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#Civil Dusk
lucaromanopix · 2 years
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POLARIZZATORE
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shsenhaji · 1 month
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📚 December Reading Round-Up 📚
Ooops... I totally forgot to post my December reading round-up until now... But better late than never!
So, I did actually finish some books in December! Including Les Misérables, thanks to Les Mis Letters! I'm also back in my Vorkosigan era!
- The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth Russell (back in my Titanic era! Very good and informative, and the audiobook narrator was nice to listen to; did have some quibbles with a later section, but the rest was pretty good)
- To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (very good! Wrote a review for Strange Horizons about it!)
- Champion of Dusk and Dawn by Megan Derr (short but sweet, very enjoyable, liked the denouement)
- A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (so good and heartwarming and emotional, That Dinner Scene, gave me Greenwing and Dart vibes in the best way, so proud of myself for finishing it!)
- Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (very nice and emotional, cute and heartwarming, loved the Muslim love interest, unfortunately wasn't able to sink fully into the prose and vibe as much as other books from this author)
- Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (liked it a lot, can definitely see where Miles gets it from! Enjoyed the themes of honour and reputation and trying your best)
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (Very much enjoyed it, Waterloo was a highlight, sewer scene was unexpected, I kept encountering Les Mis in real life, very emotional last few chapters. So much truth and honesty in this book)
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lezbeach · 2 years
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dontcxckitup-m asked: ⭐
For each “⭐️” I get, I’ll write a headcanon about our muses: ACCEPTING
II @dontcxckitup-m​ // @dontcxckitup​
//It’s no secret that Richard and Gareth’s relationship is rocky, at best; something of a friends-to-hating-each-other’s-throats sort of relationship (although, it’s mainly the latter). Yet, once in a blue moon, a tiny glimpse of friendship does resurface. Neither of the two are sure how or when it happened, it but turns out that the two occasionally frequent the same pub for an incredibly late night drink. Richard isn’t sure why Gareth is there, but he’s at least there because he barely gets sleep. Now, it’s an INCREDIBLY rare occurrence, and has only happened a handful of times, but the two have actually had a few pints together, and maybe it’s the booze talking, or the late-night exhaustion, or both, but during those few times, even for a little bit, the two weren’t at each other’s throats. Instead, they actually manage to chat about different topics-- work, the weather, you name it-- civilly and calmly. It makes Richard think that maybe if things had turned out for the better, and if the two actually trusted one another, they could have possibly been something of friends. Shame.//
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luci-in-trenchcoats · 25 days
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The Ranger (Part 1)
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Summary: The reader is trying to enjoy her vacation in the rainy forest in her cozy cabin when an unexpected heat comes on. But things turn dangerous fast and she needs the help of a local forest ranger to get out of it. But she wasn't expecting his help to include claiming her and being her true mate. Because something isn't right and her Alpha is keeping something from her...
Masterlist
Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!reader
Word Count: 5,300ish
Warnings: language, life threatening medical situation, angst
A/N: Please enjoy this first part!
_______
This was not an ideal situation. You’d finally done it and taken that solo vacation in the mountains. A cozy cabin in a retreat from the world. The trees had turned already and were bare but the damp, cloudy rainy day would have been perfect to curl up by the wood fireplace and get through that stack of books you’d been meaning to.
Except your heat, your heat that’d always been on schedule since you’d started having them, was three fucking weeks early. You didn’t have any medicine besides a few pain killers meant for headaches, not dangerous cramps, and the cabin only had basics meant for allergies or a cold. You needed heat suppressants soon if you didn’t want to go into a full heat. 
Which again, wasn’t an ideal situation since you didn’t have a flippin’ mate.
You could have tried to trek back to civilization through the winding dirt road but it’d taken two hours on the way in. Two hours of intense cramps? No way were you making that drive.
“Shit,” you said, walking slowly to the service room on the lower floor of the cabin where a radio at a table sat. Because of course you wanted to vacation somewhere without people, that meant no cell service either.
A rumble of cramps passed through you, warmth flaring your insides. You gritted your teeth and grabbed the radio, turning the frequency to the ranger station listed on the sheet on the table for emergencies.
“Hello, uh, forest service? I need help,” you said, closing your eyes as pain radiated up your spine. You frowned for a moment, the radio crackling. “Hello? I-”
“This is station 327, Ranger Winchester. What’s the emergency?” asked a strong, serious voice. You bit your bottom lip as you imagined he was an Alpha, your core quivering at the idea of getting a knot. “Mam? Please respond.”
“M-My heat’s early. It’s real bad and I have no medication. I-I’m in the Vrbo cabin off route 37, Mount Dusk I think it was called. I-”
“This line is for true emergencies. Your heat being a few days early and you being an unprepared Omega is not-”
“Listen asshole,” you snarled, gasping when your stomach threatened to curl in on itself. “It’s three fucking weeks early which everyone knows isn’t normal. I need a fucking heat kit, a strong one, or a fucking knot now and since I’m out here alone, all I got is your ass. So get me my shit and-FUCK!”
You dropped the radio as you bent over, falling to your knees. Something was wrong. Heat’s didn’t come on this fast, not even when you scented your true mate.
You could hear noise through the radio but your head was thrumming, your body grateful for the cold wood floor below you. It wasn’t possible to die from a heat, was it? If you let the fever go you supposed but it took days and days for that to happen and you’d only felt crappy for an hour. Yeah, you’d be just fine. This guy would bring you medicine and you’d be fine.
Right?
You blinked open your eyes when you heard glass break. Crap, you’d passed out for who knew how long. The overwhelming scent of Alpha hit you and despite the pain, you shot upright, staring at the man in the wet raincoat as he reached his hand through the broken pane and undid the lock. He froze when he saw you, his own scent shifting subtly. A hint of fear under the surface.
“Jesus,” he mumbled, raking his eyes over your sweat drenched body. He took off his backpack, pulling out a white box and a bottle of water, cautiously setting them on the ground and sliding them over to you.
“I look that bad, huh?” you said, ripping open the box and finding the medicine you needed, knocking it back with a swig of water. 
“You’re in heat and I don’t want to be accused of doing shit I didn’t,” he said. You narrowed your eyes, hand fisting in your own shirt over your stomach. That shouldn’t have been happening still. Heat medication worked instantly. “What’s-”
You fell over again, clutching your abdomen, head spinning, body going haywire at his scent.
“Please,” you whispered, finding his hard eyes. “I’ll give you whatever you want. I-I need you to-”
“I can’t.” A wracked sob slipped past your lips as something in your broke, pain flooding every single cell. You just needed a knot and it would be bearable. He muttered to himself and quickly you were in strong arms, your own wrapping around him shakily. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“I’ll pay you,” you whispered, hating how that sounded but he simply carried you out in the pouring rain, the cold air helping your skin not feel so hot.
“I’m on Novi-Alpha. If I knotted you,, you’d fucking die so I’m sorry but I can’t help you like that even if I wanted to.”
“I’m gonna die from this fucking fever anyways!” you shouted as he opened the backdoor of a rugged looking jeep. 
“One’s a chance, one’s a guarantee,” he said, setting you down, your arms still clinging to him. He eyed you, forcibly grabbing your wrists and pulling them away. “You will not die, understand me? Now let me get you to a hospital.”
You reached for him but he moved away too quickly, closing the door. He ducked into the cabin to retrieve his bag before he was behind the wheel.
“Honey Dusk Hospital is aware you’re in a dangerous heat,” he said, turning the jeep around and driving down the dirt road, way faster than you had.
“Don’t kill me in a fucking car accident on the way,” you groaned, squeezing your eyes shut.
“This vehicle is meant for these roads, unlike your car. We’ll be on route 37 in thirty minutes, at the hospital in forty five.” You threw your head back, his musky scent filling the small space. 
“Distract me,” you breathed out. “Fuck you smell so good. If you weren’t on Novi-Alpha, I’d climb you like a fucking tree.”
“Whoa lady. Calm down-”
“Don’t lady me. We’re like the same fucking age.”
“You say fucking a lot, you realize.”
“You have your insides tearing apart and tell me you wouldn’t be cursing-” You shouted, bracing yourself against the door panel, feeling him step on the gas harder. “What the fuck is happening to me?”
“...I have an idea,” he said quietly. You flashed open your eyes, looking at his incredible scruff covered jawline, his gaze focused on the bumpy, wet road ahead. 
“What? Are you a doctor? Are-”
“No. I only know my basic medical training.” He frowned, rounding a tight corner. “It’s probably not a heat and you’re just sick.”
“I know what a heat feels like thank you very much.” You shivered violently, the ranger sighing. “What’s your name?”
“Dean Winchester. Try to rest. We’ll be there soon.”
The ranger’s suggestion to rest had, shockingly, not worked. By the time you were speeding down this small town’s streets, you were shaking so hard you literally couldn’t stop. Dean had reached back more than once as he drove with a handheld thermometer, muttering a few f-bombs to himself.
At least he wasn’t the one with a hundred and five temperature. A hundred and five and a half to be exact. You were pretty sure your heat was about to boil the fuck out of you and kill you within the next hour.
Dean said something but you didn’t hear him over your screaming. The next thing you knew he was ripping open the door and running inside a hospital with you in his arms, nearly tripping into a stretcher where a team was waiting.
“She’s fucking dying,” he said as he set you down, the team of doctors and nurses rushing you into a side room.
“You said this heat came on suddenly?” he asked Dean, someone sticking a thermometer in your ear.
“106. She’s too hot,” called out the nurse, the doctor near Dean rushing over, the team suddenly pushing you out of the room and down the hall. You were shoved through a pair of double doors into a bathroom, a silver high walled tub in the corner. 
“I got her,” said Dean, lifting you up and plunging you into an icy cold bath. You screamed as it burned your fiery skin, his hands on your shoulders forcing you to stay inside. “Look at me. Look at me.”
You couldn’t get the words out, taking in his green emerald eyes for the first time. His scent was still all around you, pine trees and vanilla beans, a cozy campfire and aged whiskey, fresh tobacco and soft linen. Your brain went fuzzy, blood pumping in your ears, thrumming in time with your heart. Was it getting slower? Your eyes were getting heavier, that was for sure. 
But he smelled so pretty, so…homey. Rugged. Yours.
“We’re losing her!” someone shouted, just as one last image of his concerned face crossed your mind.
You felt strangely…blissed out when you woke. Satisfied, like you were after being on the receiving end of a knot but also relaxed and floaty, like when you finished a heat. It wasn’t exactly a problem your heat had passed but you remembered a whole lot of pain and a high fever which wasn’t normal. 
So what the fuck had happened?
