#which is maybe exactly why i feel so comforted by husk;;;;

[inkykeiji]

thoughts on huskerdust….

they’re cute as romantic partners and/or as best friends! i don’t really care which it is, i’m happy with either. irregardless of whatever label it ends up being, i absolutely love their relationship in canon. i love how husk is able to repeatedly call angel out on his shit in a way that is stern and honest but still mostly respectful. only people who truly, genuinely care about you are willing to do that, and i think it speaks volumes about how husker feels towards angel.

[jjbalice]

Martyr's Folly

Summary: Yunho helps and comforts the reader after they've accidentally cut too deep.

Genre: a hurt/comfort Yunho x reader oneshot

Word count: 4.81k (15-20 mins)

Trigger warnings: semi-descriptive self-harm (blood, cuts, use of blades - nothing too crazy, though, don't worry!), panicking, crying, mentions of relapsing, lots of pet names, nicknames, and physical affection lol, Yunho is a blessing

A/N: This fic is pretty personal since I've been struggling with not feeling valid enough because of the way I SH, which isn't the stereotypical kind you see in movies and such. In a way, it's an attempt at scaring myself from buying any actual blades mixed in with the comfort I crave whenever I slip up, I guess.

Baby cuts. Cat scratches. Damage dealt within the epidermis and the higher half of the dermis. Whatever you want to call it.

For a few weeks now, that's exactly what has been slowly but steadily appearing on your feet and lower calves. Or re-appearing, rather. A bad habit from the past coming back to haunt you all over again for no apparent reason.

No but seriously, what reason for doing this is there? You're happy, you have a stable part-time job on the side of your studies that are also going great, and an incredible boyfriend with whom you've just celebrated a 6-month anniversary. No real issues in your life as far as you can see.

Sure, sometimes you get caught up in a fight with your friends or parents, or even with Yunho, or maybe some of your insecurities hit extra strong on some days. But all of that is normal, right? Just some passing obstacles that get resolved in a few days tops.

So why are you here, at 3 am, staring at the husk of a person in the mirror? Why is your head so empty yet incomprehensibly full at the same time? Why are your hands all fidgety, getting ready to strike any moment?

Truth be told, you have no clue.

This was supposed to be a lovely weekend for you. You got off work early on Friday, securing enough time to pack your stuff at your dorm before heading to Yunho's apartment for a sleepover. He's been trying to convince you to move in with him after your anniversary, saying how it would be both cheaper and closer to your university. Both of those arguments are true, and yet you remain stubborn, wanting to keep your independence for just a bit longer.

Alas, Yunho has no choice but to respect your decision and settle for weekend sleepovers in the meantime.

And even those are great! The two of you get to talk for hours and play games, cook dinner together or order in and watch TV... Mainly, though, you get to cuddle and snuggle to your hearts' content (and maybe even do a bit more than that, if the opportunity and want arises).

That's also one of the main reasons for your hesitance over this whole... relapse thing.

Because of Yunho and his affectionate nature towards you, hiding the traces of your renewed habits became much more difficult. You couldn't cut where you used to before, all of those areas feeling way too exposed now.

And so, you settled on the bottom of your legs. Anything a pair of longer socks could easily hide without too much questioning from your boyfriend. Let's just say your feet are cold all the time now, even though summer's just barely starting to end.

Is it satisfying to harm there? No, not at all. The area is too small and angular, and the pain-to-mark ratio is nowhere near optimal. Everything feels too bony and stings more than other places, and all you get from it are the faintest of scratches.

But anything to at least partially quell the urge, right?

Well, not exactly.

If the razor blade hidden within the confines of your duffel bag was any proof, your methods weren't exactly effective.

You've never used an actual razor blade before, never even planned on trying it since you knew about the dangers of using it and how everything could get out of hand within seconds. Sure, the scissors and other sharp objects you've used until now weren't exactly perfect either, but they didn't put you at as much of a risk of going to the ER.

...So why did you buy the blade then?

Well, it was pretty cheap, first of all. You could just buy it, think about using it, and then throw it out without feeling too guilty about it, right? Not to mention how it helped you feel more valid about harming, even if you haven't used it yet. Self-harm is always depicted as razor blades on wrists, so even just owning one somehow helped you feel a bit more valid amidst the disappointing scratches on your leg.

It's been a week since you've bought said blade (or 5 blades rather, as they came in a pack - what a steal!). During that week, not much has happened to it. Right after you paid and got your receipt, you tossed the paper into a nearby trash can and stashed the pack of blades into your wallet. And there they were even later tonight, as you quietly crept to your bag to retrieve them, careful not to wake Yunho up.

But let's rewind back a bit. Back to where today's misfortune started.

Just like with everything else lately, you don't know why the urge to indulge washed over you specifically tonight. You and Yunho have spent such a fun evening together, lounging around and enjoying each other in whatever way felt right.

And yet, the moment the lights were turned off and your boyfriend spooned you from behind, holding you close while his breathing slowly evened out, it was as if something had shifted in the air. An overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over you, making you feel both completely dull and overstimulated. Yunho's arms around you felt both like an anchor and a vice, the opposing feelings adding even more to the already rising chaos in your mind. You were suddenly overly aware of every part of your body, as if your own skin was calling out to you.

You didn't want to.

You knew you had to.

As gently and quietly as you could, you unwrapped yourself from Yunho's embrace and got up. He let out a soft sigh at the loss of contact, and you had to admit, you already mourned it too.

Sneaking into the bathroom, you closed the door before turning on the lights. Avoiding the reflection in the mirror, you began searching through the cabinet under the sink. You didn't want to see yourself right now. If anything, it would just add to the confusing conflict raging within you, and you really didn't need that.

Rummaging through each shelf one more time, you let out a frustrated huff. There was nothing you could use. Well, save for the expensive-looking razor Yunho owned, but you really didn't have the patience or coherency to take apart your boyfriend's belongings.

It's time, then.

The return to the bedroom was a bit stressful, as you couldn't decide between searching through your duffel bag there or bringing it with you to the bathroom. Both options seemed too noisy right now, causing you to awkwardly loom over the bag for a few moments, chewing nervously on your bottom lip.

In the end, you decided to just risk it, crouching down to begin unzipping the top. Strangely enough, you kind of hoped Yunho would hear it and wake up. Maybe the shock of being caught would stop you for the time being and you could just go back to bed.

To both your luck and dismay, Yunho didn't wake up, his biggest reaction being the slightest stir of the sheets.

With your wallet in hand, you walked back to the bathroom, your steps a bit bolder this time. Now that you knew Yunho wouldn't wake up so easily, you didn't pay as much mind to the noise you were making.

In a weird way, you were upset. Upset he didn't wake up. Upset he didn't magically realize what your new obsession with socks could possibly mean. Upset he wasn't there to stop you right now.

But along with the upset came a strange feeling of calm. Joy, even.

He doesn't know. Nobody has any idea you're doing this right now. Nobody cares enough to find out anyway. You're free to reign over your body as you please, especially if it will finally shut down the confusing mess of emotions boiling within you.

It will, right?

It's 3 am. You're staying over at Yunho's apartment and he's currently sleeping in the bedroom next-door. You finally gather enough courage to look at yourself in the mirror, but it's rather disappointing. The shell standing in front of you doesn't bring up any emotions anymore. It doesn't even look like you, you think. Maybe this isn't you, after all. That's what you like to tell yourself whenever the moment is over, that this isn't actually the real you harming yourself. This is someone else taking hold of you and your upcoming actions.

You sit down on the cold bathroom floor, a razor blade in hand. When did you unpack them? The small paper packaging and 4 other blades are lying right next to you. Huh. Guess you did just now.

You don't bother taking off the socks. A precious thing like this shouldn't be used in such a shitty spot anyways.

Then again, you also don't exactly want to die right now, so the wrists are off-limits. Sure, you want to feel more valid and that place is the most stereotypical one to cut, but you're already holding the blade you thought you'd never dare use, so that's enough "progress" for now.

Now that you think about it, the thighs sound pretty scary too. You've always heard of some major arteries being located in the thigh. Perhaps you shouldn't risk it there then. Not yet, at least.

And so, like a coward, you move back to your lower leg.

To your defense, you do go considerably higher than usual! You pick a nice spot that's vaguely in the middle of the side of your leg, where your shins and calves would meet.

Deep breaths. You can do this. Just brace yourself and-

...

...

Oh fuck.

No, no, no nonono-

You knew the risks, you knew you should watch out for the pressure when using a razor blade for the first time since it's so much sharper than any pair of scissors you own, but somehow even the lessened pressure you put was too much.

Within seconds, blood started flowing to the surface. You dropped the blade, making it fly in a random direction as your hands trembled.

Your eyes welled with tears as, despite the blood, you could see a gash way deeper than any cut you'd ever made until now; you could literally see two parts of your skin split-

You're gonna throw up. Or faint. Or both. Oh fuck.

The first drops of blood fell onto the tiles just as your own tears pooled over. Your chest heaved with your labored breathing. You didn't know what to do.

Should you go to the ER? Will it stop on its own? Should you wake Yunho up? Oh god, you should probably wake Yunho up, shouldn't you.

Wiping your tear-stained face as best as you could with your shirt, you crawled over to the bathroom door. You were too scared to walk, afraid you'd faint if you stood up so suddenly.

As you sat by the door, another sob wracked through you. You couldn't calm down, you were too scared of what might happen if you didn't take care of the gash in time. And yet, you couldn't help but fear what might happen if you woke Yunho up. Now that you think about it, maybe it will just stop on its own and you can hide it for the rest of the weekend and then you'll just make up a story of how you got into an accident at work and-

One look at the trail of blood behind you was enough to get your hands on the door handle, pulling the door open on your second try. The door handle flew back up with a loud bang as you dropped back down, but the door was open at last. You pulled it fully open from where you sat, taking a few shallow breaths once you did so.

"...Y/N?"

Now. Now he wakes up. Not at any point before you could have done this. Now.

In the back of your mind, a strange feeling of anger bubbled up. Somehow, you wanted to blame Yunho for not getting to you sooner. But the second you realized what your brain was trying to do, you felt another pang of nausea hit you.

Yunho was not to blame in the slightest. This is all you. You started this, you went through with it, and now you're crawling back to him for help. Don't even try to put any blame on him, no matter how much easier it would make this whole thing to stomach.

"Y/N, are you okay?"

Right, he was awake. The shuffling of the sheets coming from the bedroom confirmed as much.

You tried to call out to him but choked on another sob instead.

All of your fear of being seriously hurt and needing help immediately shifted, transforming into the most heart-wrenching wave of guilt imaginable. Just what have you done? Why are you burdening someone else with this? Are you really going to make him see this?

Your thoughts were quickly interrupted by the first footstep. All the raging panic hit you anew, making you speak before you could think.

"W-wait!" You cried, an unknown feeling of desperation clutching your chest. "Please, please don't come here, please."

To your surprise, the footsteps actually stopped.

"...I'm waiting, but please tell me what's going on," Yunho replied with obvious unease.

Well, uh. You haven't exactly thought this far, have you?

"O-okay, I, well, I," you stumbled over your words, trying to work through the mush of your brain to come up with anything even barely comprehensible. "I did something really bad and I think I need your help but you have to promise not to be mad. I don't know what to do but please don't be upset."

Selfish. That's what you were. Even amongst all this chaos and pain you were about to drag Yunho into, all you could think about was saving your own face and evading consequences.

"Y/N, I'm sorry but I'm coming in," Yunho suddenly announced, and the footsteps resumed. "I need to see if you're okay, I promise I won't be mad."

There was no escaping it now. You could only brace yourself for the worst, whatever that would entail.

Two feet stood before your hunched-over form. You didn't dare look up, you didn't dare see what he was feeling.

As carefully as he could, Yunho stepped around you and further into the bathroom. You heard the scraping of metal across tiles before the cabinet doors opened. A towel, a first aid kit, and a medium-sized, colorful box appeared before you, along with your boyfriend in his cozy pajamas. Still, you didn't dare look up.

Wordlessly, he propped your injured leg up as gently as he could, as if he was handling the finest china in the world. Placing the dark grey towel under it, blood immediately rolled down and seeped into the material.

"Okay, this might seem a bit weird, but just- I'm not an expert or anything, far from it, really, but-"

As Yunho rambled nervously, you watched his hands tear open a pack of pads. Ever since your sleepovers became a more regular thing, he'd made sure to keep some in his apartment at all times in case of an emergency. Never had he thought he'd use them in this type of emergency, though.

You watched in confusion as he pulled out one of the pads, opening it and double-checking which side was sticky and which was dry. Unable to hide his worried grimace as he got closer to the wound, he pressed the cotton pad against it.

"I- I probably have something better in the first aid kit to stop the bleeding, but while I look through it, just hold that down to the cut, okay?"

You nodded weakly, deciding not to ask any questions and just let your boyfriend try to fix you. Not that you could say much anyway, not with the way your throat had dried and closed up from all the anxiety.

You silently kept watch as Yunho fumbled through the red bag, noticing the slight tremors in his hands. When you looked at his face, however, it appeared surprisingly neutral.

Ah, so he was trying to stay calm to not worry you any further, but on the inside, he was freaking out just as much as you, if not more. Great. You didn't think you could feel more guilt than you already had, but guess not.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long," he spoke up again, "Mingi would get injured all the time before he'd moved out - you know how clumsy he can get - and I, uh, haven't exactly taken the time to re-organize everything. Sorry."

Your lips twitched into the smallest of smiles, along with a hushed "It's okay, babe".

Yunho's eyes shot up at your words, mirroring your soft smile with his own. Pausing his search for just a second, he leaned over and planted a quick, reassuring kiss on your forehead. "You're right. I'll take good care of you, don't worry. After the first accident Mingi had here, I bought some steri-strips... They should still be around here somewhere, but we threw the original packaging away, so they're just a bit hard to find."

You hummed in understanding, hoping you could ease at least some of his worries by showing him you were doing alright.

Somehow, the moment Yunho appeared in the doorway, all of your previous panic stopped. It was as if through his presence, the jumbled mess of worries surrounding you had split into two. Yunho had graciously shouldered the worries about your physical state, while you focused on keeping his mental well-being in check. All of the fear about his reaction to this situation as a whole was still there, of course, but for the time being, you'd managed to shove them to the back of your mind. It was something to worry about later, when the two of you could calm down and properly talk to each other.

For now, all you had to do was just worry about Yunho while he worried about you.

"Finally!" Yunho sighed in relief, fishing out two small packs of steri-strips. "Okay. Let's do this, then."

But as he shuffled closer to your leg again, he paused.

"Wait, I'm sorry for assuming," he began while opening the first set, "but you don't want to go to the hospital, right? They'd obviously do a much better job than me, but since you said you needed my help, I just, I guessed that- you know. Should we go to the hospital instead?"

You immediately shook your head no, making Yunho smile faintly, glad to have read you right and that he wasn't wasting time trying to play hero.

You were thankful he didn't insist on taking you to the hospital. You knew it would probably be for the best, but right now, in your state, you couldn't even fathom going. You were terrified just crawling to the door to beg for Yunho's help, let alone driving to the opposite part of town to have complete strangers examine you.

"Right then," Yunho sighed, mentally steeling himself for the next step. "Can you feel your leg fine? Feeling faint or anything?"

You just shook your head, slowly easing the pressure you held on the cut. "I'm okay, I think. Just a little shaken up still."

Yunho nodded thoughtfully, helping you unstick the bloody pad from your hand. Luckily, it seemed that most of the bleeding had stopped, at least for now. "It's okay, I'm a bit out of it too."

"Sorry for making you do this," you whispered sincerely, but Yunho quickly stopped you again.

"Don't be sorry, Y/N. I know you didn't mean to do this. You wouldn't have called for me like that if things went down the way you wanted them to."

You couldn't bring yourself to say anything after that, feeling your throat tighten as a fresh wave of tears rushed to your eyes.

You averted your gaze as Yunho began cleaning the area as gently as he could before placing the strips down, helping hold the wound shut. Four strips helped the cut close up, and then two were laid on top of them to help everything stay put. Despite no professional medical training, you swear your boyfriend could do anything like an expert first-try. Well, considering him saying something about treating Mingi's injuries, he might have actually trained a bit already. Either way, you could feel your nerves easing a considerable bit at the sight of the gash finally closed-up.

"There we go," Yunho said contently, giving your other leg a gentle pat. "Just stay put a little longer, okay? I'm gonna clean up a bit in here."

Oh, that's right.

You were so out of it you completely forgot about the blades scattered around, the blood dripping across the floor, the towel, pads, first aid kit, everything.

Closing your eyes, you tried to focus on your breathing. It has mostly returned to normal, but you could still feel a lot of tightness in your chest.

"Hey now, don't go falling asleep on me, okay?" You heard Yunho calling out to you a few meters away, making you peek one eye open.

He was kneeling by the sink, scrubbing at the dirty tiles. When he noticed you looking at him, he flashed you a quick, comforting smile.

"'m not falling asleep," you protested, "I'm just resting a bit, sorry."

"It's okay, I was just a little worried."

Yeah. That's definitely one way to put how Yunho was likely feeling right now.

But that could be dwelled on and discussed later. For now, all you had to do was sit still, breathe deep, and stay strong.

...

"You still with me, princess?"

You opened your eyes again, this time to find Yunho sitting in front of you. You don't know how much time has passed, too focused on pacing your breaths, saying the alphabet forwards and backwards, thinking about your favorite TV show moments - anything to calm down, really.

When he saw you were still fully awake, he pulled out a gauze bandage with a small smile. "We should be fine with just the steri-strips, but let me wrap this up for you to be one hundred percent safe, okay?"

You let him do as he pleased, trusting his judgment better than your own at the moment. As he bandaged your leg, you looked around the room, noticing everything was back the way it was before you'd entered.

"I put the, uh, the blades away for now," Yunho continued, a nervous edge to his tone. "I didn't want to just throw them away without permission, but leaving them out here in the open didn't seem like a great idea either. Sorry if it seems distrustful, it's just... you know."

"You're scared I might do it again," you finished for him, making him nod hesitantly. "It's okay, I get it."

It was honestly surprising how easy it was to talk to Yunho about this. Maybe it's because he already saw the worst of it, maybe it was the way he took such gentle care of you, or maybe it was just his entire attitude about this so far. Caring, non-judgemental, open to listen.

"Alright then, I think we're done here. Let's get you to bed, shall we?"

Before you could respond, you were picked up by a pair of strong, warm hands. You wanted to object for a split second, but on second thought, maybe it was in your best interest not to move too much right now.

A few moments later, you were laid back down on the bed, a soft kiss pressed to your temple before you were shrouded in your blanket. With a whispered promise of returning again, Yunho rushed back to turn off the lights and close the door, enveloping the two of you in darkness. You waited a second, two, and then the bed dipped behind you with a quiet creak.

"Come here." Yunho's arms wrapped around your waist from behind again, holding you closer than before. "Is this okay? Should I give you space?"

"It's fine, Yuyu."

His chest shook with a small chuckle. "Oh come on, don't call me that right now." He somehow snuggled up even closer to you, pressing his face into your neck. "I'm already emotional enough as is."

A beat or two of silence passed between the two of you before he spoke up again.

"Was this," Yunho paused, hesitating for a second, "was this the first time you did something like this, or are there... more?"

You sighed. "Well, this was the first time I've messed up like this and used an actual razor blade, but in general? There's been a few instances, yeah. Most of them happened years ago, but lately, it started up again."

Yunho stayed quiet this time. As the silence stretched on, you began to grow worried. Is this the moment where he gets mad at you?

A sniffle broke through the air, quickly followed by another. The hold around your waist tightened.

"It's the socks, isn't it?" Yunho barely choked out, voice trembling.

Never have you felt so guilty in your life before.

"I thought it was weird, I wanted to ask you about it, I really did," he sobbed, burying his wet face further into your shirt. "I didn't want to make you feel bad about it if it was genuinely just something you preferred, so I held back, but it worried me anyway. I should have asked so much sooner."

"Yu..." You tried to turn around in his embrace, but he stopped you, not letting you see his tearful eyes. "Honey, it's not your fault in the slightest, please don't beat yourself up about it."

"But I should have-"

"Just listen to the same advice you gave me, hm? You never wanted this to happen, you wouldn't be so torn up about it otherwise. It's really not your fault."

With what you assumed to be a watery hum of agreement, Yunho nodded into your back.

You tried to turn around again, and this time, Yunho finally let you. You watched as his silhouette sat up, reaching around for the tissue box on the nightstand before wiping his tears and blowing his nose.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, crumpling the tissue and putting it away, "you're the one hurting and I'm making it all about myself."

You tutted softly as he laid back down, shuffling closer to him to drape yourself over his broad chest. "That's not true, Yun. I know this is really hard on you as well, you have all the right to be upset. Please don't hide it just because I'm also in pain."

"Okay," he accepted, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

The room stayed quiet for another few minutes, save for the faint rustling of the sheets as you intertwined one of your hands with his.

"If it's okay," Yunho croaked in a careful, ginger tone, "could we maybe talk more about this tomorrow? I feel like I have over a million questions right now, but I don't want to overwhelm you when you should be resting."

You let out a small, sleepy chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds good. I think I'll also feel a bit better if we talk about this some more tomorrow. It's a bit embarrassing even now when I know that you know, but I trust you enough to share this part of me, I think."

Yunho leaned down to kiss the top of your head, making you smile. "Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me. And please, never feel embarrassed about this. Just because this stuff is not talked about enough doesn't mean your feelings are wrong or not valid. We'll figure this out together, I promise. No matter what it takes."

"Okay. I look forward to tomorrow," you said, pressing a quick peck to his sternum before lying down again. "Goodnight, Yuyu."

"Goodnight, love."

Please, don't hesitate to reblog or comment!! Any kind of feedback is much appreciated!! <333

(Also would once again like to say that this was not meant to romanticize SH in any way, and I hope it did not come across that way. Take care, everyone <3)

[scatteredskittless]

can i sweetly ask for husk x reader angst,,, where the reader has been on work mode as of late thus having them a silly lil arguement (i love tormenring myself 😝) until they decide to make it up/explain why they were so busy later on 👉👈 (maybe a lil makeout session too in the end if you will) :333 tyy!

Overworked! GN! reader x Husker

A/n: You’re so real for this tbh, this was actually pretty fun to write !! My favourite little alcoholic grumpy cat fr ദ്ദി(ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Warnings: mild angst, argument, light talk of alcohol/alcoholism, light makeout near end

Fluff✔️ Comfort✔️ Angst✔️ Smut❌

You arrived back home to the hotel later than usual, you weren’t quite sure when you started to refer to this place as your home but it felt right to do so.

As soon as you walked through the doors you were greeted with a glance and a raised eyebrow from Husk, your boyfriend, as he cleaned and polished some glasses behind the bar. Most likely shutting everything down for the night.

You sigh, slumping down on one of the barstools as you waited for him to finish up what he was doing.

“You look like shit.” Husk observed, setting a now clean and sparkling glass down as he moved on to polishing up the next one.

“Yeah, thanks. That makes me feel so much better knowing my boyfriend thinks I look like shit.” You grumbled back, still quite irritated from the day you had. Your boss was constantly on your ass and making unsolicited remarks about basically everything you did or didn’t do, so coming home and having Husker do the same thing wasn’t exactly helping the situation.

He was a little taken back by your tone, usually you weren’t so sarcastic with him. You saw him pause (hehe paws) what he was doing for a few moments before resuming, trying to remain unfazed.

“All I’m saying is it looks like you had a shitty day..” He mumbled

You rolled your eyes in response, not bothering to say anything else because you knew whatever came out of your mouth next probably wouldn’t be so kind.

But, Husk continued...

“It also feels like I haven’t really been able to just hang out with you in a while.” He commented making you look up from the bar countertop and to his gaze that was already on yours with a glare.

“Well maybe if you wanted to see more of me, you wouldn’t be getting drunk everytime I’m finally off work” you said, your tone snippy which drew a frown out of Husk.

“So now this is my fault?” Husk asked, being slightly sarcastic when he spoke

“Are you implying it’s mine?” You asked back incredulously, the sarcasm seemed to have set you off more which in turn, was making Husks temper flare up as well.

“I never said it was, you’re just being snippy.” He called out as he narrowed his eyes at you. Of course you knew you were being snippy, you couldn’t help it and now you’ve dug yourself into a bit of a hole here.. you and Husker were both very stubborn demons..

“Y’know what? fuck you.” You said without thinking, sliding yourself off the barstool to come around the bar. Wanting to face him properly as you two continued on with your petty argument.

You glared up at him and he glared back for a few seconds before suddenly sweeping you up off your feet and placing you down on the bar countertop and before you could even say any word of protest, his lips smashed against yours with his ears pinned back against his head

Your eyes widened in surprised for a few beats before letting them fall shut, kissing him back and essentially taking all of your anger out in said kiss, arms wrapped around his neck with his wrapped around your waist in turn.

It quickly turned into a makeout session, an angry makeout session would be a better word for it.

Your hand found the fur on the top of his head and gently tugged on it as your tongues pressed up against eachother, causing him to grunt in response

You were both panting when he broke the kiss off, you had both tired yourselves out as he leaned down to press a few kisses to your neck, making you whimper in response. Husk smirked at that.

Once he was done peppering kisses to your neck and collarbone he pulled back, hands still resting on your waist as he did so.

You sigh, meeting his gaze and smile meekly, feeling guilty for your previous actions and words. “I’m… sorry for all that. I’ve just been super stressed and busy with work lately and I shouldn’t be pining all the blame on you.” You apologized genuinely.

He nodded “it’s alright.. I’m also sorry. I’ll work on prioritizing you more. I missed you” he apologized as well, returning your smile.

“I missed you too.” You wrapped your arms around him in a hug, he chuckled and hugged you back, squeezing you when you squeezed him. You couldn’t help but notice the fact that he was purring slightly… clearly you were both content with how this little argument of yours had ended.

Please do not repost, translate, or plagarize any of my fanfictions/writing/headcanons without permission ◟( ˃̶͈◡ ˂̶͈ )◞

ᯓ★ Scatteredskittles

[dreamsinmoonlight]

Dude, I need part 2 of Yandere Alastor with Angel Reader, could you do it?

(HERE WE GO! Part two: Electric Boogaloo. I dedicate it to Hoizer's "It Will Come Back". Because, I mean, that song is a yandere song to it's depths.

Part One: Oh Doe

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Characters: yandere!Alastor, angel!reader

Genre: Same as before, yet maybe a little more? And a little hope even?!

Pairing: we both know what this is

Summary: After your reunion, you came to understand that you didn't understand some things. But other things never change.)

My Doe

In the weeks that followed since your arrival at the Hazbin Hotel, you come to understand more and yet at the same time you couldn't help but feel you didn't understand nearly enough.

Angel was a sweetheart, once you got past some of his stranger tendencies, the ease and constantness of his flirting and flaunting of his sexuality. At first you had been confused and flustered because you weren't used to such things, not at all, and you learned eventually there was an element of amusement to it for him, because as Husk liked to inform you "your wings show off way too much, kitten, and the spider loves watching you flounder". Which didn't exactly stop you honestly but you started to get past it and you started to notice the loneliness and the injuries and the sweeter aspects of him. No one liked to talk about it but sometimes you got him to agree to let you use your angelic magic to heal the worse of it and he's tell you such fascinating stories of hell with the brightest shine in his eyes, you couldn't help but like him.

