and look through his little window. “Oh, sorry.” You just catch the demon’s small smile before you step away. It’s been a long night, and you’re beyond tired after dealing with this entire situation.

Speaking of, you create your own space to spy through the bush, annoyed by the sight of the two brothers chatting like they were old friends catching up with all the time in the world. If it was not for Ao Lie being injured, you never would have dragged Pigsy here. You have to admit, though, Bajie really must have been telling the truth about that silver tongue of his, otherwise you would think that Wukong would have the pig roasting over a fire by now.

With a sigh, you mentally prepare yourself for confronting the two. “At least this saves me the time of finding a lost Pigsy somewhere else on the mountain. Thank you for the help– huh, I guess I never actually asked for your…” You turn back to your guide, only to find where he previously stood now vacant. “…name.”

A chuckle comes from behind, but when you turn in its direction you only see the whir of a figure, a shadow amidst the trees. You try to scan the area for a trace of the demon, but he is nowhere to be seen.

That was… you aren’t entirely sure what that was.

As creepy as it was, you have no time to ponder it, not when Tripitaka is still waiting for you. You come out from behind the bush, quickly moving to meet the two disciples. “Sun Wukong!” You call out, and the two turn to see you steadily approaching. Pigsy’s eyes widen and he lets out a nervous chuckle while the Monkey King– surprisingly– smiles.

“Dove?” He looks a little surprised, though seeing you doesn’t seem to put a damper on his mood. This is a good start. The monkey slides off the stone they were resting on, to stand and greet you. “Brother, how could you forget to mention you brought along a little birdie to visit me?” 

You rest a hand on your hip as the pig looks frantically between the two of you. ‘Haha… We, um, got separated when we arrived.” He laughs nervously, making you roll your eyes.

“Spare him your lies, Bajie.” You glare at your companion before looking back to the Great Sage. “Sun Wukong, we have come to ask that you return with us to help Tripitaka.”

He laughs softly, side eyeing Pigsy as understanding dawns over him. “Oh, I see.” The pig shrinks beneath his glare before the Monkey King turns his attention back to you. “You want me to return? For what? So Master can give me another head-splitting migraine?” Your frown lessens at the mention of the circlet, and he continues with a chuckle before you can retort.

“You two are fortunate I am in such a gracious mood. Come share some wine with me back in Water-Curtain Cave, then I can send you off together. Wujing must be having a difficult enough time on his own, dealing with demons.” The King shrugs. “Or maybe they’re all sharing a bowl of rice and maggots together, who knows?”

Did Bajie not tell him anything?! “This is not some joke! Tripitaka needs you–”

“Really?” He interrupts you, crossing his arms as he gets closer. “Because he made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t.”

You start to feel annoyance pricking at your skin. You remembered how stubborn he is, but it is still frustrating to deal with.“This is serious, Wukong.”

“So am I.” He stops in front of you, his amused smirk now gone. “Besides, I thought you hated having me around. What are all those things you’ve called me again? Impudent, brazen, callous? I thought your misery was made all the worse the day I entered your life.” You cringe as he uses your own words against you. That is what you called him, what you told him.

You are unable to meet his eyes, looking away in shame. “I am sorry if my words have offended you in the past, but we do not have the time to–”

“Ah, I did not say you could speak.” Your head whips back to face him as he cuts you off, your guilt quickly being overshadowed by irritation. He cannot be serious.

“Excuse me?!” You glare at the Great Sage, who only grins at your reaction. “You do not tell me what I can and cannot do!”

“Yeah, I do here. Or did you forget?” He scoffs playfully, clearly amused before leaning closer “I’m King, Dove. It would do you well to remember that.” His grin stretches out even more as he speaks, his eyes egging you on.

Your glare sharpens as you attempt to reign your anger in. As much as you might like to bite back at his oh-so-cocky words, that isn’t what you’re here for. Saying anything to make him angry will only ensure that he does not return with you, and this entire trip will have been a waste.

When he sees that you have no retort, he lets out a small but content huff and turns back to Pigsy. “Thank you for coming all this way, Brother, but maybe you should take this one back to Master, hmm?” He walks back to the pig demon, gesturing back to you. “I hate to see her feathers get all ruffled like this.”

He snickers at his own joke as he walks past his brother, the pig going to speak but unable to say anything. You start racking your brain for what to say to make him stay, he is obviously in no mood to listen to either of you, but what can make him stop? What can you say to get him to…

Your mind goes back to that day in the orchard, just before that bone demon. All his questions you shut down, avoided. That stranger was right, unfortunately, you do that a lot. Just as Sun Wukong is about to disappear into the trees, you sigh. If this is what it takes to get that nosey ape to listen, then so be it.

“The reason I don’t eat peaches…” You say loudly, making the monkey pause. “…I was embarrassed to say it, because I know how petty it sounds. I… I don’t eat them because of you.”

Pigsy looks between the two of you, a little confused, but Sun Wukong did stop. His back is turned to the both of you, but you see his ears perk up ever-so slightly. You take it as a sign to keep going and walk closer. “I was there for the peach festival. Guan Yin planned to give me a peach of immortality, so I would live long enough to see this journey through.” You hold your arms close to your chest, smiling a bit at the memory.

“I had never felt so happy before. I think, in my mind…” You look down at your arms as you think of how to phrase what was in your mind. “I thought it was her way of saying I was worthy. That I had earned an eternity at her side once the pilgrimage was over, caring for others the way she had taken care of me.

“And when we arrived, you had already taken everything.” Your smile fades as you look back up to Sun Wukong. His head is turned slightly in your direction, though you can’t see his face. “The peaches, the wine, Laozi’s elixir! You took every and all methods we had! I was in the jade palace because without immortality, it was my master’s solution for living until the time came to accompany the Tang monk. I only was ever allowed to leave so I could say goodbye to my friends on their deathbeds. I spent everyday there waiting for when I could begin the journey and guide Tripitaka to the west so I can prove myself and I cannot even do that anymore because the monk was locked away by a king after this demon transformed him into a tiger and–”

“WHAT?!” You barely have time to blink before the Great Sage is in your face, his hands holding your arms in a tight grip. “Why didn’t you lead with that?!”

“It’s all I’ve been trying to get through your thick skull since we’ve been here! I told you Tripitaka needs your help!” You argue, recovering from the whiplash of how quickly he appeared in front of you.

His eyes widen a bit as you speak, his nose scrunching up as his hold tightens, almost hurting. You don’t even have the time to complain before he shakes his head and looks back at Zhu Bajie with a grave glare. “You. Follow me.”

“Yes.” He squeaks, nodding quickly while his brother looks back at you.

Before you can ask him to let go, the demon throws you over his shoulder. “What are you– put me down, Wukong!”

“What, do you want to walk up the mountain?” He snaps sarcastically before jumping up into the sky. Pigsy follows after, and in seconds the three of you approach a wooden bridge leading into a waterfall. 

The bridge leads through a parting in the water, and only once the three of you are in the cave behind the falls does Sun Wukong set you down. You start to smooth out your sleeves from where he had been holding your arms previously as two monkey demons greet you all at the entrance of the cave. Now on the inside, you see how much larger the cave really is. A sheet iron bridge arches over running water, leading to a grand stone palace. Moss and flowers gave colour to the area, several trees sprouted from the ground, their leaves touched by the morning’s light that seeps in through cracks and larger openings from above. Over the entrance to the stone palace is a banner proclaiming, ‘The Flower-Fruit Mountain Rebuilt, the Water-Curtain Cave Restored – The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven’.

“Draw me a bath, quickly.” Sun Wukong addresses one of the monkeys, who quickly runs off to follow his orders.

Pigsy frowns with a befuddled look. “Seriously, a bath right now?”

“Master likes cleanliness.” Wukong is quick to reply. “I would like to clean up quickly before I see him again.” He admits, albeit quietly.

His words immediately catch your attention. Does this mean… “You’re coming back?”

The demon gives you a look you cannot fully digest, conflicted between concern and a simmering anger. Eventually, he sighs and looks back at Pigsy. “You two seem so desperate to have me return, and if Master is in trouble, of course I will help. I will need to talk with some of my generals before I go. The last time I left without a word, there were some… troubles that my people encountered.”

He glances at you again, his frown deepening. Before you can ask what might be wrong, he addresses the remaining monkey demon. “Take my brother to get some food while he waits, and have a bath drawn for her as well. She stinks.”

“Excuse me?! Have you smelt Pigsy?” “Hey!” The pig demon barely has a moment to retort before he’s guided away into the stone palace.

Now alone, Wukong takes your arm in his hand again. “Dove, what did he do?”

“What?” You frown, now feeling completely lost from the whiplash of everything that has happened in the last minute.

“That coward, his stench is like a blanket over you.” He explains, as if it would help you to understand what he might be talking about.