You stretched in bed and sat up, a doctor in a white coat stepping into the room with a smile.
“Y/N! Glad to see you awake. It’s been a few hours. How are you feeling?” he asked, gently taking your wrist and checking your pulse. 
“Uh, pretty good actually. I take it my heat’s gone?” He hummed, raising your arm up, feeling under your armpit.
“Yes. There’s not many cases a year but some Omegas do unfortunately have a negative reaction.” The doctor put two fingers to your bonding gland on your neck, your eyes narrowing. Why would he be feeling that? 
“What are you doing?” you asked as he pulled them back, glancing at a monitor. 
“Just checking your bond is healing.” You stared at him, the doctor glancing down with a sigh. “You don’t remember, do you? What happened before you passed out in the tub?”
“I remember being dumped in ice cold water and a whole lot of people shouting but that’s it.” 
“You didn’t pass out immediately. We determined while you were on the way here that your heat was triggered by the fact you came into contact with your true mate. Ordinarily, you would have picked up on this yourselves but your Alpha is on medication that has strong side effects. Namely, he was only vaguely aware of who you were through scent but there was no desire to mate as would be the norm. For you, unfortunately there is no recognition on a level that you’re aware of. You understandably would not know you went into heat early because of your true mate.”
You reached a hand up to your bonding gland, wide eyed when you felt…something. You flew out of bed, the doctor trying to stop you but you were quickly in the small bathroom, staring in the mirror.
“What the fuck is that!” you shouted. On your neck was a fresh, pink, bite mark. Someone had fucking claimed you. You angrily spun around, the doctor holding up his hands. “What kind of hospital is this! I’m suing the fuck out of you and this whole place!”
You caught a whiff of something…delectable, an Alpha’s scent somewhere close by. It calmed you, ever so briefly, the doctor sighing. 
“The man that brought you in-”
“The ranger guy.”
“Yes he…well he…there’s no easy way to say this. He is your true mate. Ordinarily we would have used medication to mimic your true mate’s scent but seeing as he was there…when he was told he would be able to claim…” he said as you stalked out, eye twitching. “We were losing you and receiving a claim bite from your true mate was the fastest way to bring your fever down. In emergency situations, true mates are allowed to make medical choice for you if you’re unable-”
“He wasn’t my mate then,” you growled.
“Physically, no but on a metaphysical level, yes. Frankly, the health of my patient, you, is all I care about. We’d like to observe you a few more hours before discharging.” You crossed your arms, narrowing your eyes.
“So my heat is magically gone and some random dude hanging out in the hall is now my Alpha?” 
“That’s the more blunt way of putting it. We’ll send home medication to suppress your urges to mate physically. Your Alpha will be unable to knot you until he has completed his Novi-Alpha prescription.” 
“And when will that be?” you asked, tilting your head. The doctor frowned. “When?”
“...You don’t know what Novi-Alpha is prescribed for, do you. That is a discussion for you and your Alpha.” You wanted to argue but he lifted his chin. “Please let me finish my examination and determine if your heat had any consequences.”
Three hours later they finally let you leave, a white baggie in hand that held a bottle of pills you were to take once a week for the foreseeable future. There were well over a hundred inside which made you more than queasy.
What the fuck was Novi-Alpha and why did a guy that looked more than healthy need to be on it?
You frowned when you stepped outside under the covered front entrance, the ranger standing from where he sat on a bench. 
“Hey,” he said quietly. “How are you feeling?” 
“I didn’t give you permission to claim me.” His scent shifted, an edge to it you didn’t like. He narrowed his eyes, a frown growing on his otherwise handsome face. “Oh, don’t you start on that we’re true mates shit. You didn’t ask for my consent.”
“Excuse me but you were the one begging for it,” he quipped back. He took a few steps away like he was heading for the sidewalk, suddenly turning on a dime and getting in your face. He breathed heavily, clenching his jaw. “You don’t feel…this and I get that it’s my fault. I barely feel it myself. And I frankly don’t care about your consent. My mate was five minutes away from death.”
“Oh, I did not sign up for some toxic asshole,” you said, shaking your head. You took a step, Dean grabbing your wrist. He looked ready to snarl, lip curling up. 
“True mates are never, ever bad mates. Stop hating me for saving you.”
“I don’t even fucking know you. This whole situation is your damn fault in the first place.” He twitched his eye, yanking on your arm so you stepped forward. “Get off, ass-”
“I am your Alpha and I’m taking you home,” he said, tugging you along after him, your feet cold on the wet ground, socks already soaked through. 
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” you growled. Dean whipped around and in a second, you were tossed over his shoulder. “Dean! Put me down!”
“You’ll wear yourself out if you don’t calm down.” You growled, punching his back twice. You raised your fist again but felt dizzy, your hands instead gripping him tightly. “Did you listen to the doctors at all? You need to take it easy.”
“Just take me to my cabin,” you grumbled. He didn’t speak again, only grunted once when he opened the passenger door of his truck to slide you inside. You were too tired to deal with this crap. You’d go back to the cabin, sleep for a solid twelve hours and figure out this mate crap tomorrow. 
The roads were unfamiliar as Dean drove in silence, winding and twisting as he drove away from town and off a small road. It was a gravel road unlike the one to your cabin but you perked up when you saw a cabin in a small clearing after only a few minutes. 
“Uh, that’s not my cabin,” you said. Dean put the truck in park, turning it off. “I was out on Mount-”
“This is my house…our house,” he mumbled the last part. You shook your head at him, Dean rolling his eyes. “You need rest, not to sit in a car for hours. I’ll get your shit from that rental and bring it here. We’ll figure out the rest of your crap from wherever you’re from later.”
“Excuse me? We’re mates, as much as that appalls me. We make decisions like where to live together. I have a job, a life-”
“We live here. End of discussion,” he growled. His scent was raw, twitchy. There was no room for arguing. You were ready to fight back but you forced yourself to calm down. He was your true mate and as much as you hated to admit it, he had a point. True mates were never bad to one another. He wouldn’t harm you but good god was this guy protective. 
You frowned when he held up a finger to you and got out. He threw up his hood, rain coming down harder. In a flash he was at your door, picking you up bridal style and rushing you over to a covered porch. He set you down to unlock the door, flipping a light switch before he stepped back. You walked past him, surprised to find the cabin quite spacious and modern.
He disappeared behind you, returning with your white paper bag, now wet. His boots were removed and you peeled off your soaked through socks, following him slowly as he went to the open kitchen area on the right. The bag was set down, Dean moving to his fridge and taking a few things out.
It was open concept, kitchen on the right, living room on the left, a dining table in the front by the windows. There was a hallway in the back and one off the kitchen, probably leading to bedrooms and a garage. A large fireplace was nestled in the corner of the living room and you saw Dean cross into your vision, going to it to toss in a few logs. 
Honestly, it was nicer than your rental had been.
Once he had a fire going, he turned back to where you stood on the front rug, water dripping off of you. His lips pressed into a thin line, looking you up and down not like an Alpha would his Omega. No, he was being very clear. 
You were the stray that’d followed him home he hadn’t wanted. 
“I don’t have to be here,” you said when he approached, staring up at his dark eyes. “This isn’t normal. We’re supposed to be all over each other and clearly we’re not. We-”
“There’s a stew going on the stove. It’ll be ready in an hour. Just leave it alone.” He put a hand on the small of your back, walking you down to the back hall, motioning you to the last door on the left. He flipped on a light, cascading you into a cozy bedroom with soft white bedding and a dark green flannel blanket on top. 
He cleared his throat and went to a closet, pulling out a few pieces including a t shirt, hoodie, sweatpants and pair of boxer briefs. 
“You should warm up in the shower. Bathroom is right there. The laundry room is on the other side of the house, near the kitchen and garage. It’s coming down harder so it’ll take me a few hours to get to the rental and back here. You should-”
“Take it easy. Yeah, I got that.” He nodded, pausing at the bedroom door with his back to you. 
“If it’s any consolation, I’m sorry this happened to you. You don’t deserve it.” You quirked your eyebrow up.
“You’re my Alpha. We’re soulmates. I guess this is supposed to happen.” He was still, the air thick. “I…listen I know I was…I wish I’d been aware of what I’d been saying but…”
He smelled tense, his hand in a tight fist by his side. What the fuck was up with this guy?
“Whether we like it or not, we’re mates,” you said gently. “When you get off that medicine, it’ll feel different-”
“I can never get off it and I can never knot you. You’ll never feel a damn thing for me.” Then he was gone, tearing down the hall and out the front door before you could even move. 
An unpleasant shiver ran down your spine that he was right. 
Your feet moved on autopilot to the bathroom, stripping out of the wet clothes and standing in front of the nicely tiled shower. In seconds you were under hot water, cascading down your back, through your hair. Fingers reached up to your neck, rubbing over your bond.
There were no sparks or flurry in your veins. You were supposed to be able to feel Dean, feel your connection, feel his soul.
But there was nothing. All you felt was empty.
You couldn’t feel the other part of your soul and he blamed himself.
“Fuck that,” you said, quickly finishing and getting dressed in the clothes aside from the sweatpants that were too long.
You found his computer in one of the spare bedrooms, stealing it along with a notepad and pen. Out in the kitchen, you settled into a seat at the island and drew a line down the middle of the pad. One side for information about Dean, the other Novi-Alpha.
With a quick stretch, you cracked open the laptop and got to work.
Three Hours Later
It was dark by the time headlights flashed through the front windows. The computer said it was just after six thirty and you knew you were about thirty seconds away from an argument. Ah, what a wonderful way to spend your first night with your Alpha.
Out of view you heard the door leading from the garage to the house crack open, wet boots against the tile in the mudroom. 
“I’m back!” he called from around the corner. “We’ll unpack your stuff tomorrow. How was…”
Your eyes darted over to the hallway he exited from, his socked feet padding his footfalls on the woode floors that covered the rest of the house. He stared at where you had his laptop, a charger plugged into the side of the island, a stack of papers next to you, your notepad, pen, three different highlighters and a cup of coffee.
“Are…are you working?” He asked, face souring. “You should be resting. I thought you were here on vacation anyways.”
“I am and this isn’t work related.” He narrowed his eyes, not saying anything as he went to the sink on the other side of the island to wash up. 
“Did you eat yet?” You shook your head, typing some more. A heavy sigh left him. He went to a cabinet, pulling out two large bowls. “You really should have eaten something. You nearly died this morning. Your school project can wait.”
“I’m not in college,” you said, jotting down a few more notes before you saved what you’d been working on and signed out of your account. You closed the screen, watching water trail down from his wet hair and soaking his shirt collar. “Why are you wet?”
