#writing what came after this is kinda what made me realize I needed to shift my approach

[void-botanist]

NaNo 2023 day 6

This one is late but I haven't actually written anything new yet today so I still know what I wrote yesterday (sorry day 4, you were too long ago). I keep questioning whether I want to stick with AOM after the 15k mark or switch to Nicea, but I'm trying to make AOM work. My latest decision is that Avis has to at least be open to reconciliation when she comes back to Tobarsha, else it is harder to have her do unhinged behaviors such as seeing Sorian for the first time in years by showing up unannounced at his house solely to bang, while maintaining that this is an evidence-gathering mission to discover whether he has cheated on her again.

Words written today: 1166

Total words: 6052

Excerpt of Avis making a point, as usual:

“Right, but you were still too fucking weak of will to not do it.” He had the look in his eye that said he was going to argue, but after a long moment he said, “You know what? You’re right. I shouldn’t have had the first drink, and I definitely shouldn’t have had any after that. I should have checked the weather and gone home.” She was surprised he was admitting it even that much. “Of course, because after a few drinks you lose your ability to keep ‘the most important commitment you’ve ever made’.” She pointed a finger at him. “Your words, not mine.” “I know they’re my words,” he said quietly. “And I meant them. I still mean them.” She barked out a laugh. “And they mean jack shit.”

Soravis taglist: @vacantgodling @athenswrites

[misc-obeyme]

Hiii!!

Angsty Thoughts about what would satan think if he went all wrath murdery and almost killed mc? How whould he and the brothers react?

Hi Isabella!

Sooooo sorry for the delay on my response to this, but I got a little idea and I wanted to write it out. Generally, I think Satan would react very badly to this situation in that his guilt would overcome him. I think the other brothers would be most focused on MC. They would want to make sure that MC is okay. Though things might be awkward between all of them for a little while.

Anyway, I wrote this little scene to depict kinda what I was thinking. I left it open ended so that you can decide if it ends angsty or fluffy.

GN!MC x Satan

Warnings: Angst! This is the aftermath of Satan almost killing MC.

You opened your eyes slowly, taking in the bleary darkness of the ceiling in your room. The tree's branches spread above you, the leaves still in the silence.

Your head hurt a little, but otherwise you were all right. You shifted in bed, trying to remember what had happened.

A memory suddenly flashed through your mind - Satan in demon form, enraged, eyes blazing green, tail whipping through the air. Your hand reaching out toward him, your voice soft and pleading. A blast of magic light. The heavy pain that spread through your chest. Your body lifting, feeling yourself splayed across the floor. Hearing the voices of the brothers as your eyes closed, feeling Lucifer lifting you.

And that was all you needed. You sat up in bed, remembering exactly what had happened. You looked around and saw Mammon sitting on your floor, head propped up against the side of your mattress, asleep. Belphie was slumped against him, also dozing. Across the room you saw Beel, Levi, and Asmo all breathing softly against each other, also in a state of slumber.

It was so cute, you couldn't help but smile.

A hand on your shoulder nearly made you jump, but you looked up to see that it was Lucifer. The only brother still awake, it seemed.

You slipped out of your bed and followed him into the hallway.

"Are you feeling all right, MC?" he asked the second you closed your bedroom door.

"I'm fine," you said. You shook your arms out, tested your legs, stretched out your back. "I was expecting to be in pain, but I feel fine."

"You can thank Asmo for that," Lucifer said. "He used a spell at the last second to lessen the impact when you hit the ground."

You looked around the hallway. "How long have I been asleep? Where's Satan?"

Lucifer frowned. "It's only been a few hours. Satan has locked himself in his room. I carried you here and the others refused to leave, so no one has spoken to him yet."

"I need to talk to him," you said.

Lucifer shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "That magic he hit you with almost killed you. Do you realize that?"

"I don't care about that," you said. "It's not like I haven't almost died several times here by now. And I'm not dead, am I? I'm going to talk to him."

"MC-" Lucifer began to protest as you started off down the hall, reaching out to grab your wrist.

You pulled your wrist out of his hand. "Don't try to stop me."

Lucifer frowned after you as you made your way to Satan's door.

You knocked.

No response.

"Satan?" you called. "It's me. Please let me in."

"What are you doing here?"

His voice was strained and hoarse. It came from directly behind the door, as if he was leaning against the other side.

"I want to talk to you," you said. "Don't you think you owe me that?"

There was a long silence. And then you heard movement. A click and the door opened.

You couldn't see Satan, as he stepped back into the shadows.

You went inside and closed his door behind you. He was lingering by a stack of books, unable to look at you. He was still in demon form, like he hadn't been able to calm himself enough to shift back.

"Satan," you said quietly.

He flinched and turned even further away. "You shouldn't be here, MC. You shouldn't be near me."

You could hear the tears in his voice and you knew he had been crying.

"I'm not afraid of you," you said.

"I nearly killed you," he said. "If Asmo hadn't-"

The words broke off in a choked sob.

You could tell that words were getting you nowhere fast. You came closer to his huddled form and put a hand on his back. He stilled beneath your touch and the fear that was radiating from him nearly broke your heart.

You didn't say anything. What could you say at this point? He wasn't in a place to hear you.

Instead you slowly pressed yourself against him, leaning your cheek on his back and wrapping your arms around his waist.

Satan was like stone in your embrace. It made you want to cry, too, but you could hold yourself still. You needed to be strong for him.

You squeezed him a little and said, "I love you."

For a moment, everything was silent. And then Satan shuddered. His body relaxed as his demon form retreated. He turned around and you saw his face clearly for the first time since you'd arrived - distraught and streaked with tears.

"How could you ever love a monster like me?" he asked in a broken whisper. The pain in every word shot through your veins like ice. "I don't deserve your love."

You saw the confusion in his eyes. Part of him wanted to give in, to accept your love and your heart. But a larger part of him believed what he had just said - that he didn't deserve it.

You pressed your forehead against his and waited. There was a question in your silence, a challenge. Would he push you away? Or would he let you love him?

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[deanstead]

Mistaken

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader, Rhodestead

Requested: no

Summary: As Will finds himself dealing with an unwelcome presence in his life, you disappear in the middle of shift.

Word Count: 5.3K+

Tags/Warnings: established relationships, stalking, kidnapping, hostage situations

A/N: First time I'm trying out writing for Rhodestead so I put this as a double pairing fic. Wasn't sure I was going to let this fic see the light of day but bestie @sheetsonfire gave her stamp of approval (and I haven't posted in a while) so here goes! Kinda (read: very) nervous about this so let me know what you guys think!

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

“Hey, you wanna grab dinner?” Will asked as he opened his locker next to you.

You glanced back at him, your eyes betraying the mental exhaustion from the day. Losing children was never easy, everyone knew that.

You gave Will a small smile. “No date with Connor?” You lightly teased.

Will chuckled.

Will and Connor had been dancing around each other for almost forever and it had taken you an unbelievable amount of self control not to literally bonk their heads together. Thankfully, they’d gotten off their asses before you had to.

“Connor got pulled into a surgery so I got stood up.”

You let out a small laugh, closing your locker. “Your brother’s on a case so… dinner’s on you.”

Will laughed, nodding. “I got you.”

The both of you ended up in one of the eateries you frequented that was near Med which opened late exactly for this reason - a place that had saved all of you from many late nights. Be it when Jay came to get you from a late shift, or when you, Connor and Will needed to eat after a shift before going to crash. All four of you had even been here together shortly after the shift in dynamics - you and Jay had just gotten married, while Will and Connor had finally started seeing each other officially.

In an effort to steer both your thoughts away from work, Will started a conversation about Connor, and you watched a light in Will’s eyes as he talked about Connor, a light that had finally let its way out into the world.

“What?” Will asked, angling his eyebrows at you before you realized you were smiling cheekily at him.

You shrugged. “Just nice to see you so happy.”

Will smiled, reaching over to ruffle your hair.

“You know you transitioned into this annoying older brother role way too smoothly.” You growled playfully, your eyes narrowing at him.

Will laughed, retracting his hand and chuckling.

“Y/N?”

Jay’s voice reached you first before you saw him but it still made you smile.

“You said you were going to be late?” You said but you were already looping your arms around his waist and pressing yourself into his embrace.

Jay let out a small chuckle. “Sorry, I know things have been a little crazy.”

You shook your head, burying your face deeper into his shoulder. “I just missed you.”

Jay leaned back before leaning back down to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “Shall we stay in tonight?”

You grinned back at him. “Sounds perfect.”

It felt like it had been a while since you and Jay had done this, just stayed in, the television turned on while the two of you had a cozy meal before cuddling on the couch with the wine glasses sitting just a little precariously on the small coffee table Will and Connor had gotten the both of you as a wedding present.

“Everything at work okay?” Jay asked quietly, his arms resting around your waist.

“You know, same-old. We have the bullies, the overbearing parents, but there are also families that remind me why I became a doctor.”

Jay rested his chin gently on your shoulder, his cheek resting lightly against yours before he closed his eyes.

“I think that if you’re here, if I know that I get to come home to you at the end of any day or case, I’ll be able to do about anything.” He whispered.

You knew that voice, the voice that told you he'd had a hard day.

You took his hand gently in yours. “I’ll always be here, Jay. At the end of every difficult case, or day, no matter what.”

Jay pressed a kiss to your cheek lightly and you leaned further back into his embrace.

“Dr Y/L/N, someone’s asking for you in the waiting room if you have a few minutes.” One of the nurses came up to you as you were studying a patient’s chart.

You looked around the ED, it was a quiet sort of day but you weren’t in the best of moods since you’d lost your card holder. Just thinking about having to replace your credit cards already made you feel tired and anxious. Regardless, you nodded with a smile at the nurse, thanking her for letting you know.

Putting on your best professional smile you headed towards the waiting room, scanning the crowd for someone who looked like they’d be waiting for you.

A woman who was about your age made eye contact with you, giving you a small smile. “Y/N Y/L/N?”

You frowned just a little in confusion although you kept your expression mostly neutral and nodded. She seemed a little familiar to you even though you weren’t fully certain where you’d seen her before.

The woman just smiled, handing you back a card case that was most definitely yours.

“I think you dropped this, this morning at the coffee place. I got your name from one of your cards and luckily the cafe said you were a regular so they knew you worked here.”

You felt the relief flood your system, the anxiety that had been clawing at you the whole morning finally seeming to let up.

“Oh my god, thank you.” You could even hear the relief in your voice bounce back at you but you weren't even embarrassed. “You saved me a lot of trouble and well... stress.”

You paused as you looked at her. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Have we met?”

The woman just smiled and shook her head. “Maybe in the mornings, I get my coffee there too most days.”

It didn’t feel like a correct answer but you let it go, reminding yourself this was not the time to obsess over unimportant details.

“Look, you did me a huge favor today. Is there something I can do to thank you?”

The woman just smiled. “Maybe you can just buy me a coffee. Tomorrow morning?”

You studied her for a bit and then nodded. She smiled, extending her hand. “Grace.”

You smiled back at her and shook it, agreeing to see each other the next morning at the cafe.

As you watched her walk back out the main door with a friendly wave, you felt that weird feeling again, like something wasn’t quite sitting right with you.

You definitely knew her from somewhere.

As agreed, you’d met Grace the next morning at your morning coffee stop and it had gone better than you'd expected, so much so that you’d talked yourself out of that weird feeling in your gut, putting it down to that tinge of social anxiety you had with new people.

You’d almost caved and asked Will or Connor if they could come with you but decided you didn’t really wanna be a wuss. Besides, the rational part of your brain was telling you that your anxiety was being irrational once again.

Grace had been easy to talk to though, so you were glad you hadn’t overreacted.

But when you opened the door to the doctors’ lounge armed with coffees for both Connor and Will, you sensed something was off.

Will was sitting on the couch, his head ticked up just a little as the door opened and Connor’s arm was around Will’s shoulders, Will gently pressed up against Connor. Even though it was no secret, they didn't usually behave much like a couple at work.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, frowning as you quickly put the coffees down on the table and headed towards them.

Will glanced at Connor. “I’m fine.”

Connor gave him half an exasperated look, even though you could still see the frown lines tinged with worry.

Will might be your brother-in-law, but way before you and Jay had gotten close, the three of you had always been great friends so it wasn’t surprising you could tell they were holding something back.

You raised an eyebrow at Connor. “Someone better tell me what’s going on.”

Will exchanged a look with Connor before he gave him a small nod.

“She’s back.”

She.

You knew exactly who Connor was talking about. That was the part that really made you feel like shit.

Will had been reluctant to call it stalking at first, reluctant to put Jay on this even though the laws on stalking had already greatly improved the past few years. But now it seemed like Will was getting concerned too.

“Will, maybe we need to tell Jay about this.” You said gently, even though you understood why Will didn’t want to tell Jay and make it all official.

Will just nodded. “Maybe. I’ll talk to him.”

Connor glanced at Will before squeezing his hand gently. “I’ll see you later, alright? I've got a surgery."

With a quick kiss, Will and Connor parted and you nodded at Connor to assure him that you were here anyway.

Will had told himself that if it persisted he'd go to Jay but she'd suddenly stopped showing up. The notes stopped and the street was empty when Will left the house.

“Maybe she finally gave up. Like she had one last look and she left.” You said, even though just saying it sounded stupid.

Will just smiled back, asking everyone to stop worrying.

“Y/N, you’re wanted in the waiting room.” Maggie called across the ED and you nodded, patting Will on the arm before heading straight out, shrugging at Maggie.

You’d barely stepped out of the automatic doors when you saw her.

“Grace?”

She looked a little frazzled, like she was startled.

“Y/N, thank god. I didn’t know anyone else and…”

You frowned, stopping her with a hand on her arm. “Okay, slow down. What’s going on?”

“My friend, she got hurt and I don’t think I can move her. It’s just at the next street. Can you…”

You frowned. “How is she hurt, Grace? What happened?”

Grace shook her head. “I don’t know, can you just…”

You took a glance back at Leah, who nodded at you quickly disappearing back into the ED.

Feeling certain that whoever it was that Leah alerted would be able to catch up to you quickly, you let Grace lead you out of the ED, so preoccupied that you didn’t notice the shift in the look in her eyes.

“Anything?”

Will asked, jogging up towards Ethan who shook his head.

Having just gotten a bit of time between patients, Will and Ethan had come out after you almost immediately but somehow you were nowhere to be found.

Will already had his phone pressed to his ear but while it had been ringing earlier, it was now dead.

“Are we sure…” Will’s voice trailed off as his eye caught on something right by the side of the sidewalk. “Wait.”

Will bent down, picking it up. There was no mistaking it, Will thought, as the key-shaped pendant from your necklace lay in his palm. “This is hers. I better call Jay.”

The ringing in Jay’s ears hadn’t stopped since he’d heard from Will.

With no hesitation whatsoever, Voight had sent Jay and Hailey along to Med, while Kim went straight to try to track movements from traffic pods.

Jay frowned now as he leaned over the computer in the security office with Hailey, watching as you spoke to a woman in the waiting room, her face not fully visible from the angle she was standing at.

Hailey glanced at Jay. “She knows where the cameras are.”

Jay nodded absentmindedly, his eyes locked on the image of you leaving the hospital - the last time any of your colleagues had seen you.

Jay ran a hand across his face as he tried to empty his brain to think. Nothing made sense. It didn’t make sense why anyone would want to take you. There’d been no violent patients that you had mentioned recently and everyone Hailey had spoken to earlier couldn’t think of anyone from the past few months either. Sure, there’d been difficult patients and family members but no one that jumped out as being dangerous.

Which meant they had no starting point. And Jay was worried that his brain was too clouded with worry to even think straight. He felt like he was missing something.

“Jay. Here.” Will said, his voice quiet as he put the necklace in Jay’s hand.

Jay’s eyes lingered for a while on the pendant now and Will glanced at his brother worriedly, unable to even imagine being in Jay’s shoes right now.

“Jay, if you…”

Will was interrupted as Jay’s phone rang, his eyes wandering towards the screen of the image capture.

What the hell?

Will glanced up again where Jay was still talking on the phone, before his eyes found the screen again, feeling the knot in his gut seemingly grow in size.

“Will, I just heard.” Connor’s voice broke Will out of what was almost a trance, turning to look at Connor.

Connor registered the look in Will’s eyes almost immediately, his eyes flitting to the screen before he glanced at Will. “That’s…”

“What?” Jay asked now, joining them again as he finished talking to Kim.

Will could barely look his brother in the eye as he glanced up.

“Her name is Grace. Grace Turner.”

Jay frowned. “You know this woman?”

Will exchanged a look with Connor, who merely squeezed his hand. “She's been stalking me."

The room was still spinning but at least it seemed to be slowing down.

Grace had her back to you as she fiddled with something on her table. You knew you should have trusted your gut.

From the beginning, something had felt off about her, like she was being too friendly. But then you’d put it down to your social anxiety, swallowing it down like a bad pill.

Yet now, as you became more aware of the ache around your shoulders from your arms being pulled towards your back, feel the rough material of whatever she’d used to tie your wrists together, you knew your gut had been right all along. You should have just listened to it.

Just as you were trying to figure what the hell you were supposed to do, Grace turned to look at you.

Her lips curled up into a smile that you’d never seen on her face before, something that made the feeling of unease balloon up in the pit of your stomach.

“You’re awake.”

You frowned, your eyes scanning her expression for more clues.

“Grace, what’s going on? What… is this?” You asked, trying your best to keep your voice level and calm, as you’d done many times in the course of your work in the ED, regardless of what you were feeling.

Grace looked back at you, blinking. “I’ve been trying to figure out why he likes you. There’s nothing truly outstanding, you know?”

You frowned.

“What?”

You weren’t sure if she wasn’t making sense or if your head was still kind of spinning from inhaling whatever drug she’d soaked that cloth with before she’d pressed it against your mouth and nose earlier.

Grace turned back to look at you now and you didn’t like the glint in her eye. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for weeks, why he's been keeping his distance. And then I saw you with him, and then I knew. It was you. You’re the one standing between us.”

You frowned, your mind spinning as you tried to figure out what she was getting at. Jay hadn’t mentioned anything in particular and you were sure if there’d been someone following the both of you around, he’d have said something or changed up the routine for the both of you.