Could he be talking about that stranger? “The six-eared demon?” “Yes!” He puts energy into the word that makes you take a half-step back. “What did he do?”

“He guided me to you and Pigsy, why?” You frown, feeling your stomach become unsettled from his tone.

Wukong’s eyes feel as though they could burn into your head, you feel as though you can see his mind racing, but whatever he’s thinking remains a mystery to you. “…I can have someone show you where to go, we can talk more after we leave.” He lets go, walking past you towards the iron bridge. “And, Dove?”

“Yes?”

“I–” He cuts himself off, glancing back at you with a troubled look before turning back. “I’ll be back.”

[bloodyjuls-blog]

The worst of us (part 2)

Here's the second part. We gonna have a third part and maybe fourth amongst this week (I go to Uni) (let me know if you like the drama or less drama for next part)

"Hi, y/n" Leah said. "Hi capi how are we doing" I said in a shaky voice. "what's up y/n, are you crying?" Leah said concerned by my tone of voice. "it's just that i messed up in a way" you said with a shrinking voice. "what did you do y/n and why do I get the feeling it has something to do with Alexia" Leah said more seriously. I told her what I had heard in the locker room... "but that's ok innit" "she visualized with you in the long run" she said calmer. "yeah but you know how much I went through before I met her to have to deal with that" y/n she said calmer " "I thought you had everything under control y/n" Leah said flatly. "that's what i thought, everything was fine until a few months ago, she found the bottles in the dishwasher and didn't say anything. how the hell did she not say anything, being a footballer and drink without control" you said hysterically. "but you can go to therapy again, you can control it" said Leah. "I feel like all this pressure from marriage and kids, media, Giraldez, it's drowning me LEAH. Ahh fuck, I'm going crazy" "who do you think you are to cross the traffic light like that, fucking crazy" you said in a way that even you don't recognize yourself. "Y/N calm down now, I hope you're not driving" "Of course I'm driving Leah" "Alexia decided it was best for me to leave, it's all fucking over. I can't take it anymore" you said crying. "Don't do something crazy please, if you're going to drink, go home, it's safer" said Leah in a worried tone. "No tonti, I'm not going to do anything bad," you said more calmly. Yet another lie, I thought. Of course you spent the whole night drinking at the 24h market close to home. You'd be as dead as a doornail the next day at training

Next day at training

"Well girls, as we all know, we have the champions match day coming up, I want everyone to be plugged in and eager to win," said Jonatan. "Yes coach" we all answered in unison. Once on the court the group was divided by positions and it was my turn to play against Alexia. Not surprisingly, none of the girls spoke to me. They were clearly leaning towards the captain. That made me very angry, that I hadn't done anything wrong enough to be disowned. To say I felt bad was too little for everything that was crossing my mind at the time. One thing they tell you is not to mix work and home but when your home is your colleague it becomes impossible, let alone seeing her as beautiful as ever. In a different situation, the girls would be more supportive and condescending to me but no, today was the day to make my life a hell.

A couple of exercises later I felt like I was going to faint, the spring heat and the monumental hangover I'm carrying don't help. In one of those passes that I have to receive I get lost and my team yells at me in a way that is so fucking scary, those beasts are scary. Alexia looks at me with rage, I don't think I've ever seen her so upset with someone, not even with the fucking gals of real madrid. If these things happen to me because I'm stupid. To say that right now I was at my strongest mental point is a lie, but I was doing what I could. In one play we had to clear the ball and of course as my luck couldn't be worse today I had to receive in front of Alexia. Not having the physique today to give it my all, Alexia got there first and threw a missile in my face. "Ouch" I thought as I fell unconscious on the grass. Alexia approaches me and tells me in the most venomous way possible "let's see if you wake up and stop drinking. The example you set for the little ones. Very good, very good". At that moment I couldn't think of anything but pain and Alexia's words. I think if I had to compare it to anything it would be a stab in the back. Alexia knows my weak points and yet she uses them against me.

At the medical room they put ice packs and ointment on my face for the bruises. luckily nothing is broken beyond an eyebrow. I head home before and out of nowhere I get flashbacks of all those times I was told that I was not a good example, that I was not enough, that I should not spend my time in football, but what bothers me the most is that it reminds me of when my father told me that I was a bad example for my nephews, because of them I changed. Sometimes things do not turn out the way you want. And as I knew that this day was going to end worse I decided to take a flask of whiskey in my backpack. It was not a good idea.

As I go into the locker room to get my stuff I hear the girls laughing about something Alexia said. I let myself listen to her a little bit because I know that when I go in they will shut up and give me funny looks. I hear her say "maybe it wasn't the right time or she, all of a sudden her alcohol problem came back". But since she is so sneaky about telling my stuff to the others. "Alexia you can just shut up and stop telling my things, at least respect what I once in privacy told you" I said it in the most calm and broken way possible. Suddenly because of the alcohol I had already had. They all went quiet and went back to their things. Alexia looked at me and I grabbed my stuff and left. Bad idea, I couldn't drive with alcohol on me. Fucking alexia, fucking family club, fucking liquor. Angry, I got in the car to go to my special place.

In the locker room the English girls came in, joking about y/n had brought a flask of whiskey and hadn't hesitated to drink it during practice. All the girls reacted and started to worry. "What's up girls?" said Keira, still laughing. "What's going on here is that most of the people here have been making fun of y/n and her alcohol problems, thanks alexia, and now she has gone home in her car drunk" said Ana a little more upset. To tell the truth Ana has always been on my side, it has to do with the amount of years we have known each other, I consider her one of the family but with the alcohol recently, I have moved away a little.

Already in the car I'm a little dizzy, everything is spinning and the memories are killing me. To say that driving like this is ok is reckless, don't do it under any circumstances. A couple of hours later I find myself back in Alexia's neighborhood, wandering around like a fool, as if she was going to show up. I decide to go up the Tibidabo but in the vicinity I come across a curve which I try to maneuver as best I can but apparently it beats me. The only thing I remember is calling Alexia. "Hi y/n, what do you want" says Ale a little angry "Hi bonita, I want to hear you and I want you to know that I love you with all my heart" you say almost without air in your lungs because of the blow "and please forgive me for not being enough for you, I swear that everything makes sense, but there is nothing to do anymore. That you were always a family to me " "why are you saying that y/n, I'm getting worried ""where are you ""goodbye alexia, I love you" you said before you hung up and your whole world turned black.

[football-and-fanfics]

The Photographer - Wout Weghorst

Who: Wout Weghorst, Denzel Dumfries Summary: As sports photographer for the Dutch NT you take photos of all the players during training and all around their Euro 2024 basecamp. One day you leave one of your cameras lying around, and the team notices how there are one player seems to feature a lot in your camera roll... (This request was made in Dutch. This summary is a short translation of that). Requested by: @unleashthelion Word count: 958 Warnings: none

For several years now, you were the photographer of the Dutch national team. Wherever they went, you went, too. You were with them for matches and trainings, spent free time with them, ate with them and stayed at the same hotels. You had a good relationship with all of the staff and the players, some of whom had been part of the national team even longer than you.

Today started off as any other day. The Dutch national team was gearing up for their first match at the Euro 2024, and as you did every day, you'd been snapping photos around the basecamp, in the gym and of that morning's training.

As training was over, you walked back to the hotel for lunch. Chatting and laughing cheerily with Nathan and Virgil, you completely overlooked the fact that you forgot one of your cameras by the side of the pitch.

You never knew that such a small thing would turn out to have such an impact on your day...

---

"Wout!" Denzel stormed into the team's rec room, where he found their striker slouched down in an armchair with his legs stretched out on a low table in front of him.

Wout looked up from his phone. The grin he saw playing on Denzel's lips already promised mischief. "What's going on?" Wout asked a little apprehensively. "Dude, you have to see this!" Denzel grinned like a maniac now, and pushed the photo camera into Wout's hands. "You need to check out what is on there! The photographer lady forgot one of her cameras by the pitch. Me and the boys were having some fun with it before we would return it, but... well, you should check out the photos on it."

Wout took the the camera from Denzel with a deep frown on his face. "First of all, she has a name. And, secondly, what does this have to do with me?" Denzel rolled his eyes. "Just flip through the photos, please."

Wout hesitated for a few seconds more. It didn't feel completely right to go through someone else's stuff, but his curiosity got the better of him. He switched the camera on and flipped through the photos. He quickly knew what Denzel meant. Of course there were photos of everyone in the team, but Wout couldn't deny that there was an abnormally high amount of photos of him on there.

"I..." Wout wasn't often lost for words, but right now he didn't know what to say. "She likes you," Denzel smirked teasingly. Wout had to admit it sure looked that way, although he wasn't ready to accept that conclusion just yet

Without another word, Wout briskly got to his feet. "Where are you going?" Denzel asked. "To talk to her." Wout called back over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. "That's my boy!" Denzel called after him. "Let me know when your first date is!"