Speaking of Husk he was much the same but it was more like getting past the grump and the walls the ex-Overlord had up. He had the most info to share with you, not to say that Charlie didn't but talking to her was like talking directly to a rainbow; she was sweet and optimistic and you loved and adored everything in that in her but when it came to the cold truth, it was Husk who seemed most willing to talk.

It took a few days before you found out why he knew your name and you learned he was in some ways like you: a collar and chain kept him tied to Alastor, unable to escape him anymore than you were to escape from your memories and past with him. There was a small edge of concern you caught early from his words to you, that Husk knew you were something Important to Alastor, in ways that made him all the more dangerous to you. There was some pity to it and you appreciated it to a degree though you tried so hard to smile and act as if it was nothing, as if you hadn't had nightmares again of that day, of the way Alastor had looked, had sounded, the feel of his hand on your cheek wet with blood, your own blood. Of the fear, of the pain, of the darkness before coming to as an angel in Heaven.

You met Lucifer, and he was a strange person who you felt oddly comfortable around because how could you hate someone who looked at their daughter with the love in his eyes? He was such a funny and energetic person and you were fascinated by the way he, this enemy of Heaven, could be such a shining light. And how much he and Charlie resembled each other.

You met Nifty, strange, insane Nifty, who laughed and ran around and ranted about bugs and looked at you with the widest stare before trying to stab you with the nearest implement; Angel had had to stop laughing first, Vaggie screaming as she held back the tiny cyclops, before he could explain what had happened during the battle. Ah, you thought; so this was the one who had given Adam the final blow. But the order to stab any angel she saw didn't seem to be completely gone and you just giggled and smiled and said it was okay. You didn't hold it against her in any way.

You met Cherry Bomb, Angel's friend, and you tried not to giggle because you knew her already so well. Sir Pentious spoke of her with such glowing warmth you couldn't see anything but what he surely saw when you looked at the punk explosives expert.

You learned about them, you became part of their group, and you worked hard to find all the ways you could possibly help the hotel, help Charlie, and you understood all that so much. But still you found you no longer understood Alastor.

The Alastor you knew had always been a gentleman and so was this Alastor but there was so much darkness to the way he moved. And you couldn't help but see something else when he smiled at you, hidden behind the cruelty, the violence, the obsession that you should have seen so long ago before it got too bad but no, it was far too late for regrets on that.

Always he was near, even now. You sat on a stool at the bar area, humming a soft tune to yourself as you waited for the others to come home; Charlie was out on a date with Vaggie, Angel had gone to his job and Husk was out gambling as he often did. Nifty was somewhere, she never left the hotel unless she was taken out by one of the others, and as for Alastor, well, he said something about needing to do a radio broadcast. Somewhere in the back of your mind you remembered the sinner who had whistled at you when you had gone out with Charlie the other way but you weren't too sure why they came to mind.

Your wings were stretched out and you could feel the eyes from the shadows; they were everywhere and here they were watching you. The first time he'd popped out of them you'd been terrified and Angel nearly threw every book in the study at him with words that an angel like you should never have to hear. Alastor let you keep your wings but the price seemed to be the shadows were always watching you, just in case. You shivered and bit back a whine, instinctively pulling your wings back in to wrap around you, a futile attempt to hide from the staring and the sensations you felt. The result was the feel of fingers along your feathers and an ache in your chest you attributed to fear and anxiety maybe mistakenly.

"Oh doe, look at you hiding away like a scared little fawn" came that staticky but clear voice, digging its way into your ears and leaving you wondering if it would be easier to stay inside or come out.

"Alastor," you whispered his name like an old prayer; it used to be something that gave you comfort, in a life long gone, when the one it belonged to had been a dear friend, a close friend. When you'd felt you known him. Not this stranger with the same voice and memories and feelings.

Those fingers became claws and you tried to swallow the whimper that threatened to leave you as you felt him get so close to ripping into your skin. Your blood would be golden now, not red, not red anymore; would it make him happy or angry?

"I suggest, my doe, that you not keep hiding from me," he said in a whisper that almost sounded sweet, almost familiar; for a second you could pretend it was dear sweet Alastor, before it crackled, "You wouldn't wish to upset me, now would you?"

Of course not. You remembered, you remembered too well, you remembered more often than not now that you saw him so often. This stranger who had the ghost of your old friend.

You hesitantly unfurled your wings and looked out, eyes wide as you looked upon the face of the greatest threat to your safety you knew. Those bright red eyes, that large yellow grin full of large yellow teeth all in points, the two tufts that you recognized as ears immediately, still standing up tall. He was still pleased, he was not angry yet, he was not annoyed yet. He would maybe not hurt you-

A small crackle of a chuckle left his mouth and you gasped as you felt his claws dig into your wings, puncturing thin sensitive skin, narrowly avoiding nerves that would leave you grounded if harmed. Feathers stained gold fell to the ground and you could not help but cry, the pain intense; your wings, like any flighted creature, all too delicate, all too sensitive. The tears came without ever a chance of holding back, of stopping them, and the softness of your cry, there was obviously something appealing in the way you looked and sounded because you saw that terrifying face soften and for a second, through the tears, you thought you saw your Alastor again.

"Oh doe, my doe," he said and pulled his claws free to cup your face in his hands; how many times would he streak your cheeks with tears and your own blood, "Have I told you how beautiful your eyes are when they're brimming with tears?"

He wiped your tears from your eyes, leaving more blood on you in his wake, before drawing his hand to his mouth and running his tongue along his claws. He still smiled, he never stopped, he never seemed to do anything else; you looked up at him and saw the emotions instead in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, shivering, shaking, bleeding, your wings aching in their urge to fold but unable to do so from the pain; you'd be fine, you'd be fine, you wouldn't die, you'd be fine.

"Don't apologize for being so brilliant to me," he said and his eyes narrowed, "Just never try to hide from me again; I haven't been able to see you in such a long time. I never wish to let you out of my sight again, that's why they're watching you after all."

"I'm sorry," you repeated and flinched as he reached out to touch your face again.

With your eyes closed you couldn't see his expression, not the way it wavered for a second, when the facade fell but returned long before you would ever know it was gone. Alastor stroked your cheek, admiring the way the golden blood painted your skin, and he tilted his head just a bit, just to the side.

"I'll forgive you, if you come up to my room," he told you and a jovial tone took over, "It has been so very long since the last time we sat about listening to music together, my doe, and I must say I have greatly missed it! The princess is a precious one and Husk does his best the dear boy but no one else I ever have known has understood the proper way to appreciate jazz as much as you do. Come, before the others return and surely drag you and/or I into another ridiculous and fanciful adventure; we're well overdue for one after all~"

You opened your eyes and looked at him and he was still smiling, still the same. Red and pink, deer demon, red eyes, yellow sharp teeth, dapper and torn all at once, fear and danger and violence in one neat form.

But you smiled back and you reached out to take his hand.

Alastor the Radio Demon you didn't understand. But you understood Alastor the radio host, the man who used to walk with you through the rain and scold you for giving away your umbrella every time. And that's who you saw smiling at you, even if just for a second.

[fanby-fckry]

What’s the Deal With the Five Foot Rule?

Day 2 of Ace Alastor Week: No Touch Tuesday

Word Count: 1,868

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Additional Warnings: Threats of Violence, References to Alastor-Typical Cannibalism/Violence, Implied/Referenced Abuse

Relationships: Alastor & Angel Dust & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor & Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Husk (Hazbin Hotel)

Characters: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Mentioned Mimzy (Hazbin Hotel), Mentioned Hazbin Hotel Ensemble, Mentioned Valentino (Hazbin Hotel)

Additional Tags: Canon Compliant (mostly), Post-Episode: s01e05 Dad Beat Dad, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Light Angst, Developing Friendships, Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Aromantic Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Touch-Averse Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Touch-Starved Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), (both tags are relevant trust me), Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor Being Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Protective Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Husk is So Done (Hazbin Hotel), Drinking, Drinking & Talking, The Five Foot Rule (Hazbin Hotel), Hunicast References, you can pry the hunicast platonic radiodust dynamic from my cold dead hands

Series: Part 2 of Fanby’s Ace Alastor Week 2024 ( <- Prev || Next -> )

Summary:

“So, smiles,” Angel said, leaning against the bar and nursing a drink. “What’s your deal?”

Radio feedback crackled in the air while Husk frantically made ‘cut it out’ gestures from over Alastor’s shoulder.

“My Deal?” Alastor repeated in a tone that made Angel suspect he’d touched a nerve in a way he hadn’t even been trying to.

“Uh yeah, the whole ‘five foot rule’ thing,” Angel clarified, and watched as Alastor and Husk both visibly relaxed. “What’s up with that?”

*

A cat, a deer, and a spider walk into a hotel bar, get drunk, and discuss the finer points of Alastor’s famous ‘five foot rule’.

Better on AO3

“So, smiles,” Angel said, leaning against the bar and nursing a drink. “What’s your deal?”

Radio feedback crackled in the air while Husk frantically made ‘cut it out’ gestures from over Alastor’s shoulder.

“My Deal?” Alastor repeated in a tone that made Angel suspect he’d touched a nerve in a way he hadn’t even been trying to.

“Uh yeah, the whole ‘five foot rule’ thing,” Angel clarified, and watched as Alastor and Husk both visibly relaxed. “What’s up with that?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple, really!” Alastor said, brightly. “Don’t touch me, and you keep your hands!”

“Right, but…” Angel hesitated. For a split second, he wondered if maybe he should just leave well enough alone.

But between the liquid courage and Angel’s already small threshold when it came to regard for his own safety, he decided to just fucking go for it.

“You’re always all up in everyone else’s personal space,” he said.

Alastor tilted his head in that cute, deer-like way of his. “I don’t follow.”

“Well, take Husky, for instance-”

“Uh-uh,” Husk interrupted. “Leave me outta this, legs.”

“Nonsense!” Alastor said, interrupting Husk’s interruption by physically covering his mouth. “Let the man speak!”

“The five foot rule applies to Husk, right?” Angel asked.

“Why, of course!” Alastor answered. “And dear Husker knows better than to break it!”

Alastor wrapped his arm around a very disgruntled Husk’s shoulders, tugging him half-way over the bar. Husk hissed and squirmed, but Alastor’s grip was evidently a vice.

Which was exactly Angel’s point.

“But you’re all over him right now!” Angel said, gesturing to Alastor’s obvious breach of both his own rule and Husk’s comfort zone.

“Hmm,” Alastor hummed. Alastor pushed Husk down onto the bar and used him as an armrest as he tucked a fist under his chin. “I suppose I am!”

“And it ain’t just Husk, neither!” Angel said. “I mean, Charlie, Vaggie, fuckin’ Lucifer,” he listed. “Me, on occasion…” Although that’d mostly stopped since Angel had a panic attack that one time. Small mercies.

“I’m not countin’ Niffty and Mimzy, ‘cause it kinda seems like they’re exceptions to whatever the fuck this rule actually is, anyway,” Angel continued. “But that’s still a whole lotta people you’re gettin’ handsy with on a regular basis, Al.”

“You do have a point there, my friend,” Alastor mused, while Angel silently noted the upgrade from ‘fellow’ to ‘friend.’ He had no idea whether or not it actually indicated friendship – Alastor called Husk ‘friend’ too – but it was good to keep track of all the same.

Alastor released Husk in favor of polishing off the rest of his rye. Husk’s fur and feathers both stood on end, and he flipped Alastor off on the way to get him a refill. Angel mouthed an apology, which earned him a middle finger as well – but one that had less venom to it than the one Husk had given his boss.

“I suppose the difference lies in who’s doing the touching,” Alastor said, drawing Angel’s attention back to him.

For a moment, the Alastor looked… contemplative. That was the word. Not ‘mischievous’ or ‘vengeful.’ Not like he was plotting the downfall of Lucifer or imagining tearing apart Sinners with his teeth or whatever the fuck Alastor normally thought about that gave his resting face that inherent creep factor.

It reminded Angel of what Mimzy had said. He wouldn’t exactly call Alastor a kitten, but like this, the fucking Radio Demon seemed almost human.

“You were right about Niffty and Mimzy,” Alastor admitted. “They, along with Rosie, are very much exceptions to the rule. But the thought of anyone else touching me makes my skin crawl.”

Angel knew the feeling. It wasn’t one he had 24/7 the way Alastor seemed to, but when it hit, it hit hard.

“It doesn’t affect me if I’m the one doing the touching,” Alastor said, staring into the glass Husk had wordlessly refilled. “In fact, I think it helps… It helps to be in control of things.”

“And you get that control by pushin’ everybody else’s boundaries about touch.” Angel took a drink. “Do you ever think about how that makes them feel?” he asked.

Alastor laughed. And not a showman’s laugh or an awkward chuckle either; full-force, uproarious laughter. Like it was the funniest shit he’d heard in years.

Alastor placed a hand on Angel’s shoulder. “My dear, empathy is not an affliction I suffer from.”

“So you’re a hypocrite,” Angel said without thinking.

Three things happened in such quick succession that it took Angel getting sobered up the next morning to finally puzzle out the order of events.

One: Alastor let his hand drop from Angel’s shoulder.

Two: Husk vaulted over the bar with speed Angel hadn’t known he was capable of and wedged himself in between Alastor and Angel, wings flared in a protective stance.

Three: Alastor started laughing again.

That third thing threw both Husk and Angel for a loop.

“Calm down, Husker!” Alastor said, half breathless with laughter. “He’s right!”

“I’m right?” Angel echoed. Because, yeah, he was. But insulting an Overlord to his face was a stupid thing to do regardless of how accurate said insult was. If he’d said that to Valentino…

“Oh, don’t give in, now!” Alastor said. His radio tinned voice was a welcome interruption to a train of thought Angel really didn’t want to go down tonight. “You were onto something there!”

“Rules for thee, not for me, as they say!” Alastor threw his head back with enough force to break his own neck and fell into a fit of laughter once again.

Angel froze, barely breathing as his mind went a mile a minute trying to make sense of the absolute madness in front of him.

“Oh, stop looking at me like I’m going to bite your head off!” said Alastor, the Overlord famous for eating demons alive.

“You too, Husker.” Alastor punched Husk in the arm in a way that would probably register as playful under different circumstances. “Your attempt at playing white knight is very amusing, but we all know that if I truly wanted to harm Angel, there would be nothing you could do to stop me.”

“I’d die trying,” Husk said so softly that Angel thought he might’ve imagined it until Alastor responded.

“And you would!” Alastor agreed, far too enthusiastically. “You’d make for a delightfully tragic martyr, but there’s no need because this whole thing is hilarious!”

“It is?” Angel asked. Honestly, he didn’t feel like he was in on the joke.

“Of course it is!” Alastor insisted. “Reality has an entertainment value like no other medium! And this” – Alastor gestured to Angel and Husk – “is reality in its purest form!”

“In a drunken bout of honesty and complete disregard for the risk of a painful second death, you’ve given me insight that I never would’ve bothered to seek on my own – and you’ve done it in the funniest way imaginable!”

Angel forced a laugh. “Ya know, I gotta say, smiles, you’re givin’ off some real mixed messages on the whole ‘bitin’ my head off’ front.”

Husk huffed out what appeared to be a genuine laugh. His stance had also gotten more relaxed, and his fur and feathers were no longer puffed up.

“Yeah,” Husk said. “He does that.”

“I do!” Alastor chipped in. “And that bit is on purpose!”

Alastor downed his drink. “It’s been great chatting with you, pals!” he announced, and wrapped Angel and Husk in a disproportionate group hug.

For the first time since meeting Alastor, Angel noticed the way he pinned their arms in place so that neither of them could hug him back.

Alastor released Angel and Husk from his iron grip and immediately darted out of reach – something Angel also hadn’t taken note of before now.

“If either of you foolishly attempt to use this information against me, I’ll flay the skin from your hands, cut out your tongues, and eat your livers!” Alastor said in the same cheery tone you might use to tell a friend to enjoy their weekend plans.

And then he was gone.

“What.” Angel paused for dramatic effect. “The fuck.”

Husk – who hadn’t moved from his spot as the barrier between Angel and Alastor – took a seat in the next barstool over.

Husk shook his head. “Forty-odd years of that crazy bastard holding my leash and I still don’t know what the fuck he’s talkin’ about half the damn time.”

Husk leaned over the bar and reached blindly underneath it. He came back out with a bottle of something strong, so either he found what he was looking for from memory and touch alone, or he got stupidly lucky. Knowing Husk, either seemed likely.

“So,” Angel said, fidgeting with his lower set of hands and talking with his upper ones. “Should I be worried about him changin’ his tune about this little heart-to-heart once he sobers up tomorrow?”

Husk took a swig from the bottle he’d found. “Nah,” he said. “Just stick to his hypocritical five foot rule and act like tonight never happened.”

“Ya know, I meant to ask about that too,” Angel said. “Why does he call it the ‘five foot rule’ if he barely ever enforces the distance part? Why not the ‘hands off rule’ or the ‘no touch rule’?”

“Legs, I just told you I don’t always know what’s goin’ on in that fucked up head of his.”

“Aww,” Angel cooed. “Has the wise old bartender finally met his match?”

Husk scoffed. “I know more about Alastor than I ever wanted to. And it’s still just the tip” – Angel snickered at the phrasing. Husk rolled his eyes before reiterating – “the tip of the iceberg.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if he even knows what’s goin’ on in his own head sometimes,” Husk said quietly. “Until tonight, I thought he liked it better that way.”

Alastor made his way back to his room the old fashioned way – by physically walking there – humming along to a jaunty tune he’d plucked from the airwaves.

He’d learned something about himself! What an interesting turn of events!

You learn something new every day, but after over a century of combined life and Afterlife, Alastor had begun to believe he knew all there was to know about himself.

And this particular insight came with the added benefit of a rather dramatic reveal! Husker – the old has-been – could still put on a show when given the right motivation, and Angel Dust had been a wonderful wildcard to add into the mix!

Alastor wondered if he should examine the information they’d brought to light any further. If he should be asking questions about why he felt so comfortable in his hypocrisy. Why he both craved and despised touch. Why he was more than willing to put others’ comfort aside in order to maintain his own.

But the very existence of those questions brought an itch under his skin. That same crawling feeling that struck him when he felt someone else’s hands on him, like maggots wriggling inside a corpse.

Alastor melted into the shadows, the lack of physical form easing the feeling somewhat.

No, he decided. I think that’s quite enough self-discovery for one day.

[froggy-demon]

Oh Deer - Part Five

A/N: I’m back!!! I’m so sorry for the random hiatus, it was finals and my birthday and and and… anyway, I’m back to it now and am happy to be back to writing and posting!! Also HUGE thank you to everyone sending requests!!! I’m so excited to go to more of them and will be posting a few this week!! Again, just a big big thank you if you are reading this post at all!

Masterlist

I licked the blood off my claws, pleased with my conquest over one of my lookalikes of the woods. A fine dinner that doubled as an outlet for my pesky emotions that had taken over me tonight. Lilly, she had truly gotten to me tonight. It was one thing when I was the one toying with her affections, but for that little demon to play with mine? It simply pushed me to the edge. I hate letting another soul have this power over me, even more I hate how easily it comes to her. How all it takes is a blink of her eyes and I’m finding myself wondering what she is thinking. Especially tonight, I can feel the agitation creeping back just thinking about how she looked under the glow of the candlelight. She had smelled so sweet when we danced, cradled in my arms, it made me wonder if she would taste just as pure. I had been ready to demolish every soul in attendance at that party if it meant we could have the privacy I craved, ready to unfurl my frustrations onto her back in my room, ready to show her exactly what she did to me.

I caught my breath, swiftly cleaning myself and my dinner up. I steadied my mind. It was wise to send her away instead. I knew she would be safe back here at the hotel and it gave me the space that I desired to clear my head. My anger dissipated as I decided to check on her, no doubt curled up under her blanket or maybe at Husk’s bar if she had stirred.

Quietly, I melted into the shadows of my room and made my way to hers. The lights were off, it was all shadows, but upon inspection it appeared not only was her bed empty but it had not been slept in. I frowned. Maybe she had gone straight to the bar for comfort or something, she seemed to have an affinity for keeping a drink in her hand anyway. I slipped downstairs to the lobby and could see it was only Husk at his stand. That was not what I was hoping for, I stepped out of the shadows and placed a grin on my face, asking if he had seen Lilly tonight. The cattish demon gave me a sideways look, he suspected something was afoot, but wouldn’t dare press, and informed me that he had not.

That agitation grew within me again, I found myself searching the entire hotel for any sign of her. The kitchen? Angel’s room? The library? The study? The roof? Nothing, not even her scent. My anger bubbled inside of me at the realization, baring my teeth, I ran a clawed hand through my hair.

She was gone.

•

A giggle escaped my lips even as I held my glass in front of my face in order to hide my smile, I couldn’t help myself. I had found myself in a group with one of the overlords Alastor had introduced me to earlier in the night, Rosie. She had linked arms with me when she spotted me stuck in a less than interesting conversation upon my rearrival and allowed me to join her little group. Now I stood with her, one of her cannibal friends, and three other surprisingly pleasant influential demons. Rosie was good company, I understood why Alastor enjoyed her so much. She may not be the most outright powerful overlord, but he certainly seemed to understand the power of a charismatic personality, which Rosie had.

“Oh! Lily sweetie, would you please let me introduce you to a dear friend of mine, I’ve just spotted her!” Rosie asked cheerfully, seemingly to glance across the crowd to someone I couldn’t quite see. It was hard to say no to a smile like hers.

“Of course Rosie, I’d be delighted.” I smiled softly and she relinked our arms, quickly excusing us from the group as she promised we wouldn’t be long.

We took only a few steps before she asked me “So, how did you shake Mr. Broody? I didn’t think you’d be able to!” It sounded like she had been wondering the whole time. I felt my face warm as I thought back to the scene in which I had left him. Or more so in which he had demanded my dismissal. I couldn’t tell her how it had happened, it was simply too much to get into.

I waved away the question with my glass still in my hand and drew on a playful smile. “Oh he said he had enough of the crowd then something about preparing his next broadcast. He had wanted me to come with him back to the hotel, but I insisted my night was not over just yet.” We continued forward and she hummed a response. I couldn’t tell where we were headed at this point, but she seemed confident.

“Al’s just trying to look out for you, he plays all big and scary, don’t tell him I told you this, but he’s a softie deep down!” She sang and giggled at her gossip. “He must think you’re something rather special though, he seemed wonderfully caught up with you. It would be nice to see him happy like that more.” The last sentence was more so to herself than to me, it brought a dull ache to my chest.

How could I tell her how wrong she was, how he could barely stand the sight of me, it would seem. I wanted to believe she was right, but clearly he had no real feelings for me based on tonight. The fact that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at me, despite his physical attraction to me, which he had admitted to, Alastor must hate me.

“I’m sure he is.” Is all I say, looking around I’m still not sure where we are headed, surely by now we would have reached whoever she saw? “Rosie, who were you going to introduce me to again?”

“Oh sweetie, that bunch are just all huge gossips I wanted us to have some sort of privacy. Thank you for indulging me! Please feel free to stop by Cannibal Town anytime you’d like, I’ll have some fresh fingers ready!” She smiled cheerfully and I believed she meant her invitation. With that the one delightful demon I had managed to meet tonight went to rejoin her friends and I knew I was back on my own.

My eyes swept the room and lit up at the sight of the one demon I wanted to talk to right now, Angel Dust. He was lounging on a couch with a few other sinners it looked like and Valentino to his right. I was not so bold as to invite myself to such a scene, but it was good to see his face and know he is nearby.

Instead I became acutely aware of the sound of a familiar pair of heeled boots clicking up to me.

“Good there you are bitch,” Velvette, always a charmer. She was wearing an admiringly beautiful purple and black floor length dress, it glimmered gently under the dim lighting. The halter top style was unusual for her, but it looked very nice tonight. I straightened my back as I pivoted to face her, what could she need right now? “The waiters are almost out of all of the good food, make sure more is made, and here-“ she snapped her fingers and my clipboard fell into my hands, a long list of minute details to be fixed already typed up for me. “Fucking fix this shit!” She barked and then waved me away. I wanted to huff and tell her I’m not here as an employee, but I was still under her roof.

Besides, it was a needed distraction. As I bounced between the kitchen and soothing bickering guests my mind would have no time to linger on Alastor, which I was grateful for.

Steadying myself I drew back on a smile and headed off to check in with the kitchen as my first task. I quickly flag down the grumpy head chef to see if there is anything he possibly needs in order to keep up with the demand.

I had gotten all the bars restocked, fresh food was just starting to pour out of the kitchen, all of the tables were still in perfect order, and as asked the band would play the Vees’ favorite songs for the rest of the night.

I was halfway through my list when I felt a hand on my arm. “Lilly! Babe, I've been looking for you for an hour!” It was Angel, he sounded as happy to see me as I was to see him. I tilted my head back to meet his eyes, smiling back to him. He frowned at my clipboard though, plucking it from my arms and glancing over it.

“Angel, c’mon I need that back Velvette asked me-“ I strained my arms up to reach for it, but the effort was futile.

“She’s got you doing lackey work tonight when you look like that? No way, none of this shit is even important, it’s just an excuse to boss you around!” Angel said glancing over the list, he was mostly right, of course I had knocked out all of the actual important things first, everything left was petty work. But it was my petty work to do. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Yes, she is my boss Angel, that’s what she does!” I said, putting a hand on my hip to accentuate my displeasure. Part of me agreed with him though, I wanted to keep myself busy, but not like this.

Angel flagged down a miscellaneous employee who quickly trotted over. The spider demon shot me a look that told me I was being ridiculous. His plan was clear to me and when the sinner approached I at least recognized them as not an idiot. Angel passed the worker my clipboard and I shot them a dry smile.

“The Vees need you to complete this list of tasks, Velvette asked me to make sure you were given it once the important things were taken care of, thank you!” I politely instructed and the demon simply nodded nervously and skittered away. I felt slightly bad, but not enough to call them back and to take care of it all myself. One act of selfishness, I think I’ve earned it. Angel grinned as he started to lead me forward in the ballroom.

“Perfect! Now, how did you ditch your admirer, anyway?” Angel teased, batting his eyelashes at me. That pit in my stomach returned and I felt my face fall for just a moment before I restored my smile. I wanted to confide in Angel, but not here, not now. I needed a full blown debrief session fitted with pajamas and ice cream and a corny movie playing in the background to fill the silence between my shaky sentences.

I settled for a half truth. “Please, you know that's not how it is. He was tired of the crowd and I wasn't, so my night has continued without him.” I said, I could tell Angel didn’t quite buy my explanation by the quirk of his eyebrow, but he didn’t press the issue.

“Alrighty then,” He mused, sparing me, “Do you know how to play black jack? We got a guy in the North Lounge setting up friendly games, nothin’ serious! I bet ‘cha you’ll like it!” he steered us in that direction, walking through a doorway not too far away to another room off on the main one. Luckily I am familiar, the rules were simple enough: You want to hit a sum of twenty one with your cards, with face cards all equalling ten and aces flexing to equal either eleven one one, whichever was better for your hand. You wanted to stay at or under twenty one, but also beat the dealer’s hand which you can’t see all of. Every turn you would ask for a ‘hit’, being another card or you would pass.