“You… what? Listen, if there’s…”

Grace didn’t seem to be listening though. “Is it because you’re both doctors?”

Both…

“You.” You couldn’t hide the contempt in your voice as you realized this was her. She was the woman who’d been stressing Will out.

Nervous as you were, your gut still feeling like it was flipped inside out, you also felt annoyance and the extreme urge to protect someone you cared about despite the situation you were in.

Even with the ache in your arms, you glared up at her. “If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t be doing this.”

Grace turned back towards you, the anger in her eyes more pronounced now. “No one cares about him more than I do!”

You didn’t avert your eyes, the anger you felt bubbling over in you overtaking the fear and uncertainty that was still hanging over you.

“Not even his brother?” Your voice was still even, as you looked at her. “You took me because you thought Will and I were seeing each other?”

Grace didn’t say anything, just narrowed her eyes at you.

“If we really were seeing each other, did you think taking me here was going to solve anything?”

Grace exhaled loudly. “I’ve been watching you with him.”

You studied Grace, feeling your thoughts swirl. She’d been so obsessed with Will, that she saw you when you were with him but she didn’t watch you any further. She didn’t see the times that you went home or on dates with Jay. You were actually more surprised she didn’t know about Connor.

“So what do you actually want?”

Your eyes flicked to the scissors she had in her hand as you finished your question, before she stepped towards you.

Jay was quite literally going out of his mind.

They’d matched the woman’s identity, and went straight to her last known address but the apartment looked like it hadn’t been lived in for months judging by the layer of dust that had settled on the furniture. What they did find was a bunch of photos of Will scattered along the walls and other corners of the apartment.

Jay could feel the anger building inside him. Even if this crazy woman hadn’t taken you right under everyone’s nose, the fact that this was somehow connected to his brother was pissing him off so much it was taking all his effort not to punch something.

The sounds of fingers dancing across keyboards, as well as the sound of rifling papers reminded Jay that he needed to keep his head in the game.

“Hey, Jay.”

Jay glanced up to see Connor heading out of the pantry where he’d been with Will, his eyes flicking towards the back view of his brother before he nodded.

“Listen, I was thinking. Will mentioned he’s seen her around his apartment a few times, so couldn’t we…”

Jay froze. “Wait, what?”

Connor frowned. “He didn’t say anything to you?”

Jay’s eyes flicked back in the direction of his brother. “He should have told me about this when it happened.” His voice was slightly reproachful but Connor could hear the tinge of worry as well.

Connor just nodded, realizing he needed to tell Jay almost everything.

“So, can we…”

Jay’s mind was already there as he nodded, leaning back down over his computer, trying to run matches between Grace’s known family and acquaintances with recent rentals near Will’s apartment.

Jay’s eyes scanned the screen in front of him quickly before he paused. “Ruz, what did you say her sister’s name was?”

“Kayla.”

Jay frowned. “I have a Kayla Lloyd here.”

Kim was right on it. “I think you’re on the right track. Kayla Turner married Nash Lloyd three years ago.”

The team exchanged looks. Hailey nodded. “It’s the best we got so far. I say we go.”

Voight was already standing at his office door before he nodded. “Let’s go.”

Connor glanced at Will from where they were sitting in the back of Jay’s truck.

Will was glancing out, his fist curled into a ball as it rested on the seat between him and Connor. It wasn’t that he was that affected by this woman, but the fact that he hadn’t done anything which ultimately got the people around him dragged in was really eating at him.

Jay glanced at his brother through the rear view mirror before training his eyes back on the road. He didn’t have the capacity to think of anyone else but you right now. He didn’t know how to. But he could feel the fear clawing at him, but he just exhaled slowly, turning the corner towards the address they’d found earlier.

You exhaled, hearing Grace pacing outside the bedroom she’d put you in.

Your eyes darted around the room, your brain feeling like it was finally clearing up enough for you to form thoughts that were coherent enough for you to take in other details you hadn’t noticed earlier, like your phone sitting on the dresser.

Grace had been a little out for it for a while, alternating between mumbling to herself or ranting at you about Will. You hadn’t exactly pointed out the fact that you weren’t Will’s girlfriend, like she’d been thinking when she’d grabbed you. Other than the insinuation that had seemed to pass right over her head, you weren’t sure if it was going to make things worse if you pointed out that there was nothing going on between you and Will.

But you needed to do something.

You struggled a little to get to your feet, especially considering that your hands and feet were bound together but you managed to stand a little shakily with minimal sound, feeling a bead of sweat travel down the side of your face.

Gritting your teeth to try not to make any other sound, you gently hopped, grateful that at least she’d put a carpet on her bedroom floor. You angled your body, wobbling backwards as you neared the dresser, your hands finally closing around your phone. You fumbled with your fingers trying to at least turn it on so that Jay could somehow find you. You felt like it was forever, trying to wait for the stupid logo to disappear and for the phone to start but you’d just turned around again to peer at the screen when the door opened.

You froze as you watched the look on Grace’s face shift to one of rage as she took in the scene before her.

She lunged and you threw yourself out of the way, your eyes not missing the fact that she was still gripping onto the scissors in her hand. Your phone slid out of your hands and onto the floor with a thud and you felt your heart sink with it as you tried to reposition yourself on the floor, trying to ignore the shooting pains from the shoulder you’d landed on.

But you knew it was useless, especially as you heard her frustrated breath and a low growl before you felt yourself get yanked up by the hair.

She was freakishly strong for a woman her size.

That was the thought that entered your mind as you tried to regain as much balance as you could. You felt your breath catch in your throat as the threatening cold metal blades hovered near your neck right before the door crashed open.

You’d never felt such a sense of safety overwhelm you until you saw your husband’s face now, his gun ticked up high, his eyes betraying a mixed look of relief and worry at the same time, if that was even possible.

“Y/N.” Your name left his lips like a reflex, his eyes locked directly on yours, even the unspoken words putting you slowly at ease.

Jay was here.

Jay’s eyes flicked towards the woman standing behind you who looked as startled as a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

“Put the scissors down.”

You heard the effort it took for Jay to keep his voice steady, knowing that it would just take something small for Jay to lose it. So you locked your eyes on his, even though you felt the anxiety once again eat at you.

Grace hadn’t reacted and Jay kept his gun raised, his trained eyes looking around the room.

“Stay out of this.” Grace forced the words out through her clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t have done this if she didn’t…”

Her words trailed off as your body froze, your eyes catching the flash of ginger at the door.

“Will.” You felt the jolt of worry hit you, interrupted only by a growl from behind you, the scissors that inched dangerously closer towards your neck reminding you that maybe you shouldn’t have said his name.

Will’s eyes lighted on yours and despite the predicament you found yourself in, you wanted to smack him upside the head for that guilt swimming in his eyes.

Your eyes moved back towards Jay’s and he nodded discreetly at you.

“Grace. Listen to me. Put it down and we can all talk, alright?” Jay said quietly, lowering his gun just a little as a show of faith.

Grace frowned, her eyes flicking up towards Will before she spoke. “All I needed to do was get rid of her, right?”

Will’s frown deepened just slightly as he absorbed what Grace was saying.

“I was just getting rid of the obstacles standing in our way.” Grace said, her voice cracking just a little. “I see the way you look at her, but if it wasn’t for her, we'd be together!"

Will glanced at you and you frowned just as his eyes flicked back to Grace, his head shaking slowly. “I need you to let her go. Can’t you see you’re hurting everyone?”

You heard Will’s voice crack softly, Jay’s eyes flicking towards his older brother as well.

“She’s my… she’s my sister. There’s nothing… You… you’ve misunderstood.”

You could hear how much it was killing Will to keep his voice even and steady, when he was just as close to losing his cool as Jay was.

You felt Grace’s hold on you loosen just a little as her focus shifted entirely to Will. “Your…”

She shook her head, her shaking hand once again inching closer towards you. “I’ve seen the both of you… you don’t have a sister, don’t lie to me!”

“It’s true.” Will said quietly, glancing at Jay who nodded, now lowering his gun even more, Hailey stepping just half a step forward in case.

“Grace.” Jay said quietly. “Look at me.”

As Grace turned her attention to him, Jay exhaled gently. “You know me, don’t you? If you know Will as well as you do.”

Grace nodded slowly. “I just want my wife back.” He said quietly and you heard the quiet crack in his voice, one that only you would have picked up on. “Just give her back to me, please.”

“Your…”

Grace angled her head back down to you and you nodded. “I tried to tell you.”

Caught off-guard, Grace looked like she wasn’t sure what to do next. In her hesitation, her hand holding the blade moved slightly away from you, hovering off to the side and Jay nodded at you.

You threw yourself in the opposite direction, falling back down onto the ground with a crash, the pain in your shoulder causing you to groan. Jay lunged towards Grace, the metal blades of the scissors clattering across the ground as she lost grip.

“Y/N, are you hurt?”

Will’s voice reached you first and you opened your eyes, the groan escaping your lips. “My shoulder. I think…”

Jay was back at your side as Hailey took over the arrest, slicing through the cables around your wrists quickly. The relief was almost immediate and a quiet sigh escaped your lips as the pressure of your arms being pulled behind you was released, even though your shoulder still gave a small throb.

“Are you hurt?” Jay’s voice was quiet but you could feel every single emotion that pulsated through those three words.

You winced as Will’s fingers applied pressure on your shoulder but Will glanced up a little guiltily at his brother, shaking his head. “It’s a little strained but I don’t think it’s a serious injury.”

“Chloroform I think.” You told Will, glancing a little worriedly at Jay for an impending reaction.

Instead, Jay just leaned in, pressing you gently into his embrace, as if worried you’d disappear right out of his arms.

You felt tears well up in your eyes as the adrenaline still pumped through your veins, the anxiety from everything that had happened pulling to the surface, a quiet sob escaping through your lips.

Putting a gentle hand on your head, Jay pulled you deeper into his embrace, soothing you quietly and as you felt your heartbeat slow, you didn’t feel like crying anymore.

The only time Jay had let go of your hand was briefly in the ambulance when the paramedics needed to put a line in, as well as when Ethan had asked him to wait outside and you’d nodded quietly at him with an encouraging smile.

But the moment Ethan had let him back in, Jay was once again next to you almost like a bodyguard while Ethan assured him that everything seemed to be okay except that your shoulder was slightly bruised from the fall and that you were getting an ice compress and they’d examine you again after.

As Ethan left the both of you alone in the room again, you leaned your head against Jay with a soft sigh.

“You doing okay?” Jay asked quietly.

You didn’t answer immediately before you nodded. “You heard Ethan.”

“You know that wasn’t what I was asking.” A reproachful tone crept into Jay’s voice despite his efforts to hide it.

You pulled away to look up at him and Jay took the opportunity to lower himself down towards you, sitting at the edge of your bed so he could be close enough for you to remain snuggled into his side.

“I remembered where I knew her from…” You’d barely begun when your eyes caught Will hovering at the entrance of the room.

Jay glanced up, nodding at his brother who was closely followed by Connor. Connor had Will’s hand protectively clamped in his own, which only made you want to smile.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Will asked. “Ethan said whatever she gave you was probably just a sedative and that other than a busted shoulder you’re…”

You smiled. “I’m fine.”

Will glanced at Jay, which made you look at your husband as well.

“Look, Y/N. I’m sorry. This is all…”

“Will Halstead.” You snapped, interrupting him. “I swear to God, if you take all the blame for this one I will smack you upside the head. Hard.”

You narrowed your eyes at him as Will looked a little startled, even though a smile was playing on the corner of Connor’s lips.

“How the hell were any of us supposed to know this was her? Or that this woman following you around would actually think I was your girlfriend and kidnap me in broad daylight?” You said, glancing over at Jay as if this was directed at him as well.

Jay just nodded at you before looking at his brother. “Will, I wasn’t blaming you, I just…”

Will nodded. “I know. I kept thinking if Connor had disappeared…”

Connor gave Will’s hand another reassuring squeeze.

“We done?” You asked, almost accusingly at Will.

Will’s eyebrows bunched together in slight confusion as he nodded.

“Now, get over here. I need a hug from my older brother.” You snapped.

Will let out the first real smile that day and stepped forward to pull his arms around you. “I’m sorry.” Will whispered.

You shook your head. “All of you came to get me. That’s what matters.”

Will pulled away and Connor reached for his hand once more. “Told you so.”

You smiled, leaning back into Jay’s embrace. “You almost induced a heart attack today. Don’t ever disappear on me again.” Jay whispered, pressing his lips onto your temple.

You just closed your eyes, letting out a soft hum of satisfaction at being safe with Jay, accompanied by Will and Connor, the ache in your shoulder barely even bothering you anymore.

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[cmncisspnandmore]

One Night Stand: part 4

Pairings: Simon 'Ghost' Riley X Pregnant!Reader

Warnings: None? slight angst? Maybe if you squint

Summary: Simon is away on a mission, but things are speeding up back at home.

A/N:....... Hi, sorry. I'm back, i'm sos sorry for the long break between parts. I'm also sorry this is a short part, i started writing it before i went on a break, and i finished it today and its kinda a flop. But i promise to do better on the next part. asdfghjkl, please stick with me, I promise i'll do better.

Word Count: 2.909

New to the series? Catch up here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

It had been almost a week since you heard from Simon. He has sent you a brief text the morning he left. It was vague, didn't give you any details about where he was going, or how long he would be gone. He had promised to contact you as soon as he could. You find yourself staring down at your phone, hoping that maybe if you stared at it long enough he would text you. But it never came. 

Your knee shakes as you sit in the doctor’s office, the nurses coming out periodically to get someone from the waiting room. Your appointment was in 5 minutes, but you had been sitting there for the last 20 minutes. Nervous was an understatement, if you could describe how you felt out loud people would think you were insane. You felt like your lungs were vibrating in your chest, every organ moving at the fast pace of your heartbeat. 

The nurse calls out your name as you stand on shaky legs. The world is out of focus as you walk towards her. She smiles, and leads you back to her ultrasound room, her voice muffled  by the pounding in your ears. A hand touches your shoulder and it takes you a moment to realize that she was talking to you. 

“This is your first?” She asks, sitting in the chair next to the bed, pulling her stool up to the computer. 

“Oh.. yeah..” You lay back on the bed, and look over at her. She was wearing a pair of cartoon character scrubs. Her hair pulled up into a french twist, as she typed on the keyboard. 

“Okay, well lay back, and roll down the top of your jeans, and pull up your shirt as we’ll see if we can get a good look at that baby of yours. Do we need to wait for dad?” She asks, as you lay back against the paper. It crinkles as you roll down the tops of your jeans, your body shifting as you adjust. 

“Oh, no… he’s away,” heat rushes to your cheeks, red hot embarrassment coursing through your veins. 

“Oh no problem lovely, we’ll make sure to get extra pictures and you can even record the heartbeat for him. How does that sound?” She asks as she picks up the wand and rolls closer to you.

“That would be lovely,” 

“This will be a little cold,” she says as she squirts some of the ultrasound gel onto your stomach. The contact makes goosebumps break out along your skin, you watch the screen across from the bed. The grainy black and white picture moving around as she adjusts the wand. After a few moments a small white, baby-like blob takes over the screen.

“There they are! Look at them,” she smiles as she spends time taking measurements, and telling you what you were seeing on the screen. She takes some pictures while shes doing it, before she smiles at you. 

“Okay, ready to record the heartbeat?” she asks, and presses a few keys on the keyboard. 

You take your phone out and record the screen, the baby’s heart fluttering on the screen. After a moment the sound of fast paced wooshing fills the room, your eyes  fill with tears. It was real, you knew about the baby obviously, but hearing the heartbeat made it real. There was a tiny person growing inside you. A part of you and Simon. You stop the recording as you wipe your eyes with one hand. The Ultrasound tech smiles and hands you a tissue, before she hands you another. “Here Love,” she smiles, “wipe that off and then I’ll be right back with your pictures to take home.” 

You wipe the gel off your stomach, swinging your legs over the side as you wait. You open up the text thread between you and Simon. Your fingers tap the screen as you forward him the recording of the heartbeat.

Y/n: I know you couldn’t be here because of work, but I heard the heartbeat today. It was beautiful, they’re developing right on track. *heartbeat*

The nurse comes in and hands you two long strips of ultrasound pictures, you smile down at them. In one picture the baby’s hand is up in the air and it looks as if they’re waving. She added a little caption that says “hi Daddy!” On it and you can’t help the pang of guilt that settles in your gut.

This was Simon’s first child too. He should be able to experience everything with you. But you knew he couldn’t just abandon his post. He was needed, that much was clear, you couldn't ask him to give it up. You wouldn’t. 

As you walk out of the doctors office towards the bus station, you can’t stop looking down at the roll of pictures in your hands. As the bus pulls up to the sidewalk you climb on and take an empty seat. You study the white baby-like outline as the bus pulls away from the curb, you wonder who they would look like. 

Would they have Simon's light blonde hair?

Maybe his dark brown eyes?

Or would they look like you?

Maybe they would be a perfect blend of you both, with your eyes and Simon’s nose. Whoever they looked like, they would be loved. Your heart swells as you look down at the pictures, your fingered tracing outlines. They were only the size of a lemon, which was crazy to you. 13 weeks ago they didn't even exist, they were nothing. Just two cells that had yet to meet, and now they were the size of a lemon. They could move around although you couldn’t feel it yet, some babies even suck their thumb. 

Your thoughts drift back to Simon… Did he know that the baby was the size of a lemon? That it could now suck its thumb and move around?

Sighing you pull out your phone and text the video of the baby's heartbeat to him, along with a picture of the sonograms. You watch as the blue text bubble sends and the word delivered appears under it. You stare at the screen, wishing that it would change to read, but it doesn’t. Your eyes burn from not blinking, as the bus pulls up to the stop by your neighborhood. You quickly tuck your phone away and step off. The brakes of the bus squeal as it pulls away, leaving you standing on the side of the road alone. 

The walk back to your apartment isn’t long, it only takes 5 minutes at most. But today it felt like the longest walk of your life. You couldn't shake the feeling that pooled in your stomach when the tech looked at you, the pity in her eyes when she found out Simon wasn't there. It had done nothing but remind you that you would probably be doing most of this alone. That there was a chance Simon would miss the birth of his child due to having to be on a mission. 