---

You were working on editing photos in one of the hotel's business rooms, which served as your workspace during your stay here. You startled slightly when there came a soft knock on the door and you found Wout standing there.

"I believe you forgot this." Wout held up the camera. You quickly looked around at the cameras you had been using today, and indeed found one missing. "Oh, shit, yeah!" You gasped. "Thanks for returning it." "Thank Denzel," Wout chuckled, "he found it. And don't get startled by the photos he and some of the boys took." You laughed. "Typical."

Wout hesitated, allowing a short silence before he spoke again. "Can we talk for a moment?" You immediately noticed the change in him. All of a sudden his voice sounded a bit shaky, and he nervously wrung his hands together. "What's wrong?" You asked. Wout meant to speak, but thought better of it. Instead he turned around to close the door behind him, and leaned back against it. He looked ill at ease, more than you had ever seen in him before.

"Do you have a thing for me?" He finally spoke. It came out much more bluntly than he meant to. "I'm sorry," Wout recollected himself, "that wasn't right of me. What I meant to say... I've seen the photos in the camera roll, and I couldn't help but notice that the majority of photos... is of me." His voice trailed off as he looked down at his shoes.

You sat frozen behind the desk. Every ounce of your willpower went into keeping yourself from running away, crying, or both. You slowly looked up at Wout, somewhere a little afraid of his reaction. Wout glanced up at you, too. Despite his towering presence, he looked so small and vulnerable in this moment.

"So... I... I'm not wrong?" He stammered softly. The expression on your face was all he needed to see. "No." You finally admitted. "You're not wrong." "For how long?" He mumbled. You hesitated to answer, because you were slightly embarrassed by it. "Since the World Championship in Qatar, I guess," you admitted.

To your surprise, a big smile spread across Wout's face. The confident, slightly cocky attitude was immediately back in all his features. "I like that." He smirked. "Because that's around the same time you caught my eye, too."

You immediately blushed furiously red. "Really?" "Yeah." Wout confirmed happily. "So..." You chuckled softly. "We have unknowingly liked each other for at least two years, and never acted upon it?" "Apparently." Wout nodded, smirking. "And you know what? Once this tournament is over, we are going to change that. Maybe you and I should go out for drinks or dinner?" "Or both." You winked, feeling your confidence grow again. Wout grinned broadly, nodding his head. "That's a deal."

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Request an imagine | Writing masterlist

[iceeericeee]

Title: The Sun is a Deadly Laser (and It Hates Crowley)

Summary: It’s summertime in SoHo, and Crowley is still wearing his usual all black outfit. This definitely won’t bite him in the ass later today.

Notes: hellooooo good omens fandom. It’s been a hot second since I’ve been here. How are we doing today? Good? Good. Here’s some Crowley whump that no one asked for.

Human!Omens au

Whumperless Whump event, day 6: Summer is a curse

—————

It was a beautiful day in Soho. The sky was clear, children ran around playing, couples walked in silence.

One couple stuck out. Two men strolled on a path, side by side, at the St. James park.

The first one was Aziraphale. He was wearing his usual outfit, but chose to ditch the jacket he normally wore, and rolled up the sleeves of the sky blue button-up. Of course, he kept his vest on. Couldn’t leave home without it.

Crowley, however…

Crowley was only slightly regretting wearing his usual black attire. Although he would argue that his choice of clothes weren’t completely black. For instance, his thin neck tie was silver, not black. And his jacket wasn’t totally black. He’d definitely seen blacker. His was just… very very dark grey.

Although even Crowley couldn’t deny the darkness of his sunglasses. It had been purposeful, so he could hide his rare eye condition when he went out in public. Currently, not only were they protecting his eyes from being stared at by others, they were finally being used for what they had been made for: blocking the sun from Crowley’s eyes.

However, this task was a struggle, the sweat beading on Crowley’s nose made a slick surface. The sunglasses would periodically slide down, and Crowley would push them back up. But his face wasn’t the only thing slowly becoming sticky with sweat.

It was as though Crowley’s clothes had become glued to his body. It was very apparent how uncomfortable he was becoming.

“And you’re positive you’re alright? You seem a bit pale, dear…” Aziraphale fretted over Crowley.

“‘M fine, Angel. Don’t worry about me.” Crowley gently grabbed Aziraphale’s hand in his own slightly shaky ones.

Aziraphale pursed his lips. “Alright, if you say so.”

They continued to walk. Crowley could feel his feet begin to drag behind him. His breaths were slowing down and getter deeper.

It was when Crowley stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk did they both notice something was very wrong with him.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale quickly reached out to catch the other man. Thankfully, he was successful, keeping Crowley from taking an unwanted tumble onto the concrete.

Crowley tried to make a witty remark — something along the lines of ‘falling for Aziraphale’ — but found his tongue was dry and slightly swollen. All he could manage was a small groan.

“Come along, dear. Let’s… Les find some shade, and we’ll have a little sit-down, alright?”

Crowley nodded. “M’kay, Angel.”

Aziraphale gently lead Crowley to a nearby tree. None to gracefully, he practically fell down on his arse next to the trunk. He watched as Aziraphale grabbed the handkerchief from his vest pocket and leaned forward to dab at the sweat beading on Crowley’s brow.

“I saw a water fountain just a bit ahead of us. I’m going to go and wet this, just sit right here. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Aziraphale sprung up before Crowley could get a word in. So he sat there, and waited.

It was indeed a bit cooler underneath the shade of the tree. A lazy breeze blew by, brushing slightly at his hair. It was relieving. He could feel his internal temperature oh so slowly coming back down.

The swish of grass interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and saw Aziraphale walking up to him, soaked handkerchief in hand.

“Alright, I’m back. Here-” leaning down, he carefully dabbed the cool fabric onto Crowley’s forehead. Crowley subconsciously leaned in, letting his skin drink in the cold emanating from the handkerchief.

This went on for at least 30 minutes, Aziraphale rushing back and forth between Crowley and the water fountain, until Crowley felt well enough to walk back to the Bentley.

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Nothing Compares.

Oh, great! I was thinking about an Eddie x Reader fic to Meat Loaf's "I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that)". That Corroded Coffin gets a chance to play somewhere bigger after a night at the Hideout and then they got a chance at a record deal and going on tour. Reader though has gotten accepted to a good college, maybe even with a scholarship, and she just tells Eddie (even though it breaks her own heart too) that she doesn't want to hold him back and that a high school sweetheart won't hold a chance to all the other women he's going to meet as a rockstar. Realistic thoughts but the way she speaks about herself just breaks Eddie too. He agrees though, but they are both miserable so at graduation he comes back to Hawkins and proposes to her saying something like "I'd do anything for you, except leave you when we still love each other. If you think a high school sweetheart can't measure up, how about a wife and the love of my life?" :)

Request by @slightlyvicked

Warnings; Angst, breaking up, Struggles in moving on, fluff.

If you enjoyed this please consider giving it a reblog. It's very much appreciated 💖

I don't give anyone permission to copy my work.

I'm back a little earlier than planned 💖 hope you all enjoy this fic 😘💞💞

💖💖

Something amazing had happened in the few short months before graduation.

Corroded Coffin was in with a chance for a record deal after performing at the Hideout and then a bigger venue after they were spotted by a talent executive.

Yn was so proud of Eddie and the band. She always knew how talented they all were. How talented a singer and songwriter Eddie was.

With the record deal came her acceptance into college and while Eddie excitedly plowed along with their plans together for after graduation, a sinking feeling was burning in her gut.

Eddie would be around so many beautiful women, she never ever thought he would cheat on her, he wasn't like that but with so many beautiful women going to be around him how could she compete?

He would be a rockstar and she was his high school sweetheart? Her heart sinks day by day as she realized their relationship was heading towards an end.

With Eddie beside her and the thoughts piling around in her head she turns to Eddie and takes his hand.

"How's my rockstar doing?" he beams and kisses her.

"Everything is such a whirlwind now we secured the record deal babe. We are predominantly going to be based in California for recording and stuff, theres talks of a tour"

Eddie looked so excited and her heart was breaking at what she had to do next.

"You'll meet so many amazing people, a lot of women" he frowns.

"All I need is you, sweetheart. I wanna be a rockstar, yeah but I'd never cheat on you with groupies or models or shit. You're my world"

Tears roll down her cheeks.

"You were accepted into so many colleges baby, maybe you could pick one in Cali, and when you aren't studying you could be with me"

"Eddie, none of the other guys will have girlfriends hanging around. I don't want to hold you back"

His expression falls, agony in his eyes.

"What the fuck are you saying yn?" her lip wobbles and he softens holding her close.