“I might have played a few times before, this sounds fun!” I smiled as we walked over to the playing table. A demon who had taken on the form of a sort of fox was the dealer, four other figures sat at the table and I watched as they each either asked for a hit or not. At the far end of the table from us a demon who resembled a well dressed calico cat grinned as he had beat the dealer that round. Another, who seamed to be a muscular hell hound with dark grey fur celebrated as well. The other two groaned and muttered their goodbye’s apparently having had enough.

“Me-ow handsome! Could you be a doll and deal us in this next round?” Angel flirted with the dealer, taking a seat next to me and propping his chin up with his palms as his elbows leaned on the table. He turned our way as he passed out the first round of cards, throwing a wink to me as he did.

“A lady like that can play as long as she’d like at my table.” He smirked, running a claw against his slicked back hair before refocusing on the game at hand. The dealer was admittedly handsome, and his outfit didn’t match the sets I had laid out earlier so he was a guest who simply enjoys playing if I had to guess. His white button up had the first two buttons popped open and his suit vest was a deep forest green, contrasting the deep orange hue of his hair.

Finally I looked down at my card, an eight, pretty good. Impossible to bust on my next hit, but after that it is more of a gamble. Flicking my eyes over to the other two patrons I saw one of the pervious victors groan as his sum exceeded twenty one after his first hit. The same happened to the second man. Then it was my turn. The dealer politely asked if I would hit or pass, from half lidded eyes.

“Hit, ah, please.” I added, it never hurt to be nice to your opponent, even when luck was involved.

A queen, sum eighteen.

I wouldn’t be able to ask for any other cards, the odds of drawing a three or less were absurdly low, I could only hope his cards totaled less.

My eyes drag over to Angel’s cards, sum fourteen, it was worth taking a card at that point. A seven point difference was enough of a gap to make it fairly possible and with a low sum like that he was more likely to lose if he didn’t hit anyway. When prompted the dealer gave him his third card, bust!

“Damn, sorry Angel.” I placed a hand on his shoulder but he wasn’t exactly heart broken over the game.

Angel smiled back at me, “You’ll just have to win for the four of us then!” He said and I nodded, a small promise to do my best though it was out of my control by now.

“Sooo, winning the game for your boyfriend then huh?” The dealer quipped, he was holding the stack of cards but had not drawn his own next card yet, keeping me in suspense. Both me and Angel laughed at the idea, we’re not exactly each other’s type after all. He clutched his stomach with laughter which only made me laugh more.

“Please, that’s sweet and she’s a hottie so I’d be lucky, but absolutely not!” Angel giggled, dramatically wiping a tear from his eye. I brushed a strand of hair from my face, calming my fit.

“Angel here is great company, but no, I’m just going to win for my friend tonight.” I stressed the word friend, the dealer had been obvious as to what he was getting at, it was a nice contrast in my evening.

“I see, my apologies sweetheart, I just figured no way a doll like you was here all alone.” He said coyly. I found myself leaning slightly forward across the table towards him. Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn Angel was shooting me a little thumbs up.

“Sadly it would seem so, now please tell me Mr. Fox, how long will you hold our game in suspense? I’m dying to know which of us wins.” I was flirting back, my tone was soaked in it, but I didn’t mind. The demon didn’t reply, instead he simply revealed his own cards to me. A Seventeen. I had won. I had won!

Angel cheered for me and as I have a sarcastic mini bow and a round of thank yous to a made up audience

“Thank you, I could not have done it without all of you! Thank you so much!” I dramatically blew kisses to Angel, the dealer and the two other grumpy demons who did not seem to enjoy our antics.

Angel clapped along for me as the dealer demon collected our cards and began to shuffle, it looked like he was just about to speak when his ears flattened back and he diverted his eyes ever so slightly. I looked at Angel and our eyes met, both of us confused at the sudden demeanor shift and I hardly had time to notice the furthest catlike demon leaving. My confusion fizzled out as it was quickly replaced with understanding and the immense urge to shrink away as well when the sound of the familiarly chipper and overly characteristic voice filled the room.

I didn’t have to turn my head any further to see them. Vox was accompanied by a succubus demon, she was stunningly beautiful as they always were, blue skin and horns as she held onto his arm. His his other side was a taller slender sinner, an ashy grey tone, dressed in a very well made suit, he looked to take great pleasure in his appearance. The trio strode in and while Vox tried to hide it I noticed how his somehow sinister grin drew up even further at the sight of me. I felt far less confident without Alastor behind me, even though I hated the realization, his presence is what had given me confidence earlier.

Angel met my eyes as they slid back his way. While Vox didn’t own either of our souls there was an understanding that when another Vee is present you were to be respectful and perhaps slightly on edge. I hadn’t had the opportunity to brief him on my earlier interaction with Vox, nor had I confessed to my discussion with him and Valentino a couple of days ago, so to Angel it was only a slightly tense situation. For me, I knew I had to be walking on eggshells right now.

The dealer walked to the other end of the grand table where the trio made themselves comfortable. I was thankful that he was further away, perhaps I could just ignore his presence from five feet away.

Angel raised an eyebrow at me, as if to ask if I wanted to go. It would look like I’m running away from him if we left now and somehow that sounded even worse. I didn’t want to seem intimidated, like I was skittering out of his sight. I’d have to hold my ground. I gave him a tiny head shake ‘no’ and he obliged.

“Tell me,” Angel said, a little louder than necessary. “What’s it take to get some cards down here?” He teased, leaning on the table pseudo-flirtatiously. Mr. Fox didn’t look our way, in fact the only way I knew Angel had been heard at all was due to the flick of his tall ears in our direction. I pushed down my anxiety from his loud remark the best that I could. Drawing attention to us wasn’t exactly what I would have preferred. I busied my hands by pulling my hair over my right shoulder, turning my head to the left like a barrier between me and the TV giant across the room. Mostly pointless, but it gave me some semblance of defense.

“Angel, please.” I half whispered, he gave me an apologetic smile upon realizing my discomfort, but Mr. Fox did indeed begin to deal everyone in. It was obvious that I was no longer our dealer’s primary interest, I couldn’t blame him of course, but he still threw me a wink as he flipped my card in front of me. My focus shifted back to Angel at this point. I was stuck here, but at least I wasn’t alone. “What did you get?” I asked him peeking over his way.

Angel held up his card to me between two fingers, kicking his legs a bit. “A ten, what about you?” I glanced back at my own card, shrugging my shoulders. It wasn’t great, a five.

“Little bitty five, kinda whatever.” I would have to hit, but my next card would either make or break me. If I’m lucky I’ll get a second low card and then my third would be higher, but that’s a bit of a big ‘if’ the way my night has been.

From the corner of my eye I could see Vox swirling his martini as he seemed to charm his guests, they were enough to keep him preoccupied. For years, maybe even decades at this point, I avoided any real attention from the other two Vees. Of course as soon as I start to try to improve my life in one facet, it crashes in another. I get a stable living situation, a couple of friends, just for fate to keep me in line by sabotaging my work life. I guess it is hell after all.

Maybe it would be best to distance myself from Alastor more, it was the whole reason Vox had any interest in me in the first place. Maybe Al knew that and wanted to protect me in his own way, however, I’d find it easier to believe that he just likes seeing how he can twist me around at this point. I’m sure his sadistic nature lends him to enjoying seeing just how far he can push me away before I run back to him for more. Maybe it was a mix of both even.

“So,” Angel started, drawing me out of my own head, “how are we going to get that cutie’s attention back on you where it belongs? I’m thinkin’ if we get him to relax just a little bit more you’d have no problem scoring him!” He was an excellent wing man I must admit.

“My competition is steep, if Tall, Dark, and Blue isn’t enough distraction I’m afraid I don’t have much on one of Asmodeus’ girls.” I yielded propping my chin up on the palm of my hand . Angel rolled his eyes at me. We spoke a little quieter.

“Oh please babe, he’s just keeping the big man happy right now. Besides, what do you do when you want Al’s attention? I betcha it’ll work even better on him!” He flicked his eyes over to our subject at the end, a grand smile filling his face. I, on the other hand, felt my face burn at the mention.

“Please Angel! I don’t do anything to get-” I cleared my throat suddenly feeling mindful of my choice of words. Even in hushed tones I felt as though we were being listened to. “- Alastor’s attention. He hardly even gives it to me in the first place. Tonight was an anomaly that I don’t see being repeated.” Unfortunately. I thought to myself.

But in honesty I knew exactly how I had gotten his attention tonight. He is territorial and jealous and anyone could see that from a mile away. That real hard part for people is figuring out just what he is territorial of. It was easy to tease those aspects though, especially if I feigned naivety.

The problem was I didn’t know that about this demon, I hadn’t even gotten his name yet let alone figured out what made him tick. What I did know is that he might be a bit of a flirt based on our brief encounter, and he knows when to shut up and pay attention, a good trait to have.

I watched him across the table, maybe on a better day it would be easier to pick out these things, maybe if my thoughts didn’t keep trailing off back to Alastor’s room, the feeling of his arms holding me against him, the way he had been as close as possible to kissing my neck. This guy…he might have decent looks, but he doesn’t have what Alastor has. I sighed in defeat, earning a groan from Angel as he gently shook his head at me. His star pupil, failing miserably.

“Lils, what’s really got you all wrapped up?” He asked softly. I couldn’t tell him here, not with prying eyes and ears around. Maybe we should call it a night and head back to the hotel, maybe—

My thought was cut off by the loud decisive ringing of a phone—Angel’s—he immediately had that look of regret and exhaustion spread over his face. Valentino. Angel flashed me an apologetic smile as he got up from his seat to go answer and even when I couldn’t see him outside the doorway any more I could hear his anxious pacing not far away occasionally peppered with “Yes Val”. I could only imagine that he was being beckoned back to Valentino’s side, if so I think it truly might be time for me to go home and stay home this time. I gave it a shot at least, that’s a start, maybe at the next gala in 100 years I’ll try harder.

Angel walked back in, clearly trying hard not to look put off, but I knew it before he could even say it. “I’m sorry to leave mid game, but Val says he needs me back asap.” He took a breath and pulled a smile back on, “Says he’s got someone for me to become acquainted with who just showed up, I promise we will resume our conversation tomorrow no way you’re getting off that easily!” He giggled to himself as he started to turn away. “That’s my job!” That did draw a smile out of me at least.

“I’m only ever a call away, you know where to find me.” I told him softly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, but his mind was also elsewhere already.

“Thank you” his eyes flashed behind me and he gently lifted his chin up to motion. “Good luck.” His long legs were already carrying him out of the room by the time I followed his gaze to the dealer, he was finally headed back my way.

“Wow, was his hand that bad?” He quipped, running a hand through his hair, it made me giggle despite myself. I leaned forward on my elbows again into our banter. Maybe he doesn’t have what Al has, maybe he has something of his own.

As we chatted I was too distracted to notice the succubus that Vox had entered with leaving with the singular demon who had stayed upon their entry, even less so did I notice the well dressed demon on his way out a few minutes later. I should have, I should have noticed the lack of noise in the room, but I didn’t want to break out of our little bubble. I also should have noticed the eyes that had become trained on me, that the sound of boots walking my way weren't headed towards the door this time. I didn’t notice any of these things, or how the air suddenly hung stale in the air and was just a touch too cold for the amount of skin I had exposed.

It wasn’t until a heavy hand fell on my right shoulder did I notice anything was different in the room. Mr. Fox stopped talking immediately, straightening his back. He looked even more tense than when Vox had originally entered the room. I found myself tense as well, in fact I could have sworn I stopped breathing. I did not dare speak even if I wanted to scream when my admirer gave a curt nod to the overlord behind me and ducked out of the room. We were alone. Me and Vox, and white the note we had left on earlier in the night I was not excited for the expedited reunion. My mind raced as my heart pounded against my chest filling my ears with the sound of my own blood pumping through my veins.

Finally, he sighed.

“So you were able to ditch the guard dog?” Vox mused, his tone was flat, it was more just a statement.

A statement to point out how completely and utterly alone I was. I held my tongue, of course he was not expecting a reply from me so he continued.

“I’m glad you chose to stick around, well more so return to us, you and my old friend had scurried off at some point, but that means I won’t have to wait until morning to do-“ His almost casual grasp of my shoulder instantly tightened painfully so; he pulled me backwards out of my seat and onto the floor. “-This.” My shoulder connected with the stone flooring absorbing the brunt of my fall, causing a yelp of pain to escape my throat. Speaking still didn’t seem like the right choice, nor did any kind of running away or defense. I wasn’t going to out run Vox, or overpower him, I would need something else entirely if I wanted to escape his fury.

Still I attempted to gather myself on the floor, even an extra inch of space between us felt better. My breathing was labored as he approached my pitiful position. “I mean really one of our employees-“ he reached down to me, grabbing a handful of my hair and using it to yank my head up to look at him. “-coming in with my biggest rival! How the fuck do you think that looks?” His boot connected with my abdomen, a painful kick that knocked the air from my lungs. Still, he held me up in this half sitting position in front of him. I couldn’t stop myself, as soon as I got any air back in them I would spend it on useless pleadings. His face contorted to a disgusted frown as he stood before me. “And then-“ a second powerful blow to my stomach, elicited another desperate shriek out of me as I heaved. He did not seem to mind my screams, in fact he relished in them. “-when I give you a very gracious night I say, offer to stop embarrassing us what do you do? You.” Another kick “Say.” Another kick “No!” He releases my hair, not expecting it my head slammed against the flooring sending a sharp pain through my head. His foot connected as another blow to my abdomen sending me flying backwards until I slammed against the wall.

I feel dizzy as the aches and pains forming in my body spread and connect, I try to focus on getting more air as tears collect in my eyes from the pain.

“I’ll be better, I’m sorry—I’m so sorry, please Mr. Vox I—“ I sobbed, it was all I could do. There was no running, no hiding, no winning. I had made my bed and now I’ll have to lay in it. The overlord was not interested in anything I had to say. I could feel the blood dripping from where I had hit my head on the floor, my head was spinning, and honestly at the point passing out would have been merciful. Instead I feel his fingers intertwine with my hair again and he yanks me back up. I do not bother to lift my head to look, but he forced me to.

Vox has an unhinged look in his eyes, bearing his teeth at me like an animal ready to snap my neck. I couldn’t look away from his eyes though and slowly I felt a wave of calm wash over me. It drowned out the adrenaline my body was pumping through me to keep me alert, my senses felt dulled and either I couldn’t hear my own heavy breathing or I had finally gotten enough air. “You tell Al, this-“ he gestures to my over all appearance. “-this will keep happening every day because of him. And because you continue to embarrass me, and Velvette, by associating with him.” I felt compelled to nod to agree, somewhere in me I knew every muscle I had was begging me not to move so much, but I felt compelled. Vox released my hair sending my head back against the wall. As I looked at the ceiling I felt all the pains and aches pooling in my muscles and throughout me returning. I could hear him straighten his suit and his footsteps faded away from me.

I wanted to take stock of myself, to see how bad my injuries were, how much blood I’d lost, but I couldn’t bring myself to expend the energy. I let my eyes gently flutter between half open and closed as I sat propped up against the cool wall. That was my only solace, it was like an ice pack for me even if it was deeply uncomfortable. As I fade in and out of consciousness I thought about what I would possibly tell everyone back at the hotel, especially Alastor. Would he even care? Maybe just that it was Vox, not that I was hurt. At least that’s what I was telling myself.

Finally I could not keep my eyes open any longer, I let my mind find rest as I slip into unconsciousness, hopeful that rest is all I need, hopeful that someone will come across me at some point.

It felt like I was on a lifeboat floating alone in the deep ocean as waves pushed and pulled me in conflicting and nauseating patterns. It was hard to tell what was dreams and what was real, my mind was so foggy and when I opened my eyes all the way it felt like I was continuously falling down some infinite sinkhole so I preferred to keep them closed.

It felt like hours had passed, maybe they had. It made me feel that much more tired. Even when I was asleep I wasn’t resting. My dreams filled with what tonight could have been like if Alastor had not rejected me, if I had stayed home with him. How he would have run his hands through my hair afterwards, gently pulling out any tangles he ran into. How he could have held me against him as we drifted into sleep, his arms wrapped around me while I listened to the rhythm of his chest slowly rising and falling. My state made it feel so vivid, it was like I could actually feel his body heat and arms around me at one point.

At some point I realized I was in my bedroom. I don’t know how I get here or how long it had been since I was placed here. Maybe just maybe that meant it was all a dream. A ridiculous dream that never happened. I stayed home and went to bed like normal and never tried to do anything fun or risky or new and I never would ever again! But I was still dizzy and when I tried to sit up the poignant pain in my stomach told me I had absolutely not dreamt any part of last night’s events. My recollection of the night washes over me again and I let out a pitiful groan; I think I would like to stay here and never have to discuss the entire evening ever again and if it wouldn’t hurt so much I would like to grill up into a ball and never leave my bed again.

When I do get up I will have to face the consequences of my actions though, I’ll have to at least tell Angel everything, I’ll have to avoid Alastor, then I’ll have to go to work and take whatever abuse Vox and Velvette throw my way that day. God, Alastor. My chest ached like I’d had the air knocked out of my all over again at just the thought of him. I’m sure it was Angel who would have brought me home, he might have been discreet for my privacy. If so that means as far as anyone else in the hotel knows I had a lovely night out, good. I don’t want all the fuss if they know Vox attacked me and even though I have this nagging voice in the back of my head begging me to tell Alastor, the rest of my brain agrees that it wouldn’t change anything so why bother him with it.

A soft knock at my door draws my attention, I turn my head and smile softly when I see it’s Angel, I must have been right. He face lights up a bit seeing that I’m awake.

“You’re awake!” He leans his head back out of the door to speak to the hallway, “She’s awake!” Immediately I head husked voices excited chatter not too far away while Angel strides over to my side. “Damn toots you gave us, me, one hell of a scare with that shit!” He tells me, stealing and fluffing a pillow with one set of arms and then shaking pain medicine out of a bottle for me with the other. The rest of the hotel files in shortly after Angel, save one, and Charlie goes straight for the other side of my bed.

“Are you okay?! What happened? Was it someone we know? Are you okay? Do you need anything? How can I help?” She rapid fire asks, lifting my arms and seemingly checking for deadly injuries that will take a much longer time to self heal.

I smile at her. “I’m okay, really, just a bit of bed rest until I can repair and I’ll be good as new, my head already feels much better.” I tried to reassure her, but she didn’t seem as sure as I was.

“But, what happened after I left?” Angel asked frowning, sitting on the foot of my bed. I scanned my eyes across the room, Nifty had gotten distracted by a roach in the corner, but Husk and Vaggie did look rather somber as well. I tried to push myself up into a sitting position rather than laying down but it sent shocks of pain through my whole torso. Angel and Charlie each grabbed my arms to help comfortably move me up, my muscles strained, but I managed.

“Thank you.” I said softly and gave them each a reassuring smile. My hands fiddle with the blanket now in my lap and as I feel a bit better I finally remember to feel a bit embarrassed that I’m still wearing my dress from last night. “I promise it’s not a big deal, just…” I trailed off, I hadn’t had time to think of a convincing story. “A shitty party go-er pissed off that I play a better game of black hack than he did. To be fair he hadn’t tried flirting with the dealer.” I say and try to laugh, but it comes out a pitiful wheeze instead leading to a coughing fit.

“No big deal? Lilly, look at you!” Angel raised his voice just a bit but stopped himself taking a breath. “You can’t even sit up, or laugh, you didn't even call me and I could have been there to help you! Instead Alastor of all people turned back up and found you passed out, bleeding, in that room all by yourself! And what, it was just some stranger?” His voice was filled with concern and I could tell he wanted a better explanation.

“Alastor? What was he doing there, no, he left, he wasn't there.” I furrowed my brow, that didn’t make sense, why would he come back? If he did, where is he right now? I felt my face flush as the picture of him walking up to the pathetic scene of me curled up in the ground bleeding and unconscious, embarrassing. Why would that be embarrassing? But I couldn’t shake that deep sense of anxiety and regret even if it didn’t make sense. I held the blanket tight in my hands, electing to studying the stitching of it rather than look at my company.

“I know he was looking for you,” Husk offered, hands buried in his pants pockets. “Didn’t say why, maybe you know better than me, checking the fancy shmancy party y’all went to seems like a pretty sensible place to start looking I guess.” That only made my heart pump faster, he specifically was looking for me? Why?

“I, uh I see.” I sputtered out, I look back up to see all eyes on me expectantly, as if I would explain why Alastor might have been looking for me given we had headed out all together. I didn’t have an answer that I wanted to give them though. “I think I’d like some more time to rest now, and probably change out of this dress.” I scrunch my nose up looking down at myself, it was not in the pristine condition I had hoped to keep it in. There were dirty footprints on it and faint signs of blood that had dropped down, at least those should wash out alright of the black fabric. Angel nodded gently, giving my hand a little squeeze as Vaggie began ushering the other residents out.

“You heard the lady! Let’s go, Pentious, account for your egg boys too please.” She prompted them motioning towards the door. The serpent scooped up his little creatures and a chorus of ‘let us know if you need us’ ‘we aren’t far’ ‘feel better!’ ‘Wait! There’s one more bug I need!’ trailed out with them. Angel didn’t move though, his eyes were too busy trying to read me. Charlie was the last at the door, she raised an eyebrow to me as if to ask if I wanted him to leave as well, but I shook my head no and she left us to debrief. I knew that’s what he was looking for. Angel had become quite good at knowing when I wasn’t saying my whole truth quite quickly. He didn’t say anything so I knew I would have to figure out where to start, particularly difficult with your whole body is screaming in pain.

“Last night was…a long night.” I said with a sign. It earned a sarcastic snort from him.

“You don’t say?” He said with a smile, I playfully pushed his shoulder, breaking into a smile myself.

“Listen, it’s a long story so get comfortable.” He grabbed a pillow that I wasn’t using and hugged it in his lap, fully sitting on my bed now, and nodded when he was ready. I replay the whole night for him, enjoying his commentary and short booing at Vox every time I bring him up the first few times. By the end though, he stops playing around when I confess that it was Vox who roughed me up, and his ongoing threat. Angel looked to be deep in thought when I finished, as if he was looking for my next steps or some great solution. I knew there wasn’t one. As we stood, I would just have to live with Vox’s abuse on top of Velvette’s at work now and my relationship with Alastor, well there want even really a relationship to have ruined. Still, why wasn’t he here right now? What had his attention instead? It was hard for me to understand his actions from the last twelve hours, you don’t care, but then you do, then you don’t again, finally you really do, but then you stop all together?

I groan aloud from my internal dialogue, throwing my head back follow immediately by a wince at the pain it caused. Angel took that as a cue to get out of his own head as well. “Well, work is fucked, but as far as Alastor goes, it’s looking promising.” He remarked, happy with his conclusion. I raised my eyebrow and felt my lips part, then frown, and repeat a few times as I struggled to find the train of thought to follow.

“Alastor looks promising?” How the hell did you come to that conclusion? From where I’m standing the demon can’t stand me and any part that can is being beaten down buy the rest!” I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest

“Sorry, maybe now isn’t the time for humor.” Angel admitted, offering me a hand. “Maybe you should get changed instead.” He was right. I desperately wanted out of this dress now, a shower wouldn’t hurt while we’re at it either.

“Thank you,” I told him, sincerely, taking his hand to help me swing my legs over the side of the bed and slowly transition my weight into my feet. If my body didn’t like sitting up, it utterly despised standing. There was nowhere else to pawn the brunt of the stress onto, forcing my muscles to work double time, but I forced myself to do it anyway. Step by agonizing step I made it to my dresser, which despite only being four feet away from my bed made my heart beat like I’d just run a marathon. “I can take it from here.” Angel didn’t look convinced. I couldn't blame him. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, you’re the fucking opitome of health right now.” He said sarcastically, his other set of arms still holding onto me.

“Angel I can dress myself, I promise, you need rest too. It must be nearly four in the morning.” I said looking at his face closer, I was right, I could see the dark circles forming under his eyes. He was also still in his party clothes and his hair had seen better days. “Please.” I added with a half hearted smile. Angel sighed and relinquished his hold on my arm.

“Alright, be you yell or text me if you need anything!” He says over his shoulder while walking towards the door.

“Of course, goodnight!” I say and he echos goodnight back before leaving me alone. I ache and groan, but eventually do find a suitable pair of pajamas and outfit for work in a few hours. I push work out of my mind again though, instead hobbling over to my bathroom and taking a much needed shower. The hot water helps relax my tensed bruised muscles and alleviates some of the duller aches. I desperately needed the relief it provides.

It is only once I have gotten out, dressed, and am tucking myself into bed that I had a searing sensation that I am not alone. Maybe it’s nerves, but I suspect it could be the man I wish to avoid, lurking in the shadows somewhere. His idea of checking on me I guess. Normally I would want to poke the beast, tell the abyss that he should just come out and speak to me, but I didn’t want confrontation tonight. I wanted to get my well earned two hours of sleep before I had to be back at Vee tower and face the day. So instead I whispered out a goodnight to the shadows in my room and turned off the light finally allowing my tiredness to win.

Masterlist

tags: @cannibalcoyote @thereeallink @asainfrustration13 @lexx-exe

[darbyoakana]

An Overlord's Tail - Chapter 6

An Overlords Tail Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Summary: Alastor X reader, F/M. The party is quickly approaching. Things with Alastor escalate, violently.

Warnings: Handjob, blood, cannibalism?. This story is 18+, minors can fuck right off.

Other Notes: Song reference - Loneliest Day by System of a Down Movie reference - Tatum's death in Scream (1996)

Darby Link Tree

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Chapter 6: Control

The party was coming up fast and you were diligently planning. Asmodeus was taking a lot off your plate by providing location, security, bar, and food. For that you were grateful. You had collected the guest list and sent out invites. You spent part of the day at Ozzie’s going over the floor plan and working with their stage manager to book some entertainment. Everything seemed to be in order. 

 Due to it being formal attire, you and Angel went shopping. Angel, of course, picked something very revealing that didn’t quite qualify for formal. But he looked great either way. Angel picked out a form-fitting backless red dress for you. 

“Oh my gawwd, that looks amazing on you. Please get this one.” 

“I don’t know, this thigh slit is really high.” 

“Easy access?” 

“Angel…” you scowled. 

“Come on, don’t try to tell me yah couldn’t use a good lay?”

“I admit, I could relax a bit,” you took a breath. “But- that's why I just plan on drinking too much.” 

“Which will make it easier to tap that. Win-win.” 

“You are the wooorrrstttt.” 

“Haha I know babe,” he smiled. “But yah getting this one right?”  

“Fine, yeah,” you turned around to eye the back. “It does make my ass look great.”

“Hell yah it does.”

“The straps are a little loose though, I’ll see if they’ll alter it,” you pulled the strap back up. “Do you have a date?” 

“Nah, I was kinda hopin' Husk would ask me. How about you?” 

“No, I’ve been too busy planning to even think about it.”

“What about Tenticles, huh?,” referring to Alastor. “He’s gonna lurk around you all night anyways,” pausing to think. “I dunno those tentacles could be a lot of fun.” 

“Oh my god Angel,” you laughed. “I am so glad he is too old to know what hentai is.” 

“Ahaha! So you’ve thought about it!” Angel cackled. “You pervvv!” 