You haven't given it too much thought, because that seemed so far away from the present. But in reality you were already in your second trimester, and time was going to go by a lot faster than you thought it would. Your relationship with Simon was still in its infancy, you barely knew anything about one another. Sure there was the undeniable attraction between you two, the magnetic pull that caused this whole situation in the first place. 

You climb the 3 flights of stairs to your apartment, your boots thudding on each step. The neighbors below you argue loudly, the crash of things being thrown jars you from your thoughts. You really hated them sometimes. It was like their entire relationship revolved around making each other mad. If they werent fighting they were stoned out of their minds, their eyes glazed over from drugs as they leant against the hoof of their beat up car. They had neer done anything to you personally but you had heard them fighting with some of the other residents. Mostly your direct neighbor to your left. She was a small old lady who would get fed up with them fighting and would call the cops on them regularly. 

As you unlock the door to your apartment, the door to the left opens. The old woman steps out of her apartment with a scowl on her face as she looks at you. You pause, and clear your throat. “Can i help you Mrs. Hines?” You ask, stuffing the sonogram into your pocket.

“Those blasted drug addicts, at it again i tell ya! Throwing things, arguing all hours of the day. Outta teach them a lesson,” she mumbles as he heads towards the stairs. Her cane tapped on the floor as she headed down to the floor below. You wait until her white hair is out of sight on the staircase before you push open your apartment door. The apartment is exactly how you left it, your eyes flickering to the couch. Air rushes past your lips as you find it empty, your laptop sitting in the middle just as you left it. 

You settle into your apartment, and hang the sonogram pictures on the fridge, a small smile on your lips. Settling back onto the couch you pick up your laptop and continue where you left off this morning with your article, the words flowing easily. Hours pass as you near the end of the article, your phone pinging on the couch next to you startles you. For a moment a flash of fear races through your body. Like a bucket of cold water was dumped on you, your heart hammers loudly in your chest. With shaking hands you reach over and grab it, tapping the screen with your thumb. 

The small picture of an adorable ghost next to the name eases your anxiety that settled in your chest. You can't help the small smile that spreads over your lips as you read the messages from Simon. 

Simon: Wow, I wasn't expecting them to look like an actual baby just yet. That's kind of insane. 

You: I know.. Did you get a chance to listen to the heartbeat?

Simon: Yeah… Don't tell anyone but I may have teared up… 

You: Your secret is safe with me. 

There's no reply after that, which is expected. Honestly you were even surprised to have heard from him at all. He was out there doing god knows what, god knows where. Given that he had a few moments to reply to your text must mean that he wasn't fighting for his life at that very moment. 

That thought gave you some comfort… Well kind of. Lately not a lot of things could make you feel at ease anymore. You never truly felt relaxed, not even after moving a few hundred miles away from your hometown. You still felt like you were waiting for the other shoe to drop. For it to be your turn to meet the same fate as your family. But it hasn't come yet, and that alone was enough to make every noise, every bump in the night send prickles of fear skittering across your body. Like thousands of ants running wild along the smooth plains, making you shift uncomfortably. 

The apartment complex was surprisingly quiet for 8pm, normally around this time most of the residents were arguing. Mainly the couple from downstairs, but you haven't heard anything in a little while. You furrow your brows as you look out the window. Their car wasn't there, maybe they had gone out?. The parking lot was mainly empty save for a few cars that you were sure didn't run anymore. TUrning in your seat you glance down at your phone, the screen still dark. 

Exhaustion pulled at you, over the last few weeks you had been having a hard time sleeping.The constant fighting from the people below you coupled with the raging hormones made sleep hard to come by. This past week is especially hard now that the small voice in the back of your head reminding you that Simon wasn't here. He wasn't just a phone call away right now. For all you know he could be on the other side of the world, and there was no established time he would be back. He very well could be gone for months. 

Taking a deep breath you grab your phone and climb into your bed, pulling the blankets up over your head as you try to block out the small pang in your chest. The small part of you that missed Simon's presence. When he was around it was like someone had closed the doors to the roaring fears inside your head. They were still there, but they were muffled and you could be easily distracted from them. Allowing your body to relax for once, after being wound tight for months. 

A blush creeps up your cheeks as you remember how blissfully blank Simon was able to make your mind that night. The night that led to the unplanned but not unwelcome baby that was currently growing in your uterus. Your eyes grow heavy as your mind drifts back to that night. You missed how his hands felt, skating across your skin. The warmth of his lips on yours, the way his heart pounded in his chest under your hands. 