"I just cant imagine me measuring up to all the beautiful women you are going to meet"

Eddie scowls.

"Don't you dare speak like that about yourself princess. I love you so much" she wipes her eyes feeling shaky.

"It's just me being realistic" she tells him and tears run down his cheeks.

"Realistic? What dont you get? No one will measure up to you ever. It doesn't matter who the woman are that I'm going to meet because they aren't you!"

She squeezes his hand.

"It's for the best Eddie, I love you so much. I'll always love you but I know I can't measure up. I know I have to let you go"

Anger flickers over his features.

"Do you not even want to try to make us work, you want to give up that easily!" he snaps and she feels her own anger spill out.

"Of course, I do, so much but I am being a realist for once and not a dreamer" her anger melts away into heartache again.

It's then that she notices the slump in Eddie

"I love you, sweetheart. I will never forget you or stop loving you" she kisses him fiercely. It's their last kiss, she knows it despite his protests and she wants to savor it.

They are both in tears and he presses a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you but you need to go and be a rockstar baby, without me holding you back. Go live your rockstar dream" she whispers softly.

Eddie kisses her again and they make love for the last time. It's even more perfect than usual as she and Eddie whisper words of love and worship each others bodies.

When she wakes up the next morning, Eddie stays to press one last kiss on her forehead, holding her tight.

"You're my dream sweetheart" she smiles trying to hide her tears as she clings to him.

"Maybe one day, year's from now we will find our way back to each other Eddie?" she suggests hoping that is true and his big brown eyes light up.

"I'm gonna hold you to that princess"

When he leaves after tearful goodbyes she finally lets herself break down.

I would do anything for love, I know it's true and that's a fact

I would do anything for love and there'll never be no turning back.

💞

Somehow time passes. She's a wreck but tries to hold it together. She will never love anyone the way she loves Eddie.

At some point, she knows Eddie will meet someone. He's going to meet fellow rockstar women and models, etc. She couldn't measure up to that.

It was just her being realistic as she told Eddie.

Fuck, she misses him so much though and it didn't help when newspapers around Hawkins were chronicling Corroded Coffins journey.

As much as she was proud of the boys seeing models hanging around them. Around Eddie broke her heart even more.

What did she expect though? For Eddie to pine over her for years? No. Realistically (fuck she hated that word right now) he would move on.

Maybe if she looked closer then she would have seen how Eddie didn't look happy, the agony in his eyes, that in the two months that passed it felt like part of him was missing.

Exactly how she felt.

She didn't know he phoned Wayne and poured his heart out down the phone about missing her.

That it didn't matter how many rockstar women, models, or actresses he met because none of them compared to her.

No. As far as she knew he had moved on...

But I'll never do it better than I do it with you, so long, so long.

💖💖

Graduation arrives and it's bittersweet because Eddie would be graduating today.

The emotions in her are high and she finds herself missing Eddie more than ever.

She certainly doesn't expect Eddie to show up for graduation but when she is accepting her diploma she nearly faints on the spot at seeing him sitting beside her family, Uncle Wayne and the rest of the band.

He's dressed all in black, black jeans, a black shirt, and a leather jacket, he looks so handsome and all she wants to do is hug him.

Of course, he would be here to see everyone graduate. She should have known that he wouldn't miss that.

So many girls are swooning over him, former classmates that called him a freak, and every name under the sun suddenly find him interesting.

To yn, he had always been amazing, interesting, and wonderful. To her surprise, he didn't look twice at any of the girls, he only had eyes for her.

And I would do anything for love, oh I would do anything for love but I won't do that.

💖💖

After graduation, she walks over to where Eddie is sitting and chatting to her family and his uncle Wayne.

"What are you doing here Eddie?" he gets up and strokes her cheek.

"I've missed you more than anything sweetheart" her heart lurches painfully because she misses him. It feels like half of her is missing.

"Eddie, you've hit the big time with Corroded Coffin. I am so proud of you. All the newspapers have talked about your success, and all the people you are meeting"

He sighs.

"It's amazing baby, I'm so grateful for the band's success but it's nothing when I don't have my girl by my side.

It doesn't matter who I meet, they aren't you. I don't want any woman except you. All I want is you"

"I'm trying to enjoy the success but I feel fucking miserable without my princess beside me. The guys eventually told me to stop moping and get you back"

"I'd do anything for love, except leave you when we still love each other. If you think a high school sweetheart can't measure up...

I would do anything for love

Anything you've been dreaming of, but I just won't do that

He kneels down on one knee and pulls out a beautiful ring she gasps and feels tears roll down her cheek- happy tears.

"How about a wife and the love of my life?" he asks her and he's crying too.

"Yes! Yes!" she beams. He holds her tightly in his arms and kisses her.

Their friends are cheering, her family and uncle Wayne.

"You're my soulmate princess. I love you so much" Eddie tells her.

"I love you too Eddie" he kisses her and places the ring on her finger.

I would do anything for love

Anything you've been dreaming of, but I just won't do that

[krikeymate]

I feel like all my anonymous requests are really depressing cause I’m just a lil angst goblin.

I was reading a fic where Sam was getting beat up cause if the rumours about her and I was thinking about how the deaths of the Bailey family would play into that conspiracist narrative. I was especially thinking about ethan’s death I mean even if you just look at the scream fandom there are pages and pages on Ethan who really didn’t have that much of an impact but…SHOCKER, he’s white, male and conventionally attractive so it’s literally impossible to escape him (no hate or anything but cmon fandom let the other characters shine) anyways I got so side tracked there. I can imagine Ethan being really glorified and fawned over by people in the scream universe itself in was way that actual serial killers were because people thought they were attractive (ew). Upon hearing that Tara was the one to kill ethan (i know it was technically Kirby but they did it together) I think the conspiracists would go insane and can you imagine a scene where Tara and Sam are just walking together before they both get jumped but Tara is the target of this attack and Sam is just held down unable to do anything while she has to watch tara get brutally attacked.

Well, Tara is my whump blorbo. There's a place for angst in our lives, because it's not about the pain at all, it's about the aftermath. It's about the being picked up, and the softness and the love and the support. It's about being reminded that no matter what we go through, there is a brighter side to be found and there are people who will help you reach it and sit in the sun with you. Anyway, none of that here.

~

Ethan Landry. Sweet, dorky, Ethan. He couldn't find his way out of a wet paper bag, people say. Soft, and shy, and smiled awkwardly at girls. Always nervous, but tried his best. Murdered. They tried to say he attacked them, that he wanted to kill them, that he was a savage monster. Who would fall for such a lie? He didn't even like horror movies, he was shaky around blood.

Samantha Carpenter is to blame, they know. It's heavily debated as to whether she attacked her sister last year, or whether it was simply a home invasion and she took the opportunity to make it something more, to sate her blood lust. But Richie was innocent, they all agree on that. A wonderful man who was guilty only of loving the wrong woman. That poor teenager, the best friend of her sister's... well of course Samantha decided she had to go, she wanted her sister to herself.

And it works! Because here they are, a year later, and it's the sister who does the deed, who thrusts the knife into Ethan's mouth, who twists it, slices it open. He'd had a crush on her, sources say. She used it to lead him to his doom. It was deliberate, pre-planned, it had to have been. Why else would he follow her there? Tara Carpenter may have been innocent, once upon a time, but not anymore. She's spent too long in her sister's clutches, corrupted, ruined. Just look at how passionately she defends her, as if she were innocent, as if the truth wasn't out there.

We should help her, some say, get her away from her sister, imagine what she could tell us, what she could reveal! She needs to pay, say others, she's just as guilty as her sister, it's too late for her.

No one agrees on how to stop this madness.

~

Sam's walking Tara home from her evening class. It feels a little surreal. A month ago, Tara would never have agreed to this, Sam had been desperate to do this. And here they are, Sam's hand attached to her sister's as Tara waves it around in the air, complaining about the professor. (She's not sure what she's talking about, but she's just happy to see Tara this animated).

They're turning the corner when they bump into someone... someone's. There's a couple of guys in hoodies, with surgical masks on their face. "Oops, sorry!" Tara smiles up at them, pulling Sam to move around them. They step back into her path, and Sam begins to feel nervous. Tara's hand tightening around hers tells her she feels the same.

Sam steps backwards, but before she has a chance to speak, arms wrap around her from behind and she's yanked away from Tara, as her sister is shoved to the floor.

"Hey what the fu-" Sam manages, before a hand is covering her mouth, jaw wrenched closed as her head is forced backwards against someone's chest. More arms appear to grip at her own and hold her back.

Tara is thrown to the floor, and a boot kicks out at her arm, stepping on her wrist as she tries to reach into her pocket. The figure looming over her bends down to reach into her jacket, and pulls out the taser she was reaching for. Scoffing, he hands it to one of his companions.