In truth, you weren’t really sure if Alastor liked you. On one hand, he didn’t give physical attention to anyone like he did with you, though it was small. You did feel he was different around you, to some degree he could drop his shields. But on the other hand, you didn’t expect anything from him sexually. And you weren’t going to push for it, you wouldn’t enjoy it if he wasn’t enjoying it. Maybe he needed time to become more comfortable in the situation. Maybe this was an old-fashioned type of deal. You really didn’t know and didn’t want to assume either. You also weren’t sure if you wanted to jump into another relationship with another boss. It all made you uneasy. 

You both returned to the hotel feeling accomplished and excited for the party. Your dress would be delivered later after the straps were adjusted. You had already booked a makeup and hair team to service the staff for the party. The florist had confirmed the order was placed. Everything was coming together. 

You headed up to your room for the evening.

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“Hey, Smiles,” Angel called to Alastor who was sitting at the bar. He took a seat. “You gonna ask our girl to be yah date to the party, or what?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Oh come on. I see the way yah look at her.”

“And how’s that exactly?” 

“Like yah want chop her up and put her in a stew. Which I assume is yah idea of romance.” 

“Perhaps you should mind your own business.”

“Alright, but someone else is bound to ask her,” Angel remarked. “In fact, I think Lucifer was lookin’ for her earlier… Just sayin’.” He waved his hand dismissively and walked away. 

Angel was making it up, Lucifer wasn’t looking for you. But he knew the idea of Lucifer taking you on a date would infuriate Alastor and was trying to motivate him. The idea of asking you himself made him choke. You were becoming a weakness and weaknesses get exploited. This was a passing fancy, he lied to himself, and it would fade.  

Tapping his claws on the glass, he grumbled to himself and finished his drink.  

For the next few days, things at the hotel were slow and with the party set you didn’t have much to do. You lay on your bed, relaxing, and shopping on your phone for some shoes to match your dress. Music turned up loud as you sang along.  “And if you goooo, I wanna go with yooou

And if you diiiie, I wanna die with yoooou

Take your hand and walk awaaaaaaaaay”

The music abruptly stopped. 

“A lovely sentiment indeed.” 

You looked towards your CD player, there was Alastor with his finger on the pause button. 

“My apologies, I knocked,” he explained. “This arrived for you, your party dress I assume.” He hung the garment bag off the door of your wardrobe. “A lovely color,” he eyed the dress.

“Oh, thank you, Angel helped me pick it out.”

 “I was wondering. If you aren’t busy, I have an errand to run. I’d like you to accompany me.”

The store was dated and felt like a museum. Smelt like one too. Items from every era cluttered the shelves. You followed him through the store, rows of dimly lit shelves. Despite being cluttered the store was very well organized. Shelves were labeled by decade. Each item had a price tag with a detailed description of its origin. He led you downstairs, the shop seemed to have endless rooms. He paused at a curtained door. 

“Close your eyes, please,” he asked, holding out his hand. You complied. He led you through the doorway. “Alright, you may open them.” 

You were in a large room with wall-to-wall shelves of VHS movies. You were stunned. They had every film you could think of. It looked a lot like an old video store. You were wide-eyed with excitement. Alastor ate up every nuance change in expression, savoring it. 

“This is amaaaazing. Holy shit!” you looked back to Alastor. 

“Well, we only had five movies left,” he said smugly. “Would  be a shame if we ran out.” 

“This is very thoughtful Alastor..” 

“Why the surprise? I am certainly capable of it,” he waved his hand.

“I’m not questioning your ability, more your willingness,” you laughed. 

“Ouch,” he grabbed his chest dramatically. “You wound me.” 

“Uh huh,” you scoffed, laughing. “Where do we even start, there's so many!” 

“The owner has agreed to let us borrow what we please. If there's something you desire, purchasing is an option.” 

“And he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart? Or is it the fear you instilled in him?”

“How should I know? I am unaware of his ability for kindness or fear, I couldn’t properly measure.” 

“Suuure,” you rolled your eyes. You skimmed the horror section, grabbing a few favorites. Once the stack was too much for you to hold on your own, you called it. “Alright, I think this should suffice. I know it’s not our usual night but we're gonna watch some of these, yah?”

“Of course my dear, I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise.”

Upon returning to the hotel you were greeted by Angel and Lucifer at the bar. They encouraged you to join them. The four of you enjoyed a few drinks. Angel talked about some nonsense going on at the studio. Lucifer was exhausted by the latest meeting with Heaven. Everyone seemed excited about the upcoming party. 

“So, toots, you got a date yet?” Angel asked you but looked at Alastor. He glared. 

“Hasn’t really been a priority,” you commented, also glaring at Angel, knowing exactly what he was doing. “But thanks for your concern… What about you Husk? Do you have a date?” you asked, staring at Angel. 

“Uh..” Husk looked from Angel to you and back to Angel, your eyes intensely burning into one another. “Yeah, I’m going to say out of whatever this is…” He held his hands up, backing away from the rest of you. 

Lucifer laughed. He’d been enjoying his time at the hotel. Being around so many people was overwhelming. But when it was small groups like this he felt more comfortable. And what was taking place in front of him was too amusing to pass up. Alastor pretending he wasn’t uncomfortable was delectable to Lucifer. He had caught on right away to what the spider was trying to accomplish. 

“Oh, hmm,” Lucifer said. “I didn’t even think about that. Maybe I should get a date for the party!” He winked at Angel. Angel smirked back. 

“Oh absolutely Your Highness, anyone who anyone is gonna have a plus one,” Angel nudged you. “And I don’t want yah to be a loser, babe.” 

“Says he without a date!” you jabbed back. 

“What about you Alastor?” Lucifer asked loudly. “Are you taking anyone?”

“Why? Is His Majesty interested?” he sneered. “That’s too bad, I’m afraid I have height requirements.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it! You see, I have this rule about not setting myself up for disappointment.”  Lucifer remarked. 

“Then, how pray tell, does His Majesty live with himself?” Alastor snarled. 

You laid your head on the bar top with a groan. You signaled to Husk you needed another drink.

By the end of the evening, everyone at the bar had a few too many. However, everyone else seemed to be handling it better than you were. No real surprise to either you or Alastor. 

You made it up to your floor but tripped getting out of the elevator. The bag of VHSs on your arm clacked as they hit the ground with you. You lay there laughing for a moment until you felt a tug on your hand. Alastor’s shadow wined at you. Alastor was probably already waiting for you in your room. The shadow started to drag you. You couldn’t help but giggle as you were moved down the hall like a sack of laundry. The shadow dropped you in front of your door. 

“Really now, is that any way for a lady to behave?” Alastor said, opening your door and stepping out. 

He chuckled, picking you up over his shoulder and closing the door with his foot. He tossed you on the bed and proceeded to pull a cassette from the stack and placed it into the player. Taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, he then filled the unwatched drawer with the new movies. You tossed your shoes to the floor. 

You enjoyed your secret movie nights with Alastor, it felt like you got to experience a part of him that was just for you. He sat down next to you on the bed, both leaning on the pile of pillows against the headboard.

“Aw man,” you pouted. “I should have made popcorn.”

“Allow me,” he said, snapping his fingers. A bowl appeared in his hand. 

“Ohhh yay!” you reached for the bowl as he pulled away from you. You fell, draped over his lap.  “Heeeyyyyy…” 

“Now now, manners,” he scolded.  

You rolled over onto your back, head still on his lap. You looked up at him with sad puppy eyes. 

“Please Alastor...” 

He shuddered softly. The thought of you begging him sent a chill down his spine. He held his breath and swallowed hard. He resisted the urge to touch you, to see how much more he could make you beg.

“Good girl,” he said, handing you the bowl. 

You didn’t get up, just rolled to the side to see the TV with the bowl in your arm. You shared interesting little tidbits about the movie as it progressed. 

“This part is so stupid,” you laughed. “She could have totally fit through that doggy door.” 

You held up your hand, tilting your arm behind you to offer a few pieces of popcorn to Alastor. He hesitated before eating the kernels from your fingers. Anyone else would be concerned for their phalange's safety, but not you. No one treated Alastor as you did.

Ask her, you ridiculous coward. He fought with himself. He was feeling the stress of his mental dilemma. The fear of having you or not having you. The fear of someone else obtaining you. He glanced at your dress hanging on the wardrobe door.  

“And a standard garage motor is weak as shit. Creative yes, realistic no,” you laughed again. 

He tried to focus on the movie playing, you had said it was your favorite. But every time you laughed or spoke, he could feel the vibrations of your voice on his leg where you lay. Your warm body against his was too distracting. He wasn’t really there for any of the films anyway. His mind wandered, berating himself. The war between what he wanted and what he feared tore him. Could he have such a weakness present in his life? Not only would it put him at risk but you as well. Could he handle something happening to you because of him? 

You adjusted your position. Sitting up, moving from his lap to his chest, leaning more of your body into his. Your head rested below his collarbone. He froze.

“Oh..” you looked up at him, your face close to his. “I’m sorry, I should have asked. Is this okay? Is it too much touching?” 

“No, pet. It’s perfectly fine. Thank you for asking,” he wrapped his arm around you and buried his face in your hair. You let out a soft hum at the sensation. He filled his senses with your scent.

Who were you to treat him the way you did? Pampering him with such gentle kindness. Considering his feelings and needs. Why did he allow it? Why did he endure the attitude and snark you so regularly threw at him? He had killed for far less. But you walk around freely. Wearing his appendage no less. Why did he permit you to continue to exist when you posed such an egregious threat? Alastor demanded control at all times. Nevertheless, you took it out of his hands with such ease. No. He wouldn’t allow it, he told himself. It was time to regain dominion over this situation, he had let it go on long enough. He was the Radio Demon, not some whipped feeble boy. You would do as he wanted, not the other way around. His judgment would not be impaired by anyone, how dare you, he fumed. 

His right hand clutched your hair and bent your head back, left hand at your throat, jerking your face towards his. His stern expression met your startled eyes with determination. But the tender whimper leaving your mouth as you bit your lip dismantled his resolve instantly. Oh fuck, he thought, as he threw caution and control to the wind. His mouth met yours with a ravaging starvation. Your right hand gripped the wrist at your throat, pulling yourself up to straddle him. Harsh breaths and moans pass from his mouth to yours and back again. The hand on your throat drifted down to your hip, wrapping his arm around your waist with a stern tug. He gripped you tightly against him. You moaned. His tongue aggressively dominated your mouth. Your hands gripped his shirt, despite there being no space between you, the distance was unbearable. The hand still in your hair yanked your head to the side, his mouth traveled down your jaw to the crook of your neck. You ground your pelvis into his, and to both your surprise your movements were met with his pulsing erection, bound by his pants. 

Panic started to set in. He felt his self-control slipping. He has had years to master discipline in regards to anger but this was new and uncharted territory. He felt the monster within him stir, craving more. He shoved it down. But with every tilt of your pelvis, the appetite to devour you grew. Desiring to rip the flesh from your bones, savor the taste of your innards sliding down his throat. You ignorant fool, he internally screamed. He had miscalculated once again, of course, you weren’t the threat. He was. 

With a radio static growl, he sank his teeth into your shoulder. You cried out in pain but to his astonishment it only made you grind into him harder. You unbuttoned his pants, freeing his throbbing cock. You curled your fingers around his girth and stroked slowly. His teeth tore into you as his hips bucked. Your screams only fueled the beast lingering inside him. Panting, ragged breaths crept out of his mouth into your ears, spattering blood on your neck. 

“Fu- uuck… Alastor…” you gasped, wanting him to fuck you stupid. “Please…” 

Hearing you plead for him sent him over the edge. A screech of radio static filled the room as he climaxed. His claws cut into your flesh, clawing thick lines of dribbling red across your delicate skin. His neck cracked as his form distorted, eyelids and dial pupils fluttered. Antlers scraped the headboard behind him. Blood dripped from the edges of his mouth, soaking into your shirt, as your palm was filled with warm release.

His back hit the headboard with a thud, breathing hard sharp breaths, and regained clarity. Shaking, he took your face in his hands. Eyes full of trepidation piercing yours. Wanting to say something, anything, but no words came out no matter how hard he tried. He glanced at your gushing wound and with apprehension he watched blood seep out of the puncture marks. Streams of crimson ran down the front of you. 

You heard the bath water start to pour into the tub. Lifting you into his arms, he carried you to the bath, gently lowering you into the tub and removing your shirt. He snapped his fingers and a medical kit appeared. He rummaged through it anxiously while you kept pressure on the injury. You sat in silence as the tub filled with orange and pink swirls; water meeting blood. Alastor sutured your wounds. 

You could hear how uneven his breath was. His mind clearly working overtime. Did you not feel the danger? It wouldn’t have mattered if you tried to escape, it probably would have made things worse. But the fact that you didn’t even try, that you were content in letting him consume you; it frightened him. If you had not brought him to climax and clear mind, would he have sunk deeper into his inner demon and destroyed you? His hand shook as he pulled the nylon thread through your skin. You placed your hand on his. 

“Alastor…” you said gingerly. He didn’t look up. “Alastor, look at me.” 

For a moment his eyes fixated on the wound. But slowly traveled up your bruised neck, over your jawline and up to your eyes. 

“I’m sorry, my darling…” he leaned his forehead against yours. “I didn’t mean to be so rough.” 

“It’s okay,” you squeezed his hand in yours. “Really, it is.”

He washed the blood off you and placed gauze over the stiched-up wound. You changed into fresh clothes while Alastor removed the blood from his hands and face. Usually, when he found himself bloodied, there was a sense of accomplishment and pride. Tonight, however, he felt sick. Exhausted, you laid down in bed. Alastor picked up his coat. 

“Where do you think you are going?” you asked, patting the bed next to you. “I’d like to be held please.” 

You fell asleep in Alastor’s arms, sore and drained. He nuzzled into your hair. How could you still want him after tonight? A twang of inadequacy deflated his confidence. He didn’t understand, the experience wasn’t exactly fulfilling on your end, just abusive. Yet here you were, permitting him to be close, to touch you. 

You awoke in the morning, alone.

[ghastly-poltergeist]

Take a Break. (Leon Kennedy x James Sunderland)

Heyo people! Hope you're all doing well :3

I have a couple asks in the mailbox which I will get to soon, for now I come bearing fanfiction. I wrote this a while ago and had posted it to AO3, so I thought I would repost it here as well, why not. Errm no warnings for this one I don't think, word count is a little over 2k

Obligatory friend tags (moots if you wanna be added to the tag list just ask): @linminty

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A week had already passed before Leon returned home. Another mission went sour, although he wasn't gone as long as he usually would be. This job was unforgiving, it seeped into your bones and ate away at you until there was nothing left but a husk. Leon was a husk. A husk of a man who once yearned for justice, a man who once was determined enough to take on the world. Now he was a man who barely had enough will to get up in the morning. He felt like a sleeper agent, totally detached from everything around him, the days passing by until he was summoned for whatever he had to do. Like clockwork, almost. The same old process that was wearing down on his tired bones.

But, now he was home, standing in the doorway of his shared apartment as he stared silently into the darkness. It was very late, and the space felt darker than usual, more empty. But it was the same as when he left it, save the few smaller items shifted around. He had owned this large apartment for years, but every time he returned to it, he felt more and more like a stranger. It was clearly lived in, and he of course knew that, but that didn't stop him from feeling like a visitor in the only place he could ever seek comfort. And seek comfort he did. Leon felt the mishaps and inconveniences of the week bear down on him heavily, he wanted to rest. Without second thought, Leon quietly closed the door and dropped his bag, not bothering to change clothes or even shower, he didn't have the energy for that. 'Maybe tomorrow, not tonight.' He thought. Not wanting to waste any more time, he stripped down to nothing but his boxers and the shirt he had underneath his work uniform, sleep weighing at his eyelids. Something deep down told him that he wouldn't get any sleep tonight, but that was okay, he didn't get much sleep anyway. All he wanted right now was rest, and he knew exactly where he was going to get it. Slowly padding his way towards the shared bedroom, Leon contemplated just going to the couch so as to not wake his partner up, but his yearn for comfort enabled him to keep walking- plus, James would probably get upset to find out he slept on the couch. And so, Leon walked up to the door and slowly turned the handle, not wanting to make too much noise. The door creaked at first, but made no further sound as it was opened all the way. Leon peered into the room, and there on the king sized bed was James, seemingly asleep, quietly snoring as his chest gently rose and fell with every breath he took. Leon, for a moment, forgot about everything that went down that week. His mind had cleared and his nerves felt calm for the first time in a while, but only for a moment. He hung his head low as a deep sigh left him; he didn’t want to wake up James. But, although his brain told him to just turn around and go to the couch, his sore body made its way to the bed. James was slightly sprawled out under the covers, and Leon quietly laughed to himself. It was often where they would both wake up practically on top of each other, they’d go to sleep curled up neatly before ending up in a position they weren’t in before. To refrain from waking James, Leon crawled into the bed, not bothering to go under the covers as he laid his exhausted body down, the warmth and comfort almost unfamiliar to him. And, although Leon wished he could hug James, cuddle into his side and listen to his heartbeat as he fell asleep, he opted to simply lay on his side, back facing James as he nuzzled into the soft pillow, feeling exhausted, yet so restless. As he closed his eyes, praying that sleep would come to him, he felt the bed shift, and he internally cursed. ‘Great, I woke him up…’ He thought, “You’re home…”

James was clearly very sleepy, his voice husky and his movements sluggish, but his voice was so full of love. It made Leon’s chest swell, hearing how much James truly missed him, and how happy he was that Leon had returned home. Leon couldn’t help but smile as he felt James wrap his arms around him, pulling him in close, holding him tight. “Yep, I’m home.” Leon responded, leaning back into James and resting his head on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” “You would’ve seen me in the morning, wouldn’t you?” “I haven’t seen you in a week.” Although it was lighthearted, Leon knew his sarcasm didn’t work well on James. He sighed somberly; “I… I just didn’t want to wake you up, Honey.” James didn’t respond, instead he leaned in close, pressing a tender kiss to Leon’s cheek. “Was it bad?” James asked after a moment. “Yeah. Not as bad as usual, but bad enough.”

Leon could tell just by James’ mannerisms that he wasn’t happy to hear that. James let out a deep sigh, holding Leon just a bit tighter in a comforting manner. This is exactly what Leon didn’t want. He didn’t want to have to burden James like this. This was something he’d rather talk about in the morning, not so late at night where he would have James worry. This was something he would rather not talk about at all. He wished he could come home from his job and sleep without having to relieve the horrors of it. He wished he could feel more energetic, wished he wasn’t in constant pain, wished he could spend more time with the man he loved, but it was unfortunately inevitable, and he hated that. Hated that he couldn’t have even a sliver of a normal life, hated that he couldn’t control his life the way he wanted too. The only time in his life that he actually felt like he had control over something was when he was with James. James kept him grounded, reminding Leon that despite everything, there are still people around him who care, people who truly love him. It was a shame that time was so short lived, constantly having to scurry off from one mission to the next after finally getting used to being home, being in a safe space where he wasn’t being hunted down or hunting something. Albeit, it would live with him forever, having James with him made it worth it, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Leon pondered for a while before he shifted to face James, cuddling into his chest. He reached for James’ hand and held it with a gentleness he knew they both appreciated, especially with the scars they both shared that littered their hands. “Hey… Don’t worry about it, okay? I’ve been through worse, I'll be fine, James.” "I just think you should take a break, that's all." James replied with some sadness in his voice, but returned the gesture, gently squeezing Leon's hand. "Sweetheart, you know I can't do that. They really need me out there, after all, where else are they going to find someone as strong and capable as me, huh?" Leon smiled up at James, using humor to be dismissive of the situation at hand. He tended to do that a lot, sometimes without even noticing. But even then, it was nothing more than being dismissive, a mechanism used to cope with the merciless requirements of his job, refusing to question his health and other needs, and even more so, not taking into consideration those around him. James was very quick to catch on, however; "Leon." James said firmly, looking Leon dead in the eyes. "I'm being serious. You really need to take a break. It's taking a toll on you, it's been taking a toll on you." "James." Leon mimicked. "I don't want you to worry about me. I'll worry about myself, and-" "That's the problem. You never worry about yourself." James cut Leon off, tired voice filled with anxiousness and minor frustration. "You're always so dismissive, it's hard to even take you seriously sometimes. I know you don't like talking about it, but every time you dismiss it, you're already gone before you even entertain the thought of changing something. Do you know what that's like for me? I worry because I'm afraid one day you won't come home, and… I think about that too often."

It looked like this barely even phased Leon, but it did, he just didn't show it. Deep down it actually felt terrible. This wasn't something that was ever verbalized before. Of course, they've both had their own experiences, witnessing and living through things people would only see in their nightmares. It wasn't a stretch to assume one would be afraid to lose something so close to them, after already losing everything else. Despite everything, James' hold on Leon remained, not faltering in tightness, a comforting grasp. After a moment of deafening silence, James spoke up again, this time more somberly. "... Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know it's bad-" "No! No… It's alright!" It was Leon's turn to cut James off. He quickly reassured him, reaching his hands up to gently hold James' face, bringing him in close. "It's okay, James. You don't have to say sorry, I should be the one apologizing. You're right, I'm not… being a good partner." "That's not what I-" "Shh, quiet. I know that's not what you mean, but it's true. I'm not listening to you. I've put you on the back burner and haven't heard you out at all. I've done nothing but worry you more than I actually wanted too. And that's… not what good partners do. So I'm sorry. And y'know what? I promise, I'll talk to someone. I'll talk to Hunnigan, and maybe I can work something out." Leon gently caressed James' face as he spoke, causing James to lean into his touch, smiling. "... You promise?" James mumbled as he nuzzled into Leon's hand, taking it into his own and kissing it. "I promise, sweetheart." Leon replied, genuinely. "Thank you, sweetheart." James answered, sweetly. "Hey now, I'm the one who uses 'sweetheart' here." James giggled quietly, any tension slowly fading away as they got lost in each other's little quips. "You haven't shaved, huh?" Leon commented in a lighthearted manner. "Neither have you." "I haven't been home, what's your excuse?" "I'm forgetful." "Heh, yeah, sure."

They both quietly laughed, continuing their friendly banter until sleep weighed heavy on them. Somehow, like usual, they both ended up in a different position from how they started, Leon almost on top of James as they snuggled together, resting silently. James ran a hand through Leon's messy hair, and placed a kiss on top of his head; "Goodnight, Leon." "Woah, hey. How about a proper kiss?" "I gave you one of those before you left, you can hold out till the morning, can't you?" James mocked, but leaned in closer to Leon anyway. "Yeah yeah, you're so amusing." Leon shook his head before he closed the gap between them. He missed the feeling of having James' lips on his, missing the feeling of being held with such delicacy and passion, missed… James. The kiss was sweet and short, they couldn't hold it for long as they both started to laugh, exhaustion from the night no doubt taking over them. "Okay… goodnight now, Leon." "... Goodnight, James." After such a long, hard, exhausting week full of complications and issues that were out of Leon's ability to solve, he felt calm and comfortable for the first time in a while. He wished he could spend every waking moment like this; curled up next to his loved one underneath a warm blanket, his troubles feeling miles away and the outside world nonexistent. Leon could feel his own heart beating faster than usual, and for once it's not out of fear or adrenaline, but instead out of love.

[insanefan]

Gave the boy some comforts for all that hurt

Val’dran doesn’t typically lose awareness of his surroundings when he’s panicking. If anything, he focuses too much on all of it, desperately trying to find somewhere safe, somewhere hidden, and dark, and quiet where he can panic without being found. But he does get something like tunnel vision, he knows that. Focuses so much on one aspect of safety that he may ignore others.

Still, he’s… surprised when he finally calms this time. He’s… warm. Comfortable. He’s wrapped in a blanket, which his exhausted mind can’t really recall having happened at all, and…

And there’s Halsin. He’s the source of warmth, sitting close enough that Val’dran feels his heat through the blanket, but attention on whittling on a piece of wood.

…He was nowhere near Halsin. When did he…?

“This might just turn into another duck,” Halsin says thoughtfully.

Val’dran blinks slowly, not quite following. Duck? Oh, yes, Halsin’s wooden figures, the whittling, that makes sense. He’s not entirely sure what that has to do with anything, but he has to admit Halsin’s calm voice is pleasant to hear regardless.

“You like cats, don’t you?” the druid continues. “Maybe I’ll try to whittle one of those next.”

“…I’d like that,” Val’dran mumbles.

Halsin turns to look at him, gaze soft and warm. “I’ll see what I can do,” he nods. “How are you feeling?”

Val’dran twitches an ear and averts his own gaze, cheeks heating faintly. How long did he get lost in his own head, to not even have noticed Halsin? To not have noticed being wrapped up in a blanket?

“…Exhausted,” he admits. “When… what…?”

He can’t seem to figure out what he should be asking, and grimaces at his own lack of eloquence. He hates how out of it he gets. Hates how panicking drains everything, leaving him a hollowed-out husk of a drow. It gets better with rest, of course it does, but the way that horrible fatigue sinks into his bones and fills his head with fog is… unpleasant.

“You showed up some ten minutes ago,” Halsin offers. “I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of wrapping you in a blanket – you were terribly cold.”

Val’dran shakes his head. He doesn’t mind. But what Halsin says—

…Val’dran approached him?

It’s neither dark nor hidden. But… but he must’ve felt there would be safety to be found with Halsin. Quiet, yes. Warmth…

He sought Halsin out because he thought him… safe?

The realisation stuns him for a moment. Places are safe. Hidden nooks where he can’t be found. Not people. People are dangerous, they might at best mock you for weakness, at worst exploit it. But… no, Halsin wouldn’t do that, would he? He’s… safe.

…Val’dran doesn’t know what he’s supposed to think about that.

“You needn’t talk about what set off the panic,” Halsin says. “But would you like a hug?”

Well. That must be exactly why he thinks Halsin safe, mustn’t it? He doesn’t demand. Never demands anything from Val’dran, only offers, asks, gives.

…But Val’dran still feels somewhat shaky, despite the blanket. A warm embrace… wouldn’t be amiss.

“Yea. Please,” he murmurs. Sits himself up a bit.

The hug Halsin gives is slow and gentle and wonderfully warm. Val’dran swallows thickly and hides his face in Halsin’s shirt. It smells of earth and greens and Halsin. Safe. He’s safe.

[pariahsparadise]

rose's scorn

nav. | m.list

word count: 1.9k

pairings: jason todd x f!reader

warnings: SMUT SMUT SMUT, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. p in v, oral (fem!receiving) sex. minor spoilers for titans s2. is badly written a warning? unedited.

a/n: titans as a show is so shit. the plot is all over the place, the characters and relationships are cringe and form too quickly and everything is just so unrealistic, i hate it so fucking much. that being said, it did give us shirtless curran walters. i imagine this takes place around s2 e11. enjoy??

“We only have two rooms available, unfortunately.”

You groaned inwardly, sparing a glance over your shoulder at Jason and Rose, the latter of which was batting her eyelashes, her hand provocatively dancing over Jason’s bicep. You suppressed an eye roll at the sight and turned to face the apologetic receptionist, answering her with a “Fine. We’ll take them.”

You turned to face the “couple” behind you again, “You two can share?”

“What?” Jason said, his eyes running over your face, at the same time that Rose squealed, “Yes.” You took that as your answer.