Your hand drifts down to your lower stomach, your fingers brushing the now taught skin. A small smile on your lips as you drift off to sleep with images of Simon's dark brown eyes and blonde hair dance in your mind. 

~~~~

Smoke.

The first thing to cross your mind when you stir from your sleep is smoke. 

The smell was suffocating as you sit up, and blink rapidly into the darkened room. Thick grey clouds billow under the door of your apartment. The loud creaking of the building settling startling you fully awake. Outside you can hear commotion in the parking lot. Quickly throwing the blankets to the side you pad over to the window. People from the lower floors of your building are filing out, waving their hands in front of their faces as they attempt to run from the building. Thick clouds of smoke follow them, as yellow and orange light flickers across their faces. 

You drop to your knees as your throat starts to burn, the air in the room becoming harder and harder to breathe in. Your knees scrape along the uneven floor boards, scratching the soft skin. Pulling your shirt up over your mouth and nose you attempt to take slow even breaths, as the smoke rises to the top of the room. As you reach the door you lift your hand and place the back of it against the door. Its warm but not hot. Taking one last deep breath you reach up hand grasping the warm door knob as you turn it.

Smoke rushes into the room, stinging your eyes as you crawl forward. The hallways is hazy but you can see the stairs at the end of the hall. They look clear of any fire, and you start to crawl there. As you reach the top of the stairs a sound behind you causes you to stop. The floor by your door creaks and groans before it splinters and falls through. Flames lick up through the hole, heat dancing across your skin. It was hot. So incredibly hot. Your eyes water, as you struggle to pull air into your lungs. 

Your throat burns as tears slide down your cheeks, your lungs ache as you start coughing. Your mind becomes fuzzy from lack of oxygen, as you grasp the railing of the stairs you start to feel your way down them quickly. Your feet blindly hitting steps, a few times you almost slip on the stairs. As you get down to the second floor the smoke is thicker. You can't see your own hand in front of your face. The staircase to the first floor is engulfed in flames, they lick up the stairs as they threaten to singe your clothes. 

The window in the stairwell before it shatters above you front he heat, tiny shards of glass rain down on you where you crouch on the staircase. Your body is sluggish from the carbon monoxide. This was it… 

The way out was blocked and you didn't have the energy to climb back up the stairs to try the back staircase. It had only been a few minutes since you left the apartment, but it felt like a lifetime. Your body ached, your skin hurt from the heat, like the worst sunburn you’ve ever gotten. Your lungs screamed like you were being held under water, each cough that forced its way from your throat felt like razor blades.

Tears streamed down your cheeks, leaving trails through the soot and ash that covered your face. The world is slightly muffled as you put your head on the warm concrete of the stairs. The last of your energy fading as sirens scream in the distance. At least they would find your body, maybe there would be enough to identify, so someone would be able to get back to Simon about what happened. 

Simon.

Your heart aches in your chest.

What if no one ever told him what happened?

Your mind starts to go fuzzy and your eyes slide closed, sweet oblivion pulling you under.

As the world fades out you feel someone's arms wrap around you, lifting you from the stairs, their deep voice vibrating in their chest. “Bloody hell, Love. Trouble just knows how to find you, yeah?”

Next Part: Part 5

[sapphires-and-silver-linings]

Half-Life | Chapter Two

He didn’t know what to make of you.

Pairing: Plaga!Leon S. Kennedy/F!Chubby!Paranormal Investigator!Reader

Tags: Fluff, Mutual Pining, Angst, Body Horror

Notes: Here's chapter two! This was a lot of fun to write! I hope you guys like the banter and interactions as much as I enjoyed writing them lol. I think our little monster Leon is so cute in this. Please leave a comment if you can! would love to know your thoughts!

Masterlist | Previous | Next

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“Wow… that’s… good?” you told him, lying through your teeth, thinking about how you got yourself into this predicament.

Leon had ushered you down the winding path of the village outskirts, the two of you trying to maneuver around a pervasive awkward silence after your initial meeting.

When Leon wasn’t actively trying to intimidate you, he was reserved. Almost… shy?

To break the tension, you had asked if he invited all of his visitors home.

His reply?

“Just the pretty ones.”

You laughed at that, rolling your eyes, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle before growing more serious.

“This is the first time in a decade I’ve actually talked to someone. Most people… run away before they start asking questions.” His eyes shifted over to you as he added, “As they should. You’re a special case, apparently.”

You scoffed. “You scare them away, though. On purpose. Not my fault I saw through it.”

“Well, it’s for their own good. And my peace of mind. You really managed to catch me off guard.” 

“It’s a skill few possess,” you replied with a teasing grin.

He clicked his tongue in response before leading you up to a house with large front double doors. “Home sweet home.”

You released your hold on his arm, watching as he opened them and swept his hand forward, offering to let you walk in first. 

What a gentlemonster, you joked to yourself.

You nodded and made your way inside, sliding your backpack off your shoulders and setting it down against the wall before taking in the decently sized space. It was pretty nice, though bare of decorations and a bit worn. Must be great not having to pay rent.

“Mi casa es su casa,” he told you, closing the doors.

Shutting out the day, you came to realize just how dark the place was. Even the windows did little to aid your sight, as the sun was beginning to set. 

“Uh, Leon?”

“Yeah?”

Those glowing red eyes were trained on you, even more pronounced in the shaded room. “Is there a light in this place? Or do you just… live like this?”

“Shit,” he hissed, breezing past you to a cabinet and pulling out an array of white candles and a box of matches, setting them on the dining table in front of you. “Yeah, I can kinda… see in the dark.”

He opened the small box and tried to carefully pluck a match from inside, struggling to gain purchase with his claws on the tiny wooden handle.

“Let me,” you offered, gently tugging out his hand and grabbing a match. “And night vision, huh? That sounds useful.”

He seemed genuinely shocked by the action, eyes widened slightly, before clearing his throat and taking a step back to let you strike the match and light the surrounding candles. “Uh, yeah. Guess so.”

Once the wicks were lit, covering the room in a soft yellow glow, you gave him a smile. “So, you were saying about dinner?”

“Right, I’ll get on that. Sit tight.”

That was an hour ago.

And now you sat with a plate in front of you, just finished with chewing a tentative forkful of the charred hunk of meat placed there.

You watched Leon eat his own in a couple bites, simultaneously uneased by the way his sharp teeth shredded the morsel to bits in mere seconds, and fascinated.

Leon pulled a face as he swallowed, sighing deeply. “No need to lie. That was awful.”

“Sorry. I really tried to like it,” you said with an awkward laugh.

“Don’t be. I’m a little rusty in the kitchen. Been a long time since I’ve had company for dinner, you can imagine.” He shrugged. “And if I’m being honest, even as a human, I was never really good at cooking. Much harder with these.”

He held out his large hands, and you stared at the black claws that seemed to extend straight from his fingertips, their edges like daggers. Your gaze remained on them for a few moments before you rose it back to his face.

“I’m guessing you eat your meat raw, then?” 

His eyes flicked away from you and he seemed almost ashamed. “Yeah. I didn’t, at first. Tried to keep up with cooking. But I found it easier—and tastier—to eat it… fresh. I’m not human anymore and it’s not like it can make me sick. Nothing can, actually.”

“Ah. And how does one… find that out?” you knew the answer would unsettle you but asked him anyway. It must have been morbid curiosity that drove you.

He looked uncomfortable at your questioning, and you saw his tail swish almost irritably behind him on the stool he sat upon. “I’m not sure you want to know.”

You bit your lip, feeling guilty for your nosiness. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. But I won’t judge you for it.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “You’d be smarter if you did. You just met me, after all. Who's to say I didn’t lure you here to eat you because I like to toy with my food?” 

“What are you, the big bad wolf?” you taunted, unconvinced. 

He leaned forward across the table, a long tongue sliding against his fangs as he stared you down, replying in a low voice that sent a shiver up your spine, “I could be. Don’t forget you can always start running, little rabbit.”

You swallowed, trying to keep the nerves that twisted in your gut at bay. “I reiterate, no one has gone missing here in ten years. You’re not munching on anybody.”

“No one who’s been reported. You’d be surprised how many drifters are in the world.” His claws were now splayed out on the wooden surface before you, digging into it.

You being you—a fool of the highest degree—you placed your hand over his, hoping he didn’t grab your arm and sink his teeth into it. “You’re not scaring me off, Leon. And we made a deal, remember? You owe me for being willing to keep my mouth shut.”

He appeared dazed as he focused on your palm pressed to his knuckles, letting out a breath as he pulled away.

“You’re stubborn.” There was a faraway look in his eye as he added, “Reminds me of someone I know… Knew.”

“Someone good, I hope?”

He grinned, the already stretched skin of his mouth somehow pulling further. “The best.”

There was a tension between you that you couldn’t name, just looking at each other, when a loud scratching noise from the front door startled you.

“What the hell is that?” you questioned lowly, your vision zeroing in on the concerning sound.

Leon stood, looking unbothered as he strode over to the door, explaining simply, “Just Wolfie.” 

You looked at him as if he lost his mind, standing from your chair and backing towards the corner of the room. “Wolfie?”

Before you could protest, he flung open the door and a flash of white fur came barreling into the house, black feathers flying through the air.

You yelped as it rushed straight to you, closing your eyes and bracing for an impact that never came.

You peeked down through your fingers and saw a large white wolf-dog sitting in front of you, its tail wagging as it offered you the thing in its mouth.

“Good boy, bringing me a crow,” Leon praised in a strangely cute voice coming from… whatever the hell he was. It made something in you flutter. 

He walked over to you, leaning forward to pull the dead bird from the dog’s mouth, holding it by its neck as he inspected it. “Now that’ll be a good midnight snack.”

The dog nuzzled your leg and you bent to pet him, trying to ignore the blood that stained his snout (and now your pants). You noticed the gray hairs that decorated his white fur.

Oh, you’re an old little man, you thought, ruffling the dog’s thick coat.   

Disregarding the implications of your observation, you decided to poke fun at Leon’s naming skills instead, saying, “Wolfie, huh? How original.”

Leon hung the bird on a rope by its feet in the kitchen, turning to face you with a roll of his crimson eyes. “Don’t start.”

You giggled and he seemed to smile at the sound before glancing at the table and grimacing.

“Sorry about dinner, by the way. That was the last of my meat, unless you want to eat the crow. I might let you cook it, though.”

“It’s okay, I brought plenty of food in my bag.”

“Still, I really suck at this whole host thing.”

“Not threatening to eat the guests would be a great start to fixing that,” you teased.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” he replied sarcastically. 

Leon took your plate and placed it on the floor, letting “Wolfie” scarf down your uneaten meal. He stroked the dog on the head lovingly, and despite how odd it was to witness the arachnid-like creature interact with a household pet in such a way, it was somehow sweet.

“Livestock,” he said after a moment, still crouched before his canine friend.

“What?”

“How I found out I liked raw meat.”

“I see.” 

He glanced up at you, then, continuing, “The villagers had livestock. Cows, pigs, chickens. Most of them were killed when the town dogs were turned by the Plagas. After I cleared out the parasites, I planned on keeping a few of the farm animals around, for eggs and milk, you know?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I tried. But then I went a few days without eating, the wildlife in the area having fled during the chaos stirred up by the cult. There was nothing to hunt. Even the fish seemed to be hiding. I… I blacked out. Woke back up digging my claws into a half-eaten pig, surrounded by the bodies of the other dead livestock. I guess I—I guess I went into a hunger frenzy and slaughtered them all. Thank god I hadn’t found Wolfie at that point. I worry what would have happened if he were there.”

Your eyes widened at his confession, visibly stiffening up in horror.

He noticed your shift in demeanor and seemed to deflate, sighing miserably. “It hasn’t happened since. As long as I have something to eat every couple of days, I’m not a threat to you.”

Having witnessed him devour a chunk of venison just minutes prior, you relaxed marginally. “Still, a shame you wasted all that meat.”

He scrunched his nose before responding, “Actually… I didn’t waste it.”

“Wow, got quite the appetite, I take it?”

“Yes, but not that much.”

His evasive answers confused you. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, I didn’t want to lose myself again after that, so what bodies were left, I skinned and chopped up, putting them in the icebox. But then I ran out of fuel and couldn’t use the generator to power the electricity anymore. The meat went rancid. I was going to throw it out, obviously, but I was getting hungry again and I just… ate it anyway.”

You made a disgusted face. “Yum. I guess if you can’t get sick, you wouldn’t have to worry about food poisoning. Bet it didn’t taste great, though.”

“It didn’t, but meat is meat. I could stomach it and it kept me from going feral again. Small price to pay.” He sniffed as he stood up. “You have every reason to be afraid of me. Disgusted. I know I am.”

He looked away from you, then, his tail and appendages drooping in obvious distress.

You took a shaky exhale and stepped toward him, grabbing his arm and turning him to face you again, the confusion at your willingness to be closer to him after that conversation clear in his red irises. 

“I’ll be honest, you make me nervous,” you admitted. “But you’re obviously trying your best to hang on to the more human side of you. And I’ve never met a living cryptid before, so I think I just need time to adjust. That’s all.”

“Could I even be considered a cryptid anymore if you know who and what I am now?” he questioned with a light chuckle.

“I guess not to me, personally. But to the rest of the world? Still a cryptid, I’m afraid.”

“I’d rather not be anything to the world. Except maybe a long-forgotten ghost. Would make my life easier that way.”

“Well, luck’s on your side, cos with how popular my paranormal blog is becoming, I might be able to convince people this place is a bust and they’ll hopefully lose interest in El Escorpion altogether,” you offered.

“You’d be willing to do that for me?”

“For the right price, of course,” you told him, a sly smile on your face.

He snorted. “Of course.”

Things seemed to ease after that, the two of you chatting well into the night once you chowed down on some of the food you packed yourself.

He divulged very little about his life before the transformation, opting to tell you funny stories of his antics in the wilderness instead. He asked you about your work and even after you warned him that once you started rambling it was hard for you to stop, he encouraged you to anyway, seeming to listen intently.

You managed to circle back to why you ended up there with him in the first place, asking him about his run-ins with the occasional visitor. After describing his side of the various encounters, you both got a kick at how dramatically the others told their version of events, and how his cryptid name came to pass.

“The Scorpion, huh?” he asked in amusement, glancing at his own tail and appendages. “Guess they’re not far off.”

Eventually, the candles started burning down and a yawn bubbled up in your throat as you explained controversies in the cryptozoology community, like how some scholars speculated that certain cryptids are actually just very old B.O.W.s.

“As interesting as this has been,” Leon started after you let out another aggressive yawn, “I think it’s time to call it a night.”

“And I think I have to agree,” you said with a smile. “Where’re you putting me?” 

“C’mon, I’ll show you.” 

With that, he led you up the stairs, Wolfie hot on your heels. He took you to the door of the only bedroom in the building, opening it up to reveal a massive and very comfortable-looking canopy bed. 

You turned to Leon, confused. “There’s only one bed.”

He chuckled, plopping down on a blanket folded up on the floor next to his furry companion. “You take it. I’m good here.”

“You… sure?” you questioned tentatively.

“Positive.”

You nodded, smiling at him, and kicked off your shoes, climbing onto the mattress.

You watched him in shock as he fully retracted his appendages into his back.

He turned to catch you staring, eyebrows raised. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You cringed, feeling ashamed you got caught ogling him and his intriguing, monstrous form. “Sorry, just didn’t… expect that.”

“Never met a cryptid 'til now and you already have expectations?” he joked, leaning on an elbow to look up at you. His already too-short shirt rode up further and you blushed when you noticed his lean, muscular stomach become more exposed, looking away quickly.

“You know what I meant, you jerk,” you chided light-heartedly.

He laughed, the loudest and most genuine one he’d given to you since meeting him. The sound made you feel warm and you weren’t sure why.

“Get some rest, now,” he told you when his laughter subsided.

You stared at him for a moment longer after he turned away from you, curling up around his dog, before you replied, “Goodnight, Leon.” 

And with that, you leaned over to the bedside table and blew out the candle you had brought upstairs, darkness blanketing the room.

You stayed up for a while after that, mind going over the day, everything feeling so surreal from the moment you left the car just that afternoon. 

You could almost laugh to yourself as you drifted off to the sounds of Leon and Wolfie’s deep, even breaths echoing in the room, a soft wind blowing across the window.

Strange fuckin’ day.

+++

Leon was the first to rouse from slumber, unfurling himself from Wolfie and slowly sitting up. 

He was a little stiff from laying in the same position on the hard floor for so long, but otherwise, it had been a good night’s rest.

That was odd, he thought.

He rarely slept at all.

He heard a light snore and turned to find your still-unconscious form wrapped tightly up in his blankets, protecting yourself against the early autumn chill that crept through the room.

Silently, he stood, petting the white dog beside him that snorted in protest at his movements before making his way over to you.

Your hair was splayed out across the pillow, your eyelashes gently kissed your cheeks, and your round face seemed almost cherubic in the morning light that streamed in from the gap of the curtained window. 

Sleeping so peacefully with a monster mere feet from your vulnerable form.

He didn’t know what to make of you.

You had clearly been terrified the moment you saw him, and he could rationalize your initial inability to run as a freeze response, but you had heard a rustle in the foliage and got closer. You had seen glowing eyes and reached out. You had called him a liar when he told you he would eat you.

Did you have any sense of self-preservation?

Apparently not.

And then, despite your discomfort around him, you chatted with him like he was just another stranger passing on the street. And instead of ignoring his… differences… you commented on them. Asked about them as one would ask about the weather.

Well, you were a self-proclaimed paranormal investigator meeting a supposed cryptid, after all. It must have been a strange fascination that was causing you to be so curious instead of off-put.  

But what confused him the most was the fact you had touched him—gently and with ease—like you would a friend and not a literal monster threatening to kill you.

He looked down at his clenched knuckles, recalling the warmth of your palm as it rested upon the back of his hand. He thought about the way you smiled at him, how you bantered with him and teased him.

After so long by himself, he wanted to bask in this human connection he made despite knowing it was temporary. He prayed that after you left, it would tide him over until he was ready to say goodbye to this wretched existence for good.

He knew not to hope you would come back, or that he’d be lucky enough to meet someone else that would be as willing to talk to him instead of running for the hills. 

Besides, as under control as he felt now that he’d had a decade to maneuver in this new body, he wouldn’t want to risk hurting anyone. He had only ever lost control once and it haunted him ever since.

It was his worst fear if he was honest with himself. To lose his mind—his sentience—kept him up at night. Every day, he checked for signs that he might be mentally deteriorating, acting more beast than man. The longer he stayed away from other people, however, the harder it became to recognize what it was to be human in the first place.

All he knew was that he needed to end it before he ever reached that point, going from just threatening to eat trespassers, to ripping them limb from limb the moment he caught them. 

He couldn’t stand the thought of innocent blood on his hands after spending his whole life trying to protect it from being spilled at all.

You let out a sigh in your sleep and his gaze focused on you once more.

Despite how ridiculous you were to him, he was grateful to you for being so kind. Even as a human, he knew that was often hard to come across. And sure, he was technically paying you off to avoid attention, but that didn’t mean you had to be friendly towards him, especially after the ill-advised admittance of his eating habits.

He wondered how he would go about waking you, if he even should. 

Looked like he didn’t have to, though, when your eyes fluttered open and a scream left your lips as soon as you saw him.

He jumped back, holding up his hands in a gesture he hoped would dispel your fear. Wolfie leapt up, staggering with his old joints, before growling and searching for the possible threat in the room, oblivious to the fact it was Leon who frightened you.

It would almost be funny if you didn’t shift across the bed to get away from him. He could hear your heart thrumming behind your ribs like it had when you first met, and his own sank a bit.

He was still a monster, after all.

“It’s just me,” he said in a low, calming voice.

“Jesus, Leon, you scared the shit out of me!” you replied, pressing your hand to your chest. “Were you watching me sleep?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to wake you up. I was trying to avoid scaring you, but that was a wasted effort.”

You let out a breathy chuckle, and he was pleased to hear your pulse rate begin to lower. “Maybe just call my name next time or something.”

He rose a brow at that.

Next time?

No, you must have misspoken.

Clearly unaware of how you vexed him, you moved to the edge of the bed and pulled on your shoes, stretching your arms as you finally stood up. “Well, c’mon, then. I’m starving.”

You pet Wolfie as you passed him by, the dog having calmed down from the excitement moments prior, before opening the door and strolling down the hall. 

Leon just stared after you, his mouth hanging ajar for a moment at your immediate change in demeanor. He still felt guilty that he had frightened you again, though this time completely by accident. It stung a bit, but he reminded himself that you should be afraid of a seven-foot-tall creature standing over you while you slept. 

He shook his head as if to clear it and followed you downstairs.

You had pulled out a cereal bar from your pack, munching away at it as you walked around the bottom floor of the house aimlessly. You turned to him as he made it into the dining room, swallowing a bite before speaking, “Don’t have much décor, I see.”

He shrugged. “There were pictures on the walls when I first settled in, but they were all of the people who died in the village and religious stuff. Felt weird to leave it up, so I put it all in the attic.”