“Because there’s a thunderstorm outside. It rains here most days,” he said dryly, giving you a side glare as he walked the two bowls of stew over to the kitchen table. You cocked your head at him as you got up, Dean quickly retrieving utensils. “What?”
“You parked in the garage just now and my cabin was far enough away that you’d be dry. Where’d you stop on the way back?” He slammed the drawer shut, eye twitching. “Strike a nerve?”
“I asked you to do one thing. One thing. Rest. And y-you’re writing a research paper or some crap? Sit down and eat your damn dinner.” You would have told him off but truth be told, you were starving a bit. You took your bowl and moved it to the seat across from his, Dean angrily setting down a spoon. A few moments later, a large glass of water was in front of you and he had a bottle of beer on his placemat. Dean sat with a loud thud, shoveling a large spoonful of food into his mouth.
“Why are you wet?” you asked again, crossing your arms. 
“Why does it matter? Fucking eat.” You leaned back, Dean dropping his spoon in the bowl. “Really? This is how it’s gonna be? I’ve been nothing but nice-”
“If this is you nice then I’d hate to see you mean.” You raised your chin, picking up the spoon. “I’ve always heard alpha’s protective instincts are unmatched. You can barely feel whatever this bond is and you’re so worked up-”
“I almost watched you die today.” You closed your eyes and sighed. A small noise made you open your eyes, Dean sliding a small white box over to you. You frowned, lips parting when you saw the newest iPhone inside. “I got you a phone on the account your other one was in your pocket when you took your artic dip. I rushed to the store before they closed. That is why I’m wet. I’d never want you to feel like you’re trapped here, especially when you can’t feel our ‘whatever bond.’”
“Thank you,” you said quietly. You ate in silence, the only sounds coming from the rain on the roof, the clanking of spoons and the quiet thrum of a soft rock station in the living room.
He seemed…stressed. Maybe you should wait for the morning to bring up what you’d found.
But you didn’t get the chance when he picked up and glanced at your notepad. Green eyes scanned over the pages before he gathered up everything you’d been working on.
And tossed it straight into the fireplace.
“Hey!” you shouted, rushing over as he stopped you in your tracks. He leered down, eyes dark. “That was-”
“You will delete everything you saved on that computer. Now.”
“You can’t-” He gripped your arm tight, so hard he was shaking it.
“Do it or I will make your life hell.” He released you, spinning you around towards the computer. You didn’t believe he’d hurt you. True mates were incapable of it. But you didn’t want to tempt him anymore than you already had.
Ten minutes later, your backup was gone and after a through examination by Dean, he took the computer and tossed it into the fireplace as well.
“I know you have questions,” he said quietly, back to you as the flames danced around the melting device. “I never should have gone hiking this morning. You caught my scent in the wind and-”
“Why would you go hiking in the pouring rain? It was raining this morning too. I had my coffee under the covered porch but it was coming down like bullets. No one would be out there willingly.” He turned and faced you, eyes roaming over your body, stuck on how his boxer briefs molded to your legs.
“In another life, we could have been happy. I would have given you everything you asked for. But not this one. I will keep you safe but that is all we are. We don’t get our happy ever after until we’re both dead.”
You swallowed, stepping into the living room, stopping a few feet away. “You hurt my arm just now.”
“I know,” he said, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again as long as you don’t do stupid things.”
You were getting angry again, Dean holding up his hands. “Stupid shit like try to know my new Alpha who just left me all alone? Sorry for trying to look up your damn social media. Asshole.”
Dean dropped his hands and went back to the fireplace, poking the computer with a poker, shaking his head.
“The more in the dark you are-”
“I’m a corporate forensic analyst, Dean,” you said, Dean’s shoulders stiffening. “Those notes on the computer? In that pad? Those articles? You can burn them all but it’s in my head. I don’t need the internet anymore to figure out what’s going on.”
“And what does your analysis tell you?” he grit out.
“Novi-Alpha is a cancer medication specifically for Alphas. But you don’t have it and never have. So why would an otherwise healthy Alpha take it? Well, it apparently has other uses that the public doesn’t know about…if you’re willing to live with the side effects. Side effects like knotting becoming a deadly activity to the person on the receiving end. The inability to feel your mate. Scent changes. And my personal favorite, if taken without the binding agent that’s given for cancer treatment, it changes your DNA coding without changing your DNA. Apparently law enforcement doesn’t want that news to get out there because it’s a bitch to catch people if they find out they can change their DNA on tests.”
You grabbed his arm and made him face you, a loud crack of thunder echoing in the room. Dean breathed calmly, eyes finding yours.
“Why are you taking medicine to change your DNA?”
“Because I did something bad, Y/N.” He got closer, pressing his chest to yours, forcing you to tilt your head. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Fingers brushed over your cheek, thumb swiping over the curve of it slowly. “Because your true mate is a monster. And once you know the truth, you’ll want to run away…and I don’t think I’m strong enough to let you go.”
The air was thick with his scent, dark yet pleasant. Painful even. You leaned into his touch, Dean’s green eyes widening ever so slightly.
“Novi-Alpha prevents Omegas from feeling their true mate. But I know you feel me.” You closed your eyes, breathing him in. “You have to tell me the truth eventually.”
“No I don’t,” he whispered. 
“You’ll tell me,” you said, opening your eyes, Dean’s hand sliding down to your mark. “Because I’m in danger if you don’t.”
He shook his head, pulling away from you. “Don’t pull that crap, Y/N. You’re safer not knowing.”
“Right. That’s why you burned everything just now.” He looked up, like someone else would magically tell him what to do. “You need to protect me. It’s your job. So you have to tell me the truth, Alpha. You have to.”
He laughed quietly, running a hand through his damp hair. “Using my title to get what you want. Manipulative. Maybe you were meant for me.”
“Dean-”
“The Ranger.” You raised your eyebrows at him, Dean wandering to the dark window.
“Uh, what? This is because you’re a forest ranger?” He laughed again, crossing his arms.
“No. I do that because…it’s a pretty isolated job. Small town work.” He looked to his right, a sad smile on his face. “The Ranger. That was my name when I had a different job.”
“That’s not a name…” you said, Dean shrugging. “What’d you do when you were The Ranger?”
He smirked, meeting your curious gaze. “Have you ever killed anyone?” 
He slowly stalked back to you, tilting his head. He leaned in close, glancing at your lips. “N-No, can’t say I have.”
“Ever kill an animal?”
“I hit a squirrel with my car once. I cried all night for that.” Dean rested his forehead against yours, his scent rolling off of him in powerful waves. “D-Do you hunt animals?”
“No.” He brushed his lips to the shell of your ear, his pulse strangely calm. “Now people, that’s a different story.”
_______
A/N: Read Part 2 here!
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yuutaok · 22 days
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⊹ ‧₊˚✿ Spring Leaves, But I Never Will
Yuuta Okkotsu x Reader
In the eerie mountain forest, you seek to find what is missing. Lost and disoriented, you encounter a mysterious boy with eyes like the dead, his presence is captivating. With a gentle hand, he beckons you, and you follow.
⊹ ‧₊˚✿ Word Count: ~4.4K
⊹ ‧₊˚✿ Content Warnings: 18+ MDNI (Minors Do Not Interact), P in V, AFAB! Reader, prone bone, unprotected sex, creampies, posessiveness, supernatural/paranormal stuff happens, open-ended ending, Reader is lost in a forest and meets Yuuta, Yuuta is a freak
⊹ ‧₊˚✿ Author's note: Hiii I am back with a vengeance. Belated birthday fic for Yuuta ♡ Life exploded me so I never got the chance to finish until now. Also, I would like to thank Sen (@/ banjjakz) for inspiring some of the horror aspects of this <3 They have such a lovely way of writing such mysterious horror that I deeply wanted to try my hand at, so please go read their Yuuta fics bc they are sooooo delicious ok I'll stop swooning now byeeeeee
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Lost amidst the dense, foreboding forests of the mountains, you trudged forward, the fading sunlight casting long shadows across the winding trail. Your heart felt heavy with the weight of recent events, the memory of your painful breakup still fresh in your mind. It had only been a couple of days, of course your heart would still hurt and your hands would still shake. And still, the need to escape, to clear your head and find solace amidst the solitude of nature, had driven you to embark on this day-hike alone.
The townsfolk often whispered about this mountain as a haunt for the heartbroken.
And so, here you were.
The hike was pleasant. You took the time to leisurely look at every interesting formed rock or beautiful sprouting flower that you had stumbled upon. Spring had just begun and it felt nice to be in the calm serenity of nature. You took care to not stray too far from the beaten path but still found your way crunching through the trees to look at specimens that caught your eye. It was a great way to get your mind off of things, to forget about life for just a moment.
But now, as the sky darkened and the woods grew eerily silent around you, regret gnawed at the edges of your resolve. Perhaps venturing into the wilderness alone had been a mistake, a reckless act born of heartache. Panic tightened its grip on your chest as you realized that dusk was fast approaching, and you had yet to find your way back to civilization.
With each step you took through the dense undergrowth of the forest, the sense of urgency weighed heavy on your shoulders. Nervously, you glanced at the sky, watching as the sun dipped lower and lower, casting long shadows that danced ominously through the trees. Hope flickered like a dying flame within you, faltering as the daylight waned faster than anticipated.
Your mind wandered to the rumors that had long circulated about the mountain, tales of heartbroken souls seeking solace among the towering trees, only to vanish without a trace.
It was said that the forest held secrets whispered confessions etched into the bark of the old oak trees, and love letters left behind by those who had come seeking solace from their pain. But these were not ordinary declarations of affection; they were haunting, twisted reflections of despair, each word filled with grief, obsession, and heartbreak. You have heard people say that love is the worst curse of all.
Some claimed to have heard mournful voices echoing through the woods, the ghostly whispers of lovers calling out into the darkness, their cries fading into gusts of wind and rustling leaves. Others spoke of strange symbols carved into the earth, cryptic messages left behind by those who had succumbed to the forest's embrace.
You still had decided to come, despite the unsubstantiated rumors that were whispered by the old grannies in the surrounding town. You’d be damned if you suffocated under the weight of your heartache. But as you delved deeper and deeper into the forest, you couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched— honestly, maybe the old ladies knew something you didn’t.
Panic clawed at the edges of your mind, threatening to consume you whole. Desperate, you called out into the silent woods, your voice echoing into the vast expanse of darkness that surrounded you, “Hello…? Is anybody out there? Can anyone hear me?”
But the only response was the feeling of eyes on the back of your head and the haunting whisper of the wind through the branches, carrying with it a sense of desolation that chilled you to the bone.