"What did we ever do to you," she growls, breathing deep to push down her fear. "It's not what you did to us," he says with conviction, "it's what you've done to others. What you'll do again!"

Sam kicks out and tries to speak, understanding setting in. Someone punches her in the stomach.

"We haven't done anything!" Tara yells, watching her sister get hurt. She tries to get up off the floor only to be kicked down again with a boot to the chest. "Just leave us alone!"

"But you have!" The one holding Sam shouts. "You killed Ethan! She-" he shakes Sam, "killed Richie and all those others." "They were innocent and you killed them," another pipes up. A chorus of agreement follows, and for the first time, the girls begin to notice just how many people are surrounding them. 6... 7, no, there's more further back, hiding in the shadows... watching. Some of them have their phones out, recording.

"You're going to pay for what you've done," the one looming over Tara declares.

"It was self-de-" he kicks her in the jaw, her head snapping to the side and smacking back against the pavement. He pulls her up from the floor, hands fisting her jacket and slams her back into anothers waiting arms.

Sam struggles against the numerous arms holding her back, unable to move. Her head is pinned, her jaw is clamped shut, tears begin to fall.

The ringleader leans in close to Tara's face, eyes meeting her dazed ones. "Your sister seems upset. Is it real, or just another act? Is she even capable of caring? I mean, she wanted you for a reason, right?"

"Fuck you," Tara snarls back. He grins, rewarding her with a backhand. "It doesn't have to be this way, Tara," he speaks, voice softening in faux-compassion. He cups her chin. "Just tell us the truth, tell everyone what she did, what she made you do, and it can all be over.

"She didn't make me do anything!"

"So you admit it, you killed Ethan in cold blood?" His voice is frantic, delighted.

"Ethan was a sadistic little fuck who got what he deserved." Tara finds herself thrown back to the floor. "He was a nice boy who never hurt anyone!" the one who threw her shouts, kicking her.

Tired of Sam's struggling, the one holding the taser moves closer, releasing it into her stomach. She groans, body twitching. Her legs give way beneath her, held up only by the formless figures clutching at her. They drop her to the floor and a boot presses down on her back. Sam is stuck, unable to convince her body to move, prongs digging in painfully from their place stuck between her skin and the pavement. She can do nothing but watch as the two figures assault her sister, kicking her, watching them pull her onto her back to hurt her some more.

"Stop, please, please stop," Sam begs. She's ignored.

It's only the sirens closing in that make it stop, dark figures scattering. She manages to drag herself forward, limbs slow to respond and shaky. "Tara," she cries. Her sister doesn't respond, still and bleeding.

[charlesjosephwrites]

Find the Word Tag

Thanks for the tag @ahordeofwasps!

My words are none, nowhere, never, and neat!

Here are some snippets from the Magician and Ms. Psychic. I think it's interesting that all these words happened to be from scenes with the mayor. I love his dynamic with April, so I'm more than happy with the excuse to share some of it here with y'all.

none

“Magician.” The mayor drew in a shaky breath, and he spared a sideways glance in my direction. “You… you don’t really want to kill—” “Mind your own damn business, Tommy.” I interrupted him with a sharp glare. “But Ms. Psychic—” “Zip it!” I stomped my foot. “Last I checked, she was my nemesis. What happens between us is none of your business.”

nowhere

“Would you care to explain these?” I pointed at the ground. Tommy frown down at the spikes. “What about them?” “Your council approved of this shit.” I nudged a spike with the toe of my boots for emphasis. “Why?” “We needed a way to discourage people from loitering here.” His gaze trailed uncomfortably from the spikes to the busy street and back to me. “It’s not safe.” “Do you really think people were hanging out here by choice?” He didn’t respond. “People only hang out in this kind of place if they have nowhere better to go,” I said. “This bridge used to be one of the few good places to escape from the wind and rain and shit, and now it’s ruined.”

never

I plopped down into the seat next to Mayor Redwood with a drawn out sigh. “You think I’m scary, right?” Mayor Redwood squirmed in his seat. “Of course.” Normally his unconvincing tone would have tempted me to commit a bone related crime, but all it did was make me feel worse. “Of course,” I echoed bitterly. I slumped down further in my seat. “You think I’m a shitty supervillain too.” Redwood gulped. “I never said—” “You didn’t have to say anything,” I interrupted. “It’s like… way too obvious.” I slapped my hand on the table, frustrated. “I mean… my own nemesis ran off to fight another supervillain and left me with this fucking kid.” “I’m a teenager,” Hermes corrected. I threw up my hands in exasperation. “That’s not better!”

neat

I fell into the chair next to Tommy. My hands moved across the table almost unconsciously, gathering up the cards into a neat pile. “Hey.” I set the cards on the table and leaned forwards on both elbows. “Can I ask for your advice on something?” “Of course.” Tommy nodded. “What is it?” I scooted my chair a little closer to him. “My girlfriend wants me to meet her dad.” He leaned in a little closer. “That’s good, right?” “I don’t know!” I threw up my hands in exasperation. “I’ve never been with someone who wanted me to meet their family before.”

I'll tag @oh-no-another-idea, @dontjudgemeimawriter, @janaedonim, @enchanted-lightning-aes, and anyone else who sees this and wants to play.

Your words are forever, always, hope, and peace.

[forgedroyalseal]

I’ve got a lot to live without

Will stood in a shadowed corner of the room, grateful for the support the walls provided. He wasn’t sure he’d manage standing upright on his own for very long. He felt Gilan’s presence before he saw him.

“Something is wrong.” It wasn’t a question, but Will still tried to play it off.

“Everything is fine Gil. I’m just not I’m the mood to social right now.”

“Bull. You love socializing. What’s wrong Will?” Gilan asked again, pressing for an honest response.

The worried look on his friends face finally did him in and Will let out a shaky sigh, “Alyss isn’t away on an assignment.”

“I figured as much. Is she alright?”

Will pressed his fist the his mouth, trying to hold back a sob and shook his head.

“Is she ill?”

“She- she miscarried earlier this week. I tried to convince her to let me stay home with her, but she refused. She wanted at least one of us to be here for Horace and Cassandra.”

Gilan’s face fell. “Will, I, I don’t know what to say. Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“Today is about Horace and Cassandra. It’s about introducing their daughter to the kingdom. How could I take any of that joy away from them?” Will nodded to the center of the room where family and friends were crowded around the happy family.

“How far along was she?”

“Nearly half way.”

Gilan swore. “I didn’t even know you two were expecting.”

“We kept it quiet. We um, we weren’t sure it was going to happen. And now I’m grateful I don’t have to tell everyone.”

“Why did you think it wouldn’t-“

“Because none of the others did.” Will cut him off with a whisper.

The words sent an icy chill down Gilan’s spine. “How many?”

“This was the fourth.”

“Will.” Gilan’s voice broke on the name and he felt as though all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Four. His baby brother had gone through this four times, and had never once said a thing about it to him.

“Alyss didn’t even know she was pregnant with the first one until it was too late. This one was the farthest we ever got. We actually started to imagine that-“ Will swallowed hard and cleared his throat, “Well. It doesn’t matter. We were wrong.”

“You should have told us.” Gilan says gently.

“And what could you have done that the physicians couldn’t?”

“We would have been there for you.” Gilan paused then said, “I know this is a stupid question, but I still have to ask, how are you holding up?”

Will ran his hands over his face and through his hair. “I’ve wanted a child for as long as I can remember. I wanted family of my own. To have the chance to be there for my children. But now, I just want this to stop. I can’t go through this again, I don’t think Alyss can either. But she is already talking about when we are going to start trying again. I’ve tried to tell her that we don’t need to, that I am happy with just her, that she is all the family I need. But she can’t let this dream go. And I’m so terrified that if we keep trying, eventually I’ll lose her too. And that’s not something I’ll survive.”

“I wish I had the words to make everything ok again for you. But I don’t, and I doubt those words even exist. But need to know that I’m here for you. And if you tell the others, they’d all feel the same. You two can’t keep all this hurt bottled up.” Gilan wrapped his arms around him. Will turned into Gilan and pressed his face into his shoulder, muffling sobs that had started. “It’s ok. I’m here. It’s alright.”

“Can you come back to Redmont with me? I know how busy you must be but-“

“Of course I’m coming back with you Will. The king himself couldn’t stop me. You and Alyss will get through this. And you won’t be alone.”

“Thank you.” Will whispered.

“You never need to thank me for being there for you Will. You’re like the little brother I never knew I needed, and it’s my job to take care of you.”

[not-sure-what-im-feeling]

Analogical? 👀

“Just fine.”