The three of you had found yourself in a pretty luxurious hotel after leaving Titans tower. Dick had finally come clean with the team, unveiling the true events leading up to Jericho’s death, and you couldn’t stand being in that space any longer. You had been a part of the Titans before Jason had, so you and Jericho had come to be good friends. In fact, you were one of the first to tell Dick you were leaving, Jason immediately piping up behind you, “I’m going with her.” 

The warm feeling that enveloped your chest was soon dissipated when Rose asked to join you. Without so much as a glance back at Jason, you assented, figuring that’s what he’d want. After all, Rose hadn’t really kept quiet about their kiss. She kept asking Rachel for advice on what to do while you were literally right there- not wanting to hear any of it.

Because the thing was, unlike what Rose believed, she wasn’t the only one to have kissed Jason.

The two of you had known each other for a while now, and you hadn’t been able to pinpoint exactly when your friendship had grown into…something more. One heated kiss during training, another when Jason had injured himself, leading to you standing in between his legs, his chest trembling as your fingers applied a balm to his bare skin- and before you knew it, his hand was cupping your cheek and his lips were on yours, devouring you like a man starved.

That was it, though. The two of you hadn’t spoken about either incident, wanting to stick with your comfortable, safe relationship of friends. Sure, maybe you had thought that the two of you would eventually wake up and realise what you had been missing out all along, just like in the movies. Maybe you had believed the two of you would eventually end up together, just like you belonged.

 Now, it seemed unlikely, what with a certain thorny Rose in the way.

The knocks on your door come in threes, in rapid succession.

You open it to reveal Jason Todd, standing in your doorway in a grey T-shirt and shorts, presumably his nightclothes.

“Yes?” you ask, crossing your arms over your chest, cheeks heating up when Jason’s eyes flash downwards for a split second.

“Can I- Can we share the room instead?”

You blink at him, taken aback by the question. Wouldn’t he like to share with Rose? Now that they were practically together, this just didn’t make sense. Plus, would she even be okay with him coming here?

“What about Rose?” you voice your last concerns out loud, darting a glance out into the hallway, in the direction of her room, “I thought she wanted to share with you?”

“She did,” Jason allows, “It was me who didn’t want to.”

“Why not?” you ask, staying rooted to the spot as Jason moves closer to you.

He husks a half-laugh, an incredulous look in his eye as if he can’t believe what you’re asking of him, before he lowers his face so his lips are inches apart from yours.

“She isn’t you, idiot.”

Your eyes must be comically wide by now, you’re sure, but all you can say is, “Oh.”

The glint in Jason’s eye vanishes and his lip curls up in a slight frown, evidently disappointed by your lack of reciprocation, and his feet shift like he’s about to step away from you. You don’t give him the chance, though, your hands shooting out to fist into his shirt, pulling him down to meet your lips.

He responds in a frenzy, his mouth moving much faster than yours as he walks you backwards into the room, leaving you no choice but to increase your pace until you match his desperation. One of his hands wraps around your waist, the other curls at the back of your head before he pushes you up against the door to shut it, kissing you viciously, his hands taking the brunt of the force so you don’t get hurt. 

It’s a small gesture, one you can barely focus on because God, he knows how to kiss, but it warms your heart just the same. 

Jason’s hips rut into yours harshly, and you bite down on your lip to stop an embarrassing sound from escaping. He notices, unhooking it with his thumb before snatching it up in another kiss, his teeth scraping along your lower lip. 

“You drive me crazy,” he gasps, pulling you away from the door and twirling the two of you around, walking you backwards to the bed. You’re pushed down into the mattress, given no opportunity to protest before he’s stalking up your body, meeting your lips again as he uses his weight to keep you pressed down.

“Take this off,” he says, tugging at the hem of your shirt, and you immediately go to comply before stopping in your tracks.

“Wait,” you say, and Jason stills on top of you, concern overtaking his original expression of desire. When he speaks, his words are unsteady, “Shit, are you okay? Are we going too fast?”

“No,” you say immediately, your hand reaching up to trace reassuring circles along his cheekbone, “No, this is fine. Can you- can you just turn off the lights?”

Jason frowns down at you, “But then I won’t be able to see you.”

“Exactly,” you say, “That’s the entire point. Can you please get them?”

“Y/N,” Jason says slowly, “I want to see you.”

You sigh, your eyes travelling beyond Jason’s face to stare at the ceiling behind him as you quietly admit, “I’m not much to look at.”

“Babe?” Jason gets your attention back, your chest warming at the nickname, “That’s utter bullshit.”

You open your mouth to argue, but Jason silences you with a kiss, his hips dipping to meet yours in soft grinds, so all the words that come out of your mouth after are unintelligible. He seems entirely too cocky about that, ridding himself of his shirt swiftly. Yours is thrown off shortly after, tossed in the same direction that his clothes went.

Jason audibly sputters as he realises you aren’t wearing a bra, his hands coming up to smoothe over your ribs to your breasts almost reverently. You arch your back as you let out a choked moan, only to gasp as Jason lowers his mouth to kiss around your right mound, before sucking at your nipple, his teeth coming into play moments after to scrape at the same area. 

He alternates his attention between the two, the one without his mouth earning his hand instead, and you are utterly convinced that you are going to die in this bed. 

“No bra,” he says into your skin as his mouth marks you, “It’s almost like you planned for this to happen.”

“No,” you weakly protest as Jason kisses down your stomach, his hands pulling off your pants and underwear in one smooth motion before pushing your thighs apart. You shut your eyes as you feel his mouth at the inside of your right thigh, needing to get the words out, you gasp, “I’m not the one who showed up with a condom in my pockets.”

Jason laughs, sending vibrations through your cunt and you jolt, earning his hand draping over your waist to hold you in place. 

“Nothing gets past you, huh?” he says affectionately, licking a harsh stripe up your cunt before you can respond. It’s not like you’d be able to anyways, his mouth and fingers work in tandem to keep you speechless. He kisses your cunt sloppily, fingers slipping in and out in lazy thrusts as he works harder with his tongue. At one point, he pulls away completely, leaving you to whine at the empty feeling. He just laughs before slapping your pussy, making you cry out and tense every muscle in your fucking body, before his mouth is back to work, soothing the sting he left. You cum not long after, hard, and he works you through it meticulously, kissing your thighs as you come down from your high.

When he crawls up your body again, you’re ready, wanting to repay him for what might as well have been the best orgasm of your life. Your hands find his shoulders and you whip the two of you around, leaving you on top. You straddle him, revelling in the gasp he lets out, before you lean forward to make out with him again. You shift your hips just so, and he ruts his up into yours, your eyes widening at just how large he is. Slipping your hand down, you palm him through his shorts, his head falling back against the headboard with a thud, as if all his strength just seeped out of him. It returns just when you sneak a hand into his boxers, cupping around his cock, before his eyes fly open. “No, no,” he says, flipping the two of you back around, “Absolutely not.”

He whips his remaining clothes off with little flourish, only at the last second remembering the condom in his pocket. He rips it open with his teeth, the action turning you on more than it probably should have, before he slides it on and enters you.

“Oh fuck,” you moan, muscles tensing as he slides in, staying in place for a few moments to gauge your reaction. When you nod at him, he starts moving ever so gently, his hands pushing your thighs further apart. His thrusts are languid and torturous, you can feel every vein of his cock, every twitch it makes as you shift underneath him. 

Boldly, you twine your legs around his waist and lock them, forcing him even deeper into you and he groans. It takes a few more slow, rolling thrusts before you break, your cunt tightening around him, the sensation bringing him to his own high.

“Oh God,” you say, clapping a hand over your mouth. It’s an hour later, you and Jason are back in your bed again. You had headed to the shower together to “get cleaned up” which, in reality, resulted in round two. After that, you actually cleaned up, before sneaking under the covers again, truly exhausted and in dire need for rest after your…activities.

“What?” Jason asks you, looking bemused as he pulls your hand off your mouth. He kisses it, and you feel a strange giddiness, but you push it away to answer him.

“Rose,” you tell him, “She’s right down the hall. Shit, do you think she heard us?”

“I hope she did,” Jason says, “Maybe she’ll get the hint. And if she doesn't, we can always try again tomorrow.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, Todd.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way, L/N.”

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Mission Shenanigans

Pairing | Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings | smut, fingering, vaginal sex, unprotected sex

Word count | 2385

Summary | while on a mission undercover, you and Bucky are forced to share a bed. Very dirty things ensue

Masterlist

"If we're just pretending to be a couple, why do we have to actually sleep in the same bed? Do you really think they're going to break in and catch on of us sleeping on the sofa?" You scoffed, hands perched on your hips and as shook your head at the super soldier in front of you.

"Maybe." Bucky smirked, his answer short but almost full of a lingering promise of more. You rolled your eyes at him, itching to slap that cocky smirk off his face and also maybe accidentally let his cock slip into your mouth whilst doing so. Oops.

You couldn't help it, really. I mean, Bucky is gorgeous. He truly is a specimen, all muscles and cocky smirks and metal arms. Oh and the metal arm? You were dying to know how the metal felt against your skin, against your lips - your lower lips-

"You there doll?" You were grabbed from your little train of thoughts (sinful thoughts at that) by the man in front of you snapping his fingers in your face.

"S-sorry. Lost in thought. What were you saying?" You stuttered, cheeks flushing pink as you averted your gaze to a vase on the table that suddenly became awfully captivating.

"I said that we should go out and get some wood for the fire before it gets dark." Bucky drawled, rolling his eyes now when you hummed in agreement whilst nodding absent-mindedly.

You were on a mission to get some info on a potential lead on a rising HYDRA group in southern France. You were in a cabin like area near some forest that almost seemed out of place, posing as a young couple that was newly wed and wanted a honey moon abroad. So far you pulled off the part perfectly, playing the most stereotypically-American tourists in Europe you could be. You got overly excited at the smallest things, told everyone you spoke to that you adored their accent, insisted on eating at French restaurants only, and local ones of course.

It was the perfect ploy - the only downfall being Bucky's metal arm causing him to stick out like a sore-thumb. So the super soldier has been miserable in public, roasting in the summer sun whilst clad in leather gloves and long-sleeve shirts.

What you had failed to mention to him that the sight of droplets of sweat collecting along his brow and sliding slowly down his neck got you all hot and bothered. So hot and bothered, in fact, that you found yourself desperate to stick your hand between your legs to quell the growing ache blossoming there.

But you couldn't because Bucky was insisting that you both share a bed. Originally, you had just planned on taking the sofa in the other room and get yourself off but that plans obviously gone out the window.

"Right, well. We should go now." Bucky said, cutting through the awkward silence that had settled comfortably between you two. He grabbed your arm, tugging you out the small cabin and towards the woods.

So, three hours later, you found yourself full of food, groaning with the amount to had consumed. Chewing your last bite, you set your cutlery down on you plate, which was almost immediately swiped by Bucky.

"With cooking like that, you've just become my most dangerous friend, Barnes." You chided, a smile finding your face when he chuckled softly, the edges of his eyes crinkling adorably. He set your plate with his in the sink, turning on the water and drizzling some dish soap into the basin. He sipped his hands quickly on a towel before discarding it on the work surface and turning to face you.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it, doll." He smiled, arms crossing over his chest. With the hot summer heat, he'd changed into a tank top almost the second you entered the cabin, so his bulging bicep was on display as well as that metal arm that you adored. His hair was thrown into a bun at the back of his head, a few framing pieces fallen out around his face and it made him look beautiful.

"I'm gonna go shower whilst you clean up." You suddenly announced, pushing up from your chair and bursting from the room. You walked swiftly down the hall, into the bedroom to grab a towel before you were entering the adjoining bathroom.

You moaned as the warm water soothed your aching muscles, the steam clouding up the bathroom as you hummed the song that'd been stuck in your head for god knows how long. Taking a deep sigh, you massaged the shampoo into your hair, the feeling of your nails scraping against your scalp a welcome one.

After washing the suds from your hair and wiping down your body with a sponge and some lemon scented soap, you shut the water off and pulled back the curtain of the shower. Careful not to trip as you stepped out of the tub, you grabbed the fluffy white towel sat waiting for you on the counter and patted your hair until it was only damp, before drying off your body. You wrapped the cloth around you, holding it up just above your breast, clutching it there so I didn't fall down as you tiptoed back into the bedroom.

The door whined is I opened, the handle banging against the wall as you crept into the room.

"Hey, doll." Bucky smirked, lounging on the bed and resting in his palms. Your eyes bugged out of your skull, you jumped slightly, the shock of seeing him there shirtless and with sweatpants handing loose over his hips caused your grip on the towel to stop long enough for it to fall. Bucky smoothed his tongue of his lip, biting down on it as his eyes roamed your body.

You were still in shock, not moving from where you stood, towel bundled at your feet and arms awkwardly by your sides. Bucky whistled, slowly standing and taking a few strides so he was stood in front of you.

"You look even better than I thought you would." He mumbled, licking his lips again before his hands found purchase on your hips. His eyes were searching you, blue edges fading as black lust petered out from his pupils. Your breathing was heavy, mind foggy but all you could comprehend was the half-naked super soldier stood in front of your naked form, hands - one comfortingly warm one chillingly cold - resting on the bare skin of your hips.

And I just made you needy and slick with want. And that had to be the cause of the words that found themselves upon your lips. Your eyes flickered between his and his lips - his soft, plump pink lips - that were just begging you to kiss them.

"If you don't kiss me in the next three second I'm going to scream." You murmured and he breathed a laugh through his nose before his lips crashed to yours in a lustful, earth-shattering kiss. Bucky's hands travelled over your sides, squeezing your waist before going higher until one wrapped around your neck possessively, using the grip he had to walk you back until your back came into contact with the door you had entered from, his metal hand bracing against the wood for support.

Your moan let him know it was exactly what you wanted and Bucky tightened his grip slightly on your neck, a gentle squeeze to test the waters that had you groaning against his lips. He tilted his head to the side, feeling the kiss even further. It was a dirty, messy, sloppy thing - all teeth and tongue and unadulterated desire. When his lips finally left yours, they trailed down your neck, leaving open-mouthed, wet kisses over your throat and your collar bone. A hand found it's way between your quaking legs, finding nothing by slick and slippery skin as the tips brushed through the collecting wetness at the apex of your thighs. He groaned at the feeling, letting his digits dance through the liquid before one was slipping into your quivering hole.

"Bucky!" You gasped, hands reaching up, grabbing and clawing at his shoulders for purchase as his thumb connected with your little bundle of nerves. Your hips bucked violently into his hand, a low and rumbling chuckle falling from those perfect, pink lips. Another finger entered you, both of them curling - curling just right, hitting that spot deep within you.

You came with a  cry and shaky legs, your body falling limply into Bucky's as he retracted his fingers, revelling in the wanton look in your eyes as he licked them clean.

"Delicious." He hummed, pulling off his fingers with a pop. Before you could protest, the brunet had scooped you into his arms, hoisting up up with his hands under your ass - groping and squeezing as he pinned you to the wall with his hips. Your arms were wrapped around his neck by now, fingers tangling into his long, brown hair as his lips never left your skin.

"Fuck, Bucky, please." You begged, but you weren't really sure what you were asking for.

"You want me to fuck you?" He whispered in your ear, a moan slipping past your lips. "You want me to fuck you in the middle of a mission like a whore?" He husked and you moaned even louder - knowing the word should offend you but it did anything but, the combined sensation of his hot breath fanning over your cheeks, his prominent bulge pressed to your folds and his hands resting on your bare sides overwhelming your senses. His hands moved down, fumbling with the drawstring on his sweats before he was pulling away slightly, pushing them and his boxers down his legs eagerly. You brought a hand down too, letting your fingers trail over his abs before you were marvelling at his cock - hard and leaking, red tip curved up against his stomach - which was now smeared with Previn that you were desperate to lick off. But he wouldn't let you from his grasp.

Instead, you both let out a moan when your small hand wrapped around Bucky's cock, Bucky shivering slightly at the coldness of you palm. He kissed you again hard, tongue smoothing over your lips before it was pushing its way into your mouth, tangling with yours and stroking over the muscle in languid strokes. You fisted his hair, relishing in the groan he let out as you tugged. You smiled into the kiss at his reaction, but pulled away to squeal his thumb flitted over your clit again.

Bucky moaned when his tip ran through your wetness, hand wrapping around his length as he lined himself up with your core. Bucky leant in, pecking your lips.

"Ready?" He mumbled and you moaned his name, letting out a loud moan when he sheathed himself inside of you in one sharp thrust.

"Fuck, Bucky!" You moaned and he let his thumb rest on your clit, teasing circles rubbed over it making the knot in your stomach forms already, blue eyes now turned black as he looked into yours.

"I want you to come around my cock, pretty girl" He murmured, forehead resting against your as he begun to thrust. Your hands clung to his shoulders, your nails digging into his skin only spurring Bucky on as his pace became slow but strong, knocking the air out of your lungs with every thrust. His breath was hot on your cheeks, eyes keeping yours prisoner and a small layer of sweat coated your faces.

The whole scene was erotic, so it only pushed your further to the edge when he began moaning and groaning, your own sounds vibrating around the room. Your fingers traced over the scars littering his shoulder, before clinging to the cool metal and moaning out at the contrast against your flushed and hot skin.

"Good girl." He moaned, the praise sending a new wave of wetness tumbling down to your core, his cock pushing in and out of you effortlessly now with how much lubrication you were supplying. Bucky's hand moved from the door, fingers wrapping a round your throat again and pushing your head back against the wood.

"This pussy's gonna make me cum so hard, sweetheart, so fuckin' hard." He mumbled into the skin of your neck, dropping his head to nip and suck at your jaw line. You knew there'd be marks there tomorrow, but you couldn't care less in that moment as your walls began to clamp down on his in a vice grip.

"C'mon, cum for me. I can feel how close you are." Bucky moaned and your mouth dropped open into a silent scream, eyes rolling back into your skull, his pace picking up as he tried to push you to your release.

When you came it was a mind-shattering orgasm, eyes rolling back and hips bucking, stomach tight and legs shaking around his waist.

"There we go, good girl." Bucky groaned, chasing his own release now as he used you for his own pleasure. "Shit, y/n." He moaned, stilling his hips as a final thrust sent him over the edge, cumming in you in hot spurts.

Your breaths mingled, the smell of sex invading your senses as you head dropped forward to lean against Bucky's shoulder.

"Fucking hell, Buck, that was-" you panted.

"Amazing? The best sex of your life?" He supplied, hand massaging your hip as you both calmed down.

"Something like that." You giggled. He chuckled too, and you gasped as he felt him thrust shallowly into you again. How was he already hard again? You figured that the serum must have affected everything. You groaned, and Bucky smirked down at you.

"Ready for round two?" He asked, walking with you in his grasp over to the bed.

"If anyone does break in tonight, they're in for one hell of a show." You smiled weakly, Bucky dropping you into the sheets and crawling over you.

"They sure are, Doll."

[milqueandsugar]

Can you do something soft with Wilbur? Like him and the reader are having a sappy and soft moment really really late at night and the only light is the moon from the window?

🏵 Your Tea Is Ready 🏵

Warnings: mentions of scars/death

Genre: Fluff twinge of hurt/comfort

| Water under the Bridge |

"I thought you liked parties,"

A scowl reached your face as you turned to face the man who you had believed had stood you up hours before, only to find he had been hiding from you the entire time. "I thought you liked me" you snap back, swinging your once dangling legs over to the other side of the bridge, wanting to give him your full attention as you chewed him out.

"I never said I didn't," he reasoned joining your side, the pale moonlight casting a silver glow on Wilburs scarred face. If you weren't upset with him you'd be absolutely enchanted by him in this lighting.

"You didn't have too," you started, he looked like he was about to cut you off when a stern glare from you shut him up. "Hiding from your date isn't exactly romantic now is it, Wilbur" you chide. You wanted to relesh in the pained look in his honey eyes, but you couldn't bring yourself too. Admittedly you cared quite a bit for him, which is why it hurt so much to catch him sharing drinks with Quackity while you bit back tears.

For once the brunette was quiet as he settled next to you, letting his arms rest crossed on the railing as he stared at the water. Damn him for being beautiful, it almost made you want to apologize, almost.

"I suppose it isn't," he said with a sigh, pushing himself away from the railing he extended his hand to you, fixing his suit a bit. "How about I make it up to you, care to dance?" You took his hand I your own, letting him pull you from the edge and pull you close. He never was quiet for long was he? "Care to explain yourself?" You hum as he began to lead you into a simple waltz, his touch gentle enough to be a graze, as he spun you around the cobble stone bridge. "Not many people enjoy waltzing with a ghost,"

With raised brows you began to question him before he continued, his tone unusually sheepish. "Thought I'd spare you the embarrassment."

"You're not a ghost wilbur, not anymore"

"If you think people don't see a corpse when they look at me, a rotten husk of a man, then you must be blind" he slowed to a stop as his eyes caught interest in everything but your own.

You sigh, "You are a rotten man, not for your scars," you take his face in your own, gently tracing his scar with your thumb. "Or you're hair" your hands travels up to comb through his white streaked locks, to grab a hold of his roots and pull him close to your face. "But because you believe leaving your date is less of an embarrassment then being seen with you" you hiss in his ear, pulling away as you slide your hands to his shoulders.

"The only thing sour about you, wilbur, is your judgement" you scold, a small smile coming to your face to match the grin on his own.

"I doubt that, it seems I have fairly good taste in dates" he cooed, leaning forward to capture your lips in his.

His lips were cold, like his hands that for the first time held you like he was really there, like he was more then the ghost he believed himself to be, but they felt alive, they made you feel alive as he dipped you into the moonlight, his arms cradling your waist as he kissed you like you were his dying wish, and you were.

He pulled away with a soft smile, before diving in to pepper your face in kisses, leaving your face flushed at his touch. "Let's get out of here, just you and me, hmm?" He practically pleaded against your skin, finally pulling you upright and closer to his chest as he stepped back to lean against the railing. "Maybe," you whisper, your breath finally coming back to you. "Im still mad at you" you regain your voice a bit as you wrap your arms around his neck.

He laughed, hearty and true as he kissed your fore head. "Give me the night to make it up to you then, I promise I'll make it up to you." Nodding you step away, interlocking your fingers with his. "Better hurry then, moons set to rise in a few hours"

"Don't worry song bird, I'll only need two."

[film-in-my-soul]

Prompt: “You never believe me! If I told you right now that I love you, would you even believe me?”

Pairing: Gaon Yohan please

(Ooooo, this could go either way huh? A part of me was very tempted to leave this as unresolved angst. But I'm in a benevolent mood so you may have crumbs of hurt WITH comfort.)

--REQUESTS TEMPORARILY CLOSED--

Yo-han would like to say that he's pleasantly tipsy, pleasantly drunk, but there's nothing quite pleasant about his current state of sobriety or lack-there-of.

He’s leaning back in his desk chair, robe open to expose a deep v of his bare chest while nursing a crystal tumbler of whiskey. It's less than half full and not the first he's had since starting.

When he drinks from it, the amber liquid burns on the way down. He can hardly feel it anymore.

Yo-han’s stare is blank, unfocused somewhere on one of the many bookshelves lining the study walls, he doesn't try to make out titles remember where certain books are. There's a storm raging outside, and blearily, Yo-han finds irony that the weather so perfectly matches the uncomfortable feelings swirling just behind his ribs.

He supposes that this is what it means when people say "you reap what you sow."

Yo-han knows he only has himself to blame. People are like animals, you can condition them to respond in certain ways and that's exactly what he'd done, hadn't he? He’d set up mysteries, truths wrapped in deception and disillusionment. Yo-han had built mistrust into the very foundation of their relationship. His intention hadn't just been subterfuge though, mostly, he'd wanted Ga-on to feel challenged, to listen to Yo-han and not believe, and then be faced with the reality he was right.

So why now, after all that, should he be surprised when the dominos fell in the only way they could.

Yo-han can't even recall, now that his veins are swimming with liquor, how their fight had started. Something over justice? Martyrdom? Ga-on's little cop friend and hypocrite mentor? Just thinking of those possibilities makes him laugh, a short, barking sound that ruefully falls from his lips. And it had been such a good day too until he'd inevitably put his foot in his mouth. Placing a landmine on the ground and then stepping on it, expecting the thing not to blow up in his face.

Most days had been good actually. It had been that way for... weeks now. Maybe the awareness of that, the ease in which he was able to move around his own home, as he'd watched Ga-on teach Elijah how to flip pancakes, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, had spooked him into such thorough self-sabotage.

Yo-han hadn't meant for it to happen like this. He hadn’t meant for it to happen at all. It wasn't even until mid-morning light caught the edge of Ga-on's smile as he'd turned over his shoulder to catch his eye that Yo-han even realized how deeply he’d allowed himself to slide down the slippery slope of feelings. All it took was for the younger man to gesture him over with a cock of his eyebrow and a wave of his spatula and Yo-han’s heart gave a painfully hard thump.

Love.

The roots of that damned emotion had burrowed through the husk of where his heart used to be and refused to be extracted. The funniest part, he realizes only now in hindsight, was that he’d been the one to allow the seed to plant itself. He’d chosen to keep Ga-on close and when all the signs had pointed toward growing sentiment, concern, affection, he hadn’t pushed away hard enough for it to actually be effective. He hadn’t even really tried. Or maybe he had and the stubborn, beautiful man Ga-on is refused to be turned away.

Another laugh comes bubbling up, but when it tumbles out it sounds very close to a sob instead and Yo-han chokes to keep any that might follow inside where they belong. Where he should have kept the words that had caused this whole drunken pity party.

“You never believe me!" his own words are a roar. "If I told you right now that I love you, would you even believe me?”

He doesn't know why he'd even let that question move from his head into the air between them, charged from a shouting match where there could be no victor. The moment that lingers after his unwitting confession sucks the energy out of the room, plunging them into a painfully empty silence. Ga-on had become statuesque by Yo-han’s question and the older used every ounce of control he’d learned throughout his years to make it seem like he’d intended to ask it, intended to spread his chest open and show the most disgusting vulnerable parts of himself.

It had been a fight to keep himself composed, to not look away as everything in Ga-on’s eyes reflected back to him. When he’d opened his mouth, Yo-han hadn’t needed to hear what he was going to say. It was all over his face. He wouldn't.

“Leave.” He knows his tone had been frigid, but that was the intention. Show nothing and they cannot use your weakness against you, and Ga-on would undoubtedly now know that he was Yo-han’s biggest weakness of all.

The fact the younger man hadn’t even tried to protest only reinforced the conclusion Yo-han had drawn. The icing on the cake was that the one time Yo-han would have gladly accepted being punched in the face where otherwise he’d never tolerate it, is the one time he’d manage to upset Ga-on enough that violence wasn’t his first reaction.

Now, Yo-han is sitting, pathetically trying to drown out the grief crawling like insects under his skin.

He’s obviously failed.

Frustration rears up, ugly and furious and Yo-han can’t stop himself from shooting up from his chair, hurtling the glass across the room, watching its trajectory before it hits the wall and shatters with a loud crash.

Yo-han is tired of rotting everything he touches, especially the things that matter.

Once the sudden tantrum is out of his system Yo-han takes stock of his newest destruction.

The shards of crystal are scattered everywhere around the study and Yo-han has a thought to simply walk all over them, self-flagellation, but he doesn’t, he’s never been a glutton for pain and Elijah would worry. Instead, the drunk man staggers to his feet, swaying slightly, and then carefully gets to the ground to start picking up the larger pieces. Mrs. Ji doesn’t deserve to have to clean up his messes like this, not when she's had to clean so many already.