With each passing moment, the forest seemed to close in around you, its shadows stretching like grasping fingers eager to ensnare their prey. You were never quite fond of the dark.
Heart pounding, you broke into a run, stumbling through the underbrush in a frantic search for anything familiar. Each rustle of leaves and snap of twigs beneath your feet sent a jolt of fear coursing through your veins, your breaths coming in ragged gasps as you raced against the encroaching darkness.
And then, just as panic threatened to consume you whole, you burst through a thicket of bushes, only to collide with an unexpected figure standing in your path. The air left your lungs as you fell flat on your ass.
You looked up at what, or who, you had just crashed head-on into.
It was a boy, his dark eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity as he regarded you with an enigmatic smile, despite you just pummeling into him with your full force. The shock of the encounter left you speechless, frozen in place as the realization dawned that you were not alone in the woods after all.
You made eye contact with the stranger, and a chill swept through the air, sending a shiver down your spine. His dark hair fell in tousled waves, framing his pale face in an unsettling contrast. His tired eyes bore into you with an intensity that made your skin crawl. A curtain of bangs parted across his forehead, framing his features in a shadowy veil. His lips twisted into a smile and held a hint of something that lurked just beneath the surface.
There was an undeniable aura of unease that surrounded the boy, a sense of foreboding that lingered in the air like a haunting melody. As he extended a hand towards you, offering salvation in the darkness, you couldn't shake the feeling that there was something deeply unsettling about him.
"Are you lost?" he asked, his voice low and soothing. "It's dangerous to be out here alone at night. I can lead you to safety."
You looked up at the stranger incredulously, as if you would be dumb enough to follow a stranger you met out in the woods!
Sending your apprehension, the raven-haired boy smiles kindly, “I promise, I don’t bite. Please, it’s getting late and I don’t think I could live with myself if I left you out here by yourself.”
Weighing out your options, you realized that maybe this was your best choice. It’s either that or freezing out in the woods, or better yet being eaten by some wild animal that you hardly can find yourself against.
You looked around, dazed. With darkness closing in around you and no other options in sight, you accepted his offer.
“Alright,” you sighed. “But please don’t try anything, I’ve been told I have a killer right hook.”
He looks at you, obviously amused, “Of course, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
And begrudgingly you had to admit, despite everything in your body screaming for you to keep running, you felt completely and utterly relieved to see him.
As you followed the raven-haired boy deeper into the woods, the sense of unease only intensified, wrapping around you like a suffocating cloak. "Where are we going?" you finally asked, your voice trembling slightly with apprehension.
His dark eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion as he turned to face you, his expression guarded yet strangely calm. "To my cabin," he replied, his voice low and steady. "It's not far from here. You'll be safe there for the night. You can rest for as long as you need to."
Though his words offered reassurance, there was a lingering doubt in the back of your mind. You had heard stories of people disappearing in these woods, never to be seen again, and the thought sent a chill down your spine.
There was something about the dark-haired man that unsettled you, something that whispered of hidden dangers lurking beneath his calm exterior. And even so, something about him drew you in, made you feel so immediately safe with him.
"Who are you?" you pressed, your voice wavering with a mix of fear and curiosity. "And why were you out here alone?"
Yuuta hesitated for a moment as if weighing his words carefully. "My name is Yuuta Okkotsu," he said finally, his gaze meeting yours with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. "I live in the woods, away from civilization. As for why I was out here...let's just say I have my reasons."
His cryptic response only fueled your apprehension, but as the darkness closed in around you and the sound of rustling leaves filled the air, you realized that you had little choice but to trust him, at least for now. With a nod of reluctant acceptance, you followed Yuuta deeper into the woods, praying that you had not just made a grave mistake.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
His cabin appeared suddenly, a rustic structure nestled amidst the towering trees, its windows glowing with the warm light of a fire within.
"I don't usually invite strangers into my home," Yuuta admitted, his gaze lingering on you with a mix of curiosity and something you couldn’t quite place your finger on. "But I can't leave you out here alone. You're welcome to stay until morning." Though grateful for his offer of shelter, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over you like a shroud.
There was something about Yuuta's demeanor, a subtle intensity in his gaze, that sent shivers down your spine.
You stepped into Yuuta's cabin, grateful for the warmth and shelter it offered. The cozy interior enveloped you in a comforting embrace, dispelling some of the tension that had gripped you since your encounter in the woods. It was humorous actually, how warm the cabin felt in comparison to the uneasiness its owner gave you.
“Home sweet home,” Yuuta said as he took your coat and nodded his head for you to follow him.
Yuuta wasted no time in playing the role of a gracious host, offering you a change of clothes and access to his shower. His bathroom was neat, he didn’t have much, just the basics, but it was still appreciated nonetheless.
As the hot water washed away the dirt and grime of the forest, you felt a sense of relaxation seeping into your bones, soothing the frayed edges of your nerves.
Emerging from the shower feeling refreshed and revitalized. You found Yuuta busy in the kitchen, a delicious aroma of spices and savory delights wafting through the air.
As you peered over his shoulder, you caught a glimpse of the bubbling pot on the stove, filled with rich, fragrant curry. The sight stirred memories of comforting meals shared with loved ones, and you couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. "That smells amazing," you murmured, your mouth watering at the thought of indulging in the hearty dish.
Yuuta glanced up from his cooking, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's just a simple curry," he said modestly, though there was a hint of pride in his voice. "But I find that simple comforts are often the most satisfying."
You offered to help, eager to contribute to the meal in some way, but Yuuta shook his head gently. "No need to trouble yourself," he insisted, his gaze softening as he gestured for you to take a seat at the table. "Relax and settle down. I'll take care of everything."
Though you hesitated for a moment, the warmth of Yuuta's demeanor and the promise of a delicious meal were too enticing to resist. With a grateful smile, you sank into a chair, content to watch as Yuuta worked his culinary magic, the comforting rhythm of his movements lulling you into a sense of peace and contentment.
As you settled into Yuuta's cabin, you couldn't help but take in your surroundings with a sense of curiosity. The interior was simple yet cozy, with polished wooden floors that creaked softly underfoot and walls adorned with faded photographs and intricate tapestries.
The cabin had a rustic charm to it, its bare furnishings lending an air of simplicity to the space. Yet, despite its minimalistic design, everything seemed meticulously arranged, each item in its rightful place. There was a sense of order and precision that spoke to Yuuta's meticulous nature, a trait that you found oddly comforting.
On the shelves lining the walls, you noticed an eclectic array of books, their well-worn spines bearing the marks of countless readings. From classic literature to obscure texts on folklore and mysticism, the collection spoke of a curious mind.
Nearby, a shelf displayed a collection of handmade erasers, their vibrant colors and whimsical shapes. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of these charming little creatures. There was a sense of warmth and homeliness to Yuuta's cabin that made you feel strangely at ease. It was as if the space itself radiated a sense of comfort and belonging, welcoming you with open arms into its cozy embrace.
Before you knew it, the food was done and Yuuta served you a steaming plate.
“Thank you for the meal,” you said, nervous.
“It’s my pleasure,” Yuuta replied.
With the two of you sitting down to eat, you found yourself opening up to Yuuta in a way you hadn't expected. You told him about your recent breakup, the pain and heartache that had driven you to seek solace in the wilderness.
Yuuta listened attentively, his dark eyes reflecting a depth of understanding that surprised you. "It's dangerous to be out in the woods alone," he said softly, his voice tinged with a note of concern. "Who knows what evils could be lurking in the darkness? I'm glad I found you when I did." A chill ran down your spine.
Though he had shown you nothing but kindness, you couldn’t quite shake the feeling of anxiety that crept up around Yuuta's presence. He was good company, however, and you worked hard to ignore the way your hands clammed up and each hair on your skin stood up when he leaned in closer to speak with you. You chalked it up to your nerves.
The two of you continued to converse, him asking you more about your life and you asking about his. As Yuuta shared snippets of his past, you found yourself drawn to him in a way you couldn't quite explain. There was a sort of charm to him, an undeniable allure. Despite the lingering doubts that were dancing in the back of your mind, you couldn't deny the attraction you had towards him. You felt like a moth catching fire as it approached an open flame.
With a sigh, Yuuta leaned back against the cushions, his gaze drifting to the dancing flames of his fireplace as if lost in thought. "You know," he begins, his voice a low, melodic murmur that sends shivers down your spine, "I wasn't always a hermit living in the woods." His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken sorrow.
"What happened?" you ventured softly, your voice barely more than a whisper, to not disturb the mood.
Yuuta's gaze flickered to yours, a hint of sadness lurking in the depths of his dark eyes. "I used to live in the city, surrounded by noise and chaos," he admitted, his words tinged with bitterness. "But... I lost someone very dear to me." His voice trailed off, grief etched into the lines of his face.
"She was my childhood sweetheart," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper as if speaking the words aloud pains him. "We were inseparable, bound together by pure, untainted, love.”
A heavy silence fell between you, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the soft rustle of the wind outside. "She was taken from me," Yuuta murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. "And I... I couldn't bear to stay in that world any longer."
As he spoke, you sensed the weight of his sorrow pressing down on him, a burden too heavy for one mere person to bear alone. "I tried to move on, to forget her and the pain of losing her," Yuuta admitted, his voice raw with emotion. "But no matter how hard I tried, I could never escape the memories of our time together."
“So I left," he confessed, "I left everything behind and retreated into the solitude of the forest, hoping to find something to fill the hole in my heart.”
His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his sorrow, and you could not help but feel a surge of empathy for the man before you. At that moment, you realize that Yuuta and you are not so different after all, both haunted by heartbreak, seeking solace in the expanse of trees. In his eyes, you saw a reflection of your desires, a longing for connection and understanding.
But even as your heart yearned to unravel the secrets hidden within Yuuta’s dark and mangled heart, a sense of unease lingered at the edges of your consciousness. There was still something unsettling about the way the shadows seemed to dance around him, as if alive with an energy of their own. Something you couldn’t quite put your finger on…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As the night stretched on, the air thick with a palpable tension, you felt a strange sense of drowsiness wash over you. Your eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion as you let out a quiet yawn.
With a soft smile, Yuuta reached out to you. His was touch gentle, yet firm, possessive even. You felt yourself lean into his touch as if he weaved an invisible spell around you.
"You look tired," he murmured, his voice a soothing melody that seemed to echo with the whispers of the forest itself. "Come with me, let me take care of you."
His words washed over you like a warm embrace, dispelling the last glimmers of doubt and fear as you allow yourself to be guided by his steady hand. With a silent nod, you allowed Yuuta to lead you to the bedroom, the warmth of his presence enveloping you like a protective shield as you sank into the soft embrace of the bed.