Combined all of these! Here’s my writing, and it’s some Logan just in time for world teachers day!! Y’all get to decide if it’s platonic or romantic, I just had fun writing it <3

Ended up writing 1,197 words and I’m rather proud of that

Uhh as for warnings, crying and Logan repressing his feelings? I’m not great with warnings apologies.

Read on ao3:

Logan took a small, shaky breath. He was fine, after all. Perfectly fine. He was Logic. No room for all those icky feelings for him. They would just get in the way. Thank goodness he didn’t have any. That would be a disaster.

Logan didn’t feel anything. Of course he didn’t. And that was why everyone was able to nag and tease and remark constantly about every little thing. He was Logic. How could you hurt the feelings of someone who had none? Logan was the most unfeeling of them all—he just had to remind himself of that.

He was Logic. Stoic, precise, perfect. Not a mistake to be made. The chances of him making a mistake were infinitesimal. That being said, the smallest chance is still a chance. But did they really need to dwell on his mistakes so much? As if he hadn’t already? There is no room for error in a machine built on logic, but, sadly, Logan was not a machine.

So Logan stood there, beside the stairwell, lips pursed tight together, breaths shaky, and eyes glistening with the ever so slight glimmer of what might be tears—not that Logan would cry. He loosened his tie a bit, noticing the way the air in the room felt heavier, and the way everything seemed so distant, yet the muffled voices of the others were so incredibly loud, he noticed the unfocusing of his eyes. He noticed so terribly much, and yet he couldn’t think of a single thing to do. The computer’s processing unit seemed all jammed up.

The voices of the others were heard, yes, but not understood. However, when he heard his name a couple times, Logan took that to mean it was time to register what they were saying.

“Logan?” Patton’s voice rang out, “Logan, are you alright?”

Logan shook himself ever so slightly, and then responded. “Yes, yes, completely fine. Thank you, Patton.”

“Are you sure about that? Because for the last minute or so you’ve been completely unresponsive.” Virgil then said.

Logan paused. “I’m fine. Let’s just get back to work. I’d rather not talk about all… this.”

Patton began to say something, but Virgil cut him off. “You know what, Logan? I think you need to take a break. Go to your room, have a nap, read a book, whatever, but you clearly aren’t okay. And that’s combing from me.”

"Virgil. I do not need to stop. I need to help Thomas. I'll be fine. I am fine." Logan was adamant, but Virgil was stubborn too.

Still, Logan clearly didn't want to be seen as anything near emotional. His hands shook with a slight sense of feeling, but he clasped them together in an effort to hide that.

"Please, Lo, just take a break?" Virgil's voice got softer. It was still stubborn and pushy, but much more gentle and more of a request. "We both know it'll help you. Ignoring yourself will only hurt Thomas."

Patton and Roman just watched the odd "fight" play out before them, Thomas a bit more confused in the middle of it all.

"...Fine. I'll sit the rest of this episode out. You guys certainly have made it clear you're just fine without me." Logan said, then, without any other goodbyes, he sunk out.

"Well, he couldn't have left a substitute?" Roman said, though his face all but matched the joking tone of voice he used.

"Can't you just shut up? I know you can't do this, but have you ever thought of thinking of others, Roman?" Virgil snapped.

"Uh, guys, can you not fight?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah, kiddos, that won't help anything." Patton agreed.

Both Virgil and Roman huffed a "fine", as the four left in the room continued on without Logan.

Logan, however, went to his room without much adieu. He sat, angry and hurt and uncomfortable and with more emotions than he knew how to deal with, in the chair at his desk, looking at the sheets of planning on how he could help. Not that any of them would see the light they deserved. Thomas never followed through with the plans he made. The others wouldn’t listen.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, at his desk, trying to keep the emotions from rising to the surface. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, crying quietly, as he tried to stifle the noises he was making. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, sobbing, with no regard to the gasping hiccupy breaths he took shook with emotion. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, before he was half pulled from his tears, glasses off his face, by a knock at his door. And he wasn’t sure how long he sat there, uncertain what to do, before his voice cracked as he said “Enter”.

The door opened, and Virgil walked in slowly, as if approaching a timid animal caught in a trap. Logan futilely attempted to wipe the tears from his face as the light and Virgil came into his room. He straightened his back, folded his hands in his lap, and tried so hard to be as stoic as possible. It didn’t last long. He shook, before the illusion shattered and the mask dropped, revealing the pain Logan was feeling.

Virgil walked over, pulling the spare stool Logan had tucked into a corner out and sat down. “Logan? I know you aren’t alright. You don’t need to hide it.” Virgil said, before adding what he thought Logan would say. “You shouldn’t repress things after all.”

Logan didn’t answer, didn’t even look at Virgil, but he did nod in agreement. “Of course I shouldn’t,” he mumbled, “But showing little emotion and repression are different, Virgil.”

Virgil huffed, but sighed after a moment and spoke again. “Logan… we care about you. I care about you. I just want to make sure that if I can help you, you’ll let me. Now. How could I help you?” It was a question, but even with Virgil’s comforting tone, it was persistent and stubborn—something Logan respected.

Logan paused. He wiped away the tears better, and cleaned his glasses before responding.

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m not sure. I’m not the one who usually asks for help.” He said, before adding under his breath: “Not that I need help.”

“Alright… we could start with talking about it. What do you say?” Virgil said, and Logan finally looked up. Virgil looked so warm and inviting, and Logan felt, for the first time in a while, like he was safe. Safe in a way he couldn’t exactly explain. He didn’t often feel endangered, but this was a place—a person—that he could trust with anything he needed to say.

Logan nodded, and Virgil stood, reaching out his hand for Logan to take. Logan took it in his hand, standing up with the other, before they pulled each other into an embrace of hope and security. When they pulled away from each other, Virgil pulled off his hoodie, wrapping it on Logan.

Logan, with red eyes and a hoarse voice from his sobs, said, “Let’s talk.”

[truly-morgan]

Kinktober Summer Rerun 2024: Petplay ● SukuIta 👅🐯

【DAY 09】

[#sukuita, petplay]

Yuji thought that saying Sukuna looked annoyed would be an understatement. He looked *pissed*.

“Come on Sukuna” Yuji says from where he’s sitting on the couch, looking up at his roommate. “You don’t need to be such a sore loser, what would your friends think if they knew losing against me made you this mad and annoyed” He continued, trying not to laugh.

He was certain that if they were in an anime, he would see Sukuna’s vein popping out right now. Instead, he kept standing in front of him, on the other side of the coffee table. On it sat some accessories Sukuna had gotten for their latest bet, one he had seemingly thought he would win.

“I do have to admit, I hadn’t expected to win so easily against you at something *you* picked out for use” Yuji continued, because it felt that good to be able to be the smug one for once. “I guess you just underestimated how quickly I can pick up on things, or how good my reflexes are”.

“Will you shut up already” Sukuna nearly growled, fingers holding even more tightly against his crossed arms.

“Only if you finally get on with the punishment for losing the bet” Yuji smiled in a way that felt too innocent and nice for what this situation was. “After all, I already did *many* humiliating and embarrassing things because I lost in the past, I think you can survive being a puppy for today”.

He heard Sukuna click his tongue, bending down to pick up the dog ears on the table, angrily putting them on. “Happy now?” He asked, glaring down at him. The colour of the far short fur was nearly a perfect match to Sukuna’s hair if only they had been a little darker. It was pretty clear the man had thought Yuji would be losing since it would match him better.

“Aw are we letting a good collar like this go to waste?” he asked, revelling in the way Sukuna’s jaw grew even tenser. “Every good pup needs one” he then pointed out.

Yuji knew that the shakiness of Sukuna’s hand wasn’t from embarrassment or fear. No, far from those two, he was clearly holding himself back not just lashing out and maybe murdering him. He had seen Sukuna lose bets in the past, doing weird and embarrassing (in Yuji’s opinion) things because of it.

But somehow acting like a dog for a whole afternoon and evening was crossing the line.

Hell, they weren’t even *going out* like this, it was the weekend and they didn��t need to go out. Plus Yuji felt like he had already been lenient by reminding Sukuna when it was already nearly 2 pm. It wasn’t like he was going to be nasty about it, just play around a little and then it would be done by bedtime.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t get enjoyment out of it too.

Before Sukuna could reach for the collar Yuji snatched it, too quick for his roommate. This had him looking even more annoyed as Yuji smiled innocently back at him. “A master should be the one putting the new shiny collar on his dog” he commented. He waited for an argument from Sukuna, which he was truthfully shocked none came.

Instead, Sukuna groaned, making his way around the coffee table. It was as if he had just given up fighting a little bit, sitting down on the ground in front of Yuji. “Let’s get this over with so we can be done more quickly” he ended up saying, still sounding annoyed.

Yuji couldn’t help but feel delighted that he was actually being docile for once. Or well, as docile as *Sukuna* could get. He was certain that even though he was complying now, he would be causing problems later on.