“And you just didn’t bother to add anything else?” you teased.

“The only artwork I might consider using is in the old castle, but I didn’t think the hassle of getting it was worth it.” 

“Wait, there’s a castle and you chose to live here?” you questioned in disbelief.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Too big. Plus, it’s just easier to hunt on this side of the lake.”

“A man of simple pleasures. I can respect it,” you told him, nodding sagely before you approached an empty shelf. “I take it there isn’t much literature around here, either?”

“Not really. Mostly journals and religious texts. Not exactly my cup of tea.”

“Anything from the cult?” There was an intrigued glimmer in your eye and Leon wondered if he would ever get used to it.

“All of it, actually.” 

“Anything… interesting?” you asked, coming closer to him and clasping your hands together, the empty wrapper of your breakfast forgotten on the dining room table. He reminded himself to tell you to clean it up before you left.

“‘Deranged’ is probably more accurate,” he said with a scoff. “But if you’re really that curious, I can go grab one of them for you. Hope you can read Spanish.” 

Your eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store and he couldn’t help but find it endearing. “Yes, I can read a bit! I tried to learn as much as I could before this trip and I also brought a translation dictionary!”

“Be right back, then.”

He quickly fished Los Illuminados’ text from the attic, returning downstairs to find you brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink. When you traveled back into the dining room, he placed it in your awaiting hands, and you practically squealed as you opened the old, ornate book.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” you whispered in awe, flipping through the pages. “And look at these illustrations! You mind if I keep this?”

“Be my guest. I have no need for it,” he replied, enjoying the way you pored over the text with visible excitement. You grabbed your translation dictionary from your pack and were about to get to work when Leon cleared his throat.

“Not to ruin your fun but don’t you have to leave soon?” 

Your expression shifted, then, from one of glee to what he could only guess was disappointment. Almost like you didn’t want to leave. There was a spark of something at that, but he didn’t let it ignite.

“Right. My ride should be here soon,” you told him after checking your phone. Despite your words, you didn’t move, and he wondered what you could possibly be thinking in that pretty head of yours.

When you finally dragged your feet to pack your bag, Leon remembered the items he promised you as payment for your silence concerning his existence. He excused himself before heading into the room beside the one you were standing in, reaching into a drawer and pulling out an old ring and a handful of jewels he had collected over the years.

“You forgot something,” he said to you, unfurling his clawed hand to reveal the precious items in his palm.

You grabbed the ring first, twisting it around as you appraised it. “It seems a little early for a proposal, don’t you think, Leon?”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but could feel a faint heat tinge the tip of his now-pointed ears and what remained of his cheeks. “Yeah, you wish.”

You offered an impish smile before taking the gemstones as well and pocketing them. “Well, I do hope these are actually worth something and aren’t just cheap knock-offs.”

“Definitely real, I swear. Those things are antique.”

“They better be, or else I’ll have to come back here and kick your ass.”

He chuckled at the thought. “Easy there, tiger. I’m good on my word.”

You nodded and a quiet fell over the room.

“Well, guess it’s time to go,” you eventually muttered, grabbing your backpack and swinging it onto your shoulders before you headed to the door. You were slow to reach for the handle, seeming almost… reluctant. 

“Why don’t I… How about I walk you? Wouldn’t want you to get lost.” He didn’t know why he offered. If he was honest with himself, it was likely to prolong the last human interaction he’d probably ever have.

And he couldn’t deny he liked your company too.

You beamed at him as if that’s what you wanted him to say all along. “I’d like that, Leon.”

With Wolfie happily trotting behind the two of you, Leon led you into the early afternoon, the bright sun making him wince slightly, as it always did.

“You okay?” you questioned him. He shouldn’t have been surprised by your observation, already proving to him that very little got past you.

“Yeah, just… sensitive to the light, is all,” he replied with a squint of his eyes.

“Really? How come?”

He chuckled. Ever curious, weren’t you? “The Plagas are—were—damaged by light. Or the more exposed ones, I guess."

“Then how are you even handling being outside right now?”

“Not sure. Acclimated, I guess? I couldn’t go out during the day at all when I first turned. Then I just slowly spent more and more time in the sun. It’s… uncomfortable... but it doesn’t feel like I’m burning alive anymore.”

“Jesus,” was all you were apparently able to say, gripping your backpack straps.

You were both quiet for a few minutes, and he was thinking of ways to keep talking, not wanting to end the interaction in awkward silence.

“So I get you have a passion for the supernatural and all, but why come out here on your own? Don’t you have anyone who could come with you?”

You sighed. “My family and friends think I’m wasting my time. I’ve been on investigations with others like me, but I found I preferred to be alone.”

“Not even a boyfriend worried about you, huh?” He knew that was an unnecessary pry, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

“Not at the moment, no.”

He felt a strange sort of relief but refused to inspect it, instead pushing the conversation forward, “You must be some kind of adrenaline junkie, then, to be running around in the middle of nowhere, looking for monsters.”

“Maybe a little.” You shrugged. “You must be, too, considering you were a cop and an agent, right?”

“No, that’s different. I became a cop in order to help people, not that I was much good at it. And I was forced to be an agent to protect someone. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t deny the rush of doing something dangerous, but I never really looked for it. Was just forced to face it. I don’t really understand why you’d risk your life for a hobby.”

“I guess I just want to find the truth about things, no matter what it takes.” He sensed that maybe there was more to it than that as you looked away from him, instead focusing on the path ahead.

“Well, you’re lucky you haven’t gotten hurt yet. You have no idea if you’ll run into a B.O.W. or even just a wild animal that won’t hesitate to tear you to shreds,” he admonished.

“I guess I am lucky,” you agreed, nodding. “Lucky I found a big softie like you instead.” 

He rolled his eyes at that. “I don’t know if you recall, but I told you I would eat you at least twice yesterday.” 

“And yet you didn’t. Interesting.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that, annoyed that you called him on his bluff. But then you looked up at him, radiant smile teasing and eyes bright.

He was surprised when the two of you were already at the lodge, past the village gate, so focused on you that he was mindless to anything else.

You moved to enter the building but halted when he did, turning to face him in confusion.

“This is as far as I go,” he explained, Wolfie sitting politely at his side. “Don’t want to startle whoever is here to get you.” 

“Right, makes sense.”

The two of you stood there silently for a few moments, and you seemed just as unwilling to say goodbye as he was.

“Well… guess I better go,” you finally told him, kicking the dirt with the tip of your shoe.

“Probably a good idea.”

“It’s honestly a shame I have to leave already.”

He raised a brow. “And why is that?”

“Because I’ve enjoyed getting to know you,” you replied softly.  

Leon was taken aback by that, something warm settling inside of him. To say he felt the same was an understatement. He didn’t voice it. In fact, he didn’t voice anything, at a loss.

To dispel the tension, you quickly and teasingly added, “And I didn’t get to explore this place nearly as much as I wanted to.”

“Well, there will always be other places.” He cringed at his own words and how stupid they were.

“There sure are.” You laughed, the sound melodic, and he was reminded of your singing. How your voice alerted him to your presence just yesterday afternoon. It felt like a lifetime since then, and simultaneously like a blink of an eye.

“It was nice to meet you, Leon.” You held out your hand to him, and he realized after a moment of staring at it you meant for him to shake it. It was a far cry from the day before, certainly. 

“You too,” he said, gingerly touching his palm against your own and shaking your hand carefully, enjoying the warmth of it against his always-cool skin.

You released him—far too soon, he felt—and his arm fell lamely at his side.

You pet Wolfie, scratching his ears affectionately as you said goodbye to the old dog, before focusing back on Leon.

You seemed almost somber as you told him earnestly, “I hope the rest of your life is kind to you.” 

He looked over your form, committing everything to memory. The color of your eyes, your round cheeks, your soft curves, the shape of your lips and how they framed your smile. 

The urge to caress your face was a shockingly difficult one to ignore.

With all his mental strength, he managed to refrain, saying instead, “Same for you.”

You nodded once, offering a final wave, and then you were through the door.

Leon stood there for a long time, hearing your footsteps getting more and more distant.

He stayed in place even as he heard you greet your ride.

He stayed until the car pulled away, the sound of it eventually fading completely.

All was quiet once more.

It felt suffocating.

Wolfie nudged Leon’s leg and finally, he moved, begrudgingly turning on his heels and heading back to the house.

He was lost in thought as he arrived, closing himself into the dark once more.

He grabbed the crow that Wolfie had caught the night before, planning on plucking it clean and sharing it with him, until he noticed a folded piece of paper on the kitchen counter.

Curious, he stopped in his tracks, picking it up and gently prying it open with his claws. Inside of it was a small, crude drawing of a rabbit, a short note scrawled underneath that read:

Something to remember me by~

Your lil bunny rabbit

He couldn’t stop the chuckle that left his mouth, echoing in the empty room.

After a moment, he set down the page, sighing deeply—warily.

Leon was alone again.

+++

The rest of your day had passed in a blur, barely able to hold a conversation with the local who picked you up from the village and took you to your hotel room. You paced for a long time once you arrived, eventually ordering takeout to abate your growling stomach but eating it without really tasting it.

Your mind could only focus on Leon.

Maybe you were crazy, but he seemed just as regretful to say goodbye as you had been.

He did say you were the only person he’d spoken to in ten years, so you didn’t want to let yourself hope that perhaps the connection with him you felt you made was genuine. He was just lonely, and you were still a stranger, after all.

You sighed, pulling the golden ring he gave you from your pocket as you sprawled across the bed, holding it up to the light to watch the ruby set into it shimmer. It reminded you of his eyes.

You groaned.

Your flight was tomorrow morning and now you had to make up some lie on your blog that was interesting enough to read without encouraging anyone to seek out the village themselves. 

Tall order.

You tried to focus on what you could potentially say, but all your thoughts led straight back to the strange creature you spent the night with.

He was lonely, yes. But so were you.

You glanced at the time on your phone, knowing you needed to sleep before your flight home.

And then an idea crossed your mind.

This trip was meant exclusively for business, not pleasure, and you realized you hadn’t been on a proper vacation in a long, long time. Your savings were in good shape, your rent was paid for the month, and you worked from home.

You held the ring in your hand, closing your fist around it, the gem decorating it digging into your palm just hard enough to sting.

It was set, you decided.

You were going to stay.

--------------------

Masterlist | Previous | Next

[lythea-creation]

Expectations - Shams x fem reader (Chapter 1)

summary: Being the only child of a prestiged father, (f/n) always has to worry about her image. Only Shams can completely take that burden off her shoulders for a while.

warnings: none

word count: 1.087

Author's note: Feel free to check out my Masterlists and make requests. No reposting please! Reblogging, comments and requests are always appreciated <3 If you like the story/my writing, please don't be shy to say it via comments or asks! It takes you a few seconds and might make my day. It's the best appreciation you can show to a writer you like.

Requested? No

------------------------

“Hey (f/n)!”, Tasneem greeted me as I was sitting on my seat and getting out my stuff. “I can't believe we're in the same class.”

I smiled at her and took a sip of water.

“So what do you think? Wanna make another tiktok together? The last one kinda blew up. Our followers seem to love it”, she noted.

“Sure”, I agreed. “But I'm meeting up with Omar later. So we gotta do it in the break.”

“Of course! Girl, I'm so jealous! Omar's literal boyfriend goals”, she declared.

“Make your move then”, I encouraged her.

“You're still just friends? Come on! Why?”, she wondered.

“Why not?”, I shot back. “Just because he's a decently hot guy and we've literally known each other for ages doesn't mean we have to become a couple.”

“It basically does though”, she claimed.

I had to suppress a groan at her statement. Why did everybody have to insist on that?

“Oh. Hitchcock's in our class”, Hiba announced as Shams entered the classroom.

Anger bubbled up inside of me. All I wanted to do was to stand up for Shams, but we had settled on avoiding each other at school as it might harm my image to be seen with her.

Luckily the topic shifted quickly when Sarah started talking to Tasneem.

So I decided to get a head start and began studying. After all I needed to keep up my good grades this term.

When the first day after the holidays was finally over, I could not wait to get to my favorite siblings.

I walked for a few minutes until I reached the meeting point where Shams picked me up with her bicycle.

“Ready to get home?”, she inquired with a grin.

“You have no idea”, I shot back and hurried onto the saddle.

I could easily not hold on without falling off, but I definitely would not waste this opportunity to hold onto Shams tightly, daring to lean against her.

“You're really pushing your luck, (f/n)”, she complained teasingly.

She was always claiming that she could not focus on keeping us driving when I was this close.

When we entered her home, the first thing we did was getting us a glass of ice water. It had somehow become a ritual whenever I came over because we used to stay out in the sun for far too long when we were kids, obviously dehydrating in the process.

Suddenly Omar walked into the kitchen as well.

“Why aren't you wearing a shirt?”, Shams questioned, frowning at her brother's naked upper body.

“I just came out of the shower”, he enlightened us.

An idea popped up in my mind and I could not help but act on it.

Before Omar realized what was happening I had fished and ice cube out of my glass and slipped it into his pants.

“Ah, you little ...”, he screamed out and jumped around due to the coldness. It was a hilarious sight and Shams breaking out in laughter was absolutely worth it.

“You're so gonna regret this”, he threatened me as soon as he got back to his senses.

I did not hesitate to run away as he was chasing me.

“Help”, I called out.

Of course, Shams supported me and made her brother trip over her foot, leading him to stumble to the ground.

“That's so not fair”, he grumbled and stayed down.

I exchanged a glance with Shams, who shook her head no.

After a while I warily approached Omar, feeling slightly guilty for pranking him and then teaming up against him. But that immediately changed when he took a hold of my ankle, then my wrist. He had caught me.

“(f/n), you're too naive sometimes”, Shams noted.

Before any of us could stop him, he grabbed my glass and emptied it over my head. Several ice cubes plus water as revenge for one.

“Omar!”, I cursed. “Have you gone crazy? Shit!”

Now he was the one laughing and out of the corner of my eyes I recognized that Shams was barely holding in her laughter as well.

“Oh no! You don't get to laugh at me”, I exclaimed and enveloped her in a hug.

“Ugh, guys! I didn't even do anything”, she reminded us as her clothes were soaked now.

“You just watched”, I remarked.

“Which you didn't complain about when you were the culprit”, she pointed out.

“Of course”, I agreed.

After a few seconds we all started laughing again. None of us could hold a grudge against each other for long.

“Let's get some dry clothes”, Shams suggested and pulled me to her room.

“Hey! I thought you were gonna hang out with me”, Omar interjected.

“You don't seriously expect me to stay like this”, I shot back.

“You can take my clothes”, he offered desperately.

“What's your problem?”, Shams wondered, still not letting go of my hand.

“Well … I may be her best friend, but you're her girlfriend. I know you both too well. As soon as she enters your room I'll be forgotten for at least the next hour”, he assumed.

“We're not THAT bad”, I claimed.

“How many stories do I need to tell you?”, he questioned.

“Okay, okay. We got it”, Shams stopped him. “She'll be right back.”

When we arrived in her room, Shams got some clothes for me and herself and then disappeared in the bathroom.

“Why are you doing that to me?”, I whined.

Hope was filling me when she opened the door, but she closed it again after throwing a towel in my face.

Defeated I began drying myself off and putting her clothes on. The fact that they were a bit too big for me was making it even more comfortable.

“I promised Omar we wouldn't take long”, Shams finally answered while getting out of the bathroom.

“I will let him wait a bit longer though”, she declared and pulled me into a passionate kiss that almost turned into a serious make-out session.

“Now go or I'll keep you”, she warned me.

I was just as reluctant to go as she was to let me. But I knew she was right. I was hanging out with Omar today, not with Shams. It would not be fair to let him down.

-------------------------

Next Chapter

Well ... I planned to write a Oneshot, but I couldn't help it and now I'm turning it into a series. Yeah, I know! Another Shams series ... I can't help myself. She's my favorite after all!

I hope you like the first chapter. Feel free to send me suggestions if you have any.

Btw I absolutely love that picture of Shams!

Tag List: @sunwoniie

[soundslikediamonds]

Rescuer (part 1)

Summary: (I'm not very good at summaries but!)

This whole concept came to me after watching Butler's interview with Josh Horowitz. Just seeing him in his hoodie and with his scruff just in that cold apartment over zoom made me think of this whole concept, yet it's super long, so I'm writing it in parts. I also got inspired seeing all those pictures with fans on the set of Bikeriders.

This is a fic where while walking alone at night, reader is being followed, but fortunately before anything can happen Austin saves reader.

Word Count: 4291

Disclaimer: This is my first time using Tumblr and first story posted here. I hope everyone enjoys!

Warnings: uncomfortable topic of being followed late at night, family dysfunction...

Hope you enjoy! (y'all I am SO nervous to put this out there lol)

_________

You close the front door and seal it with the lock. It's pitch black outside, a swollen full moon out with distant clouds. The air you breathe is cold and fans out little fog clouds each time an exhale escapes your mouth. It's no later than 12:00 am and you just finished all that you were taking for the night.

You would be back in a few days, when you were sure your Dad would be out. He was away this night, working a long night shift and you knew that. That was the reason why you managed to sneak back into the house and take some more of your belongings without your dad knowing you were here. It was clear he didn't want you back, not after that explosive argument last week that the two of you had which left him kicking you out.

You had no problem with leaving. Actually, it was something that tempted your mind for quite some time now. Somewhere between dad's anger, and the two of you fighting all the time, it was so exhausting. He made you get out of the house and made it very clear that he didn't want to see you again. You grabbed some extra clothing and toiletries for the night and your backpack before you called your friend Ava asking if you could sleep over. She was obviously awake and wasn't one who would take much to persuade.

You didn't go into detail of why you needed to be over there. It was late and the last thing you wanted to do was tell her that you, a college student, was officially homeless, having no real thought-out plan of what you would do. You just kept it simple; you were at the campus library studying into the night and by the time you headed back, you realized you forgot your keys and no one was in the house.

'just need somewhere to sleep for the night and then i'll be out tomorrow morning. kinda crazy how this is my life rn ahahaha'

You had texted Ava those words, to which responded in laughing crying emojis.

'dww!! it's life. it happens. i'll make sure to give you some of my clothes'

Shoot. The clothes. Although you did have a set of pajamas for the night, it would probably make more sense that you would burrow Ava's clothes. After all, you were locked out of your house. Where would those clothes come from if otherwise?

You placed everything you gathered in your backpack and took the bus to get to the other side of town. On the bus there was practically no one and as you had the back seats to yourself, you took this time to really think about what this meant for you.

You didn't have a home. You had class in the morning, and then two more in the afternoon, but you didn't have a home.

If you wanted help (which you probably should have asked for), that would require you telling the whole story of what happened, which was something you didn't want to go through.

If you took time to really think about it, you would probably cry. It was a surprise that you haven't done it yet, but it was probably because you haven't had the time, in retrospect. It was only the sound of your dad's tone that rung your ears, telling you to "leave and never come back" that made you scurry to your room, take what you needed to take and leave without saying another word, or giving eye contact to your parents. Your body moved quickly than what your mind could even process and now that you were sitting still since this pressing hour of chaos, you allowed your eyes to close, resting your hand on the top of your head as a small sigh escapes your breath.

What would you do now?

You stayed in that position for only a little while before deciding on opening your phone and choosing to listen to the song you thought would suit the moment best. As you looked out with window, you allowed for the duration of the melody to give you a sort of comfort and you told yourself deep down inside that everything was going to be okay. You were going to be okay.

That was last week.

Now, as you start down the stairs throwing one more glance over your shoulder at your old house, you tread down the street. For these past few days you've just been keeping yourself in an small Inn. It's been okay, mostly you were out for the day and so the Inn only did its thing and helped you out at night with a bed to lay down on and rest. But tonight was your last night and you had no idea what you were going to do afterward.

You were sort of on this plan of just going to a 24/hour coffee shop and stay there "studying" for the night. You've looked it up and there are a couple of places in the area. So, you considered that at least for the night you'd stay at the coffee shop to think things through.

You aren't alone as you walk. You glance down at your phone and notice that you have 15 more minutes before you'd reach the bus stop. The sounds of footsteps are distant behind you and, just because, you look over your shoulder just a little bit, but a chill runs through your arms when seeing that it's a man wearing all black with a hood over his head. He looks right out you and you whip your head forward, feeling your chest heave in a mini-gasp.

Now, you tell yourself, there's no need to overreact.

That would usually help you, but it is late and dark, and no one else is out. Plus, he's walking pretty slow, and has no problem with walking and staying behind you. Curiosity now takes over you as you decide to lessen the pace of your walk just a tad, and suddenly you hear his footsteps slow its pace as well.

Frowning, you now pick up the pace, to which this man does the same. Your heart starts beating fast and you check your surroundings, realizing the neighborhood you're in is dark and the lights to the houses by the streets are all out, indicating that everyone is either asleep or away.