The room was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains, casting shadows across the walls like dancing spirits. He leaned over you, his body flush against yours, his hand steady and reassuring against your skin.
As you lay there, the haze of drowsiness clouding your senses, you felt Yuuta begin to pull away. You grasped at the hem of his shirt, silently begging him not to go.
His features were veiled by the shroud of night, his smile, though unseen, seemed to materialize in the darkness. With a gentle pull, you drew him down to lay beside you.
"Do you want me to stay?" Yuuta's voice, a soft murmur, caressed your ear as his head nestled against your shoulder.
"Yes," you found yourself pleading, the words slipping from your lips in a whispered plea. "Don't leave."
Yuuta's lips brushed gently against your neck, his touch tender yet possessive. "I won’t,” he murmured, “I won’t ever leave,” his voice a velvet whisper that sent shivers down your spine. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise,”
In your sleepy state, you found yourself melting into his touch. Yuuta's kisses trailed a path of fire along your skin. Each kiss was a feather-light caress that seeped into each layer of your skin, burning you from the inside out.
Slowly, he moved up your neck, his lips leaving a trail of warmth in their wake as he explored every inch of your skin with adoration.
As Yuuta's lips found their way to your jaw, you felt yourself melting into his embrace, lost in the dizzying whirlwind that you now understood as Yuuta Okkotsu.
His movements were calm and deliberate, his touch gentle yet commanding as he explored every curve and contour of your body with dedicated devotion. Each touch left you yearning for more. You would die if it meant you could feel this loved forever.
Soon enough, Yuuta’s lips found yours, his kisses both tender and possessive, his passion evident in the way he claimed your lips.
As his lips danced with yours, you found yourself with the thought of never being apart from him. It filled you with a sense of completion. You could feel the depth of his devotion. Could he feel yours?
As if to answer your question, Yuuta’s touch became more urgent, his hands roaming over your body with a ravenous hunger. You felt happy that you could be consumed so ardently, that you found yourself secretly hoping that you at least tasted good.
Breaking out of your thoughts, you realized Yuuta was removing your borrowed clothes bit by bit. He made sure you were left in your panties.
His strong hands moved to caress your bare skin, his fingers leaving imprints on your body. Yuuta’s nails and grip dug into your skin as he kissed you. His hands moved to explore every curve and contour of your body with a reverence that bordered on worship. You wondered if he was trying to memorize every inch of you.
You leaned up to deepen the kiss, which only furthered Yuuta’s excitement. His lips moved hungrily against yours, his touch seeming eager, desperate, or perhaps so incredibly lonely, even.
Yuuta’s wet kisses left you dizzy, your senses were overwhelmed by him. Noticing the strain between his legs, you reached your hands down to unbutton his pants & paw at his boxers. Yuuta obliged by tossing them off to the side with your lost articles of clothing.
You moved to guide his hips to meet yours. With him between your legs, you moved to grind against him. You both gasped as his hard member pressed against your soaked panties.
You look up to see his reaction but notice something in Yuuta’s eyes become dark. His grip on your hips became tighter as his nails dug crescents into your soft skin.
Yuuta took this moment to grind himself deeper into you, his cock sliding between the lips of your pussy soaked panties. You let out a wanton moan, grinding back against him, desperate for any form of friction or release. You felt his cock rub against your swollen clit, moving back and forth in a way that left you crying out for more.
As Yuuta continued to tease you, he paused for a moment, his breath warm against your ear as he spoke in a low voice, "Do you want this?”
You shivered, a chill running down your spine.
With a hitched breath, you nodded.
“Will you be mine?" He asked, his eyes peering deep and dark into your own. You felt like he could see right into you like he was clawing his way into your soul to make a home in it.
You were okay with that.
You nodded again, “Yes, I’ll always be yours.”
With a glassy darkness in his eyes, he flipped you over onto your stomach, his movements rough and commanding as he positioned himself behind you. He tsk’ed as he ripped your ruined panties off, throwing off into the darkness of the room.
Well, you didn’t need those, anyway.
You could feel the heat of his breath against your ear as he whispered, “I’ll make it so you can’t ever think to leave,” sending shivers down your spine.
Yuuta trailed hot kisses along your skin as he positioned himself above you. With a low moan, he pressed himself against you, the throbbing hardness of his member seeking entrance to your dripping heat.
And then, with a thrust, he entered you. Yuuta’s hands gripped your ass as he slowly sunk his hard length into your wet core. You sucked in a breath, a wave of pleasure crashing over you as he filled your pussy completely. He was big. So much bigger than you anticipated.
‘We fit together perfectly’, you thought to yourself.
His pace was slow, with him getting used to the tightness of your cunt. You looked up at him with adoration as he leaned over your shoulder to give you a sloppy open-mouthed kiss. A trail of saliva left between your lips when you parted.
Yuuta’s spent no extra moment finding his stride, his movements becoming rough and unyielding as he fucks you with such devoted reverence. You’re helpless. All you could do was beg for more as you gulped in the air.
It’s obscene, the way he makes you moan. You’re powerless to fight against the way he makes your heart skip and your stomach churn. You feel on fire like he’s burning you to a crisp of ash and dust only to resurrect you again if only to just keep fucking you.
Yuuta’s movements become more urgent and the tension between you reaches its peak. With each thrust, you feel yourself teetering on the edge of ecstasy, your senses overwhelmed by Yuuta.
Suddenly, you feel a surge of pleasure coursing through your veins, your body convulsing with the intensity of your release. With a cry, you shatter into a million pieces, the only thing able to leave your mouth is the chant of, “Yuuta-- Ah, Yuuta, Yuuta.”
“I’m here,” he replies, voice strained feeling your pussy tighten around his cock, “I’m right here.” Feeling the wetness and tightness of your cum triggers Yuuta’s climax, and with a stifled moan, he follows suit, pouring his hot cum into you.
Yuuta pulls you into his arms, his leaky cock still hard inside of you. Your dark-haired lover kisses your temple and leaves sweet whispers across the sweat of your skin. He holds you close, entwining you into him as your eyelids get heavy and you feel sleep take over your spent body.
You feel loved.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In your dreams, you find yourself lost in a labyrinth of shadows, the air thick with the scent of decay. Whispers echo through the darkness, taunting you with half-formed promises and cryptic warnings.
You stumble through the endless maze, searching for an escape, but the shadows seem to shift and twist, leading you further into the depths of your despair.
And then, just when you think you can bear it no longer, you see him. Yuuta stands before you, his dark eyes looking into yours as he reaches out to you with a hand shrouded in darkness.
He whispers something, you don’t understand. But you still reach out, taking his hand into yours.
You awaken with a start, the echoes of your nightmare still lingering in the recesses of your mind.
Heart pounding, you sit up in bed, the room bathed in the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains.
Yuuta is gone, but his warmth remains.
A sense of foreboding settles over you like a shroud.
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writingsonsaturn · 24 days
Note
Tim's wife coming home for good from the army(that's how her and Tim met) and surprises him at the station and meets the rookies who couldn't believe the hardass Tim bradford was such a softie for someone, let alone married -you did very good on my last request thought I'd give you my other one I had in my notes
for good? - tim bradford
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{ masterlist }
🪐: here you go pookie <3 and thank you so much! i had a really fun time writing this
word count: 1.5k
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
The plane ride was tortuous, your leg bounced up and down uncontrollably waiting for your flight to end so you could finally see Tim. 
You had been deployed for nearly two years, and it was hard. Your contract had finally ended, you neglected to tell Tim you had not re-signed it. You had contacted Wade and formed a plan with him to assure everything would go to plan and stay a surprise.
Tim was used to you not calling everyday knowing how busy you were so that was already taken care of, god how you missed Tim. The last several months you knew you were retiring, it was killing you to not share it with Tim but you wanted to be face to face with him, to see the surprise on his face, to be able to hug him tight and tell him you were never leaving again.
As soon as the plane landed you were on your feet reaching for your carry on, you were the first to unboard. Time felt as if it slowed, you looked around and saw families rushing for their flights, and people sitting around or nodding off waiting for their gates to be called. You had almost forgotten what a civilized society looked like, constantly being cooped up on base with people who wear the same clothes, walk, talk, and breathe the same way. 
Your eyes became blurry, the image of everything you’ve missed suddenly hitting you. All of the quiet late night talks you didn't get to have, all of Tim’s milestones you weren't there to cheer him on for, nothing had paused when you left, and it was foolish for you to think they would but a small part of you hoped. Your heart ached but you continued your walk to baggage claim, impatiently waited for your bags to finally come into sight on the conveyor belt. 
The car ride to the station had been long, although you were jetlagged, the excitement of finally seeing Tim was more than enough to keep your body awake. The moment you saw the station it felt like your heart had skipped a beat, the uber driver dropped you off at the main entrance and you walked in suitcases and duffle bags in hand. 
“Hello! Can I help you?”  the sweet front dusk lady asked you with a big smile, “Yes, i'm here to see Sargent, Wade Grey.” you returned the welcoming smile. She made a call, presumably to Wade and then allowed you to head up to his office.
“(Y/n)!” Wade greeted as you stepped your heavy boots into his office, “It feels like I haven't seen you in forever!” he walked over and took your mountains of bags off your shoulders and hands before giving you a warm hug. “It has been forever, Sir” you stated, formalities still ingrained in your head “Oh come on, you don’t have to call me ‘Sir,’ just Wade (y/n)” he laughed, you shook your head with a laugh accompanying his. 
Everyone welcomed you home with open arms, helping you with putting up banners and blowing up balloons, putting confetti everywhere, making the room very loud and obvious that something big was happening. Wade had made Tim go on a patrol run, making up some excuse that he needed Tim to check out an abandoned warehouse that was possibly housing drug addicts. Clearly that was a lie, Wade knew damn well no suspicious activity was going on at that warehouse but he knew it would give the precinct time to set up your welcome home party. 
Tim was very annoyed when he realized there was nothing going on at the abandoned warehouse, it was actually quite clean. Tim sighed and radioed that everything was clear and he was making his way back to the station, on his drive back he had noticed it had been a good while since he heard from you and made a mental note to try and call you later after his shift. 
The moment everyone heard Tim’s radio response stating he was coming back to the station, your nerves shot up, you had missed him so much it was killing you. It felt like your soul was constricting and struggling to wait for its other half to be connected to it again, as you waited, you noticed a few new people appear. They looked slightly confused at what exactly Wade had wanted when he radioed them to come back to the station for an important meeting, “Did we walk into the right building?” Nolan asked looking around comically, you had pointed him out immediately from the way he walked in. 