He then started putting the leather collar around Sukuna’s neck, making sure it wasn’t tight around it. Fingers brushed softly against the pink leather because, of course, Sukuna would pick pink, as he finished. He even flipped around the dog tag, feeling a little surprised Sukuna had somehow not requested for his name to be engraved in it. Felt like something he would do really, especially when thinking Yuji was going to lose.

Although it would have also fit this situation really well, which made him chuckle just thinking about it.

He decided to spend the first hour just trying to get Sukuna to make tricks. He truthfully thought that Sukuna would just sit on the floor staring at him, yet he complied, albeit while looking bored and annoyed. He was clearly not having as much fun as Yuji was, but that was okay, for once Yuji got to have the upper hand.

It was also rather fun reminding Sukuna that dogs cannot speak, don’t walk on two legs nor do they have hands.

He did decide to give him a break after a while, settling down to watch a movie. Sukuna simply went elsewhere to be in peace, but ended up attracted by the movie. He first sat down on the carpet in front of the couch, groaning when Yuji started petting his head (not that he stopped him).

“It’s okay for my cute puppy to get on the couch” Yuji teased him, patting the seat next to him. At first, Sukuna stared at him, before thinking about it. It *was* more comfortable yup on the couch.

He could also probably annoy Yuji enough that he would call it off early.

So he jumped up on the couch, starting to rub his head against Yuji as if asking for attention. He even attempted a few bark and whine (which had him cringe so hard, feeling like he would need to make Yuji pay for making him do this). It only made Yuji chuckle where he was sitting crosslegged, patting his thigh while telling him he could lay down so he could pat his head if that’s what he wanted.

He did it, although he never stopped moving, head moving around a little as he wiggled, trying to be annoying. Yuji suddenly tensed as his head bumped against his crotch a couple of times, using both his hands to help Sukuna settle down. This had the man intrigued, looking up to see the blush on his face, looking a little embarrassed. This suddenly made him want to tease him more.

But for now, he allowed the hand carding through his short hair slowly as they watched the (admittedly good) movie.

When it was over Yuji went to the kitchen, deciding it was time to make some food. Sukuna decided it was a good time to bother him some more, getting in his way. It did get him kicked out of the kitchen (not that he listened). Although the coffee and water he had drank earlier started to make themselves known.

“Dog don’t walk on legs” Yuji warned again, which had Sukuna stare back at him.

“I need to piss, and I am not doing it on all four” Sukuna said deadpan, before an evil smirk graced his lip, “Unless you want an unruly dog who does his thing on your bed”.

This had Yuji scrunch up his nose, looking disgusted. “Okay fair,” he simply replied, waving him off. He knew Sukuna wasn’t above actually pissing all over his bed just because he went too far. It felt like a real treat he wasn’t ready to deal with the annoying consequences.

Aside from the fact he needed to eat without his hands (on the coffee table at least), the food was pretty good. Sukuna would have been a dick and actually gotten out to get some dog food and force Yuji to eat some. but Yuji wasn’t Sukuna and his cooking was, as always, pretty good.

For that, he decided to “thank him”.

And Yuji wasn’t too sure if he should be feeling suspicious of how much Sukuna seemed to be getting in his role now. Although it was amusing in a way seeing him act so excited and happy, rubbing against his leg. It did start to feel too much when his face and “paws” were, once again, brushing and rubbing either way too close or against his crotch. This had Yuji trying to gently stop him, trying to calm him down too.

Yuji was too sensitive and easily triggered. And it made Sukuna want to be a little shit and make this situation something a lot more fun for *himself*.

The rest of the evening went pretty well, Sukuna kept on teasing him, trying to see how far he could push it all before Yuji really got mad. He’s surprised to see him only get a little embarrassed but never get mad or scream at him. Maybe abusing the best puppy eyes he can possibly come up with also helps.

He decided to go on with his plan when Yuji got out of the shower. He entered his room as he seemed to be picking something for the night, only wearing a towel. Yuji seemed surprised to see him come in, since they usually stayed out of each other's room unless needed. “Does my cute doggo want attention?” Yuji asked, chuckling a little bit ready to go and pat him.

He was not ready for the way  Sukuna literally pounced on him, throwing him into the bed. Sukuna lost no time, to pin him down to the bed, mouth teasing his cock through the barely holding towel. This had Yuji gasp, head coming to his head to push him away even if this time sukuna wasn’t budging.

“C-come on Sukuna, this isn’t funny” He tried, biting his lips when the towel was pushed away and he started mouthing at his cock directly. He felt embarrassed at how quickly he got excited about all this.

Once Yuji was hard he started making his way up, licking and biting at him, hip rutting against him. Only then did Yuji realise that Sukuna was now wearing nothing but his underwear. And something big was rubbing against him.

“W-wait Sukuna, bad dog” Yuji tried, a mix between a moan and a groan escaping him when he bit onto his neck more strongly than before. This seemed to be the wrong word to use because Sukuna seemed even more active than before, forcing him to roll on his stomach.

Before he knew it he had his ass up in the air, Sukuna using one of his hand to force his upper body down. Yuji *shouldn’t* be feeling this aroused and horny about all of this. He really wanted to curse Sukuna and his good looks and skills, and how he always took home noisy lovers. He had been curious about what it would be like to sleep with his roommate, but never expected it would happen *like this* though.

Not that he was actually against it…

He did tense a little when he felt Sukuna start grinding against the cleft of his ass, smearing precum around. “Time out” he nearly yelled, which this time did make Sukuna pause, “I can’t take you directly like this” he said, face flushed from embarrassment.

He looked over his shoulder, watching as Sukuna tilted his head a little. the cuteness of the act was quickly replaced by his teasing smirk, only barking back at him. he did let up some of the pressure on Yuji's back, allowing him to crawl a little to reach his bedside table.

He yelped when he felt something wet swipe between his cheek, before directly licking his rim when a hand pulled them apart. “S-Sukuna stop that!” he tried, pushing his head again, “I-I just showered but still!!”.

Sukuna did sit back this time, watching as Yui brought slick fingers up to his ass. It felt a little embarrassing, fingering himself while someone else was watching. It wasn’t like he really had that much experience in the past and Sukuna was, well, Sukuna.

But after a moment was able to forget about it a little, losing himself in the pleasure his fingers were able to bring him. He also felt amused at how impatient Sukuna seemed to get, purposefully taking a little bit more of his time on this. He did pick up the pace when he barked once, a little growl warning him to get on with it already.

This had him chuckling, letting his fingers pop out of himself not that long after. “Come pup, you can go now”. He was surprised by how fast Sukuna was, pushing him down again and putting a lot of his weight over Yuji.

Yuji groaned as he sank into him with one smooth trust, thankfully going rather slow. He hadn’t expected for him to be that big, good thing he had actually masturbated in the shower a little. But it was still a noticeable stretch. “God you're so tight” Sukuna growled next to his ear, speaking for the first time since earlier.

“Dog don’t tal- OW!” Yuji started, before being cut off when Sukuna bit down on his neck again, although he didn’t really let go this time, keeping there for a moment. Yuji was embarrassed at how this made him moan, he had never known he could be a little in pain before. His past experiences were pretty gentle (and maybe a little boring too).

Soon enough Sukuna changed his shallow trust into pounding, pushing Yuji more and more into the bed. Yuji nearly feared they would have a noise complaint with how noisy he was being (but probably still not as much as some of Sukuna's previous lovers). His voice and the sound of skin slapping were the only thing filling the silence.

Although anytime Sukuna could groan or grunt right next to his ear, it made hot pool even more in his guts.

This had all started from a silly bet, Sukuna clearly trying to get back at him. But Yuji just felt so turned on, he actually quite liked this, even if he had been rather embarrassed about the way he had gotten aroused earlier.

“Fuck, I’m getting closer” Yuji moaned, a hand straying under him to try and touch himself. This had Sukuna growl slightly, grabbing it and trapping it under his strong grip. “Nooooo,” he whined, trying to get both his hands free, although he wasn’t budging.

Instead, all the pleasure he had came from Sukuna abusing his prostate, nailing it all hard every time he got it. Yuji had never cum from his ass alone before, but he was starting to think it was truly something that could happen.

“Sukuna pleeease,” Yuji whined again, which only earned him a low chuckle. “Okay, but next time we do it my way” Sukuna whispered in his ear lowly.

The moment his hand was free, Yuji started jerking off. He had been so close, it barely took a couple of pumps to really get him over the edge, cumming all over his sheets. He felt like he could tell Sukuna was also not too far behind, his movements much less well-paced than before, feeling a bit more choppy. Then with one last deep trust, he came inside of him, slowly grinding as he spilled everything inside.