You take a breath and decide to cross the street, just going at it because there aren't any on-going cars, but once you reach the sidewalk, you look down at the silhouette that's casted from the orange streetlight and see a distant but present shadow still trailing behind you.

You are officially. Being. Followed.

You've heard of stuff happening like this, and it's absolutely horrible. No one should be able to feel their own life being threatened just by walking down the streets at night. You just never thought of it happening to you, yet right now, your chest rises and falls as your hands collect sweat.

You have to stay calm.

If you start running, chances are he'll take off after you. You need to lead him someplace where there's people, yet you don't know this area half as well, and it's hard to make up places in the dark.

Silently praying that nothing happens, you take a risk a turn a sharp corner to another block which at this intersection you would normally continue to walk straight, but your legs aren't in control of what's going on and move out of fear and in search for desperate help.

Your eyes luckily find a light and you realize that you're coming to a gas station. The lights are open, so you knew that there has to at least be someone in the corner store. If you just casually walk in, the man following you would have to leave.

You start to hear footsteps from behind you pick up and your heart starts pounding within your chest. For some strange reason, although you are ridiculously scared, you aren't running. You aren't screaming for help. You're managing to speed walk with your head held high although trying to focus on your breathing and steady yourself. It's crazy how you're not looking back, but only walking faster, keeping your eyes straight on the blaring lights.

The Gas Station is right across the street from you and- without even clicking any buttons at the intersection which you should- you walk down the street and go up the small hill, and as your eyes avert to the station, you notice a tall man in a Carhartt jacket over black jeans, walking out of the corner store. He's looking down at the receipt in his hands as he walks to the pump. You're relieved to see someone at least, and you know that you're just seconds away from safety. However, as you're walking, you're scared when you see now in the corner of your eye, the man who is following you, starts jogging in your direction.

Without thinking you start making a light jog, no longer to the corner store, but to the man who's right in front of you, who has no idea of what small chase scene is in front of him as he looks at his receipt. By the sound of nearing footsteps, the man in front of you looks up just in time for you to greet him loudly before wrapping your arms around his neck, holding on to his tall frame. The man stumbles backward, but you turn your head to whisper in his ear.

"The man behind me is following me, please help me," You whisper, and that's all it takes before you feel strong arms wrapped around your waist.

"Hey, babe, sorry, I was just about to text you. Didn't mean to make you walk over to me." He says, the low tone of his voice vibrates your forehead as your head rests against his chest.

You're squeezing him now, thankful that the security in his voice and the tightness in his hold makes you feel safe right here in the Gas Station parking lot, right where some creep has followed you to. You don't even know if he's still there, or walking closer, and you don't want to know. You're not lifting your head up from being buried in this man's chest.

"Hey, the funniest thing happened at work today, but I'll tell you all about it once we go home. And you get to pick the movie tonight, but I gotta tell ya, if it's those cartoons again, I might just cry." The man says, a small chuckle coming out. A breath escapes your lips, almost like relief in itself. You'd smile if you could, if you weren't so scared.

Now, as you're still in the hug, you can't really hear anything. It's quiet and you're not sure what's happening in the world where your face is not against the fabric of a fall jacket, where you're not heavily breathing with tears stinging your eyes. You'd like to hear what's going on, or maybe you don't, but you can't, because all you hear is the sound of your heart pounding through your ears.

Finally after what seems like the longest seconds of your life, you feel the pad of a thumb stroke slowly through your hair just barely, just enough that you can tell it's within intent. To soothe you. You begin to match your breathing, your chest rising and falling, to the thumb strokes against your hair. You suddenly feel a lift of the hand and arms start to loosen just by a little bit.

"He's gone." You hear this man whisper in your ear.

Those words suddenly break you and now all of the emotion from the following to the chase catch up to you as hot tears slide down your cheek.

The man in your arms now holds you tightly once more and starts swaying you in his embrace.

"I am so sorry. I truly am, I...I'm so sorry." He says, with a deep and genuine ache in his voice. You nod, even though he did nothing but save you from what could've been, and just the thoughts of how the night could've turned out entirely worse, sobs now bubble and pour out as you begin crying on his chest.

"Do you wanna sit in my car?" His voice asks, and you hear the decibel of his voice raise just a little bit higher as it coats with soft and gentleness. You realize he's asking you that way because he wants you to decide. He wants to make it clear that whatever it is, he's not the one telling you to do anything. Not after this horrible experience.

"Okay." You choke out, nodding once again, before you slowly pull yourself away from where you nestle in his chest. You blink back to reality and look around you, seeing that the creep indeed is gone and you're standing outside in the parking lot of the Gas Station, while this tall man, who looks just a few years older than you, stares at you with kindness and grace. This is the first time you actually look into the eyes of your angel of the night. He has golden hair, a hint of scruff on his chin and around his pink full lips, with piercing baby blue eyes that sparkle even in dim light.

You try to smile, though you're wiping your eyes at the same time, and you can't help but feel like you look rather like a mess.

"Thank you so much." You say above a whisper.

The man doesn't comment on what he did, instead takes your arm gently and leads you to his car, a black vehicle near the last pump nearest to the car wash. While one hand still rests on your arm, you watch as this man digs up his car keys from his jacket pocket and unlocks the doors. He opens the passenger seat for you, to which you whisper thanks before he closes the door and walks around his car, leaving you only a few seconds to truly absorb everything that just happened in what seems to be in slow motion and in a flash at the same time.

You sit in silence for a moment, leaning backward in your seat as you try to look back and see if the creepy man would just pop out from nowhere. You're subconsciously doing it. You don't even realize that's what you're doing, looking at the back window until his hand is planted on your arm, bringing you back into reality. You turn immediately, looking at your rescurer.

"You're safe here." He says.

You nod. You believe him, but you don't even realize your hands are shaking until he looks at them, and you notice his jaw clench. You hug yourself, trying to remove the attention from your shaking hands and you feel his hand touch your shoulder. You try another smile as you turn to look at him.

"Thank you. I don't know what more to say but... thank you so much." You say, feeling like there are not enough words to express the true gratitude your heart.

He nods before he looks down in his lap, letting out a big sigh. You shake your head in response, now using your hands to massage your forehead in small circles. The two of you are silent in the car, but the both of you are thinking of everything that went down.

"My mind wants to think about how...he could've done anything to me. I've just been saved, and that's what I'm shook up about- the fact that it could have happened." You say, wondering what's even wrong with you.

Sure, you almost had something terrible happen to you. But someone came to your rescue just before it did. And instead of focusing on that and being grateful, you're still thinking of what it was that could've happened. Is that normal?

"I would be more concerned if you weren't thinking about the "what ifs". That's completely and totally valid." The man sitting beside you says. He then takes another breath.

"But I'm so glad nothing happened. And I'm proud of you for doing what you did. You know, you saw someone and immediately went to them when you felt in danger." He expresses.

You're sort of blocking that amount of praise that's trying to enter in, just because you don't believe you did anything out of braveness but out of fear. You were trembling in this man's arms, for crying out loud. He could have someone, or maybe he didn't want to get involved, or anything of that matter. But, you were grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you for going along." You say in a small voice. And he really was amazing. There was something about what he said, there was no hint of never knowing you before this. It was like you both were together. It was like you were truly going home with him. It was like you were going to pick the movie. With no hesitance he was able to get into this character and save you just by how he held you.

He shakes his head now, folding his arms as he looks ahead. "I was, uh...I was supposed to go to the other gas station, a few miles away from this one. There was too much traffic, and I decided to go here, even though I was complaining because the prices here are more expensive. But I realize that there was a reason why I was here."

He turns and looks at you, an actual scared look on his face. "If we were just seconds from each other, who knows what could've happened?"

You close your eyes. Your mind is going there, but you don't want it to. You don't want to go there. Based on the fact that you're not answering, the man breaths out a sigh.

"What happens now? Is there somewhere I can take you? Are you going home?" He then asks.

Your eyes then flicker open. How are you going to explain this?

Somehow in the midst of everything going on, you haven't thought of the fact that there was no place to stay. That your friends' places couldn't be used, or that your time at the local Inn was up. You couldn't think of anything when that creep was after you, but now that it's all over, you have to face the reality of the scary revelation.

"I, uh..." Your eyes flicker down, and you look at your shoelaces. You then look over at him. You're about to tell him, but your throat gets caught and you bring a hand to your head and close your eyes, slowly rubbing your forehead in small circles.

"You can just take me to the coffee shop. The one on Berden." You reply, your voice small.

He blinks at you, before giving a little nod, and you watch as his fingers mindlessly strokes the bit of scruff his has on his chin.

"Oh. Sure, yeah, we can stop for coffee if that's what you'd like. And then after that where will I take you?" He asks.

"Well..." You let out a breath. "I'm going to be staying there. I have, um...I have a lot of studying I need to do. That's where I was going, anyway. To the café...before...y'know, everything happened. Before I met you. I was on my way to the coffee shop." You ramble on.

You mentally kick yourself. Why do you have to sound so awkward when you're lying? I mean, sure you actually do need to study, but you're not really planning on it.

The man's eyebrows furrow as he turns and looks at you. You can tell just by the look in his eye that he's confused, and that he doesn't believe you.

"You can't study now. Not after everything. You need to rest somewhere." He argues.

You shrug, not meeting his eyes. "I'll be okay."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing that I had a chance of taking you home and refusing it. It's no problem driving you, really. Even if you live an hour away." The man says.

"It's okay, really." You try and persuade.

"It's just..." You watch as the man sighs, drawing his fingers to the scruff of his chin. He scoffs. "I don't know, it's so dangerous here."

He looks over at you in seriousness. "Is there no where I can drop you off?"

You nod. "Yes, the café on Ber-"

"No, no." You watch as the man shakes his head. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. When he finally looks at you, you swallow the guilt of not being able to tell him the whole truth. In this stranger's eyes there's a look of wanting to keep you secure.

"I have this feeling...you don't want to be home right now." He guesses, his voice a whisper.

That causes you to look down at your shoes. You feel his eyes on you and you know you're done. With that instant motion of not being able to look him in the eye, you're sure he can tell that his assumption is right.

When you finally look at him, you shoot a small smile. "You know...I can take the bus or something. You've done so much for me already, and I thank you. But, you probably have family waiting for you at home, or someplace to be." You say.

There's a silence as the man leans back, his back touching the seat. He slowly smiles, looking down at his hands.

"I uh...I live by myself in a lowly apartment, so...it really is no problem to-"

Suddenly, the man stops talking and then turns to look at you. He looks at you with a puzzled look on his face and you're wondering just what it is that he's thinking.

"I could propose something, but it might be strange." He starts, his fingers going back to resting on his chin.

He tends to do that a lot more than he's conscious of, you think to yourself.

You look at the hesitance on his face and blink. "What is it?"

"Well," He sits up straighter in his seat. "What if you just crashed at my place for the night?" He asks.

You blink. "What?"

He shoots a gentle smile. "Yeah, I mean...it's late, and it's obvious you don't want to go home. My apartment's close, and..." He holds you arm gently.

"I'd be completely out of your hair, there's a room that's completely secluded, you wouldn't see me at all, and there's office space if you dare wish to study...even though, I personally feel like with everything that's happened, going to sleep would be the best option, um...but I...I could make you some tea, uh...and I have these scented candles that I find always helps me, just feel better after a long tiring day...of course, I've never been through what you've just gone through, I mean that's absolutely terrifying, but-"

You then touch his arm. The poor man is rambling without even taking a breath. And he looks so apologetic, almost like it was his fault.

"What's your name?" You ask, changing the subject completely.

It takes him aback, for sure, and you find yourself start to smile. He blinks, chucking a little bit.

"I guess we haven't really formally introduced each other. I'm Austin." He says, extending his hand out.

You look at his eyes. Austin. It wouldn't be the first name you would guess, it's sort of unexpected, but looking at his face, you don't know if there's any other name you would give. It's charming, which is one of the words you would use to describe him.

You smile, reaching over and shaking Austin's hand as you say your own name. He gives a friendly smile laughs.

"Nice to meet you." He says shyly, which causes you both to laugh awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you, Austin." You smile. Then Austin looks at you with a serious look.

"Hey, um...I really am offering for you to stay at my apartment. Just for the night if that's easiest, and then," He shrugs. "And then, whatever you want to happen next, I'll allow." He says.

You nod. You know his intentions are good. You know, and it doesn't take much to know- that he is a good man. You almost experienced what wasn't a good man, and it scared you. It scares you to think that somewhere that man, and other people like him are out and about, roaming innocent streets to do sinful deeds for humans that don't deserve anything like that.

A chill runs down your spine as you think back to what could've been. Right now, however, there is nowhere else you can go. You'll admit you're in a very vulnerable state. You're mind isn't the best that it can be. You're still shook up. You're scared, and you know deep down that if you are anywhere away from Austin this time of night, you'd be even more afraid.

So with that, you look at Austin, who's been looking at you this whole time. You take a deep breath and then nod.

"Okay. I can go to your place for tonight. Thank you." You say in a small voice.

Austin nods, giving your arm another reassuring touch before he starts the car. And without another word he's set and soon you both are off, driving into the empty streets of night.

[cynthinesia]

Hello! Congratulations on your milestone dear! May I request something about your event?

I would like to order 🌺 tea with a side of 🌰 with Jamil and Azul? More on a romantic note, if possible. Thank you and have a great day/night! ❤️

A/N: GOD FRIGGIN DARN IT I AM SO SO SO SORRY... I USUALLY WRITE ON MOBILE AND DUMBLR ATE YOUR ASK I AM SO SORRY FOR SEEING IT THIS LATE HUN!! /gen .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.

🐙 Azul Ashengrotto 🐙

The classes, the tests, the quizzes, the exams... All were too tiring in the following week, but you somehow managed to pass them with flying colors thanks to the tutoring you got. You walked out of your classroom when the lessons ended, and went straight to the Mostro Lounge not only to get yourself a drink, but also to visit your tutor; none other than Octavinelle’s dorm leader, Azul Ashengrotto.

Floyd was the first one to greet you along with Jade, who just came back from his shift.

“(N/N)-chaaaaaan~! How’re you doingggg~?” He leaped to your direction and came to your left side.

“Welcome, (Y/N)-san.” He politely asked you as he emerged from your right side.

“I would like to see Azul, please.” You replied just as polite as you smiled back at him.

“Azul? He should be in the V.I.P room right now, but he is kinda busy...” Floyd said as he chirped. “We can hang out with you!”

You frowned and let out a sigh.

“Thanks, but I want to see Azul. It’s important.” You insisted, making the moody eel frown more.

“Now now, you two. It is not a good thing to quarrel with one another.” You heard a familiar voice of someone none other than your darling, Azul.

“Zuzu!” You chirped, immediately rushing to hug him.

“Hello, my dear. What brings you here?” He replied after kissing your cheek.

“I wanted to thank you for tutoring me.” You smiled, making him smile as well.

“Ew, gross. You two better go to somewhere else before I barf.” Floyd said with a pout on his face.

“Floyd...” His brother sighed, then smiled as politely as before. “I believe we need to go now. See you later as I have to go to my club activity today.”

Before Jade left the dorm, Floyd was already gone. Azul looked around to check if anyone else other than you is there. After making sure you two are alone, he wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your head.

“Awww, did you miss me that much?” You smirked.

“...Is there any problem with it?” He asked after a short pause.

“No, there isn’t.” You replied and pulled him closer with a hand on his cheek.

“G-good.” He replied as his cheeks flushed red.

Then you pulled a chair and sat down on it, Azul following after. It was only now that you’ve realized that you were tired. Maybe because of the usual shenanigans, or maybe because of the classes. Either way, you were tired.

“Hey, Azul...” You sighed. “I’m feeling exhausted... May I rest my head against your shoulder, please?”

“E-eh?!” He felt his heart jump at your request, “...I-I mean... You can, of course. But wouldn’t it be more comfortable to sleep in a bed than my shoulder?”

“...Yeah, I think so...” You replied while hugging his arm, “But I want to rest with you. Both of us need a break, you know?”

“I still need to do some paperwork, my dear... You can wait for me if you want to.” He said, then he got up and held out his hand.

“Now, do allow me to accompany you to your dorm...” He said while you sleepily took his hand and muttered, “...I can only do so much for you as your lover.”

— — 🐙 — —

By the time Azul was done with his paperwork and came back to your dorm, one of your dorm members opened the door for him.

“Hello, I came to visit (Y/N), are they here?” He politely asked with a smile.

“They are sleeping right now. Could you come back sometime later?” They said, slowly closing the door, but he was persistent.

“Oh, what a shame... I have brought something special to them.” He pretended to weep, “How truly unfortunate...”

The dorm member let out a sigh and let him in.

As he made his way to your room, he looked at the box that was in his hand. He opened it to check if the gift was still inside there. It was a well made brooch that’s gems glowing in the dim lights of the windows. The corners of his lips turned upward as he closed the box. When he arrived in your room, the sight of you sleeping peacefully in the bed caught his eye. They must be really exhausted... Wait, did they wait for me to come?!, He thought to himself for a moment. Then he put the box on the counter and sat on the bed.

He watched your sleepy form for a moment. The way your lips were parted, the way the moonlight hit your face, the way your skin looked shiny... He smiled as he put a strand of hair that was on your face to the side to see your face better.

“My dear, you never fail to amaze me... It makes me wonder what did I do to deserve you...” He muttered to himself.

He took off his jacket, neatly folded it and put it on the chair. Then he laid on the bed next to you, took off his glasses and put it on the bedside table. It was now blurry to see a thing which made him a little uncomfortable, especially when your face right in front of him and he wasn’t able to see it well. Regardless, he gave a light kiss to your lips before cuddling you, and snuggled up before he fell asleep as well.

“May we have a good rest, my dear... After all, we rightfully deserved it to the full extent.”

🐍 Jamil Viper 🐍

You heaved a sigh as you rose up from your seat. With that, your final exam was over. You smiled ever-so-proudly as yourself as your eyes searched your beloved, Jamil. It was hard to spot him in the crowd of students, and when you thought you saw a glimpse of the feather accessory he wears all the time, it quickly disappeared in the next blink. You were becoming annoyed as you kept searching for him, but it was to no avail.

You sighed as you found yourself in the courtyard. The sunlight beaming upon you gently touched your skin as if it’s smiling at you. So, you looked up at the sky too. The floating clouds above felt like you were in heaven for a moment. Then you closed your eyes, savoring the moment, and opened them again as you turned your gaze to the front. Then the realization dawned on you, that Jamil might be in his dorm. So, you made your way to the Scarabia.

When you arrived there, you saw Jamil coming out with a bag to go somewhere. Needless to say, he was just as surprised as you were.

“(Y/N)? What are you doing here?” He said, with wide eyes, and let out a sigh, “Did Kalim call you here?”

“No, he didn’t. I wanted to spend some time with you, just the two of us. That’s all.” You replied and forced a smile, “But if I caught you in a bad timing, we can hang out later.”

He knew what your smile really looked like, and he grabbed your hand.

“It’s fine. I was about to come to your dorm, actually.” He said with a smile which became a smirk, “It would greatly upset me to go to back my dorm without seeing my dear (Y/N) first, I’m afraid.”

“Well, aren’t you the smoothest?” You impishly grinned as you two made your way in the dorm, heading straight to wherever Jamil brought you.

“I suppose you can say that.” He replied as he opened the fridge to reveal something to you.

“You... You made my favorite food..?!” You said with a hand on your chest, panic immediately rising in your chest, “Jamil, you really shouldn’t have..!”

“But I wanted to.” He said, “I anticipated that you may be hungry, that’s why I asked you what your favorite food was the other day.”

You shook your head as you carefully took out the food and warmed it up, so that it can be eaten well. As you two ate together, you had a long time chatting about various topics. As you can chatted, you could barely see it, but the boy before you was looking at you with tiny sparkles in his eyes. You put your head on his shoulder, resting it there for a few moments before doing the dishes.

The second place was the lounge, and he gave something to you as a gift. Inside of it was a thing that you wanted for a long time, but couldn’t even buy it. You couldn’t believe your eyes, because you knew he told you how much he wanted a new sweatshirt but couldn’t get one, so you had got it for him. You let out a laugh as you collected yourself and took the gift.

“...I may have asked Kalim a favor...” He mumbled, which you heard it clearly as it was pretty quiet. “...which he did...”