Tim had told you about the rookies a couple of years ago when they first came in, Nolan, Lucy, and Jackson. He could not stand Nolan and was glad to not have him as his “boot,” while overseas Tim had called you abnormally early telling you about Jackson and although you had not met him, you heart broke for what he could’ve been. You wished you were home to comfort Tim, and you would’ve gone AWOL just to hug Tim if he hadn’t made you promise you'd stay on base.
Now, Lucy, you had felt bad for Lucy because you knew that she was going to fall victim to all the ‘Tim-Tests’ and have to put up with all of Tim’s stern glances and lack of sense of humor. Tim had talked about Lucy quite a few time’s on calls, he told you about what she had gone through and you knew she was going to be an exceptional cop with how brave she stayed during her time in captivity.
Following Nolan’s confusion was who you assumed was his rookie, you had not been told about her yet but she looked sweet and smiled when she saw you in uniform and the sign above your head that announced “im home.” The young rookie had hit the arm of the other rookie, who Tim had mentioned, Aaron Thorsen. You knew the name, and Tim had expressed his concern for Aaron joining the team.
“You must be the rookie’s Tim told me about!” you grinned widely, they all looked at you surprised and even slightly confused “im (y/n), Tim’s wife! Nice to finally meet you guys” you continued with quiet amusement as they were all left with mouths agape. 
“Tim’s wife? The grump was able to get a wife?” the young rookie had asked, looking at you. A small laugh left your body, you knew he wasn’t a big angel at work but you never thought he was that bad to get nicknamed ‘the grump.” 
All of them came up to you, introducing themselves and making small remarks at how different you were from Tim, you were sunshine compared to him. That’s what they said at least.
While you all were talking you heard the familiar voice you have waited so long to hear in person, “What happened? What are you guys all doing here?” Tim questioned fast, wondering why so many colors were blowing up in his face. “That’s no way to talk to your colleagues is it, honey.” your snarky remark nearly made him stop breathing, he looked at you, taking your form in. His eyes were wide and teary “(y/n)?” he croaked out, voice breaking. “Im home” you exclaimed with the same croak to your voice, as if time around you two stood still he ran towards you, sweeping you off your feet as he hugged you. “You’re home? I thought you weren’t getting home till next week? What changed?” He had a million questions and you could only answer him one at a time.
“Tim, Baby, I'm home for good. I didn’t re-sign.” you whispered softly, he looked at you like you had personally created the entire milky way right in front of him. “You’re home. Forever?” his knees almost buckled at the thought of being able to wake up next you everyday for the rest of your lives.
You nodded your head and hugged him tighter, he held you like you were the only woman to ever exist. He silently thanked whoever listened that you were home and safe in his arms.
Once you two were done having your moment, he introduced you to the new recruits, and Angela gave you a hug welcoming you home and telling you and Tim, you all had to go on a double date. You were still shocked she had married a lawyer and now had two children. 
You sat there with Tim, taking in your environment and enjoying the loud laughter and stories on what Tim did for Lucy’s ‘Tim-Tests’, as you sat listening to the god awful stories, you were at peace, sitting around with the people who kept your husband up and safe while you were away.
You had never been happier and you were glad to be able to feel this with Tim right by your side.
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carionto · 8 months
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Ignition
Once the Galactic Coalition had (without other realistic options) given Humanity an equal position among the governing bodies, despite the fact they were a single planet race, the initial dread of what they would do eased. A little. When they showed how they powered their impossibly massive vessels, the fears of our ancestors who deemed the Responsibility Barrier a necessity reemerged a thousandfold.
The Humans, with a slight grin, said "Solar power, of course."
They took a delegation within the bowels of one of their smaller, civilian research craft, which was still bulkier, better armored, and more worryingly - better armed than most flagships of the other predator-races. Were we not able to see with our own eyes their actual, what they aptly call, Dreadnoughts, from distances you would normally need a telescope, we would have assumed this was their mightiest warship. Yet it was just one of hundreds.
As we passed through the ludicrously thick and seemingly excessive number of bulkheads and shielded and compartmentalized hallways, the ever present hum of raw power beneath our feet gradually became nerve-wracking. What is that? It reminded us of stories told by those who traveled near Black Holes - of the sheer vastness and infinite apathy they felt from the all consuming entities.
A dozen or so biometric gates later, we were greeted by a gigantic sphere, easily a hundred and fifty meters in diameter, an abomination of reinforced panels, wiring, heat pumps, and countless tubes, hanging from numerous power conduits in the middle of an even more massive chamber from behind our observation platform. A true, pure fusion reactor. And there were Humans, in full protective suits at least, working directly next to it within the ominous chamber.
"We wanted to give you a demonstration of our advances in the past millennia, so please observe as we turn on this one."
This one? As in... the power we were feeling was not from this monstrosity? We had to ask.
"Oh, of course not, this ship has three such reactors, we recently performed a full maintenance on this and decided to delay reactivating it for you to see."
The delegates' mouths (or equivalents) were agape. Sure, nuclear fusion is known far and wide, but due to it's high potential for cataclysmic failure, or worse, deliberate destruction, the vast majority of such reactors were mostly found in deep space stations where solar radiation was scarce. Background radiation converters, while efficient at what they do, were nowhere sufficient enough for anything more than as passive emergency battery chargers. And no civilization kept fusion reactors anywhere near populated or colonizeable planets.
Yet here they were, looking at one nearly five times larger than any other known or attempted. And there were three on this ship alone. They counted hundreds of similar size, a few dozen of their Dreadnoughts, thousands of smaller vessels ferrying between the stations, the surface, and other larger ships. Countless world ending bombs-in-waiting right around the Humans' only home.
"Yeah, us science ships get the biggest ones, kinda need the extra oomph for our projects. The military kids like their redundancies, so theirs are smaller."
A slight relief.
"I think their newest capital ship, the UGSF Caliban of York, has fifteen, each about half ours."
A few delegates passed out. Their attendants rushed to salvage some dignity, but Captain Knoslark of this vessel, The Radiant Dusk at Everest, didn't seem surprised or offended and simply waited for the delegation to regain composure before continuing.
"This is my favorite part."
He said quietly with a glint in his eyes, then his tone changed to a more formal and authoritative one.
"Chief Engineer Ira Tameki, status of Reactor 2."
"All green, Captain. She's ready to purr to life at your command."
"Good. Then," his tone shifted once again, to a far more theatrical one as he took a pose, half turning his body and extending his right hand towards the reactor, index finger pointing dramatically. As he pronounced every syllable of the next word, there was a silent resigned sigh from his crew:
"ignition!"
Outwardly, nothing of significance changed. The engineers clicked at their consoles, bars slowly rose and everyone was deliberately doing their best to make it clear they were ignoring the fact that the captain was still in the same pose.
There was a muffled thump from the chamber, then the hum beneath their feet became a rumble for a few moments before steadying back to a now slightly more intense almost-buzz. Physically, nothing all that noteworthy. Mentally, everyone in the delegation was in true shock as they fully understood what they had just witnessed done all too casually:
The birth of a star.
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minaturefics · 4 months
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Watching, Wanting
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A/N: Hello! (its been awhile) I just wanted to indulge in my love for Boromir (ft some faramir bc i love my brothers). Very vague plot if you squint. It's a bit spicy, but nothing explicit!
Reader gets sent out in a storm by Faramir and turns up at Minas Tirith soaked.
Boromir x Reader
Gender-neutral reader
Rated: TEEN
2.3k words
---
The low hills of Emyn Arnen at your feet gave way to soft fields and in the distance the Anduin meandered through the landscape. There were dark clouds on the horizon, grey and heavy, and the faint earthy scent of coming rain was in the air. If you rode fast, you could make it to the city in a few hours, but judging by the clouds, you would be riding right into the storm anyway. You sighed and turned to Faramir. “Are you certain this is of such vital importance that I have to risk getting soaked to the bone?”
He nodded. “My brother requires these maps. I would have sent it with the trade carts this morning but it slipped my mind.”
“Rather uncharacteristic of you,” you muttered, raising your eyebrows at him.
He shrugged, an easy smile on his face. “My mind has been occupied of late. It is no easy feat, establishing a settlement.”
You softened at his words. Eowyn and Faramir had been working from dawn to dusk the past few weeks and the spring rains had been slowing construction and delaying the new workers and settlers journeying to Emyn Arnen. 
“Very well.” You tucked the long, flat wooden box into your pack and buckled the waxed canvas securely. “I’ll be off now.”
“Safe travels, my friend,” he grinned and waved.
You swung onto your horse and, with a flick of the reins, started off down the road. As the grass and trees sped by, your thoughts drifted to Boromir. 
You had become friends with Faramir first and, in the months Boromir had been away from Minas Tirith, you had helped coordinate the Ithilien Rangers from the city. Boromir had been civil to you when he returned, respectful of your battle and logistical strategies, but distant outside of the war rooms and planning councils. But something shifted one evening. 
It was one of the many victory dinners, a smaller, more intimate one for The Fellowship and close companions. The hobbits had pulled you into their game of roughhousing and somehow you had ended up sprawled on top of Boromir. He had been large and solid underneath you, his hands heavy on your waist. You looked up into his grey eyes and your breath caught in your throat. 
After that, it seemed as though his eyes were always on you. Across dinner tables, across courtyards, even, once, from across the throne room in full view of everyone.
You thought that with the end of the war, there would be no need for much contact between you and him, that all you would ever do is look, but Faramir had unofficially appointed you as a representative between the city and Emyn Arnen.
There had been so many afternoons spent with Boromir, shoulder to shoulder, pouring over maps and trade routes, so many nights spent eating across from each other in the low light of his private dining room. Yes, he was brave and proud and a fantastic tactician, but all that seemed to vanish when you saw him. 
Really saw him. 
Him with sleeves rolled up, exposing his strong forearms. His hair tied up, the pale column of his throat on full display. And those training breeches, somehow loose and tight at the same time… 
What would he look like sprawled on your bed? Eyes glazed and chest heaving, hair mussed and lips parted. His breath hot in your ear, his voice low and raspy.
Thunder clapped overhead and rain started to fall on your overheated skin. The drops were cool and refreshing and you tipped your face to the sky. 
How were you to spend another evening, another moment, in his presence? It was maddening, the way his eyes would blaze, the way he would draw close to you but never touch.
Why would he not act? It is true that you did not hold as high a standing as his family, but the brothers never seemed to care about such a thing. Even though that may be true, surely he understood that it was not as if you could do anything — it would be far more impertinent that you, of a lower standing, should be the first to move.
You shook your head and tightened your grip on the reins. You would ride back tonight to Emyn Arnen, even if you had to make the journey in the dark. It would be too much to spend another night near Boromir only separated by a few doors.