Everything then fell quiet, the only thing breaking the silence being their ragged breath. When Sukuna finally pulled out and stopped pushing him into the mattress Yuji rolled on his back. He felt his cheek heat up at the look Sukuna was giving him, looking so hot like this. Even those dog ears looked hot on him damnit, the collar making it even more…

“You look like you didn’t have enough” Sukuna chuckled, grabbing the ears to throw them to the side. Yuji pouted a little at that, watching them disappear in the corner of his room. He did look back at Sukuna, who seemed to be waiting for an answer.

Yuji smiled at that, reaching out only to hook a finger in the ring of the collar, pulling him down. “Well, I guess I can give my cute pup a reward for being so good to me today~” Yuji teased him.

“You brat” Sukuna growled, although he did look amused.

Maybe Yuji should try and get Sukuna to lose more often if it meant getting something like this too.

[outofangband]

Tagged by @slightnettles to share part of a WIP (like three weeks ago I’m sorry :(

I think I am at least caught up on WIP tag games now!

I decided to share from a couple to make up for the delay! Plus a bit of a ramble about horror which I apologize for

The theme for today are “fics and scenes I rewrite again and again”

Whatever explanation Aerin had been expecting, it was not this. The weight of these words she feels as a coiling unease. Despite their proximity to the hearth she finds herself cold, pulling her worn cloak more tightly around herself. For warmth, but also to fend off the sudden and familiar feeling of exposure. She understands acutely what this play is, what Brodda expects her to do in response.

“Is this truly believed by all?” Aerin asks with the knowledge that it does not truly matter. There is something wrong in her voice, or perhaps in her own ability to hear it.

The other shrugs wearily.

“I doubt it,” he says, “But none will gainsay him let alone where he might hear.”

Note: this scene has been SO difficult for me to write. It’s undergone like three rewrites over months and it’s still just very shaky :(. The background is basically that Aerin, who is already not in a great place for like, obvious reasons, has gotten extraordinarily bad news about two days before. She’s been trying to process this when she gets further information about the previous news that complicates things further. @nelyoslegalteam you know the premise so you might be able to guess what news Aerin got :)s

Second note: I am still working on the mind games and Leonine contract prompts for Aerin, estimated to be finished in two weeks to three years

…

From a horror fic of Maedhros in Angband

When he lay on the cracked ground, agony coursing through him, Maitimo might wonder if they were merely the creation of his own mind, somehow thinking that these further tricks of light and darkness would amuse, distract him as he lay exhausted. Maybe they lived in the minds of all here. The place was foul enough to cause such visions in the purest of souls. Maitimo knew he was far from that.

But there were creatures at home in the dark of the Iron Hell, ones that could move through spaces orcs could not. He had seen shadows take form here. Sometimes at the obvious bidding of another.

Why it was that even darkness crept to life here, Maitimo could not say. He knew not if these might be truly sentient beings, crafted and released by the dark Vala himself, or if they were merely drawn to the place, carried by the denizens who swarmed to the Moringotto like the creatures that favored the volcanic landscape? 

Note: too heavy handed here I think. I really really love horror but I’m not very good at writing it.

I am working on a few horror projects about Morwen including a couple from the point of view of well, not particularly reliable sources, that have been really fun to play around with. I am just continually obsessed with how visceral of a description we get of Brodda’s fear of Morwen when the scene is imbued with the threat of horrific violence against her and her child. Anyways I will move to the next WIP so I don’t ramble about this forever especially because I already have so many posts on that specifically

…

“You will keep your distance, Witchwife, or you will suffer far worse than what has befallen Lysant.” Morwen says nothing to this. Her expression is distinctly cold, head tilted as she considered him. The man’s horse paws nervously at the ground and Sador sees his hand go to his sword. Only briefly but it is enough that he wishes more ardently than before that he had not lost his prowess with a blade. The only one he keeps now is the one that had been Túrin’s, tucked into his satchel. It had mended the traps they had set well enough but it would serve little use here, if there should be need.

Note: sigh, another scene I cannot get write though I have just been feeling not great about my writing in general lately so that doesn’t help

[mcmxrtinski]

I accidentally wrote a semi fic? it was meant as a synopsis only fvdkfhrh

feat. sick Theo and worried Liam and Malia, this could be considered a part 1, cause the original idea for this hasn't happened yet (btw this is totally inspired by Zuko getting sick in s2 of ATLA)

Theo on his path to redemption ends up seriously sick, at first he doesn't pay it much mind, it's probably nothing

but then his vision starts to get hazy more and more, he's sweaty and shivering, food and water won't stay down and something is definitely wrong

was he poisoned? had he become so careless as to not notice a hunter getting to him? no, this wasn't like any supernatural poison he knew

but he couldn't be sick, people like him didn't get sick...

of course he doesn't tell anyone, he secludes himself in his truck in the preserve and just hopes it'll go away on its own

it doesn't

days pass and if anything it gets worse, he can't ignore the simmering panic anymore, he turns the key in the ignition and one shaky car ride later, he's standing on the McCalls' doorstep

when Melissa opens the door and regards him apprehensively, Theo barely manages to say "Something's wrong.." and promptly passes out, falling into Melissa's unsuspecting arms

-

Theo has been laid down on the McCalls' living room couch, a soft pillow under his head and a thick woollen blanket covering him neck to toe

his breathing is labored, a cold sweat has broken out on his forehead, and under his closed lids his eyes dart around restlessly

Melissa stands close by, a deep frown on her face, two anxious teens, Liam more openly so and Malia trying to play it off, wait for her verdict

"there shouldn't be anything wrong with him, none of the tests indicate anything that would lead to a fever of this caliber"

Malia growls, "yeah, there shouldn't be anything wrong with him. He's a werecoyote. We don't get sick."

"then explain to me why he has a temperature of 106°" Melissa's tone isn't unkind, she looks like she genuinely wishes for Malia to know of an explanation

she falters, "it has to be some type of wolfsbane or poison, right? maybe something we haven't encountered before"

Liam just watches, eyes moving between the two talking and finally coming to rest again on the boy sleeping on the couch

he wants to think Malia's right, but Argent had already ruled out poison, and he was a seasoned hunter who knows what he's talking about, Liam trusts his judgement, symptoms of that kind would be distinct he'd said and Theo isn't displaying even one (that should be reassuring... and yet it isn't at all)

-

it's days later when Deaton finally steps over the threshold, he was out of town and hadn't been able to return sooner

Theo has been out cold for over three days now, there were moments when he came close to being lucid but they were few and far between, and Melissa used those to have him eat and drink at least a little

in the end Deaton only confirms Chris's assumption; no supernatural element, be it poison or anything else, has a play in Theo's condition

Melissa nods, as if she had expected the diagnosis

"well, I suppose that only leaves one cause then." she looks meaningfully at Deaton. "it's psychological"

"I would think so too"

-

the revelation doesn't seem like a revelation at all to any of the adults, they are thoughtful though, as if depsite the suspicion they hadn't expected to be right

and even with the cause now discovered it seems, there weren't any attempts made to help Theo

Melissa had said that he'd become better in due time, it would take care of itself, well that doesn't seem to be the case if you asked Malia

a week has passed now, and Theo isn't faring any better, the relief of knowing Theo isn't in any imminent danger has faded by now

and Melissa herself isn't at work where she should be but restlessly moving between kitchen and living room, Malia can't help being surprised by all the care Melissa is giving Theo, their relationship is rocky at best

but she supposes Scott would want her to help Theo, because that's the kind of person he is, and Melissa is a nurse so maybe this thing just came naturally to her

still.. Malia is fairly certain her and Liam are the most affected by all of this, neither of them has been at school (or home) much, camping out on the McCall living room floor, she knows Liam is itching to do something, anything to help, and feels useless just sitting by, it's how she feels too

"it's like he's stuck in his mind.. isn't there a way to just- I don't know- drag him out?" Liam suddenly wonders, he's resting against the coffe table, eyes on Theo, rarely anywhere else

Malia is about to respond when her head perks up, it has gone quiet in the kitchen, Melissa was in the middle of preparing dinner though

hurried steps move towards them and Melissa's eyes are wide when Malia catches sight of her

"why didn't I think of that"

-

this is risky, they said

are you sure, they said

you don't have to this, they said

so what if it's risky, and yes he's sure about this and no you're wrong, he does have to do this because if he needed to sit and watch for even one more hour, he'd probably go insane

Deaton is back to guide him and Malia

he instructs him where to dig his claws in and how deep

Melissa and Chris stand together and watch, worried but they don't interfere, Liam and Malia have made their conviction clear

they propped Theo up so Liam is able to access his neck, head hanging, he's still clammy all over, making his neck glisten

Malia sits next to Theo, back straight, Liam can't see her eyes but he's certain that they are brimming with determination

a few last notes from Deaton, followed by a nod from both of them

and Liam's claws break skin