He’s got two shards in his hand, clumsily grabbing for another and cutting his finger in the process, when a touch to his shoulder makes him jerk and whip around, ready to fight regardless of how the world tilts momentarily under his knees. Immediately that instinct drops away when he takes in the half silhouette of the person who has caught him unaware.

Ga-on, soft-eyed, looking concerned and a bit like a drowned rat, is standing there, staring down at him. Yo-han is momentarily at a loss but he tries hard to shutter himself away, take his momentary weakness, and push it into himself how he’s mastered doing. He drags up the anger instead, always sizzling inside his core, but when the scowl pinches onto his face Ga-on is dropping beside him on the ground and taking his hands, even the slightly bleeding one, and carefully extracts the crystal pieces.

“I told you-”

“You say a lot of things.” Ga-oh cuts him off and puts the shards to the side before taking up Yo-han’s hands again, it makes the older man swallow and while he’s derailed there’s another barb on the tip of his tongue. Ga-oh doesn’t let him throw it out. “You talk in circles and double meanings and cryptic warnings.” He’s not meeting Yo-han’s eyes, gaze lingering on the red staining the skin of his finger, trailing sluggishly from the cut. Yo-han wants to rip his hand away but he’s inebriated and he’s so suddenly tired. He wants Ga-on to say his part and then leave him in the relative silence his too-large home offers.

Ga-on seems to ready himself and he finally raises his eyes to meet Yo-han’s.

“I don’t know if I would believe it if you said you loved me, because half of the things you say are to manipulate me,” he’s not wrong, but Yo-han can’t help if it hurts a little, the consequences of his actions. And he would like to think he never does it because he wants Ga-on worse off, he just wants the other to see things the way that he does. “But…” Ga-on’s lips lift in a wobbly smile and Yo-han tells his liquor dumb brain not to hope. Hope hurts. Hope ruins people like him. “But I know how you act. When you think Elijah or I aren’t looking it's different than how you are outside these walls. I know what your intentions are even if your methods aren’t the same I would choose, and… and more than any of that, I’d like to.” Ga-on says that last part softly and it’s half stolen by a crack of thunder. Yo-han hears it regardless and has to force his brain to make the connections he’s never imaged could be actualized.

This is Ga-on, having left to do God knows what but returning, being honest. He's saying Yo-han’s words are trash but his actions are, somehow, what make him transparent. And it’s not just him laying Yo-han bare, but himself as well, saying where he stands but more importantly, where he’d like to.

Yo-han feels like he’s frozen, unable to move, unable to blink, to breathe. For once he feels like Ga-on is the most dangerous of the two of them, because kindness? Kindness can be just as sharp as malice. It just slices differently.

Ga-on, seeming to realize that Yo-han might be too far gone on alcohol, strung out from their previous fight, isn’t going to get far in an actual conversation. He sighs softly and curls his fingers around Yo-han’s wrist before rising, bringing Yo-han carefully with him.

“Let's get you and the floor cleaned up. We can talk in the morning.”

Yo-han follows, thinking to himself as Ga-on, still soaked from the rain but gently tugging him along to where the first aid kit is, might also let his actions betray him too. How he always comes back, no matter how harshly Yo-han pushes, how Ga-on situations himself into Elijah and his lives like it’s easy and not the uphill battle Yo-han knows he makes it.

Maybe… just maybe if Ga-on were to say he loved him too, one day, not now, not really, Yo-han would believe it too.

--REQUESTS TEMPORARILY CLOSED--

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Scattered AU Masterpost Part 1

This is a collection of all material associated with the Scattered AU (read about the premise here)!

Join the new Discord server here

AU material under the cut (because this is growing super fast already)

Due to post length limit (which is apparently a thing), find Part 2 of this AU here.

A few ideas to get us started:

- Tango and Zedaph spawned relatively close to each other, but they haven't found each other yet and each think they are alone. They keep just barely missing each other in their exploration of the area. Maybe, with the powers of Zed's perfect sense of direction and Tango's laser-sharp perception skills, they'll finally stop walking circles around each other...maybe.

- Xisuma spawned alone, deep underground in a massive, confusing cave system. He desperately wants to figure out what's going on and how to fix it, but a bad run-in with the Warden damaged his helmet, leaving him unable to use admin commands.

- Mumbo spawned the farthest out of anyone, right next to a woodland mansion. He quickly realized that hoping to stumble across another person this far out is a lost cause, so he's trying to create some form of communication using a combination of redstone and Evoker magic. The Evoker isn't very helpful, and it isn't going well.

- Joe and Vintagebeef were the only ones to successfully spawn at spawn. They aren't really sure what's going on, but they've decided to build a small village as a base of operations while they figure it out (and to signal signs of life to anyone who might successfully find their way back)

- Cleo spawned in a village, and is currently hiding out in a house while trying to convince the villagers to trust her. Let's just say they aren't thrilled to have a zombie in their midst (and the iron golem is even less pleased)

- Impulse had the misfortune to spawn in a guardian temple. Between the guardians and the constant threat of drowning, he's been in a death loop since the world started.

- False and Stress spawned right next to each other. They figured out pretty early that something was wrong with regen, and using their combined strengths, they made it to the Nether to get ingredients for healing potions. They are now on a mission to find the others and distribute the potions to whoever needs them.

- Ren actually managed to travel a good distance back to the world center, before getting pretty badly injured. With no regen, and knowing he'll have to start the journey all over if he dies and respawns, he's decided to pull together a small base and take shelter while he waits to be found.

- Scar spawned on an outer End island, with no idea how to get back to the Overworld. He keeps finding strange glitches in his surroundings, and he swears he can hear soft Vex laughter whenever he turns his back...

- Keralis spawned in the Nether, and he is absolutely terrified.

That's all I have for ideas so far. The location of the others (and what happens next) is up to you!

Contributions so far:

- Bdubs spawns in the void, but he just doesn’t die. Maybe it’s spawn protection, maybe it’s the glitches, but he just keeps falling and falling and falling further from the bedrock, unable to do anything to help himself as he descends further into the void

- @fluffy-papaya

- After wandering around aimlessly for days or maybe weeks, Tango finds an automatic farm for... well... he's not sure, exactly. But he does know who built it- it's got Zedaph's mark all over it. So he stays there, fixing broken Redstone, trying to figure out what it does. And when Zedaph returns to collect melons (so that's what this thing is for), he finds Tango waiting for him.

- @rayveewrites

- Etho spawns in a underwater cave, but there is air in it and for some reason a shipwreck so he can get some wood and tools. But he has to get out to contact anyone because the reception in caves don't happen to be the best, little does he know just outside the cave is the monument where Impulse is, they're so close yet so far from one another

- anonymous

- Maybe Etho ended up spawning at the very top of a mountain, he could see far from up there and has a general idea of where he is, but no idea how to get down as all around him is powderd snow hiding ravines, and cliffs. . . And a few goats that Etho has narowly avoided getting headbutted by. (Etho went to the mountain after escaping the cave)

- @ciaravixen

- Welsknight spawned in the Nether

- (paraphrased) Ren fell down a ravine in the mountains on his journey to the world center, and decided to make a small cabin base rather than try to carry on injured. Doc spawned in those same mountains, and may find him eventually.

- anonymous

- Grian spawns on the tallest peak of the highest mountain. Surrounded by thick fog and almost ever-falling snow, with crevasses and cliffs that drops thousands of blocks to the ground around every corner. No trees, no life, and barely enough air to breath. It's so cold. A thin red sweater isn't nearly enough to keep him warm.... he's likely caught in a death loop for quite awhile as he refreeze over, and over, and over again. And when he does manage to climb down, an ice pillager lies in wait...

- @therainofsweetmelody

- Scar’s End spawn is on a single island- he can see other islands around him, but they’re just out of jump reach- he tried, and fell and died, and respawned back onto his little island with the whispering voices around him a tad louder, and the islands just a bit farther away. He stops trying to jump to them eventually, out of fear they’ll vanish and he won’t have anything to focus on besides the whisper of ice cold hands and wings on his skin

- anonymous

- Oh! Maybe since Xisuma’s admin helmet is broken and he’s unable to run any world commands, that means mob hermits like Cleo, Doc, and Jevin aren’t quite the same. Maybe Cleo locked herself in that house for the villagers protection as much as her own. Maybe Doc eventually joins a lone creeper pack. Who knows! -💧

- anonymous

- Zed and Tango spawned in the same jungle biome, explaining the melon farm and why they could be literally three blocks from each other and still not be aware of each other’s existence. -🟣

- The first thing Scar does once he first spawns in (besides from almost having a panic attack) is take a jump into the void. This of course does nothing. He checks out the rest of the end islands around him, and finds a rather large end city just in render distance. There should be treasure or something that could help him survive, right? -🟣

- Keralis was lucky enough to spawn in a warped forest biome and next to a basalt delta, so he’s got wood and stone. It takes a bit, but he gets full gold armor and finds his way to a nether fortress. He figures with the broken regen that the other hermits will try to go for potions. Maybe he finds Stress and False, maybe not. -🟣

- I apologize if I'm sending too many asks, please feel free to say if so! I'm just already so invested in this idea, and absolutely love where it's all going! Shattered au brainrot go brrrrr - anyways; Cub spawns in a valley within the messa. To one side an abandoned village covers the cliff, and to the other, mines drill deep into the rock. A stream luckily runs through the valley, though it's slowly drying up. He can hear strange sounds in the mines, and feels something in the village watching

- @/therainofsweetmelody

- what if the hermits caught in death loops start gaining scars and marks from all their deaths? like impulse had permanent scars from the guardians and grian’s hands are permanently blue from freezing to death all the time

- anonymous

- X finds some axoloyls in a lush cave and falls in love. He gets some wood from said cave and gets some buckets so he can keep them -🟣

- Cleo gets stuck in a death loop with the iron golem, who is blind to her not attacking the villagers. One of the smarter villagers realizes she’s not fighting back, and calls the golem off. -🟣

- (paraphrased) After the iron golem is called off, Stress and False find Cleo badly hurt in the village house. They make sure she's comfortable and safe before going to the Nether to get potions, where they find a battered Keralis and carry him back. They turn the house into a little hospital while they brew potions and take care of Cleo and Keralis until they're strong enough to move on.

- anonymous

- Stress and False have set up a Nether Portal near a Nether Fortress, for easy escape to the relative safety of the Overworld. Keralis has never been more relieved in his life than when he found that portal.

- @/rayveewrites

- Doc spawned a thousand blocks away from ren, not knowing hos friend was there he happened to go in that direction. He managed to get materials, tools and food for himself before he sees rens little hut

- anonymous

- Jevin was one of the luckier hermits, when it came to where he spawned. He woke up in the shallow green waters of a floral cave, illuminated by glowing rocks and berries. He wasn't... quite alone. Although no other hermits could be seen, he quickly found a small family of axolotl living in the closed-off cave. They became his companions as he tried to assess his situation, and served as comfort when he realised his communicator was almost useless. Being slime, the environment was very welcoming

- @/therainofsweetmelody

- Xb spawns in the middle of a desert, with not even a village in sight. While he's used to being in distant lands with limited resources, he's very much not used to it on the Hermitcraft server with limited contact to the others. As the nights go by and the sands grow more hostile thanks to never-burning husks, he grows more and more lonely.

-@/basaltdragon

- At first, Doc is elated when he spawns on a mountain surrounded by goats. That is, until he discovers that none of his fellow hermits are there with him. After being headbutted down the mountain into the snowy tundra below and left on precariously low health, he hunkers down in a nearby igloo. But it's not exactly easy in a food-scarce biome when his only contacts are two villagers and the horde of strays that gather outside each night...

-@crows-in-space

- in one sense of the word, scar is safe. There's enough chorus fruit on the island to keep him alive, and despite his concerns the enderman don't even bat an eye at him. Theoretically, he could survive for longer than many of the others. But the whispers keep nagging at him, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Sure, he could survive, but how long could he stay on this deathly quiet piece of land before someone would find him? He can see the faint outline of an End City on one of the fading islands, and every passing moment it haunts him. If he could just give in for a moment, let the powers of the vex harness his body for just a few seconds, maybe he could make it over and gather some gear- maybe even an elytra- and then he'd be set. But fear and logic talk him out of it. He's made deals with the vex before, and that quick trip across the islands could put him in a much more dangerous position than only being stranded...

- @/crows-in-space

- What if after scar gives up, he finds his vex mask lying on the floor with a tag saying ‘do it, it’ll help you get across’ (shade's note: Scar does it)

- anonymous

- For the Scattered AU: Scar gets an elytra, and after much internal struggling he decides to take a chance and leap into the darkness for hope of finding another island. During his terrifying glide he hears a distant scream from the void that is so familiar, but he can't quite place it, and he's in no hurry to risk flying any lower to check it out. - M

- @petrichormeraki

- Iskall and doc's robotic eye glitch out so they don't have any depth vision, so no mater where they spawn, they Are bound to die a few times from missinterprating how far away an Arrow or trident is, and how fast something is coming at them.

- @/ciaravixen

- I initially thought of this for Ren, but since there was already an idea for him, it could probably work for Iskall instead; He spawns in the middle of a scorching desert. Dunes of sand for as far as the eye can see, with barely a cactus or dead Bush in between. No water, no life - only the ever-present heat of the sweltering sun, and the large skeletons everywhere. He manages to find an abandoned temple after days of dragging himself through the sand, and spies a desert village on the horizon

- @/therainofsweetmelody

- Scattered AU! The way the "not killing Bdubs in his own spawn in the void" glitches work is similar to the forgiving void mod works where when you hit the bottom of the void you are teleported to the top instead of taking damage, but since Bdubs can't see anything in the void he doesn't know this (beyond a constant falling) feeling until he manages to "fall forward" enough to find some end islands, he finds scar this way but is so excited to see him he died from fall damage right in front of him

- @theclockworkowl

- (Scattered AU) Piggybacking off the death loop scars ask, when/if Bdubs is rescued from the void, he's in ROUGH shape. His external limbs are blackened and freezing with frostbite from the void (voidbite?), and his bones are permanently weakened from his form being subjected to the cold abyss for so long. Bdubs needs to relearn gravity after falling for so long, and doesn't use elytra anymore. The solid ground under his feet is something he'll never sacrifice for convenience ever again. - M

- @/petrichomeraki

- Wels spawned in a giant crimson forest in the nether. Towering mushroom trees, thick red vines, with piglins and hoglins he constantly has to run away from. But he finds something.... interesting as he's exploring. A house has been built into a wall, a mixture of nether and overworld blocks. Stepping inside, someone clearly lives there - someone who's not a piglin. Imagine his surprise (and relief) when a certain familair knight walks through the door. "Helsknight?"

-@/therainofsweetmelody

- xB wakes up in a dripstone cavern. It's damp and cold and the spikes are very tall, forming a sort of natural cage around him. At the very least, zombies and mobs can't get through, but the longer he stays there, the weirder the sounds get. There... wasn't a new mob for the dripstone caves, right? Right? (i'm trying VERY hard not to do new hermit OR crossover headcanons for scattered au. i swear) ~@betweenlands

- Scattered AU! Everyone Etho dies He spawns in a new place, first it was the underwater cave, then it was the top of a mountain, but it wasn't until he spawned inside an ocean monument and saw impulse trying to escape just as he was dying he realise the importance of the pattern, He was cycling though each of the other hermits spawn locations, which made all the wierd almost hermit made wierdnes make sense, the underwater one was his but the mountain was Grian's spawn spot,

- @/theclockworkowl

- Can the hermits see death messages? (They can) I'm imagining the potential angst of that, where normal world messages (achievements, commands, deaths) go through just fine but the others can't chat. The helplessness of watching their friends' names endlessly filling the chat and having no idea where they are, having no clue how to help, not even being able to offer comfort.

- @/basaltdragon

- Someone had mentioned xisuma also ending up in a floral cavern with axolotl, right? What if this was the same cave Jevin found himself stuck in? After days and days of clawing at stone, xisuma finally breaks into a cavern filled with faint light. After discovering the friendly acolotls, he notices a strange blue mass floating in the water.... and is almost startled to death when he sees the skull faintly showing through the slime, and the familiar wobbly voice coming from it. "Xisuma?"

- Doc and Grian (and later on, ren) spawned on the same mountain. Grian, of course, at the very top: stuck in the endless snowpeak, towering high above the clouds. Doc, meanwhile, ended up at the base, surrounded by snow and goats and giant taiga trees as far as the eye could see. Once Ren got stuck in the ravine, he often heard a familiar scream before a sickening splat every now and again, as the ravine lies almost completely below the highest peak. He's afraid to check his communicator.

- @/therainofsweetmelody

- grian’s practically given up since there’s not much for him to do. there’s no food and his hands are too frozen to mine. a little fox stays by his side at least. he’s about to freeze again and his health is low and he hears crumching footsteps approaching. he assumes its the iceologer coming for him but instead he hears “grian?” and he can make out blurry figures before he passes out and wakes up wrapped up in a blanket infromt of a fire. (whoevers managed to find and rescue him is up to you :D) (Shade's notes: the person who found him was Doc, and he took him back to Ren's cabin to warm up)

- anonymous

- Scar isn't the only one changed by the time he reaches spawn. Impulse drags himself up onto land finally, breathing heavily, and there's something different about him. Sharper teeth. The shadow he casts more inconsistent. Always faintly smells like saltwater. And his eyes glow faintly, a pale washed-out non-color like light at the bottom of the ocean. Something suggesting nonhuman geometry. Something sleeping that had to reawaken to escape. ~@betweenlands

- Eventually, Etho spawns in a jungle. By a complete stroke of luck, he sees the smoke of a campfire. Tango and Zedaph are happy to see someone- anyone- else. Especially when it turns out Etho somehow managed to get the coordinates of a certain Ocean Temple. Sure, it's far, but they can make it. After all, there's an 'I' in team ZIT, and they aren't leaving him behind.

- @/rayveewrites

- (summary of a couple different writing peices) After escaping the Guardian Temple, Impulse set out to find any other Hermit he could. He has gained some unnerving qualities and abilities that he doesn't really understand, but he's trying not to think about that right now. After defeating several mobs he should not have been able to defeat with his level of progress, he now possesses one Totem of Undying. He met up with Zedaph, Tango, and Etho on their way to find him. They are now hosting him at their campsite and are glad he is safe, but Etho is unnerved and suspicious of his more unsettling attributes.

- I had sent this idea right after the inbox closed, rip. But anyways - what if mumbo ended up befriending the evokers and pilligers in the woodland mansion? Of course, it wouldnt be like that at first- the constant death to the axes and swords and magic, the growls and yelling and cursed glares. But he always came back to work on the redstone and evoker magic in a desperate attempt to contact the others. Eventually, the evoker stops sending their vex, and the pilligers stop swinging their weapons

- @/therainofsweetmelody

- (Scattered AU) After Scar gives in to the Vex. Bdubs is barely conscious to begin with; dying to the void so many times really took it out of him in every way possible. But when he is awake, what he sees makes him scared. Scar with faded, cold eyes. Scar with transparent wings, gone in a blink. Scar being able to do things he shouldn't. Scar says it's to get them out of there, but every day he gets a little paler, a little colder, and Bdubs grows more worried. - M

- @/petrichomeraki

- Perhaps xb and Iskall are on opposite ends of the same desert? On one side, high sand dunes covering miles, with a single desert temple and isolated desert village hidden amongst the cliffs and hills. On the other, the deep flatt valley next to a Mesa mountain, flat nothingness stretching far past the horizon. It would still take quite a long time for them to find each other, but at least there's a change they could meet... and, perhaps, over that mountain, cub could be somewhere in the mesa

-@/therainofsweetmelody

- Iskall and Xb eventually find each other in the desert. Sunburned, dehydrated, and sand-blasted, they hug when they first meet despite not knowing each other well. And they try their best not to die, because what are the chances they'll ever find each other again? Two heads are better than one for finding their way to the rest of the hermits.

-@/basaltdragon

- Its probably a week or so of falling before bdubs managed to move enough to finally see the end islands just barely rendering in the distance. As someone had mentioned, perhaps he became so hopeful that he missed his mark, hitting the ground with a sickening splat just blocks beside scar. It took bdubs almost another week to get forward enough to see the islands again. This time, he landed right on scar... sending the vex back to his spawn several islands away, and leaving bdubs alone for days

-@/therainofsweetmelody

- While Bdubs and Scar are more than happy to have found each other again, their moments together are tense and filled with gaps of uncomfortable silence. There's an unspoken agreement hanging over them: Scar doesn't question Bdubs' frozen and frail state, and Bdubs pretends not to notice how Scar's skin has gotten pale and ghost-like, or how he glances behind him often, like he's being followed by a shadow only he can see. Though of course, Bdubs does notice. The whole server does. Grian wakes up in a cold sweat from a dream of Scar's ruthless attempts to destroy the mycelium resistance. Cub feels his own ties to the vex magic acting up once again, now worrying more than ever what Scar may have encountered in this broken world. Even Mumbo's evoker friend begins acting different, though Mumbo can't seem to determine whether it's out of excitement or fear...

-@/crows-in-space

- Scattered AU After the Wels meeting Hels Headcanon I imagine maybe Hels offers a deal to insure his safety on the Hermitcraft Server in exchange for Wels safety in the Nether. Wels very reluctantly agrees adding to the deal that Hels won’t hurt anyone. To bad he didn’t notice his Evil counterpart cross his fingers while shaking on it.

- anonymous

- Scattered AU:  TFC spawns on the main end island, dragon and all. With out proper preparation he’s been stuck in a death loop since the world’s start. Sometimes, right before he dies, he wishes that the janky respon would de-age his body; he’s not the agile young man who could take down the dragon solo anymore.

- @liagrace-b

- Scattered!Grian can’t fly. His normal down-featherly wings look like every feather has been plucked off, leaving the very sensitive skin open to the elements. But the world’s code itself has altered the physics of the wings themselfs. Grian can feel how much heavier the wing structure sits on his back, meaning that they couldn’t let him glide even if fully feathered. Poor Grian hasn’t survived the freezing cold long enough to know if his feathers would grow back with enough time.

- anonymous

- EX somehow gets into the scattered mix. Spawning in the Deep Dark, the exiled admin is terrified, and will stop at nothing to find his brother. 🌙

- (Scattered AU) Scar and Bdubs, after months(?) of travel, make it to the Ender Dragon's island. Bdubs is scared for both of their lives; he is in no condition to fight, he can't even STAND, and he's so, so afraid to die and be condemned to falling forever in the void once again. Scar says nothing, only gently setting his friend down behind an obsidian pillar before his skin goes completely translucent, his eyes clouding white. (Paraphrased: Scar defeats the dragon, him and Bdubs meet up with TFC)

- @/petrichormeraki

- the plugins do not work, so singleplayer sleep is out. Beds do reset spawn point, so the Hermits who spawned in a place where they can get them would do well to make several and use them as checkpoints along their journey (and hope that they don't get broken, especially for those who had to escape death loops....)

- (my answer to some questions)

- Those trapped in death loops change, adapting until they aren't harmed anymore or till they escape. After all, what are players if not adaptable?

- @permafrost782

- Xisuma blames his broken helmet for being unable to admin, as some sort of comfort. But there is no comfort there. The truth is, not even Joe, Tango, Cub, or Hypno can access the chat, can even begin to run commands to fix what has gone wrong. If they could, they would have teleported everyone to 0,0 and reset the worldspawn. Those partnered with any of the admins feel a certain kind of hopelessness. Those without feel a different kind of hopeless.

- @/basaltdragon

- To add to the scattered AU: Though i had seen someone explain the void connecting to the end so Bdubs gets out of that fall, i had the thought of this; What if eventually the void loops around with the overworld's sky, so he's basically in a continuous loop if falling to his death and respawning in the void until he finally is lucky enough in his falls to get over water and live. After that he just has to stay alive otherwise he returns to the void..

-@aetosofvalla

- Somewhere, in the back of Scar’s vex-addled mind, there’s the worry of Jellie. Where is she? Is she with another hermit? Did she spawn in with another village again and will he have to find her again? -🟣

- (Scattered AU) Cub and Scar have been linked by the Vex ever since their deal. One day, Cub's iron armor burns against his skin all at once, and through the searing pain is a horrifying realization that Scar has given in. - M

-@/petrichormeraki

- After a while Cub gets the resources to build a nether portal, but then he finds his portal has connected with someone else's. He finds himself lost again, without access to the farms he's built or the resources he's gathered, but at least he knows a friend is close.

- anonymous

- The End duo come across another end city. There’s a boat at the far end. Scar flies up on delicate vex wings to get the spare elytra and other loot. They’ve been walking for far too long. He floats down (as if he had the slow-falling effect. There’s only health in the brewing stand. Bdubs’ worry for Scar increases) with an extra set of trousers, boots, an elytra, the potions and a pic. Scar offers the elytra to Bdubs. He refuses. It’ll take longer to walk, but he never wants to fall again🟣

- Mumbo gets caught up in redstone work and doesn't bother trying to find anyone else. So when another hermit finally finds him, he has to stop his evoker friend from attacking. Whether or not he's successful is another thing.

- Anonymous

- (Scattered AU) Consider. When Doc finds Grian on the mountain peak while exploring the terrain, a message sends through everyone's communicators. <Grian was blown up by a Creeper>. Doc doesn't get a death message that time, despite both of them suffering the consequences of a surprised Doc in a server where mob-oriented hermits are more volatile than they should be. Doc doesn't go looking for other hermits again after that, and Grian is shocked into numbness at the dawning realization that his monster friends might be so much worse off than he thought. - M

- @/petrichormeraki

A summary of where things stand so far

- scattered au pog!!! hypno is in a seemingly endless flowery field. it was nice at first, but there's no trees, no food, and hardly any water. the sun is so hot. flowers aren't filling. hypno thought he liked being alone.

- Anonymous

- Mumbo doesn’t succumb to the magic of the mansion like perhaps Cub and Scar have, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t entirely unaffected- his skin becomes a little more washed out, instincts a little more violent- he certainly can’t go into villages anymore, otherwise the iron golem will smash him to bits

- @/fluffy-papaya

- With Scar using Vex magic, the Vex turn their attention to Cub, trying to tempt him at every turn. More then once he's found his mask in one of his chests, staring up at him, or awoken in a cold sweat from a dream full of vex. So far, he's resisted the temptation. Wether that lasts is another question entirely.

-@/bat-connoisseur

- Maybe eventualy hypno realises Even flowers would need water to grow, or that the bees must have a bee hive somewhere around here, and the bee hive is always connected to a tree(I think thats the case in Minecraft). So he tries to find where the buzzing comes from and follow the bees around.

- @/ciaravixen

- cleo bases a lot of her identity around being a zombie, right? she probably isnt too happy to be cured. she probably cries all the time it takes her to heal. it had to be done, but that doesnt mean she has to like it. and she doesnt, not one little bit.

- Anonymous

- that ask about Mumbo not bothering to look for anyone got me thinking.... Mumbo getting too caught up in his work with the evokers to look for the others. Mumbo making friends with the illagers. Mumbo knowing that it's completely reasonable that nobody has found him yet, but still getting the creeping feeling that no one is coming for him. Mumbo spending all his time with his new friends because, after all, they're here, and the hermits aren't... All this to say that, when the hermits eventually do find him, he might not be very inclined to leave...