-
Boromir rushed down with the panicked servant who had burst into his study. What was his brother thinking? Sending you to Minas Tirith in the storm? He rounded the corner and found you shivering and dripping onto the polished marble. Someone had already taken your cloak and pack and you stood in your soaked clothes and saturated boots, clutching a wooden box. He swallowed at the sight of the fabric clinging to your form and strode towards you. 
“Riding in such a storm is madness. What was so urgent it could not wait until morning?” You shoved the box into his hands and he stared at it for a moment before shaking his head. “Come, let us get you warm and dry first.”
He led you to his rooms and sat you down before the fire. “You cannot stay in those clothes,” he said, handing you some towels and a blanket along with some of his spare clothes. “You will catch your death.”
“But, Boromir, it is not proper —”
“I do not care. I would rather some impropriety if the alternative is illness or death.” He turned around and faced the wall. “I will not look until you are sufficiently… dressed.”
For a moment, he thought you were about to protest some more until he heard the slick swish of your clothes. He could imagine you, peeling off your layers, bare skin tinged orange by the fire. Heat crept up his neck to his ears. By the gods, he needed to control himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew a ragged breath in. 
What sort of delightful torture was this? How many days had he spent beside you, close enough to breathe in your scent? How many nights had he spent staring at his bedroom door, willing you to walk through it?
He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sound of your wet clothes hitting the floor. He had to be proper. A gentleman. A man of honour. He had to be mindful of his position and standing. Yes, his brother had appointed you various titles and responsibilities, but whatever they were, they were still ranked below his own title of Captain of Gondor.
He had heard too many stories of people being swayed and persuaded by the nobility — he would not allow you to feel obligated to reciprocate his own selfish desires simply because he was ranked higher than you were. 
There was the rustle of cloth, the whisper of cotton on skin, and he fought the images of you donning his clothes. Oh, how will he ever wear that tunic ever again and not think of you?
You were wonderful and smart and were filled with endless ideas for new laws and trade. But in his quiet moments, he wondered what you would feel like under his touch, wondered what sort of sounds you would make.
How would you say his name? In a whisper? A gasp?
In a cry of pleasure?
He spied the wooden box you had brought with you on the side table and shook his head. Damn Faramir for putting him in such a position! What could possibly be so important?
“I, um — I’m just going to look at what my brother sent. Do not be alarmed by my movement,” he said and heard you hum in assent.
With slow, measured steps, he made his way to the box and opened it.
“Faramir said you needed maps,” you muttered behind him.
There were maps indeed, but they were just the regular sort that anyone could buy at the market cartographer. He frowned, rifling through the parchment, and pulled out the envelope tucked in between the papers.
Brother, 
Forgive my deception, but I hope my interference will be forgiven. Aragorn has written to me saying he is on the verge of tearing his hair out at the sight of you two. Eowyn and I are not faring much better here in Emyn Arnen with the constant pacing and faraway looks my, our, friend has whenever they return from the city. 
I pray you spare all of us any more heated longing stares. 
Best of  luck,
Faramir
The nerve of his brother! To send you out in the storm simply for the purposes of… of… matchmaking! The paper crinkled in his grip and his eyes wandered down to the scrawl at the bottom.
P.S. I am not so foolish as to send them out in anything threatening. Spring storms may be chilly, but hardly dangerous. 
That mollified him little and he grumbled. 
“Is anything the matter?” you asked. “Were they damaged in the rain?”
“No, not at all. It is nothing. Simply my brother being… my brother.” 
He read the letter again. Pacing… faraway looks… heated stares… Was his brother implying…? No, that could not be, could it? But, then again, perhaps he did not imagine the way you would linger in the sitting room after dinner or how he would feel your eyes on him sometimes. Your expression was always unreadable, careful and controlled, that he could hardly be sure of what you felt for him. If you felt anything at all. 
And yet, Faramir’s letter…
Your bare feet shuffled on the stone. “You may turn around if you wish.”
He folded the letter away and replaced it along with the maps into the box. He turned and his stomach clenched at the sight of you.
You were bathed in the warm light of the fire, your skin aglow, incandescent in the dim light. His tunic was loose on you and the front ties of the collar were undone, revealing the skin of your chest. His eyes wandered down to the pile of wet clothes on the floor and he spotted, what were unmistakably, underthings, heaped on top. 
Heat flared low in his belly and he glanced away. 
You. Naked under his clothes. Valar help him. 
-
Boromir had that look in his eyes again, all aflame and intense, except he was directing it at one of the tapestries on the wall. You glanced down at the wet clothes at your feet. Well, he could not have reasonably expected you to keep your underthings on, could he?
He was still staring at the wall. His jaw was tense and his hands were clenched by his sides. You took a step forward and he stood straighter. His eyes cut to yours for a moment, smoldering with want, before they went back to the wall. He took a shuddering breath and you took another step. 
Perhaps if you couldn’t act, you could make him act first instead.
You fought a smile and walked to stand before him. You could smell him fully then, his familiar musk mingling with cedar from the scent he favoured.
“Boromir,” you whispered.
His eyes snapped to you and he swallowed.
“Boromir.” 
You tipped your head to the side and parted your lips.
“Boromir.”
He crashed his lips against yours, his hands coming up to cradle your face. He deepened the kiss, his chest rumbling in a low moan when your fingers curled into his shirt. He tasted like the bitter tea he favoured after dinner. His hand drifted down, skimming your waist before coming to rest on your hip. Your nails scraped at the nape of his neck and he groaned.
His body was warm, hot even. He pressed himself closer to you and you could feel him, hard, against you. Heat pooled in your stomach and you moaned his name. His hand slipped under the hem of your shirt and he pulled back for a moment. “Is this alright?”
You nodded and tipped your head back. “Don’t stop.”
“I’ve… wanted this… for weeks,” he said, kisses drifting towards your jaw. The delightful scratch of his beard was followed by soft, warm lips as he worked his way down your neck. “Wanted you.”
“You should have done something.”
He smiled against your skin. “I’m doing something now.”
His lips paused at the curve of your neck and shoulder, sucking for a moment, as his hand slid up your side, his touch gentle but demanding. Your fingers fumbled with the ties on his tunic and tugged on the fabric. He pulled it off and tossed it to the side and he stood flushed and grinning before you. You trailed your fingers down his solid chest, past his stomach, following the light dusting of hair down.
“Maddening man, you —”
There was a knock on the door and you yelped, startling away from him. 
“Who is it?” he asked, voice low and rough. He cleared his throat. “What is the matter?”
“Should we prepare a hot bath for your friend in the spare room?” The servant’s voice was muffled through the door.
His eyes darted to yours before a smirk spread across his face. “There is no need for that, thank you.”
There was the sound of retreating footsteps and you exhaled. Boromir let out a relieved chuckle and pulled you towards him. 
“Sending my warm bath away?” You threw a challenging look at him. “How ever will I get warm?”
“I can think of a great many ways.”
“Will I like any of them?”
“I think you will find that you’ll like all of them.”
He dipped his head, capturing your lips, and tugged you in the direction of his bedroom.
---
I never realised just how quick things can head into a mature rating until I wrote this lmao. Not sure if I will ever write smut but well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (maybe)
Tags: @sotwk @ass-deep-in-demons @thetempleofthemasaigoddess @hippodameia
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kizunagatari · 6 months
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Nightmare of Horus x Gods at Dusk
↓ coord info ↓
Well I bought shoes specific for this dress, but El convinced me to draw ones that Yugi and Atem were more likely to wear...and he was right lol
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Coord pieces
Main pieces: Nightmare of Horus/Gods at Dusk-Chunlu
Tights: Lost Civilization-Yidhra
Shoes: unnamed? (might be called "Thorn Girl"?)-Bondora
IRL worn pics
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By: Colin Wright
Published: May 3, 2023
The transgender movement has left many intelligent Americans confused about sex. Asked to define the word “woman” during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings last year, Ketanji Brown Jackson demurred, saying “I’m not a biologist.” I am a biologist, and I’m here to help.
Are sex categories in humans empirically real, immutable and binary, or are they mere “social constructs”? The question has public-policy implications related to sex-based legal protections and medicine, including whether males should be allowed in female sports, prisons and other spaces that have historically been segregated by sex for reasons of fairness and safety.
Chase Strangio of the American Civil Liberties Union frequently claims that the binary concept of sex is a recent invention “exclusively for the purposes of excluding trans people from legal protections.” Scottish politician Maggie Chapman asserted in December that her rejection of the “binary and immutable” nature of sex was her motivation for pursuing “comprehensive gender recognition for nonbinary people in Scotland.” (“Nonbinary” people are those who “identify” as neither male nor female.)
When biologists claim that sex is binary, we mean something straightforward: There are only two sexes. This is true throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. An organism’s sex is defined by the type of gamete (sperm or ova) it has the function of producing. Males have the function of producing sperm, or small gametes; females, ova, or large ones. Because there is no third gamete type, there are only two sexes. Sex is binary.
Intersex people, whose genitalia appear ambiguous or mixed, don’t undermine the sex binary. Many gender ideologues, however, falsely claim the existence of intersex conditions renders the categories “male” and “female” arbitrary and meaningless. In “Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex” (1998), the historian of science Alice Dreger writes: “Hermaphroditism causes a great deal of confusion, more than one might at first appreciate, because—as we will see again and again—the discovery of a ‘hermaphroditic’ body raises doubts not just about the particular body in question, but about all bodies. The questioned body forces us to ask what exactly it is—if anything—that makes the rest of us unquestionable.”
In reality, the existence of borderline cases no more raises questions about everyone else’s sex than the existence of dawn and dusk casts doubt on day and night. For the vast majority of people, their sex is obvious. And our society isn’t experiencing a sudden dramatic surge in people born with ambiguous genitalia. We are experiencing a surge in people who are unambiguously one sex claiming to “identify” as the opposite sex or as something other than male or female.
Gender ideology seeks to portray sex as so incomprehensibly complex and multivariable that our traditional practice of classifying people as simply either male or female is grossly outdated and should be abandoned for a revolutionary concept of “gender identity.” This entails that males wouldn’t be barred from female sports, women’s prisons or any other space previously segregated according to our supposedly antiquated notions of “biological sex,” so long as they “identify” as female.
But “intersex” and “transgender” mean entirely different things. Intersex people have rare developmental conditions that result in apparent sex ambiguity. Most transgender people aren’t sexually ambiguous at all but merely “identify” as something other than their biological sex.