Without any words, you smiled again. Then you wrapped your arms around his waist and put your chin on his shoulder. Then you took another glimpse of his face. He looked more exhausted then he usually was, his hair looked messier and his usual, bright eyes looked a bit dim like the candlelight flicking in the wind.

“...You’re tired too, huh?” You said as you caressed his cheek, “You don’t have to do all these things to make me smile. I’m happy with you either way, honey.”

He tensed up a bit as you said what you said, but then he closed his eyes and let you caress his cheek, relaxing for a bit. Then he felt your hands cupping his face, and you lightly kissed him.

“...Shall we rest somewhere?” He asked, “In a place where we will not be disturbed by anyone?”

You nodded while giving your hand to him, which he took it after a moment of hesitation.

The third place — the last, but surely not the least — was Jamil’s room, which he looked at you and sighed.

“I know I had said I’ll bring you to a place where we will not be disturbed but--” He said, which you cut him off.

“But you are getting tired too, hm?” You teasingly said as you smirked at him, “I can really see that, Jamil...”

“I believe we had better rest since both of us are tired right now.” He said, looking down. You kissed his cheek as you made your way to his bed and sat down.

“After you.” He smiled at you as he gestured his bed, which you laid down with a smile as he followed after. He hesitantly looked at you before wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to his chest.

“...You have no idea how much I wanted to hold you in my arms like this after a long time, (Y/N)...” He said in a low tone as if he was whispering into your ear. Then he pulled down the blanket on the two of you and cuddled you.

“Same here... Especially since the exams ended, we can cuddle all day... Right?” You said while caressing his braids.

“...Have you forgetten about my duty as a servant to Asim family? It would not be good to not stay by Kalim’s side for a long time.” He replied, looking down again.

“Come on, not even a little nap?” You cooed, “I’m sure he will understand!”

“But...” He hesitated again.

“Jamil.” You playfully glared at him.

“...Fine. Just for an hour or two, I shall relax...” He said, and you cupped his face and kissed him again.

“Good...” You said as you trailed off, about to doze off.

“Oh, are you going to sleep already? I was hoping we could chat for a while longer.” He teased, which you didn’t respond as you have fallen asleep. He let out a sigh and kissed your forehead before he, too, fell asleep.

“Have a good rest, my gem... I love you so much...”

[shitpostingkats]

Hi yes I need you to know that your analysis on Jaden and Yusei (June 16, 2022, idk if you’ve done multiple on them but that’s the one I’m talking about) is the realest thing I have EVER read and you’re so right and you should say it MUCH louder that is the greatest take op it’s amazing and I’m screaming /pos

Jaden is my favorite character like,,,, ever, and you have nailed him I’m going bonkers

Another thing, I love your Groupchat AU but you have made me become aware that there is???? Another???? YGO show????? I was like who on God’s Green Earth is Yudias and then Google attacked me with information. I still remember. When Vrains was new. To me Vrains is still new. It came out 6 years ago. I feel old. I am not okay. I have yet to acknowledge the existence of Sevens and will continue to do so with Go Rush. Oh I got off-topic, whoops-

Anyways, love your Groupchat AU but I saw the one part with the Eldritch language that Jaden and Yuya are both fluent in and I humbly request more of their dynamic???

I had an epiphany last night, they’re so similar I’m actually losing my mind. All I can think about is that one audio of Batman and that girl on the swings and it’s like “They got their weapon, I got cheated out of my childhood” “I know what that’s like.” “You do don’t you?” Tell me that’s not them I am dying /pos

Much love <3

Oh my gosh, thank you! <3

Jaden and Yusei, my beloved blorbit. The painfully monstrous and the painfully human. The narrative foils of all time. Jaden Yuki, the creatchur autism boi of all time. <3 I need to write about them more.

I know what you mean about the new shows. I'm still a ways off from watching them, but I still want to remember they exist but keep forgetting. What do you means vrains is six years old??? (<- was not even a yugioh fan when vrains was airing) You're telling me there's probably going to be new one after that??? That the days start coming and they don't stop coming?????

Shoutouts to the sevens and go rush fans. They are the mightiest of soldiers. I know nothing about their shows but I'm hesitantly penciling them into the groupchat au anyways because I have seen maybe three clips but I know this funny little alien guy is near and dear to my heart.

Obviously there's a bit of a shift between Vrains and the Sevens era, being made for new audiences, a little tone shifting (which we LOVE, because any franchise that stays the same forever is no bueno.) and that makes it easy to group the first six shows into one group. But I also think there's a fascinating dialogue between shows 1-3 and shows 4-6. I didn't realize it until I was a good way into Arc-V, but each of the second trilogy protagonists sorta reflects the first three.

With Yuma and Yugi, it's very purposeful, a stated "return to form" with the chipper kid and his ghost companion who lives in his special necklace. And when I was gushing over Yusei in 5Ds, I got a lot of people saying "Man, you're going to love Yusaku." They're both the rbf hacker protags who fight the government. Lots to love.

But Jaden and Yuya????? Did not imagine I would come out of Arc-V going "omg they're foils. They're the same story through a different lens. They need to TALK to eachother and bond over their shared experiences."

Even leaving out my pet theory of "Zarc Was An Incarnation Of Jaden In The Original Timeline", they're just so. *clenches fist* The childhood trauma of being a weird kids and masking with an overly bubbly personality only to learn the great anger they've been trying to hide is powerful enough to rip apart reality and they're secretly harbingers of destruction.

By the end of GX, I think Jaden has wonderfully come to term with that. By the end of Arc-V, I think Yuya hasn't.

Their dynamic in the gc AU is very much to me Yuya is still struggling with Z-arc stuff, but not saying anything about it because that'd be weird, so he just kinda frets about it until he hits a breaking point and Jaden gets to offer his advice on dealing with all this.

I am so interested in exploring this that it actually got me started writing fic again,,, which I haven't done in like a year, so wish me luck. I'll keep y'all updated :)

Angst aside, they're also just. One braincell between them. Theatre kid and guy who has never once acted natural in his entire life. Kid making a scene at a Waffle House while his friend slowly eats the entire menu and offers suggestions. Jaden is a pokemon fan and Yuya is a kingdom hearts girlie, I've decided this, and they takes turns infodumping to each other. Jaden summons duel spirits so Yuya can ride around on Hiphippo even when he's not dueling. They trade funny things they've heard their dragons say. They're eldritch and inhuman and best friends, your honor.

[loosesodamarble]

Hi I just have this random request on how Liebe from black clover would react to flirting from someone he likes. He game back from a mission a little beat up and the reader tends to while flirting with him

Sorry for taking so long on this request, Anon. It did originally come in the middle of another event. But still, it wasn't fair to make you wait several months for this.

It's a really cute idea and I had fun with it. I'm making my answer headcanons instead of a oneshot since my writing brain is a little tired at the moment.

...........

Liebe Getting Flirted With

When it comes to romance, Liebe is as dense as they come. He knows what romance is, in that he's heard of it, but he never developed a crush until you came along.

Something about the way you never questioned him being a devil and took an interest in him directly rather than seeing him as an extension of Asta (which most people outside of the Bulls did), were some of the first things that caught his attention.

And his fondness of you grew from there.

He never considers that you'd like him back until one day that could've been like any other.

Liebe comes back from a mission a little beat. What was supposed to be a hunt for one bandit turned into a fight with a whole gang, thus Liebe had needed to throw a few punches himself alongside Asta.

That's why Liebe needs patching up when he returns.

You volunteer to tend to his wounds. You don't have any healing spells like Nero, but you practice non-magical first-aid.

At first, the flirting you use is very subtle. So subtle that it easily comes off as basic pleasantries.

"I'm glad you made it back alive" and "I'm happy to help you out with this."

Liebe doesn't really bat an eye as you sit close, maybe closer than strictly necessary, and wear an unfaltering grin as you clean up his wounds.

He's more focused on recovering and how being in your presence soothes him.

You decide to push your flirting when you begin to apply a healing salve. When you dab some salve on a cut under Liebe's eye, you linger to brush a thumb along his cheek.

"Hm, you know, I think you'd kinda look cute with a scar." The words are more forward and catch his attention, fluster him even.

He stammers for a moment (because of your closeness and your words) but manages to explain that it might not happen since his devil physiology means he doesn't get scars.

You're just so very gentle as you rub in the healing salve. You do it in part to not agitate his wounds and in part to admire his physic. You hadn't known before that devils could train and grow more muscular like humans.

Liebe's heart is starting to race because he's feeling the shift in your attitude towards him. His tail is twitching a bit and he feels a good sort of dizzy. And he honestly can't help himself from smiling as you tend to him.

Still, he doesn't presume romantic feelings from you. He knows he likes you but that doesn't mean you feel the same, regardless of how sweet you act with him.

Before you go to get bandages, you hold one of his hands between yours and say, "I hope you realize how happy I am that you came back and that we can spend time together."

Things like "it's unfair that you can look so cute after a fight" and "so you know, I'll always take care of you" come up while you bandage Liebe and his face is practically on fire because you're becoming more and more obvious with your affection but he's still at a loss.

Finally, you say "If you're not better soon, I might just try kissing you better, okay?"

Liebe starts stuttering and blabbering over the idea of kissing you. "Why would you kiss me?!" "You don't have to kiss me!" "It's not that I don't want to kiss you-!" "Does kissing actually heal people?!"

You do your best to not laugh since you know Liebe's temper would make him lash out at you. Try as you might, a bit of chuckling escapes you.

And this does upset Liebe, but he doesn't snap at you.

He pouts, turns his head away, and grumbles "It's not fair to tease me that way when I like you, darn it."

You scoot up to Liebe and lean against him. You apologize and explain that you'd been flirting for a while, but far more subtly and so you decided to push yourself to finally make him notice your feelings.

Liebe huffs and says you should've been more straightforward. But quickly takes his words back since he danced around his own feelings instead of just saying so.

With both of your feelings now in the open, you ask Liebe if you'd like to start dating. He, of course, agrees.

[daddyy333]

Band kid!Robin x color guard!y/n

if you’d like you can reblog my original work, but please don’t post it without credit. if you take inspiration from my ideas please tag me, I’d like to see how someone else would write it

word count: 1.1k

warnings: I’m blanking but I know there’s gotta be at least one please let me know if you find one I’m sorry in advance

REQUESTED: @amberputh

summary: Robin is in love with the best girl on the color guard team, and little does she know you’re just as crazy for her

For 3 years Robin had been admiring you during pep rally’s and halftimes and other events. You joined color guard in freshman year at the same time Robin joined the band, and Robin now had the biggest crush on you because of it. You were considered one of the best on the team, you were very skilled and the tricks you were able to do made the crowd gasp and cheer throughout the performances.

And god, the way you looked had Robin messing up the music and nearly forgetting to play all together. You were so beautiful, and so confident too. You always came to the band members and told them how good they sounded, sometimes even bringing them snacks for after the games and the long and tiring school events.

What Robin didn’t know, was that you didn’t always watch band practice just to practice your routine. You didn’t stay after every game and talk to the band team only to congratulate the band team. You didn’t buy special snacks for Robin just because you overheard her talking about her gluten allergy just because.

You did all these things because you wanted to see her. You wanted to talk to her the most out of everyone. You wanted her to realize you listened to her and actually cared about her. But she never seemed to notice and it broke your heart sometimes.

Both of you were terrified the other was straight. So for 3 years you just watched each other, falling more in love with the other with every performance.

You started working at Family Video and shortly after Steve and Robin walked in with applications. You knew only one other position needed to be filled but you begged Keith to make up some other job so both of them could work here and you could see Robin more often and really truly get to know her.

When they started their first shift, Robin ran off to explore and memorize things on her own and it was just you and Steve. “I know there was only one position left. How did another suddenly open up if you’re still working here?” He asked and you looked around nervously.

You chuckled and said “uhh I’m not sure” “oh come on, I know you like her. It’s okay, I don’t care that you like girls. Besides, it’s kinda obvious. You were basically drooling when Robin was walking around trying to memorize the sections” he said and you chuckled nervously.

You blushed and said “ok, fine I like her. But please, please don’t tell her. I don’t know if I’m ready yet. Oh and uh, I convinced Keith to just kinda make a new position for her to fill” “alright, alright, I won’t tell her. But you don’t have to be scared about asking her out, trust me” he said and winked.

It still took you 3 months to say anything. It was the last basketball game of the year, and you were doing a solo routine. You were a little nervous, solo routines made you anxious because there was no one else to hide your mistakes.

“You’re gonna do good. You always do good,” Robin said and you sighed, fiddling with the flagpole. You smiled and said “thank you, Rob” She smiled and a few moments later everyone was on the field and was performing with incredible skill.

Robin watched you like she always did, admiring your focus as you twisted the green flag over your head and then waved it beautifully as you swayed your hips slightly to the song. God, those shorts looked too good on you.

When your solo came Robin was smiling so hard it was getting hard to play properly. You did amazing, didn’t even mess up once and you even improvised a few moves you had been working on that weren't actually supposed included in your performance, but that just made it 10x better.

Once everyone was off the field, you ran to the bathroom to catch a breather and also fix any makeup that got sweat off in the heat of Hawkins. Robin ran to the bathroom and tackled you in a hug, congratulating you and squealing about how amazing you did.

You giggled and said “are you sure it was good? Even the parts I improvised?” Of course Robin knew your entire routine by heart as she’d been watching you practice for weeks. She nodded and said “it was amazing! Dare I say, beautiful! It was! It was beautiful! I- you…you’re beautiful, y/n”

Your eyes widened at the words and she looked down at your lips for a second, before gently leaning in and kissing you softly. You smiled, kissed her back harder. She pulled away and gasped, covering her mouth.

Tears pricked her eyes and she said “I’m so sorry…please, oh god please don’t be mad at me. I don’t know what I was thinking- please don’t be mad-” “Robin, stop it. I’m gay. Like, really fucking gay. Especially for you”

Robin laughed, tears still streaming down her face. “Me too, y/n…me too” she said, whimpering a little but still chuckling. Your child trembled as you said “Robin, please don’t cry” You moved forward and cupped her cheeks, kissing her softly.

She kissed back just as soft as her hands found your waist, caressing it softly. You moved one hand to her back, pulling her flush against you. She smiled and you pulled away for air, pressing your forhead against hers.

“I really freaking like you, y/n. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to kiss you” Robin said and you chuckled. You sniffled and said “I like you too, Robin. I watched so many goddamn band practices just to see you and be in the same room as you. I don’t know how I went so long without kissing you, I don’t ever want to stop now” You pecked her lips softly and she giggled.

You brought her to your house after the game and after you showered she just couldn’t keep her hands off of you. She hugged you from behind as you made frozen pizzas and kept stealing kisses whilst you waited for it to cook.

You loved her, you knew that you loved her already. But you didn’t want to scare her away. So for now you’d let her smother you in kisses and you’d do the same, that girl has no idea what she just got into by dating you. You were completely and utterly obsessed with her. You loved everything about her.

Just you wait, Robin Buckley. You’ll be stuck with y/n for a long time.

Taglist: @amberputh

As of now l'm writing for

Eddie Munson

Joseph Quinn

Jamie Bower

Steve Harrington

Robin Buckley

Maya Hawke

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

Lo’ak

Neteyam

So just comment the taglist you want to be added to and l'll add you :)

[deepspacedukat]

Conference

What do we do when we get woken up real early? We write suggestive things about @bigblissandlove1‘s sexy Romulan Captain, of course! (I hope this is okay, friend! Literally just had the inspiration to dive into this one on this fine, chaotic morning.)

S’Talon is a Romulan OC created by @bigblissandlove1. This story was written/posted with their permission. Go check out their story, “The Raptor’s Descent” if you haven’t already! That’s where S’Talon came from! ✨

Also, I swear, I don’t plan these random S’Talon drabbles. They just kinda...happen. I’ll have like a vague idea, and my brain is just like “SEXY ROMULAN CAPTAIN TIME.”

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

S’Talon (OC) x Reader

[A/N: This has implied smut, so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: Flirtation, suggestive language, implied interspecies sex, implied Human/Romulan sex, S’Talon is walking seduction.

~*~

No member of any species has the right to be that attractive, I thought as I sat across a conference table from a Tal Shiar agent. According to Sloan, he was one of Koval’s most accomplished people. Riov S’Talon of the T’Met was a tall drink of water, and he was very aware of how handsome he was.

When we were introduced, the graying but still very much full of life Romulan had given me a charming smile and lifted my hand to his lips. With a wink, he’d stated how much he looked forward to working with such a lovely lady.

“I’m sure we’ll get along famously, won’t we lhhei?” On anyone else, that level of flirty presumptuousness would’ve bordered on annoying, but with him, well...as he winked at me from across the table during Sloan’s briefing, I couldn’t help but acknowledge that he made it work for him.

With a quick mental shake, I tried my best to focus on our mission. Section Thirty-One and the Tal Shiar did partner together at times, but it was still rare enough that we needed be on our best behavior to make sure relations between our organizations remained cordial. I couldn’t afford to get distracted and do sloppy work. Sloan would have me for breakfast if I fucked this up.

Still, I found my eyes straying back over to the Riov without my mind’s consent. He gave me a warm smile when my gaze met his - had he ever looked away?

“...rendezvous should be on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, so if your ship is detected, you’ll obviously have to relinquish command temporarily to your Section Thirty-One partner,” Koval added, speaking pointedly to S’Talon at that point.

“Understood, Dhaemnasi,” he replied in that utterly sinful, low voice. Those sharp, mischief-filled eyes didn’t leave mine for the rest of the briefing. When we were finally left to our own devices to discuss the mission, Riov S’Talon leaned back in his seat and allowed his eyes to skim over me. “Well, lhhei, it seems we’ll be working together for quite some time. I suggest we take a few moments to get to know one another. After all, we’ll be working very closely for this mission.”

The suggestiveness in his voice made me smirk as I walked over to the food slot and ordered two cups of tea. Sliding one over to my new partner, I tried to match his tone with a smirk of my own.

“What would you like to know, Riov?” 

“Oh, many things, but, for propriety’s sake, I doubt I can say even half of them aloud,” he murmured before taking a sip of his tea. The thought of him saying inappropriate things in that voice of his made me bite my lip.

“Is that so?” I realized belatedly that I sounded probably just as flustered as I felt.

“Yes, of course. With a gorgeous woman like you, who wouldn’t be curious beyond the bounds of decorum?” S’Talon asked, and I couldn’t help but let out a little huff of laughter. “You doubt my sincerity?”

“No, I’ve just never been on the receiving end of such flattery before,” I said as I crossed my legs carefully beneath the table.

“Flirtation is only flattery, lhhei, if it is not true. I assure you, I mean every word.” His gaze shifted to something a little softer. “Have you ever been sketched before?”

“What?” At the sudden change in topic, I couldn’t help but wonder what he was getting at.

“Has anyone ever drawn you? Or painted you, perhaps? Graphite or oil paints would certainly allow enough flexibility to capture your likeness in more precise detail,” the Riov murmured, seemingly deep in thought. Was he an artist?

“No, not to my knowledge. Why?” He simply smiled and got to his feet, wandering slowly to my side of the table with some question in his eyes. He leaned against the smooth, black surface and offered me his hand, which I took almost without conscious thought. He lifted it to his lips, placing a slow kiss onto my knuckles as he looked into my eyes.

“Because, lhhei, over the course of this mission, I’d like to change that answer to a confident, resounding ‘yes.’ You deserve for the answer to that question to be a ‘yes’ so that generations from now, your beauty can still be admired and appreciated. First, however, I would like to sample this tea from a slightly different source,” S’Talon leaned in slightly before stopping. His voice came out low and raspy when he spoke again. “I’d like to become more familiar with every part of you, lovely. With your permission, of course...?”

Swallowing nervously, I realized I’d made that decision the moment I laid eyes on Riov S’Talon.

“If you believe such familiarity would be beneficial to our mission, rekkhai, then who am I to say no?” The devilish grin he gave me made my heart flutter in anticipation. Maybe this assignment wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“It definitely will. The more you know about your partner, the easier it is to gauge their strengths,” S’Talon murmured, “and there is no better way to learn about a person than through their pleasures...”

He trailed off and closed the remaining distance between our lips with a hungry hum, placing my hand on his chest. In the space of a desperate breath, the Captain lifted me from my seat and placed me atop the table. Standing between my legs, he grasped my waist and nibbled his way down my neck. His mouth spread into a devious grin against my skin when he managed to draw a whimper from my throat. 

“Exquisite. Oh, my dear lady, I daresay this is going to be a very interesting collaboration,” he crooned as an insistent hardness rose between us. “Tell me, how would you prefer that I take you first? As we are now? Or bent over the conference table? I’m at your service entirely...partner.”

~*~*~

Romulan Words:

lhhei = my lady

rekkhai = sir

Riov = the Romulan rank equivalent to that of a Captain

Dhaemnasi = Romulan title for the Chairman of the Tal Shiar

~*~

Taglist:

@bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes @emilie786 @horta-in-charge @toebeans-mcgee @android-boyfriends @wafflingchemist

[peakhumanbehavior]

Relax

Julie Ranmore x Reader

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Warnings: Smut! (I kinda suck at writing Smut so bare with me- I'm open to criticism!)