- @/crows-in-space

- At one point, Mumbo's new friends are just...watching him try to do his stuff, observing. Mumbo's getting increasingly frustrated when ne of the evokers watching him breaks off and hands him something. At first he thinks its a totem of undying, its shaped like one, but its strange. Made out of iron, and its eyes are diamonds instead of emeralds. Then it starts to burn his hands and he passes out from the pain. When he wakes, its gone and he moves on, a bit more wary of his 'friends'. Maybe it was a mean joke, or some kinda of strange inhiation for the mansion maybe Except next time he's frustrated, he thows his hands up annoyed and fangs rise out of the ground around him and snap at the air. He cries out, confused, before looking at his hands which almost look like they've been painted with gray paints. it wont come off. He seems mentally the same but now he starts to experiment with his new found abilities. Maybe they can help with his redstone or even find others.

- Anonymous

- after trying a poisonous flower, hypno respawns back in the field. this time, he tries walking in a different direction. maybe this is the way out.

- Anonymous

- The flowers in Hypno’s area are just so perfect... blooming dandelions don’t lose their seeds when he brushes against them, petals that are crushed underfoot quickly regain their shape- and if his mind wasn’t so affected, he would’ve noticed the flower he picked was quickly replaced by another

- @/fluffy-papaya

- The Moobloom has one unique feature: The ability to leave behind flowers in its path... that is, the ability to alter the world around it simply by walking. These flower plains are not particularly large, maybe eight or so chunks across in each direction, but glitched world generation spawned in a herd of mooblooms, and all they've been doing is walking around causing little distortions, one on top of the other. From the inside, where Hypno is standing, the plains go on forever. The air is thick with buttercup pollen that's slowly dulling his sense of space and time. He has to pull it together, somehow. Force the world to recognise that he's walking forwards in a straight line. Or he'll be wandering in circles forever...

- @/draconic-dreams

- another hermit- maybe beef? sees the edge of a deep, fragrant field. on the horizon, not far away, is hypno, walking in circles. he calls but he cannot hear beef. something tells the man not to go into that field- at least, not without a flint and steel. (Shade note: Beef and Joe saved Hypno and are currently sheltering him (unconscious) in their spawn sanctuary)

- anonymous

- Maybe if they went through the exit portal and it glitched but good. They don't think about the fact it should send them back to their spawns, Scar feels something at the back of his mind that very much isn't him tell him to change his mind, stay in this place becuase they'll just be trapped if they try to leave, but Bdubs grabs his arm and jumps in before Scar can say anything. For a second, blessed silence, Scar's mind feels clear and normal. then they show up at world spawn and scare theother

- anonymous

(Shade note: people at the spawn haven now include Joe, Beef, Hypno, TFC, Scar, and Bdubs)

- Once Keralis and Cleo are healed up, the village gang starts going to 0,0 to try to meet up with others. On the way, they find a flower forest (potentially the same one Hypno’s in). They find some mooblooms and fall in love (this was def not done bc I want some fluff, nope not at all /s) -🟣

- Mumbo receives a set of robes from his evoker friend. He’s loathe to get rid of his suit, but at the same time... well, all the better to fit in, right? This is a glitch and fluke anyway, and he might as well blend in if the illagers ever turn on him. That’s it. That’s the only reason he tosses the suit jacket into the fireplace, don’t be silly. It has nothing to do with the feeling that he just doesn’t want to leave...

- anonymous

- I’m imagining Shattered Impulse looking like the Fishman from Shape of Water + the teeth of an Angler fish and the ability to unhinge his jaw. Poor guy probably gets mistaken for a glitched mob when someone finds him.

- @/fandomrecycling

- Yes hello it's me again. After the pollen spells breaks for Hypno (and whoever else might have tried to save him beforehand...), he notices he's a little different. he can't always control how he moves, he doesn't like eye contact, and he takes an even bigger interest in his, well, interests than before. Basically Tourettic Hypno go brrr (I am tourettic so feel free to ask me clarification!)

- @/fireflower-dusk

- I don't think Keralis has been mentioned except for being in the nether so I would like to contribute that he spawned in that soul sand and skeleton biome that has almost nothing in it.

- anonymous

- Mumbo, being hundreds of thousands of blocks out from spawn, is the last hermit to be found. Even after the glitch was fixed, Mumbo was so caught up in his research and new abilities that he no longer felt it mattered. He'd been apart from the hermits for well over a year now; and a long time ago he gave up hope that they'd come back for him. This was, of course, until he woke up one morning to a disturbance outside. When he goes to check the source of the racket, he's left frozen in place at the sight of Iskall on his mansion's doorstep. And at the end of it all, despite Mumbo telling himself that he was better alone, Iskall's hand on his shoulder, reassuring that "Yes, I'm here, yes, I'm real, and no, I'm not leaving, you spoon." Is enough for Mumbo to break, clinging to Iskall as if he'd disappear at any moment, murmuring "I'm sorry" over and over like a broken record. -🧸

- Maybe after Wels and Hels make their deal, and Wels gets some gold gear and a respawn anchor to click, Hels shows him how to create a portal to Hels the place to which from there, they think they can get into the overworld. The only catch being that to get in to Hels the place you need to focus all of you emotions onto pure hatred and anger, but the question is could Wels do it?

- Anonymous

- Hels taunts Wels about how no one came to get him, and plants ideas about how this was done on purpose, about how he's the only one to spawn in the nether for a reason. He tells him the hermits want him gone. And Wels of course becomes angry but he becomes angry at Hels for trying to tell him his friends didn't care about him. He's also angry at himself though, maybe for thinking he hasn't done enough to make his friends want to keep him around. He is never mad at the hermits though, never them

- TFC's concerned. Even if he thinks it's great he found Bdubs and Scar, the latter shouldn't be able to just kill the ender dragon alone. TFC doesn't know much about Scar but the man can barely fly usually, why did he turn into a vex, anyway? vexes don't exist in the end. TFC need to ask, at least to make sure he's ok, but everytime he tries he stops in his track once the cold, icy blue eyes stare back at him. devoid of the usual warmth his green ones have.

- Anonymous

- (Scatter AU) Saw someone mention the other ops on the server and had a thought: Tango is a programmer with a specialty in game programming. He’s probably sitting at the campfire thinking of every single way the game must have been corrupted to cause this many problems. If he could just get into the code, maybe he could fix some of these problems. I’ll bet he’s driving himself a little crazy thinking of everything that could be done to fix the world and not being able to do anything...

- Anonymous

- Cub was lucky, he thinks. Seeing the many death messages in chat, he's torn between gratitude that he's ended up with what almost looks like a normal spawn, and worry for his friends. After gathering enough resources to stay reasonably safe, he knows what he has to do next. So when he encounters Xb, he eventually suggests he takes some resources and a bed he's salvaged from the abandoned village and heads towards 0,0, hoping there'll be someone there. (1/3)But as for him... well, there's an obvious place to head as far as he can see, for someone with a safe enough spawn point and the ability to gather resources. A place where he knows for sure he'll find someone else, someone who needs help. After all, unless this world is even more messed up that it seems, there's only one place where a player would be killed by the Ender dragon, and he knows exactly how to get there. (2/3) (Shade note: Him and xB were not successful in finding the Hermit who the mystery portal belonged to. They must have died in the Nether and returned to their spawn point. XB resists the idea that they split up, but he sees the logic in it and agrees to start the long journey for 0,0.) (pt. 3 was eaten by the inbox)

- Anonymous

- Maybe one of the reasons Cleo doesn't like being a human as much is because she had chronic pain (particularly in her back) when she was alive, and when she gets cured after meeting up with False, Stress, and Keralis, her back pain comes back (along with all the other pains of being alive)

-@/justme123abz

- Whenever Etho spawns, wherever Etho spawns, he takes it upon himself to tell each and every Hermit he can find to head towards 0,0. He's not sure why, but he believes that if they get everyone together, they can figure out how to fix the broken world.If there aren't any Hermits in sight, he'll make a sign out of whatever's avalible before going searching. It's a complete pain to try and build anything coherent out of sand and cactus, but he has to try. He has to get everyone together. It's their best hope. It's their only hope.Even Evil X. Even Hels. Everyone. He doesn't care about past grievances. They need to get through this. And their only option is to do it together. (Shade note: He doesn't stay with Team ZIT for long. He probably dies trying to protect them from something, knowing that it will only result in him finding another Hermit anyway. Even though he himself isn't making any progress toward the origin, he counts it as a victory every time he can guide one of his friends just a little bit closer.)

- Doc Ren and Grian himself thought that him being found and safe would fix everything right? yea no he has horrible fevor, he struggles to retain warmth depsite 2 feet from a fire, he's tired and has a hard time stay awake becuase on the mt he slept alot, he barley eats cuz he cant hold too much down rn. He cant stand being alone or he'll start to panic, ands he's just trying to ignore the new fox fetures he has desperately when he's aware enough to do. Doc and Ren have a hard time ahead of them.

- Anonymous

- Mumbo was trying to make a machine with redstone and evoker magic to contact the hermits right?so what if he did build the machine ad at first his only way to get the magic was to go annoy the evoker hoping he would try to hit him and instead hit the machine to power it. Plan backfired so many times because of the vex killing him before. So when Mumbo becomes apprentice he wants to try power the machine himself but it breaks because he can't control how much magic he uses yet.time to study magic

-@/artsarasp

- Etho dies with the Zit and ends up back in it. Next he ends up in X's spawn, there's no one around but he finds the bloody tunnel X punched himself, and races down it to see in the distance Xisuma and Jevin in a cave.He calls out to them, only to get overwhelmed by zombies that just spawned, He manages to gurgle out 0,0 before he dies again. (He's now determined to be the messenger of meetings, even willing to die on purpose to find them all). After that? Ren's old spawn, now he has to track ren

- anonymous

- I guess hypno’s been... hypnotizd 👉😎👉

- We need more Jevin and xisuma interaction content, be it fluff or angst, how aware is jevin by the time Xisuma gets there? How many axolotls do they take with them on the way to the surface?

- @/ciaravixen

(Shade comment: We need more Jevin and xisuma interaction content, be it fluff or angst, how aware is jevin by the time Xisuma gets there? How many axolotls do they take with them on the way to the surface? )

- Mumbo having to learn how to use the magic, the evoker will probably also try to teach him how to summon the vex, even if Mumbo really wants to just focus on the magic and not the evocation.What if he's able to summon Scar since he gave his name to the vex? just by accident and Mumbo gets so startled by Scar's new appearance that he immediately interrupts the evocation and makes Scar dissappear. Scar reappears where he was before confused cause for a moment he saw Mumbo?did he allucinante??

- @/artsarasp

- Scattered AU! So what if what happened with EX and Hels happened with old hermits to? Like Biffa, Generikb, Jessassin etc etc. Everyone is concerned as it is but then they see a death message from one of them and realize it's even worse then they thought.

- Anonymous

- Once Wels and Helssknight are in Hels the have to sneak around a lot. Hels isn’t as popular there as he had previously boasted, that’s why he had tried to take over the over world. Cue heart to heart talk before a Hels version of another hermit cuts them off. (Can you pick the Hermit I’m kinda stuck here)

- Anonymous

- Iskall must have not even known the direction he was walking from his desert spawn, so its purely by luck he ended up finding the mansion mumbo resides in- his cybernetic eye is fixed almost instantly upon his arrival by mumbo and iskall feels his hope fades as he realises they’re /so/ far from the hermits. I also guess he must be worried about whats happening to his friend right before him, mumbo wouldnt willingly give into the vex and evoker magic right? 1/2 But he isn’t so sure anymore, the days at the mansion are quiet and uncomfortable as Iskall has to be wary of the illagers that walk the halls, mumbo assures him of his safety, but theres no light in his eyes - he doubts the illagers welcomed mumbo at first- The usual banter isn’t there at all, its dead silence as mumbo keeps on working and Iskall can see how paler his skin becomes and the blue scars that litter his body 2/2

- Anonymous

- Etho died and respawned at the true spawn once. Beef was elated to see him and was afraid if he let him go, he would disappear. He didn’t want to lose his friend again. In the end, he does, he was actually with Etho when he dies, and he never lets the feeling go.

- @/harley-the-pancake

- aww poor etho! At least he's okay with this new role as messenger. Now i can just imagen he ends up at Ren's spawn and manages to track the man, nearly dying but staying alive and- thats a house in the distance! He goes over and nearly runs into Doc, who invites him in surprised and they catch each other up, their spawns and Etho's situation. They're overjoyed to hear about the others and Ethos glad to see them realtivly okay. Grian's condition is worrying however, changed and still weak (1) They agree they need to start heading to 0,0 but Ren is nervous about leaving safety, Doc wants them safe, and with Grian still sick and weak from laying in snow for weeks it'll take a bit until he's stable enough to travel (he'll probs have to be carried anyways). Etho stays for a few days at their insistence for rest, he wants to keep going there is more hermits out there he hasn't found, they are insistent that he take time to recover. Then, he lets himself die. Off to the next hermit! (2)

- Anonymous

- This is for the very very beginning, but maybe before False meets up with Cleo, she spawns in a warm ocean biome. Coral structures fill the water around her, and tropical fish dart between them. It would be almost peaceful, were it not for the fact that False was encased in a cage of coral.It’s a gamble every time. She has to try and smash her way out of her colorful prison before the tide rolls in, slow and steady water rising up her body and over her head. The water makes her movements clumsy and arduous as she tries to free herself, racing against time to escape the awful tide. (Pt 2) OH SORRY I HAD AN IDEA (this is from the coral False anon)What if Stress and False both spawn in that biome and they have to try and help each other out before the tide comes in?? Added angst if one of the times one manages to escape but the other doesn’t

- Anonymous

- (scattered au) Every time that a hermit dies the universe and the world file starts to corrupt, the way that things are going if everything doesn't go back to normal soon, then the world will crumble on itself with the hermits inside.

- Anonymous

- Admins log, day: ⬛⬛⬛ I've finally managed to find my way to the drip stone caves, weirdly I think I may have a good connection down here, I'll try to contact the others, if they haven't forgotten about me yet. (Shade note: Far away in the woodland mansion, Mumbo rubs his eyes and marks down another failure on his latest contraption. How long will it be until he can generate a signal? He has no way of knowing that, for a single moment, it worked. He stopped checking his communicator a long time ago, so he doesn't see the single message until much later: <Xisuma> can anyone hear me?)

- At some point Etho cycles round to Doc's spawn. His friend is long gone but there are five creepers in formation watching him. Waiting for something.It takes a moment for him to recall the trick of unfocusing his ears just right, so that their hisses resolve into words. He hasn't had to do it for years, after all. He hasn't run into General Spaz since he left Chocolate Island.“It'ssss been a while, Esssssho” the General says. “Let'sssss make a wager”The General reaches out for a handshake... it seems the glitch finally gave him a pair of arms.(ancient Etho lore go brrrr)

- Anonymous

- Both the snow and the void are cold, and getting stuck in there means getting frostbite a lot is fairly likely, so Grian and Bdubs would be unlikely to get out with all their fingers...

- @/bat-connoisseur

- Based on a little piece of this ask where it was mentioned that Hypno passed out only three steps outside the flower biome, I start to wonder, how long was he wandering in circles without food? Why did he collapse so immediately? Was the biome itself perhaps sustaining him? Keeping him "healthy" (if you could call it that) and alive? COULD he have starved to death if he hadn't been pulled out? Or would he have just kept walking? And walking. And walking...

-@/asexualbert

- An idea focusing on evil xisuma. He ended up spawning on the nether roof, stuck with nothing but mushrooms and bedrock as far as the eye can see. No communication, no water, no way out. He can probably eat the mushrooms, at the very least.... but there may be some bad side effects from it. It's disheartening and lonely up there, dying from starvation over. And over. And over. At one point, etho may have spawned there as well... but of course, he wouldnt last long. Condemned to endless roof...

-@/therainofsweetmelody

- Okay, hear me out: after Hypno’s been out of his illusion for a while, he starts to get headaches. He doesn’t think anything of it, until he wakes up one day with small horns growing and flowers in his hair. In conclusion: Moobloom!Hypno

- @/harley-the-pancake

Art:

- An Impulse

- A Grian

- A Guardian Impulse

- A Void Bdubs by @/sweetest-honeybee

- This Hypno by @/irys-97

- an Iskall and a Grian

- a fox Grian

- A Guardian Impulse

- a suffering Xisuma

- Mumbo and Evoker doodles

Writing:

Up. He needs to go up. He spawned too deep in the world, and though he'd heard of underground spawns there was no way, no way in the world that being so deep under was normal. Every cave he crawled up either came to a dead end or opened into a massive, mob-filled cavern, and somehow he still hadn't found even half a mineshaft. He could spend hours upon hours painfully clawing his way through the stone, but he keeps convincing himself it'll be faster to find a cave that leads to the surface. The pounding heartbeat of a warden stills rings in his ears, an ever-present reminder of his terrible luck. If only he could get some wood. Just a few planks, some torches. Anything. It's almost as if the stone doesn't want him to leave.

- @basaltdragon

- Buried by @arts-and-drafts

- Cleo grits her teeth and pulls a leather cap low over her head and stays on the outskirts of the taiga village, where the less scrupulous people go. She can't stay here long, if an iron golem catches her she's going to end up social spawning a bunch of less sapient friends and wiping out the village. The air is cold and thin out here, close to the mountains. The strays leave her alone. She's not sure how to feel about that. ~@betweenlands

- "A poem, by Impulse" by @/rayveewrites

- Pulse by @/arts-and-drafts

- Unnamed Impulse fic by @bat-connoisseur

- Another Impulse fic by @/betweenlands

- Don't think about it by me (@shadeswift99 )

- A poetic fic by @irys-97

- this short anon piece

- If I lose myself by @/arts-and-drafts

- Mountainside by @/basaltdragon

- Sleepwalk by @/betweenlands

- This Grian fic by @silverechosandsmileymasks

- A Jevin fic by @/basaltdragon

- This Hypno piece by @/fireflower-dusk

- This Iskall anon

- Alternate Impulse fic by @/rayveewrites

- Short Grian fic by @rk9-mew2

- an alternate headcanon for Mumbo

- This Xisuma fic by @/bat-connoisseur

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 59

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Words: 4,078

Warnings: nsfw, smut, swearing

ID Masterlist can be found HERE

Masterlist of all my fics can be found HERE

*HIATUS WARNING*

This will be my last chapter update until the end of July or very beginning of August, due to me joining Camp Nano. If people are interested, I can link my nano page HERE if you want to see what progress I make. I haven’t created a Camp project goal yet, but I’ll be adding it soon. 

Clearing the Board

You stared at Negan in shock for a long moment, your brain’s frantic whirring grinding to a screeching halt as the subconscious watched with mouth so agape that the gum it had been chewing fell unnoticed to the floor. 

Had he been thinking the same questions as you the entire dinner? Part of you wanted to bolt, terrified to know what was on his mind. Was this where he pulled the rug out from under you and said things were getting too cozy, that he wanted to back track? Did he want to go back to his wives? Or maybe he wanted to try and make you into another one of them? 

Breathe. Just breathe and see what he has to say, before you start hyperventilating. 

Clearing your throat and licking suddenly dry lips, you hoarsely said, “Uh...yeah...we do.” 

As if this was the permission he was waiting for, he gave a curt nod and started talking. He was so focused and straight to the point that you wondered if he had rehearsed this prior to you showing up. If so, he had done a much better job of preparing than you had. 

“I wanted to apologize for last night. Not just for the way I attacked you, though I do fucking apologize for that, but for how I acted after.”

At this, he paused and ran a hand slowly down over his mouth and beard, and you realized how difficult this conversation was for him, how much he still struggled to be open and honest and sincere with another human when he’d had to learn the hard way to be tough and mean and impenetrable. It made you feel validated regarding your own struggles, as well as grateful that both of you were stepping outside your comfort zones and trying to communicate. 

“Doll, there’s just some shit that I don’t like to fucking relive. It has to happen, whether I fucking want it to or not, and once it’s done, it’s done. I don’t always want to rehash events, or talk about how I feel, because the answer is probably that I feel like fucking horse shit. It’s nothing personal against you, it’s just me wanting to fucking move on. The same way you told me the other night that I gotta trust you not to always give me all the fucking details? Well, same goes when the shoe’s on the other fucking foot.”

You sat there and took this in, brain having pulled out a tablet to take frantic notes, and subconscious still staring in shock with its foot unknowingly stepping right in the middle of the dropped gum wad. Of all the ways for tonight’s conversation to go, no part of you had expected Negan to not only take the lead, but go in the correct direction needed to pulverize one of the newly-created questions you had thrown into the padlocked box. 

Once he said the words out loud, it did make a lot of sense. You had seen it as wanting to connect with him and support him, if he would just explain what had happened on the run to upset him. However, some things might be better left unsaid, so as not to make the person relive the events and the emotions tied to them. What you had seen as him shutting you down was actually him trying to move on from unsavory events (and actions he’d had to complete in his role as leader). Add to that his comparison to your conversation the other night, where you had expected him to be okay with you not giving all details about certain events, and you couldn’t believe how much you had blown his recent actions out of proportion.

You had been quiet for a few long moments, during which he was watching you closely. He tried to make his expression neutral, but the unnatural stillness of his tensed body and the focused intensity of his hazel gaze gave away how much weight he was putting on what your response might be.

 Picking your words carefully, you broke the silence. “Thank you for explaining that, because I did wonder why you turned down my offer to talk last night. I respect your right to not tell me everything about what you have to do in order to keep control of the Sanctuary and other communities. However,” you held his gaze, making sure he saw your sincerity. “I want you to know that I’m always here for when and if you do want to talk about it. Any of it.” 

He was unresponsive for a few seconds, as if the tables had turned and now he was the one a bit surprised at how calm and clearly you had voiced your agreement. Then, a soft smile broke across his face, and he said, “I know you are, doll.”

You gave a small smile, beyond relieved to have that topic discussed and out of the way. Your brain was proud of the two of you for talking it out, while the subconscious was preoccupied with cursing and hopping around on one foot while frantically trying to use a stick to scrape the smeared gum off the bottom of its shoe. Like it, you now flailed about for how to move on to other concerns. The door of communication had been opened, and you didn’t want him to slam it shut now that the thing he’d wanted to get off his chest was done. 

“There’s some other things I think we need to talk about,” you said. When his eyebrows raised in a nonverbal for you to continue, you started nervously fidgeting with your dinner napkin.

Shit, where did you even start? How to accurately say what you were thinking and feeling about this relationship with him. He had obviously noticed you pulling back that day in the woods, and while you had been quick to start blurting your feelings when in a post-orgasmic haze, the words now stuck in your throat and refused to come out. 

That ball of self-doubt was creeping in, telling you to shut the box back up and get out of there. It whispered how maybe now that Negan had fucked you, the “game” was almost over and he wouldn’t be as interested. That the moment you started placing expectations on the two of you, he’d tell you to leave his rooms and not come back. 

Looking down at the napkin, which was now twisted and crumpled from anxious hands, you tossed it down on the table and abruptly stood up, unable to continue the farce of sitting still. You pushed the chair into the table and stood there for a few seconds before giving a frustrated groan and pacing over to his armoire and back. 

It was quite the role reversal, you pacing back and forth while he sat there, silently watching. Your hands gestured wildly in front of you, as if trying to act out what you couldn’t say. You started to talk a few times, but it came out as a sputter of nothingness, causing you to pace back and forth yet again. After a couple rounds of this, you finally stopped behind the dinner chair, hands gripping the back of it until your knuckles turned white. The two of you stared at one another, his forehead furrowed in concern at your mini meltdown.

“Doll,” he said, voice low and calming. “Tell me.” 

Just say it. Tell him you’ve fallen for him. 

But you couldn’t. The emotions were right there, but it didn’t feel right to just blurt them out. Three little words that some people tossed around like pennies, and you couldn’t say them when it mattered. 

You looked at him desperately, willing him to throw a lifeline and take back over the conversation, to tell you to forget it and act like this moment had never happened. Instead, he finally moved into action, standing from his own chair and rounding the small table to stand in front of you. 

He didn’t reach out, didn’t try to hold you, as if he knew that the slightest touch would cause your taut as a bowstring form to burst into a million pieces. His hands instead clenched at his sides in a nonverbal show of restraint. He knew that whatever you were struggling with was important, while at the same time realizing he couldn’t force it, and that the direction of the conversation depended entirely on you. 

“Tell me what’s wrong.” 

There was more authority to his tone this time, but it was the slight hint of worry making it go up in pitch at the end that propelled your own voice to finally get its shit together and start working. 

“There’s nothing wrong, I just…I don’t know how to say it.”

“Fucking say what? You’re killing me here, doll.” 

You looked at him, took in this strong and seemingly impenetrable, yet surprisingly caring and passionate man who had shattered all of the emotional defenses you had strategically built in order to keep yourself safe. And suddenly, you knew exactly how to tell him in a way that he, and only he, would understand. 

“Remember when you said that the game is over when the king is captured?”

Surprise flickered in his gaze, as he obviously wasn’t expecting that to come out of your mouth. However, he quickly caught up, giving a curt nod. 

“I know technically the queen is expendable, and the game can continue on without her, but-” voice cracking a bit, you paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “What the hell does one do when the opposite happens?” 

You saw the moment the realization hit, making him go completely still. Saw the moment he pieced everything together but still held back, as if afraid maybe he was misinterpreting it. 

His face looked wrecked when he husked, “What are you saying, doll?”

Emotion welled in your eyes as you verbally let go, whispering the confession that had been held in for long enough. 

“The king’s captured me.”

He broke the physical distance then, his eyes bright with emotion as he wrapped one arm around your waist and cupped your face with a warm palm. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on your lips that was so soft and gentle you almost wanted to cry. When he lifted his head, you felt overwhelmed by the adoration in his gaze, but that was nothing compared to the words he then spoke.

“Well doll, I’d say that’s only fucking fair, since the queen’s captured me too.”

Shock coursed through you, followed by a rush of emotion so strong it would’ve knocked you on your ass if he wasn’t there to clutch onto. 

He feels the same! Holy fuck, not only did he understand, but he also feels the same!

The two of you kissed again, long and slow, until your surroundings faded away and there was only him. It could’ve been mere moments or long minutes before your lips parted from his, as time currently had no meaning outside the count of his breaths on your face and beat of his heart under your palm flattened on his chest. 

You felt dizzyingly happy, and the padlocked box was tons of pounds lighter. However, there were still a few spiky balls of questions sitting in the bottom of it, and it was time to empty them out. All of them. 

“So,” you said, fingers tracing up over his exposed collarbone and strong throat. “What happens next, after the king and queen capture each other?”

Giving a much softer version of his usual devilish smirk, he replied, “They lay down their weapons, recall their fucking armies, and rule the board together.” 

Grinning like a fool at that, you wound your arms up around his neck and murmured hesitantly, “So what does that mean for the others? What does the king do with the five of them?”

Once again, the metaphor was not lost on him, and you felt the slightest stiffening of his body against yours as he pulled his lips from where they had been tracing along your ear lobe and looked down at you. 

Shit, did you go too far? Maybe you should’ve just stopped while you were ahead and not crossed into that topic of conversation just yet…

“What do you want me to do with them, doll?” 