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“You! Change that tablecloth, I see a bit of dirt on it” Julie commanded as she worked, mentally checking off each task as it was done.

“What are you doing? That color doesn’t look remotely close to the other colors on that table, get rid of it” She took a deep breath, these new workers got on her nerves.

Deciding to take a short break, she sat on a chair in a corner. Taking off her glasses and hiding her face in her hands.

“Hey Jules” A familiar voice whispers in her ear, making her jump.

“You scared me!” Julie exclaimed, playfully hitting your arm as you laughed. You pulled a chair next to her sitting down.

“You should take a break Jules” She scoffed at your suggestion, you had been nagging her about ‘taking breaks’ and things like that.

“I have a job, you do too” She reminded, before turning to look at you.

“Speaking of, why aren’t you doing yours?” A suspicious glance was sent your way.

“I asked to leave early,” You said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Then why are you still here?” Julie asked, thoroughly confused.

You looked around, making sure no one was near before you whispered.

“If you follow me, I’ll show you” Julie’s eyebrows raised, interested. One last look around the room and she followed you out of the room. You two had been walking for quite some time and she was about to speak up but you opened a door, revealing a room, an overnight room, for guests. The older woman was confused, what was so important about this room?

“Are you gonna stand there all day or are you coming in?” You asked after you noticed Julie standing there. Though suspicious, she walked inside and you closed the door, locking it behind you. Then, Julie knew what this was leading to.

“No, I don’t have time for this,” The sternness apparent in her voice as she tried to push past you. You quickly grabbed her waist, keeping her from leaving.

“We don’t have to do anything, I just want you to relax Julie” You reassured, though you both knew that it would lead to something more, as it always does.

“I’m sure the newbies will be fine on their own for a bit” For good measure, you lifted her and took her towards the bed. You chuckled as she held onto you, knowing that you’d never drop her. Except for right now. She yelped as you plopped her onto the bed, glaring at you in return. Before you could get another laugh out, she pulled you down onto her before flipping you over and straddling you.

“What happened to ‘I don’t have time for this?’” You teasingly said, your laughter quickly dying as you realized that she wasn’t laughing anymore, instead, she was staring down at you with a look you knew all too well.

“Jules, do you need something?” You said with a smirk, knowing that she would never admit what she wanted. She nodded but of course, that wasn’t enough for you.

You dug your nails into her waist, not exactly painful, but noticeable. Silently letting her know of your disapproval.

“Y-yes” Her voice came out in a whisper, her cheeks red.

“And what do you need exactly?” You smirked, you loved messing with her. Julie nervously looked around the room, not wanting to say anything. You tsked, this won’t do.

A harsh slap to her thigh made her yelp, her attention back on you.

“I. . .Please. . .” She was trying to find words, any that avoided her begging like a common whore. Which at heart, she was.

“Fuck me. . .please” She blurted out, done with trying to sugarcoat what she truly wanted, her cheeks even more red than before.

“Good girl” Julie let out a shaky breath at the praise, she shifted a bit, positioning herself on your leg. She looked back at you, a silent question in the air. You answered with a smile and a nod. She started to move, trying to find a pace that felt right.

Soon enough, light moans started to spill from her mouth.

You were enjoying the view but you wanted something that would keep you both busy. Stilling her movements with your hands, you rolled her over, making her whine at the loss of contact.

“I know you were having fun Dove but I want to have some too” You smiled down at her before getting up.

“Strip” You commanded and she did as told, her eager movements making you laugh.

You stalked toward the bed, admiring the beautiful brunette sitting there, her pretty dark purple underwear covering her most important parts.

“Could you go any slower?” She teased, blessing your eyes with that wonderful smile of hers.

“Oh, so I am the one who goes slow?” You asked jokingly, feeling offended. If she wanted you to go fast, you’ll go fast. Crawling onto the bed, you went in close to her, looking into her eyes before you kissed. It got heated fast, your hands finding their way into her hair, gently pulling, making her moan into your mouth. Taking the opportunity, you entered her mouth, groaning at the taste of wine on her tongue. Who knew Julie had such an expensive taste in wine?

After a while, you both broke away for air. Resting your foreheads on the other’s. Julie smiled at you.

“Fuck me already” She whispered before kissing you again. Your hands started to wander, to her back where you carefully took off her bra. You started kissing down her neck, nipping and sucking every so often, making her gasp and rub her thighs together in anticipation. Trailing your tongue from her collarbone to her breasts, you licked her left nipple, making her shudder.

Your right hand played with her other bud, tugging slightly.

You switched nipples, giving the other some attention as you trailed your free hand down her body, you felt her buck at every small movement. Making you wonder, does her husband ever touch her?

You toyed with the lace of her panties, tilting your head to look up at her you asked.

“Can I?” No matter how many times you two have done this, you always ask for permission. Of course, her answer was always the same.

“Yes,” She smiled.

You pulled down her panties, pocketing them when she looked away for a moment. You couldn’t help but lick your lips at the sight before you, Julie’s pussy, glistening with cum already. You did a quick, kitten lick between her folds. Groaning at the taste before diving back in. Slipping your tongue into her hole, earning a guttural moan from the woman above you,

You alternated between eating her out and licking her clit. After a while, her legs started to shake, signaling that she was close.

Pleas fell from her pretty painted lips, her fingers clawed your back, the burning sensation only spurring you on.

You coated your fingers with her juices, before plunging them into her. Her moans were relatively loud as you fingered her, forcing you to grab her panties from your pocket and stuff them into her mouth.

“Remember where we are Jules, you wouldn’t want anyone to know what we’re doing, would you?” You nipped her earlobe, punctuating each word with a trust of your fingers and she nodded frantically.

Her body tensed and she shook and jerked forward, her head landing on your shoulder. You helped her ride out her high, thrusting and curling your fingers just right. She tapped on your shoulder, signaling you to stop. You removed your fingers, making the older woman shudder.

“So, are you going to go a bit easier on yourself? Or do I have to help you again” You laughed and turned to her, laughing even more when you remembered that you’d stuffed her underwear in her mouth. You swiftly removed it, slightly cringing at the wetness.

“I’ll go easier on myself” She smiled and looked up at you.

You both sat there for some time, relishing in the moment. Wait. . .

“I have to get home!”

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[nuttyrabbit]

I genuinely liked all the obscure Sonic Facts that Greeny would post about! It sucks, but I found them really interesting!

However, the constant Ian Flynn bashing was really annoying. I understand not liking his writing style, it’s not perfect and can be criticized. But I swear to fuck, he would complain about the tiniest things!

Then he would talk about Flynn stans and how they sucked his dick constantly. I’m sorry to say this, but Greeny was hate-sucking Ian’s dick constantly!!!!

I don’t usually follow drama in the Sonic Fandom, since I’m too old to be getting angry over stupid things. I just stay in my lane, occasionally read fanfics for my ships, reblog theorizing/positive posts and cute fanart. Like, I think fandoms should be fun, so I try to have fun.

I followed Greeny since, as I said, I like the trivia they posted about and wanted to learn more.

At some point though, I think I became embarrassed to like IDW Sonic because of how much Greeny and their group would criticize Flynn and Evan. I took a break from the comics because the zombot arc had exhausted me, but I think reading the constant criticism made me not want to pick it back up. I still haven’t picked IDW Sonic back up.

I also feel like it’s gotten worse over the years. Like, I don’t remember seeing this type of stuff, or at least not as much complaining, back when I first started following Greeny.

Eventually, I stopped having fun and enjoy my time with Greeny’s posts. I felt like it made me more ashamed of what I enjoyed, and that’s not how I want to spend my time. It wasn’t even thoughtfully negative, it was just mean-spirited.

I recently stopped following Greeny, I think before Frontiers came out. He had made a post bashing the Flynn’s dialogue in one of the leaked cutscenes at the time (when Sonic first encounters the voice). Then he made another post translating the Japanese of that scene… and it was literally the exact same fucking sentence!!!!

I realized then that I was done with Greeny, that he was going to criticize the English dialogue for the entire fucking game. And I didn’t want to deal with it.

I wanted to try and enjoy Sonic Frontiers with being ashamed!

Sorry for the super long rant. Didn’t expect this ask to be a novel. I know you weren’t really talking about Greeny, but I’ve been holding this in and I just needed to air out my grievances.

You don’t have to answer or even post this ask, I just needed to get this off my chest. Again, sorry.

Honestly anon, I'm glad you posted this because my experience was very similar. For a long time I followed Greeny because they had good insights and made good posts, and even thought they acted cunty sometimes and had opinions that I thought were outright ignorant, I generally let it slide because things were relatively civil

But then yeah, the Zombot Arc brought out the worst in her and a lot of people, including me. God going back to my posts from that time is exhausting because I was furiously debating every one of these people and we were all being brick walls about it, and I could feel the discourse get naster and nastier.

It was around that time I remember her and the other people in her group just getting meaner in general and becoming very hateful towards Ian specifiaclly. Like they didn't like him a ton before but it became downright vitriolic and it felt like even discussing the guy in anything other than a negative light was a reason for them to jump down your throat

Even after the Zombot arc ended, shit remained so toxic that it was one of the reasons (well that and just my focus shifting from Tumblr in general) I just kinda left this site and didn't really look back, because it was getting to the point where I was dreading every issue coming out for the inevitable fucking discourse.

From the looks of it, it seemed like it only got worse with time, especially with the release of Frontiers.

Here's my ultimate fucking take. Greeny is entitled to her opinions, however crudely worded or wrong or bad faith they may be. But people are also entitled to call her out on her opinions and attitudes or just flat out ignore them, much as they are with anyone else's opinions, including mine.

The only reason I got involved in all of this shit was because I vented an opinion on Twitter and it got out of hand. Most of the time, I'm like you and just content to vibe in the fandom and talk about whatever, and I'd like to go back to that. I'd much rather be talking about my fucking OCs and my verse than dumb fandom drama bullshit

But like I said, I'm glad you sent this both to get it off your chest and to give me the chance to do the same. At this point I've just had so many bad experiences in this fandom (some of them of my own doing I will freely admit) that it's hard to care anymore. But I don't think anyone should be afriad to speak up about anyone in this fandom, even someone like Greeny or Crusher or a popular artist or whomstever the fuck

[myeolines]

still haven't finished totk bcs i keep getting busy w uni but i kinda just wanna rant about the main plot line lol

The continuity issues of this game is frustrating if you try to mince the main plot, shit just doesn't add up. As fun the open worldness is, being able to solve the puzzles any way you want, it feels as if they had to cut corners when it came to the plot 💀 Like it's some afterthought djsbdkwnkdns Having cutscenes fully voice acted has so much emotional power, like I kinda wish they made the most out of it jdjsbkwndke

I've read here in tumblr before about how it's as if the original direction of the zonai shifted, because I do remember Rauru's hand being creepy. And then the game releases and he's apparently a good boi! But it's fine, sometimes art do be like that it just takes a whole new direction. But the way they interweave things w botw is very inconsistent. Like they could have really did more with it yanno

Personally, it would have been better if we didn't start the game exploring the ruins ? the castle depths ? idk what's it called but like, we got to experience following Zelda as she puts in the effort of "restoring Hyrule". We get to see the glimpse of their life together after the calamity.

The thing is, does Hyrule need to be restored? Most specifically, the castle. Also it makes me wonder how people reacted seeing what seems to be the princess of legend come back, the princess they've heard from their grandparents. But I guess it's easy to interpret it with Zelda being vital to their worshipping of Hylia. And Hyrule Castle seems to serve as a seal for Ganon, and for more generations to come

It would have been more meaningful to see beloved characters from the series intermingle with the new characters. Though the new characters look cool, they also feel so out of place. I get that Penn replaces Kass in terms of role but it would still have been fun to see Kass just chilling at home. It would have also been fun to see Zelda and Kass interact, after all Kass' teacher is the court poet that regularly accompanied the princess. They could reminisce the stories of the past... Kass going "Ah, my teacher used to tell me stories of (this and that)" and Zelda enthusiastically recalling these stories... It would also have been cool to see how the whole Zonai Survey Team was formed. Since Tauro was a solo explorer and his passion for field research is what made Zelda choose him to be the leader of the survey team, it would have been nice to have a neat little side quest of getting to know the guy. Same goes for Yona. It would have been less surprising if Link and Sidon were penpals and they'd regularly write to each other, Sidon would recount some childhood memories with Yona. If maybe we were there to welcome Yona as she arrived, her introduction would have felt smoother? I'm not against the idea of Sidon and Yona but their relationship feels so abrupt HABSJABDKANDK Would have been fun to see how Sidon slowly realized he loved Yona, something like that.

I'm really digging the idea that totk zelda should be playable. Totk's story is more about her dilemma. It would have been more meaningful experiencing the Dragon Tears memory as Zelda, we get to move around as her. I mean, she's apparently the strongest Zelda in the series I think it would have been so monumental.

But back to the actual story, it could have been more... Though it's fun seeing that Link isn't as alone anymore, teleporting to Lookout Landing always feels nice because I know that's where Link's friends are, I just wish Zelda had more screentime.

Thankfully the fandom has people rewriting the story to fill in the gaps so that's what I'll be busy reading once I finish the game to scratch the itch that is inconsistent storytelling sjbskdnsns that's my totk rant for today 😘

[raging-violets]

The Flash: Life on Standby | 9x12: “A New World, Part 3: Changes” | Barry Allen & Averey Moore (OC)

A/N: Kinda/sorta spoilery for the future of the Blindsided series (and spoilers for the show) but I’ve had something like this stuck in my head since I watched 9x12 and I needed to write it down, haha.

-Rhuben

“He said that he has the chance to change everything. That if he chooses the crystal, he could get everything he deserves." Averey screwed up her nose as Barry made another pass around the living room. “I just don’t understand. How could he want to do this? That's not Eddie. It’s not the Eddie we know.” 

Averey’s eyebrows lifted as she watched him. He had spent the whole time they had stood in Eddie’s “home” relaying everything he had just experienced with their friend. And the whole time, apart from her inquiry about where they were, Averey had been quiet. She didn’t say a word, just twisted her features in reaction to the words that came out of his mouth. 

So it really through him for a loop when Averey looked him square in the eye and said, flatly, “Shut up, Barry.” 

Barry stopped pacing, coming to a halt in the middle of the living room. “What?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“Eddie’s getting the chance to see what kind of life he’d get to have should things have been normal for at least five bloody minutes,” Averey explained, her eyebrows coming towards each other. “How do you not understand that?” 

“It’s the Negative Speed Force, Averey,” Barry reminded her. “It’s not real. None of this, none of what he wants, is real!” 

“And it was the Reverse Flash, Barry. And then it was Zoom. And then it was Savitar.” Barry let out a noise of frustration and spun on his heel to storm into the dining aera. Averey followed him, calling after him to say, “There’s always going to be someone that’ll change things – the timeline - in our lives, B. It may not be real to you, or any of us, but it’s real to him.” 

Barry made a scoffing sound, shaking his head. 

“Ah, my apologies, mate.” Averey’s tone suddenly took on sarcasm. “Guess I just never realized you were the only one who was allowed to take the chance to see how your life was different.” 

Barry whirled around to face her. “That’s not true.” 

“It is true, and you know it,” adopting his direct tone. “You’re selfish, Barry Allen!” 

Barry’s jaw dropped. The start of his next sentence died in his throat. “Unbelievable,” he said quietly. A derisive laugh came forth. “I’m trying to save the whole timeline right now,” Bary said, jabbing himself in the chest. “Our lives! Our future! How is that me being selfish?” 

“As long as it’s your mum, or your wife, then you get the green light to do whatever you want with the timeline,” Averey shot back, swinging her arms in the air to indicate everything around them. “That’s how! But if it’s anyone else, we’re not allowed to make that decision.” Barry scoffed again. Averey’s eyebrows lifted and she let out a high-pitched scoff-laugh of disbelief. “You didn’t go back in time for Cisco to save Dante, and yet you tried desperately to save Iris from Savitar.” 

“Averey...” 

“You created that Flashpoint timeline because you went back to save Miss Nora.” 

“Ok, but--” 

“And that wouldn’t have even happened in the bloody first place if you hadn’t gone back in time to save your mum from Eobard!” Barry’s nostrils flared as he expelled a breath of air in one sharp exhale. “And the funny part about all of that was, that it was pointless. Miss Nora was always going to die, and yet you kept trying.” 

“I didn’t even know about any of that until now,” Barry said weakly.

Averey put her head into her hands. Barry planted his hands on his hips and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “You don’t get it, Barry.” 

“Oh, come on--” 

“I’M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO EXIST!” Averey lifted her head, eyes ablaze. Barry grimaced at the sudden shout. “I’ve always wondered what our lives would have actually been like if none of this ever happened. If that original timeline, if that real first timeline played out where Nora didn’t die, I wondered how that would be.” She jabbed herself in the chest, her voice cracking. “And I don’t even exist, Barry! Either Henry never has an affair with my mum, and I’m never born, or I’m a different person and our paths just don’t ever cross and we don’t know about each other. But to you, no matter what, I’ve never existed. I wasn’t supposed to.”

Barry wet his lips with his tongue.

“I remember everything from every timeline that’s ever been changed. I remember everything before that tidal wave hit Central City.” She sniffed, using the heel of her palm to wipe at her nose, turning her head away from him. “I remember the first time I told Cisco that I was in love with him, but he doesn’t. It’s different for him. And it’ll always be that way. But you don’t care.”

“Ave…”

Her face became hard again. “Which isn’t a far cry from anything else, because outside of Iris, it’s like nothing exists for you. Except for her.”

Barry gaped at her. “Averey, she’s my wife.”

“And I’m your sister!” Now Barry put his face into his hands. “Not that I want anything to happen to Iris, you know I don’t, but you can always get a new wife. You can’t bloody get a new sibling.” 

Barry opened and closed his mouth.

“And that kind of sucks, because it’s been sweet as getting to know you these past ten years.” Averey wiped at her eyes with her hands. “And that’s what the Thawnes tried to do. They tried to forget that Malcolm even existed, and just put Eddie into that slot. He’s had to live his life based on other people’s standards and expectations. There’s even pressure further down that bloodline as far as Eobard is concerned.” 

“That’s no excuse to act like this though,” Barry said tiredly. 

“Come on, B.” Averey turned away from him and moved to sit down on the couch. Barry stepped closer to her, reaching up to tap his fingertips against the entryway to the room. “It’s easy for you to say that. You’ve never been on that side of being compared to anybody. Because you’re Barry Allen.” A hint of a laugh rumbled in Barry’s throat at her jazz hands at his name.

“Mate, dad compared himself to Joe all of the time because he wasn’t there to raise you.” Barry blinked rapidly in response.

“Dad never told me that,” Barry said quietly, leaning his head against his stretched arms.

“You know Wally had that grudge against you when you two first met, and I reckon a part of him still feels that way.” Averey put a hand to her chest. “I know I still have issues with Iris I’m working out even now, because of how angry I was with her being. Eddie’s going through it, now, too. He’s just now feeling the weight of all of that emotion at one time.”

“And the Negative Speed Force is feeding off of it,” Barry reminded her. “I know he can fight it off. I know he can.” 

“So, do I,” Averey said. “I don’t reckon that Eddie should listen to the Negative Speed Force and take that crystal, but you’re one big ass hypocrite for trying to force him to stop something you’ve already done so many times without a second thought.” 

“Ok, ok...” Barry slowly nodded. He dropped his arms down to his sides and moved to sit down beside her. “I hear you...” 

“It’s not out of the ordinary for people to wonder what their lives would be like if things were different. Yeah?” Averey crossed her arms over her chest, settling back against the cushions. She turned towards the window, squinting towards the bright lights illuminating the street. “Like if we didn’t make this decision, or take that job, or if we just had more time…” Silence feel between them as the end of her sentence trailed off. “You’ve had all the time in the world to figure this out. Eddie has the chance to make that decision for himself right now. He’s still the same Eddie; he’s just faced with a very difficult decision.” 

“And if he chooses wrong?” 

Averey looked at him, a solemn look on her face. “Then we gotta do, what we gotta do. But we can’t make him feel like he’s evil for being human and wanting something he always thought he couldn’t have. Or what he’s told he can’t have.” 

“I just can’t believe Eddie would even consider this.”

“Please. You all thought he was selfish and into himself before this. CCPD called him ‘Detective Pretty Boy,’ remember?” A wry smile came to her face. “Or was that just your jealousy talking? Because he had Iris, and you had a lenghty date with a coma.”

Barry pressed his lips together and twisted his mouth to the side. “I...we...just didn’t know him.” 

“You know him now.” Averey bumped his shoulder with hers. “Don’t hold it against him when he doesn’t choose to act the way you would. That’s not fair to him.”

“When did you get so smart?” Barry asked. “Almost sounded like something Joe would say.”

“Being around all you smart blokes, it was bound to happen,” Averey said, her smile widening slightly. “You’re the paragon of love, Barry. Sooner or later, I’d have to throw one of these sorts of speeches back in your face, right?” Her smile slowly faded. “So, what do we do now?”

“Prepare,” Barry said, just as solemn, “to do what we gotta do.”

-

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