You definitely weren’t expecting that as a response, as shown by your staring blankly up at him for a few seconds before saying, “Isn’t that your choice?”

He gave an amused tsk of disapproval. “No, that’s not how it works when we both rule the board. Each partner gets a say, and then we figure it out together.”

Did he just...call you… “Is that what I am?” you asked, heart inflating like a bubble at the possibility. 

“I mean, we can stick with just calling you my queen, if that’s what you want, but I think partner also has a nice fucking ring to it.” 

His partner. Not his wife, or girlfriend. Partner. 

Stretching up to give him a kiss of approval, you said, “Partner is perfect.” 

Deciding to go all in, you added, “And I only want you, no one else. I want you to be the person I snuggle up against each night, and the one whose bed I wake up in each morning knowing that I belong there. I want to walk proudly beside you and know that you’re mine, as much as I’m yours.” You hesitated, a small dart of worry at the brutally honest words making you feel the need to ask, “But what do you want?”

The playful light was back in his eyes, that sinful tongue running over his bottom lip. “I thought I already made that fucking obvious, doll. But if I didn’t, then listen very closely.” 

His lips traced over your face, leaving butterfly kisses on your cheeks and nose and forehead as he spoke the words. “I want you. Fucking simple as that. I’ve wanted you, and only you, since the day you fucking kicked my ass at chess.” 

This was technically information you already knew, thanks to Trixie, but hearing it from him made it that much more real. It was as if even though all the signs were there, you still didn’t want to fully believe you were the reason for his change in behavior with the wives, not until he confirmed it himself. 

Trying to add a bit of lightness, you hummed in pleasure at his lips kissing the sensitive spot on the curve of your neck and quipped, “Who knew all it would take was a game of chess for me to stand out.”

Giving a huffed laugh, he said against your skin, “If you think that’s the only way you fucking stand out, you’re even more oblivious then I fucking thought.” 

“Hey! Are you telling me I’m weird or something?” you laughed, playfully tugging at his hair so that he raised his head to look at you. 

“Wellllll…” he joked, smiling broadly before his expression got a bit more serious. “In all honesty, doll, I’ve respected the hell out of you since the moment you arrived here.”

Eyebrows raising, you said, “Oh? Do go on.”

His eyes danced with mirth, but his words were uncharacteristically sincere. “Despite being scared shitless when my men first found your little group, you never fully submitted or lost your fight. You marched right into the Sanctuary like you were gonna own the whole fucking place, or at least own the kitchen, which you did in a ridiculously short amount of fucking time, I might add. I felt like a fool for asking you to be another wife and expecting you’d be happy just sitting around looking pretty.”

You gave a haughty grin, but let him continue, knowing that confessions such as this were few and far between with Negan. And you were going to soak in every affectionate word like a desert does the rain, because as much as the actions and nonverbals fed your heart, his words were what now fed your soul. 

“I knew you’d be trouble the the first time I walked in the kitchen to check on things and you refused to fucking kneel with the others, staring me down in a way that said you were demanding to be treated at my equal, and just daring me to try and fucking do something about it. It was that same daring each time we were alone that drew me in like fucking catnip, and while the smart thing would’ve been to stay away, when I found you out in the fucking woods about to be walker chow and totally going against my orders, it gave me the perfect opportunity to force you closer. I knew I should stop sending for you, stop finding reasons to visit the kitchen or order you to bring me trays, but damn doll, you were too fucking exciting to walk away from.

“The day you beat me at chess, you were so fucking proud of yourself, and I realized that instead of being pissed, I was proud of you too. I knew I had a spitfire on my hands, and damn if that didn’t make my dick hard.” His voice lowered a bit, so that you held your breath in order not to miss a single word. “But it wasn’t until that first outing together in the woods, when you killed that walker and saved my fucking hide, that I realized I was done for. That I might as well throw down my crown because the king had been captured, and the game was over.”

You thought back to that day, to the kiss and the look in his eyes afterward. Had you known back then? Possibly, but you never would’ve admitted it to yourself, not at that point. You felt a lump start to form in your throat, eyes blinking rapidly in an effort not to tear up. And you would have succeeded, damn it, if not for his next words.

“I tried to fight it, to fight you. Hell I almost got you fucking killed by chasing you out of here, and all because of my own fucking stubborn pride. I’d never hated myself as much as I did in that moment, when we found you lying injured in the fucking woods. I’ve loved and lost, more than any man should, but...the thought of losing you was what almost ruined me.”

Tears trickled down your cheeks in cool rivulets. “Why didn’t you tell me?” you whispered. Hell, if you had known all of this a bit earlier, maybe you wouldn’t have hesitated to talk things out. Wouldn’t have held back as much as you did. 

Giving a self-deprecating smile, he said, “Because I’m a fucking idiot. But also because every time I considered it, you’d fucking pull away. I would’ve claimed you publicly as mine weeks ago, but you about had a god damn heart attack anytime there was a chance someone might see us getting fucking cozy together. I could practically hear the fears and doubts whirring around in your head the last few days, so I took the coward’s way out and tried to halt those thoughts by repeatedly fucking you any chance I got, until you were too exhausted to overthink.” 

He had meant the words to make you laugh, but instead you suddenly felt overwhelmed. Your stupid eyes wouldn’t stop watering, and if you weren’t careful your nose would start clogging up too. You had always been jealous as hell of women who could cry prettily, because you definitely weren’t one of them. 

You tried to school your features, tried to put on at least a thin mask of “I’m fine, totally fine” but more tears followed by a hiccuped sob escaping your lips said otherwise. You unwrapped your arms from his neck in order to press a hand to your mouth in an effort to try and stifle the emotions leaking out. 

“No,” he said, stern enough to jolt you out of the overanalyzing spiral your brain wanted to jump down. 

Pulling your hand away from your mouth with a gentle but firm grip, he clasped it between his own hands. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” you asked. 

Lifting one hand, he used his thumb to brush away the tear sitting stubbornly on the middle of your cheek. “Don’t do what you did last time. Don’t hide from me again.” 

Sighing, you nodded in agreement. “Fine, but it would be nice if one of these times it was you crying and not me.” 

Humor was a mask of its own, one both of you used to cover up emotions. However, since you were standing there with red-rimmed eyes and he had just verbally confessed his emotions more in the last few minutes than he probably had during the rest of the apocalypse combined, you both deserved a bit of humor. 

“The day that happens, I might as well just chop off my dick and fucking hand that over as well,” he joked back, causing you to smile and shove at him playfully. 

Giving an exasperated sigh, you said “I can’t believe I’ve been so dumb about all of this, thinking...well, assuming totally incorrect things. Guess that’s what I get for not trying to just talk it out.” 

He gave you a mock-stern expression and said, “Well, then let this be a fucking lesson.” He used two fingers to point at your eyes and then at his own, and back to yours. “Partners, remember.”

God, you loved the way that word rolled off his tongue. It was exactly what you had always secretly hoped to find with a man: an equal partnership. Sure, Negan was still the leader of the Sanctuary and had the role of badass motherfucker to uphold, but at the heart of things you stood on equal ground, and your thoughts and feelings and opinions mattered just as much as his own. Not to mention, you would dare him to deny that you were the leader of the kitchen staff. And hey, there was a lot of power in being the one in charge of making sure the entire community was fed. And the fact that he didn’t want to take any of that away from you, that he was proud of your accomplishments, made you fall for him even more. 

“Partners,” you agreed with a nod, running a hand up over his chest. Fingers traced his strong, masculine features before running up into his hair to map the streaks of salt among the pepper. 

Eyes brightening with desire, he stared with laser focus down at your mouth, his nostrils flaring as he watched your teeth subconsciously nibble on your lower lip as you took in this handsome man who was yours. All yours. Seeing the intent in his gaze and knowing where this was about to go by the sudden tensing of his muscles for action, you pressed your other hand against his chest lightly and said, “Wait, one more thing. I have a request.”

“Name it,” he said without hesitation.

“Um...this might seem a bit random, but is there any way you could bump Simon up to having a single room?” When Negan looked at you in slight bewilderment, you continued, “That way Ben can visit whenever he wants.”

His brows lowered, and you were afraid he was going to dismiss the issue as not important, so you pressed on. “In all honesty, it was Ben’s insistence that I be honest and talk things out with you that helped push me to say what I did tonight. I kinda owe him.”

The unspoken words were that Negan kinda owed him too, and his scowl said that he heard them loud and clear. With a slight huff, he grumbled, “I’ll see what I can fucking do.”

Giving a wide smile, you stood up on tiptoe and planted a very grateful kiss on his lips, with tongue included. Pulling back a bit, you whispered against his mouth, “I’d love to see what you can fucking do.”

At that, he scooped you up into his arms with a growl and strode into the bedroom, where he then proceeded to spend a good portion of the night showing you just how thoroughly captured the king really was.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Extra Author’s Note: Holy crap, was I nervous af to post this chapter. I feel like so much has been building to this conversation between You and Negan, and I wasn’t sure how readers were going to feel about it. I know some people were expecting more drama and angst, especially since this is about the time that romance novels usually throw in the so-called “third act conflict”. However, I personally find it pretty annoying when that conflict is some form of unneeded miscommunication or lack of communication, followed by the characters being apart for a period of time and then coming back together in one grand gesture before bam, an abrupt ending where you’re to expect them to live happily ever after with no more issues. 

Instead, I had You and Negan do that earlier in the fic, with the “Confrontation” chapter where they royally fucked up and had to stumble their way back together, followed later by the pregnancy test argument where they started to fuck up but then both broke their unhealthy fight cycle (You did this by walking away and Negan did it by going after her and deciding to actually listen). And now, with this chapter I wanted to showcase their growth and how they’ve learned enough from past mistakes to move forward. Some people might see this chapter as too fluffy, but I saw it as a way to show two grown ass adults finally laying down their emotional shields and communicating in an open and healthy manner. At this point, I thought Negan and You deserved that, and I hope y’all agree. 

Whether you loved it, hated it, didn’t care, all of the above, etc, please feel free to let me know. I’m so so curious to hear what people thought of this chapter, and if what I was hoping to showcase came across in a satisfying way. Thanks for reading! I’ll be back with more updates after Camp Nano! <3

[idga-buck]

Some and Others, 2/?

Bucky finds it difficult to end a relationship without a good reason, until he has a good reason.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3,702

Content: sexual references (18+ only), swearing, Bucky seems like a jerk in this, but he really isn’t. I’m so behind on FATWS (like..second episode behind) because the friend I’m watching with is very busy and I respect that. This doesn’t contain any spoilers that I know of and doesn’t use the show as a point of reference. May change in future chapters if I ever get to watch it.

“Fuck... Fuuuu-“

The word died in Bucky’s chest, dissolving into a

mouthful of shamelessness. Grunts that vibrated against the back of his teeth as his body tightened, every muscle from his fingers digging into your hips to his burning quads pulled so taut that his ass cheeks could have crushed rock between them. He was getting rather comfortable using his new body to dole out something other than pain and suffering, to experience something else too. Though by the yellowing finger shaped bruises scattered on your legs and arms, there was still a little pain. The good kind, you’d assured him many times and some days Bucky Barnes was in awe of the fact that there was a “good kind” of pain. He wasn’t ready to be on the receiving end to find out for himself and you never pushed him to it. You were good, he liked that.

When his orgasm faded, leaving Bucky feeling like an empty husk of a man, he leaned down to kiss you in the middle of your back. A “good job” kind of peck that ended with him pulling out and pulling away to flop his sweaty body into your bed. There was a fuzzy blanket that irritated his heated skin and while he kicked awkwardly at it until it fell onto the floor, you were catching your breath next to him and inching closer. He wasn’t in the mood to cuddle and he closed his eyes hoping you wouldn’t expect too much. That was why he’d come over so early in the morning anyways. To see you off to work in a fun way, but at a time when he knew you wouldn’t be able to dawdle. Much to his surprise, you kissed his shoulder, the same little gesture he’d given your spine, and then rolled away, yanking a flowery robe from under his wide spread leg to pull it out. It was getting hot outside, the summer air a little too sticky when it seeped under those long sleeved shirts he preferred, but thankfully you kept a stand up fan at the end of your bed and Bucky sighed dreamily when he heard you flick it on, the artificial breeze shooting up his legs and cooling his damp skin. He’d expected you to continue your walk across the room and into the bathroom to prep for work, but your footsteps were muffled, which meant you’d stayed on the rug next to his side of the bed. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell you were watching him. Sure enough, there was a small dip in the mattress next to his head and your hand reached up to play with his sweaty hair.

“I could call in today.”

Bucky’s left eye fluttered open at the offer. You’d squatted next to the bed, leaning in one elbow to mess with the hair around his ears while you spoke. He usually liked that. There weren’t any memories of gentle touches from the last oh, 7 decades or so, and the therapist he stopped going to had encouraged him to seek out hands that didn’t hurt him. He’d found you shortly after and it felt good enough. Lately, especially today, Bucky just wanted the touching to stop making him feel so guilty.

“You’ve been gone a week, maybe we-“

“Better not,” he interrupted, rolling his head against the pillow to look at you. It felt like the decent thing to do. Look a person in the eye when you tell them no.

You were still smiling at him, but the hand that was touching him fell to the mattress. “You sure? We could stay in bed,” your voice lifted, knowing it was an extremely tempting offer. “I missed you, soldier.”

“Yeah,” Bucky offered a tight smile that probably looked even less convincing when it was half smashed into a pillow. “You should go to work.”

You licked your lips and kept them tucked in over your teeth as you nodded then stood without saying anything else. You’d get ready in the bathroom, Bucky would close his eyes again and pretend to be asleep when you emerged. You’d kiss his cheek and he’d enjoy your quiet apartment for the rest of the day while you were at work. It was how things had gone for a while. Long enough that it surprised Bucky a bit that you were still offering to stay home with him after he’d returned from a mission.

He flinched a bit when the bathroom door creaked open again and recovered quickly, waiting for his kiss before the front door closed behind you. But he heard dull footsteps pause before being replaced by the sharp sound of heels against wood. Then the rivets on your leather bag scraped over the kitchen counter and the keys jingled in your hand. Bucky waited, but the door opened then closed again without your lips stopping near his face. He sat up right and looked through the open bedroom door toward the entry, half expecting you to come back in, apologizing as you awkwardly stooped in a tight skirt to right this mistake.

You didn’t. And Bucky took it to mean that you felt it too. This whole thing was over.

He’d started feeling that way just a few weeks ago. You’d been feeling ill and he realized that he was more than happy to stay away. There wasn’t any urgency or desire to take care of you and only realized it a week later when he was coming over and you’d asked him to bring a Gatorade. He’d stopped dead on the street just outside your window and wondered if he should ask after any other needs. Or if maybe he should just assume and bring something he knew you liked. But then he spent too long standing in front of the candy rack by the glass covered register without a clue what you liked. He grabbed one of everything at first then put them all back, not wanting to admit he hadn’t been paying attention. He’d been a spy, an assassin, a marksman, a ladies man- all of which required keen observations. Yet, he’d missed this. Bucky told himself it hadn’t come up and he paid for only what you asked before heading upstairs.

After that, he started to feel off about everything. Noticing all the different things he didn’t necessarily like about- not you- but being with you. Not that it would sound any better, but once he realized he wasn’t actually ready to be in a relationship, the awkward dance began. Bucky Barnes had never been dumped. Obviously. But he’d never really had to let a girl go either. Dating was so different back when he was at it. Dates were frequent and they were fun. Being seen out and being seen with the right girls only made you more popular. It was especially good for the girls and a date with Bucky Barnes was as good as gold. Now, you and he had skipped over all the steps he’d known anything about and once you called yourself his girlfriend he had no clue what to do with you. Fumbling around for a few months didn’t yield much progress and the frustration was too much.

Everytime he thought he’d do it, he decided it wasn’t the right time… or he’d decide to kiss you instead, one last time. Last kisses taste as good as the first if you don’t really mean it and too often, Bucky found himself back in your bed instead of walking away. He’d linger in your apartment while you were at work, treating it like his own secret clubhouse and try not to think about how his mother would pinch his ear for how he was treating you. So Bucky finally rolled out of your bed and stepped into the shower.

Under the spray, he eyed the products you kept in a gray plastic bin for him and he wondered if he should throw them out when he was done. He had no use for them back in the compound, but when he pictured you coming home to find all his stuff in the trash before he’d had a chance to say something, he left the bottles where they were and toweled off. Then he dressed and checked his phone in the kitchen. You’d texted from your office, asking him if he’d meet you for dinner. He didn’t prefer going out, but he could suck it up for this. It would be easier to let you down in public. Maybe. Bucky agreed and you responded with a tiny picture of a floating yellow head. It was smiling so he slid his phone into his pocket and left it there to eye the kitchen next. Part of him wanted to leave, knowing what he’d have to tell you later. But another part of him was hungry and he knew you kept bacon in the freezer for weekends. So he stayed.

He’d changed into a set of clothes in the bottom drawer of your dresser. Just a black pair of jeans and a sweater that you said made his arms look tasty. The outfit was left after a different date and now Bucky was glad to be getting it out of your dresser. He didn’t bother leaving the city, but he did leave the apartment, knowing you’d stop home to change before heading to the restaurant you chose. He found a bar to sit at until 6:00, but while he was killing time a text message came in that ruined his whole evening.

Bucky should have seen it coming and when the toe of his boot collided with the trash can outside, he wished it was his own brain. Or heart. Or whichever other organ was responsible for putting him in this mess. He looked down toward the sidewalk and kicked that too. He knew exactly which organ got him here.

There were plenty of signs. Little moments that he ignored to soothe every selfish ache. The need for sleep, the need for comfort, the need for release, the need for something that was just his. You’d given him all of that without question, but clearly not without expectation. Dating a hundred year old soldier came with its own difficulties sure, but dating an Avenger seemed to make up for all of that. Bucky knew he wasn’t blameless, having agreed to the whole boyfriend thing knowing your name, your address, and how much he liked sleeping on your sheets. Beyond that you were a mystery to him and it seemed to be unraveling right before him.

This kind of thing was meant for Steve or Tony, the faces of the organization not the bloody fists behind them. Bucky hadn’t even considered that he was being used until FRIDAY alerted him of a sudden social media buzz that included his name circulating around the internet. Tweets and posts and fan accounts which he wasn’t aware he had were passing around a photo of him. It was undeniably him. Even without seeing it on a regular basis, Bucky could recognize his own back from a photograph. The problem was his shirt, or lack thereof, highlighting the fact that one of his arms was the color of gunpowder and twice as deadly. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who it was.

Aside from the obvious violation, feeling like the intimate moments he’d guarded so carefully were suddenly being invaded by a world of people who didn’t know him, Bucky also couldn’t help but feel hurt as the leaked photo proved something he’d suspected, but never gave much thought to. You were only with him to be with an Avenger. He wasn’t sure it would matter who it was, you would have gone home with any member of the team given the chance. It was his face you found at the bar that night, so it was his life you slithered into without remorse. Bucky had only one desire left when it came to you— to slither out the same way.

“What is this?”

Bucky dropped the phone on the table between you and watched you wince at the loud clattering of silverware. If only you’d known his real desire was to throw the damn thing. On the screen before you was a familiar photo, one you’d posted yourself to Instagram, desaturated just enough to catch the early morning sun glinting off Bucky’s arm complete with the location “Welcome to New York” and appropriate Taylor Swift lyrics in the caption. The muscles in his bare back tensed as he looked out the window of a swanky hotel room. You’d met him for drinks in the bar downstairs when the night manager caught wind of the avenger in his hotel and made the surprisingly vacant presidential suite available for you two. It’d been a good night. A very good night, Bucky thought, before those steamy memories were spoiled in this very moment.

“Earth’s Mightiest Lover, question mark?” You read aloud, laughing at the headline, before looking up at Bucky’s face drawn tight in annoyance. “I mean, it’s not far off,” you offered casually, winking as you passed Bucky his phone back. He was unamused and watched as you straightened in your seat, tone suddenly matching the serious look on his face. “My page is private, I don’t know how they got that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he seethed. “You posted it.”

You scoffed. “I didn’t realize this was a secret.” You sounded offended and that surprised Bucky. As if you didn’t know exactly what you’d done.

“What I do in my personal life isn’t anyone’s business,” he insisted, still standing next to the table instead of sitting to join you.

He only became aware of the other patrons watching the exchange when your eyes left his to float around the room. You lowered your voice in response. “Well, what I choose to share from my life is.”

“This isn’t about you,” he sighed, dropping his voice a bit to match yours. No reason to bring anymore unwanted attention to himself.

“It feels like it is!” Your whisper was forceful and you turned your face away from him immediately after. “Why the big fuss, Bucky? Was it really a secret?” He didn’t answer. If he’d done what he’d been meaning to do sooner, this whole thing could have been avoided and he felt more ashamed of himself than you. It wasn’t that you were a secret, per se. It just wasn’t something he knew enough about to share with the world. He was still getting used to this century, let alone dating in it, let alone being a public figure in it. There wasn’t any part of him that wanted to fail in front of an audience and he assumed you’d know that. Even if he’d never told you. “What’s the point of a superhero boyfriend if no one can know,” he heard you mutter while he was lost in thought.

Bucky froze. “What’s the point?”

“Bucky, I’m sorry,” you said quickly. The air around your table changed immediately and you’d both picked up on it. “I hear how that sounds, that sounds bad, that’s not how I meant-“ he turned around and unfortunately, you chose to follow. He heard the offended gasp of a nearby table as you scampered after him, heels a dull thud in the thick carpet. “Bucky, come on. I didn’t mean it, can we talk about this?”

“No,” he said gruffly, pushing the door open and stepping out onto the sidewalk again.

“We’ve both said things-“

“Well, I’m done saying things.”

“Wait…” Bucky stopped walking when you grabbed at his arm. You didn’t normally go for his left side. He didn’t know if it was because you found it weird or if you thought he did. Another thing he never brought up. The feeling of your hands wrapped around vibranium was startling enough for him to face you, expectantly. “What just happened here?”

“This isn’t going to work for me,” he said, watching your mouth twitch a little as you considered his words. At least he wasn’t kissing you. He still kind of wanted to, it’d become a sort of habit over the last few months. When he was wound up, like he was now, he came to you and you made it go away. Simple. Yet now it felt complicated. Like the relationship was supposed to be more but also felt like too much. He wasn’t ready for it and as long as he focused, as long as he got out as soon as possible, he wouldn’t slide back into comfortable ways.

“Bucky…” your eyes were wide and your voice broke a bit at the end of his name. “Are we… are you breaking up with me?” You asked, before adding, “Over a picture?”

No, but also yes.

Bucky knew that he should, before you got hurt, though apparently he was too late for that. Your arms were crossed over your chest defensively and he dropped his eyes to the pavement. It wasn’t the picture. It was everything. The picture gave him permission to do the right thing. Though the right thing probably would have been telling you he wasn’t interested in a relationship at all when you asked.

“Delete the picture,” he said simply, choosing not to say more. “You don’t have a superhero boyfriend to brag about anymore.” With the twisting of that knife, he felt more like the Winter Soldier again in that moment than he had in months. Cruel and beyond his own control.

It happened so fast. All of it. By the time he’d returned to the compound, half the team was waiting for him. Tony stood smugly looking like a dad that hated being the bad cop, while Steve wondered aloud why Bucky had kept his relationship a secret for so long anyways. Sam’s questions were blessedly lighthearted, but Bucky’s gratitude could only be expressed in quick grunts as he pushed through the Brady Bunch. Back in his room with the door shut, Shuri called and without really thinking, Bucky answered. He didn’t turn to face the hologram floating above the kimoyo beads on his bedside table, just let the princess talk directly at the side of his head while he listened.

“Sergeant Barnes!” The honorific was standard for her and most of the time he appreciated it, but storming out of a date like a teenager had him feeling less than worthy of any title. He was barely fit to command his own personal life at that second and being called sergeant left a sour taste at the back of his tongue. If the boys could see him now, moping about because a gal was too eager to show him off. Ridiculous.

“Bucky…” he muttered to himself, but it didn’t matter. Shuri was already rambling excitedly about something or other she’d cooked up in her lab. Under normal circumstances, Bucky would be enthralled, but he was tired. Not physically, after accidentally on purpose taking a nap in your bed before getting dressed again. Just… all the other kinds of tired that he couldn’t talk about. So while the Princess talked, Bucky hummed randomly. He didn’t think he was allowed to miss this call and stayed on the line, though his disinterest was noticeable and promptly called out.

“Why do you look like someone kicked your goat?” Bucky turned to glare at the floating head and Shuri cackled. His time as a shepherd was nothing compared to the real Wakandans who’d been perfecting their craft over thousands of years, but she’d never let him forget his ‘roots’ as she jokingly called them. Because of her he was reborn, therefore Wakanda was his de facto home. Honorary member of the border tribe and the royal family’s favorite broken white boy.

“We broke up.”

“You know,” she started in a light tone, far too playful in response to his news. “White Wolf is just a name, you don’t have to be so lonely… or mopey.”

“I’m not mopey,” he argued, but the fight wasn’t really there.

“Says the mope,” Shuri countered, sucking her teeth and shaking her head. “Nakia would twist your lip if she saw it stuck out like that.”

“Well the next time I’m in the presence of the queen I’ll let her.”

“You know Sergeant Barnes,” the youthful tone in her voice disappeared instantly. She sounded every bit of the Black Panther mantle. “It’s been a long time since a man has snapped at me like that and walked away unscathed.” There was an underlying threat that sent Bucky upright, sitting on the edge of his bed and lifting the beads in his palm. Already his posture was more respectful than it had been a moment ago.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely and Shuri nodded. “I… I don’t want to talk about it.”

Finally the princess’s smile broke back through and Bucky was instantly relieved. “I didn’t call you to talk about girls anyways.”

“Can we skip this one?”

“No,” said Shuri, leaving no room for argument.

“How many diagnostics does one arm need?”

Shuri looked back up from the tablet she’d grabbed and squinted at Bucky. “The next time you rebuild a brain and an arm from scratch- you can tell me.”

And there was nothing to say to that, so Bucky detached the arm in question and set it down before popping a single kimoyo bead into the empty joint. He got comfortable and waited for Shuri to engage him again for another evaluation. The first year was critical, she kept saying, and he had no choice, but to agree with her.

He’d never rebuilt an arm or a brain.

While he waited for her to need his input again, Bucky thought about you. How surprised you looked when he started to walk away. Maybe you hadn’t seen it coming like he had. Just before Shuri finished with the arm, he’d decided to reach out to you. Not tonight. Probably not even tomorrow. But at some point, he’d apologize for the brusqueness of his exit. If he got the chance to.

Photo because, Bast bless this woman. She is too good for the world. Also. A mood. Shuri isn’t here to fix your relationship, Bucky. She’s a genius and a princess and a badass.

A/N: this is my not so subtle introduction to a genre I have created called, what is everybody else doing? Ok do the opposite just for fun. One of my favorite things in fic is when Bucky finds himself a girl who’s DiFfErEnT. Seriously I eat that shit up like fourth meal. But for fun, I asked, what if ‘reader’ is just like everyone else? A little shallow. A little star struck. A little in over her head. A little bit Alexis. Jk. Kind of. The excitement starts in the next chapter which I won’t wait two months to post. I don’t think.

Tags: @fangirl-swagg