Once you’re conscious of this distinction, you will begin to notice gender ideologues attempting to steer discussions away from whether men who identify as women should be allowed to compete in female sports toward prominent intersex athletes like South African runner Caster Semenya. Why? Because so long as they’ve got you on your heels making difficult judgment calls on a slew of complex intersex conditions, they’ve succeeded in drawing your attention away from easy calls on unquestionably male athletes like 2022 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving champion Lia Thomas. They shift the focus to intersex to distract from transgender.
Acknowledging the existence of rare difficult cases doesn’t weaken the position or arguments against allowing males in female sports, prisons, restrooms and other female-only spaces. In fact, it’s a much stronger approach because it makes a crucial distinction that the ideologues are at pains to obscure.
Crafting policy to exclude males who identify as women, or “trans women,” from female sports, prisons and other female-only spaces isn’t complicated. Trans women are unambiguously male, so the chances that a doctor incorrectly recorded their sex at birth is zero. Any “transgender policy” designed to protect female spaces need only specify that participants must have been recorded (or “assigned,” in the current jargon) female at birth.
Crafting effective intersex policies is more complicated, but the problem of intersex athletes in female sports is less pressing than that of males in female sports, and there seem to be no current concerns arising from intersex people using female spaces. It should be up to individual organizations to decide which criteria or cut-offs should be used to keep female spaces safe and, in the context of sports, safe and fair. It is imperative, however, that such policies be rooted in properties of bodies, not “identity.” Identity alone is irrelevant to issues of fairness and safety.
Ideologues are wrong to insist that the biology of sex is so complex as to defy all categorization. They’re also wrong to represent the sex binary in an overly simplistic way. The biology of sex isn’t quite as simple as common sense, but common sense will get you a long way in understanding it.
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lucaromanopix · 2 years
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SLINGBACK
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metalhoops · 11 months
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Steddie Week Day 6:
True / Misunderstandings / You Looking At Me Looking At You by Ozzy Osbourne
Steve Harrington had a lot of personal downfalls. He’d come to accept most of them with age but there was one he couldn’t shake. He had a near-pathological urge to be liked. Maybe he wasn’t held enough as a baby. Maybe it was something to do with his parents or too much MTV. To hell if he knew. He just wanted people to like him. 
Steve wasn’t naive. He knew he rubbed some people the wrong way. In his life, he’d done a lot of things he’d regretted, things he could never take back. He’d been a real asshole back in high school, as everyone liked to remind him. 
There'd been a point in his life when he’d thought being popular was the same as being liked, but that time had long since passed. He knew better.  He was an acquired taste, and he’d done things he wouldn’t begrudge people for not forgiving. 
Steve had always known Eddie hated him. He didn’t blame Eddie for it, but he thought he deserved a second chance.
Back when the two had gone to high school together, Eddie had made the dislike obvious. Steve distinctly remembered a lunch where Eddie had paraded his way across the basketball table, kicked Steve’s lunch tray to the side and leaned over to tousle his hair before disappearing out of the cafeteria, retreating to the safety of the band room. Steve was left red-faced and messy-haired, gaping in his wake. 
“What the hell was that about?” Steve spat as he passed his lunch to Tommy, his appetite gone. 
“Who knows what’s going on in that freak's head,” Tommy grumbled as he picked at the remains of Steve’s food. He wished he knew. 
The one year Munson had been in marching band, he’d made a point to throw Steve off every chance he could. Basketball practice and band rehearsals coincided every Monday morning. Steve tried to make a layup in practice and Eddie had squealed his obnoxious trombone, sending him skidding across the wooden floor. He’d spent the year with perpetual bloody elbows and knees. 
He’d thought things would be different when he heard Dustin and the rest of the kids had been taken under Eddie’s wing. Steve had changed since high school. He’d gotten better. So when Steve went to pick the kids up, he’d expected a civil greeting from Eddie. Instead, what he got was a cold shoulder. 
Each time he picked up the kids, he’d get a glimpse of Eddie dashing in the opposite direction of the Beamer, hardly bothering to usher the kids off. Alright, so all wasn’t forgiven. Steve needed to learn how to live with it 
Then there was everything with The Upside Down. Eddie almost died and Steve couldn’t help but shoulder the blame for it. He and Dustin spent every day from dawn to dusk oscillating between Eddie and Max’s rooms until the two returned to the waking world. He thought he and Eddie had started to finally see eye to eye. It’d taken the world going down in flames to get them to talk, but once they started, Steve didn’t want to stop. That was until the guy pulled the rug out from under him.
“It’s okay for you to leave, Harrington. You know? You don’t have to stay with my sorry ass all day,” Eddie spoke, toying with his I.V. making Steve cringe. 
He opened his mouth as though to argue, but thought better of it. Maybe that was Eddie’s polite way of telling Steve he didn’t want him there, that he’d overstayed his welcome. 
He shoved his hands into the depths of his pockets and nodded, trying not to look like a dejected child that’d just been chewed up and spat out by an overworked parent. 
Steve managed to mutter his way through a goodbye and disappeared into the hospital hallway. He didn’t have anywhere else to be. He kept worrying something would go wrong the second he turned his back.
He pulled up a chair in the hallway outside Eddie’s room, just out of view, and sat, head in his hands, wondering why it hurt so damn much knowing that Eddie didn’t want him there. 
Steve must have fallen asleep, because he was jolted awake by a calloused hand on his shoulder. He leapt up, wide-eyed with clenched fists, seconds away from lashing out when his brain caught up with him. Wayne Munson’s hand hung in the space between them.
They’d seen more than enough of each other over the past few weeks. He, Wayne, and Dustin had spent hours sitting shoulder to shoulder in relative silence at Eddie’s bedside. Wayne had never once questioned Steve being there, which had always seemed strange. He knew at a glance he’d fit in more with Jason and the rest of the vigilantes out hunting Eddie, not the band of misfits trying to save him, but the first day Wayne had seen Steve huddled at Eddie’s bedside, he’d nodded a half-hearted greeting as though he’d belonged there. 
“Eddie alright?” Wayne asked, a tension in his voice. Steve peered up at the older man and nodded. 
“Yeah, he’s fine. Shit. Sorry. I should be going,” Steve fumbled, rising to stand only to realise his foot had fallen asleep. He tumbled to the linoleum with a string of curses. 
“Hold your horses, kiddo,” Wayne placated, holding Steve by his elbow and hoisting him up to his feet.
The commotion and the voices in the hall seemed to draw Eddie’s attention. 
“Wayne?” Eddie called, his voice drifting down the hall from the open door.
It gave Steve the perfect opportunity to shake the older man’s hold. He turned to run in the opposite direction.
“See you later, Mr Munson,” Steve called over his shoulder and headed out.
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Eddie Munson didn’t have many secrets, not from the people he loved. So when he’d developed a crush on The King of Hawkins’ High, Steve Harrington, he’d needed some kind of outlet. He wasn’t going to tell the rest of the boys in Corroded Coffin, not because they didn’t know he was gay, but because he couldn’t stand how goddamn insufferable they’d be about it. 
Of all the people in Hawkins to fawn over, Eddie had somehow landed on a meathead jock. Hell, the king of the meathead jocks. It strictly went against the Munson doctrine. People like Eddie didn’t fall for people like Steve. Not if they wanted to keep their integrity, but that hadn’t stopped Eddie. He’d fallen hard and fast for his stupid hair and his idiotic, condescending grin. 
He’d needed somewhere to channel his feelings. That was where Wayne came in. He’d known Eddie liked guys from the start, considering all the colourful nom de guerres his father threw his way. He could guess it wasn’t much of a family secret. Wayne had been different though. He hadn’t made him feel lesser for it, if anything he’d welcomed it with open arms. 
“So, there’s this guy,” Eddie stated, apropos of nothing one weekend, from his spot reclined on the couch. 
From his spot at their small kitchen table, Wayne set down the morning paper and levelled Eddie with a knowing look. He grunted, letting Eddie know he should continue. 
“Jesus Christ Wayne... he’s something,” Eddie began throwing his arm over his face to hide the flush of his cheeks. 
“So, you and this boy, is it serious?” Wayne asked sceptically. Eddie snorted. He wished.  
“God no. He barely knows I exist. We don’t exactly run in the same circles. The guy’s a jock and straight as a board. He’s on the freaking basketball team, Wayne. There’s nothing about him that I should like,” Eddie acknowledged.
“Then why do you like him?” Wayne asked, taking a long sip of coffee. 
Eddie wished it were something simple. He wished he could say it was because Steve was attractive. That was part of it, sure, but if it was just looks Eddie wouldn’t feel so twisted up. 
“I just- I think he’s different. I don’t know how to explain it. His friends are honest to god assholes but I’ve seen him abandon girls at parties to drive those asshats home. He shares his food with them, and when he gives those bullshit hoorah chants before each game about spirt, teamwork and shit, the guy actually believes it.” 
“What was that about parties?”
“Did I say parties? I meant intimate gatherings where people definitely weren’t under the influence of anything,” Eddie rephrased, shooting his uncle a shit-eating grin. Wayne sighed, knowing how and when to pick his battles.  
“Have you tried talking to him?” Wayne proposed, sounding exasperated. 
“No. Christ no. I don’t know what the hell to say to him. Every time I’m around him it’s like my wisdom stats drop to zero. He probably thinks I’m a weirdo.” To be fair to Steve, it was a popular consensus amongst the kids at Hawkins High.
Wayne wrapped his knuckles on the table. It was a nervous habit that let Eddie know he was thinking. 
“Whatever you do, just be careful, kid. I know I don’t say it as much as I should but having you around... it means something, right? I don’t want to see you make your life any harder.” It was blunt and not at all comforting, but it was Wayne’s version of a pep talk. 
“Alright, good plan. I’ll push my emotions down, grit my teeth and bare it,” Eddie joked, sitting up to get a better look at Wayne, who rolled his eyes. 
“It’s the Munson way,” he spoke dryly. It was his version of a joke so Eddie laughed. 
Talking to Wayne did help. He spent the next few years of his life talking way too much to Wayne about Steve Harrington. He should’ve known one of these days it was going to turn around and bite him in the ass. 
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When Wayne got the call Eddie was in hospital he was hit with a barrage of emotions: relief, panic, and worry. No one ever told Wayne just how goddamn hard it was to be a parent, let alone the parent of a kid who didn’t quite fit in. 
He’d been thrown for a loop when he found two boys at Eddie’s bedside. One looked vaguely familiar. He was one of the younger kids in Eddie’s club, but the other boy was a complete stranger. Wayne was about to throw the kid out on his ass when the fabric of a familiar denim jacket caught his attention. The boy had Eddie’s jacket clasped in his lap. He held it like it was something precious. It made Wayne pause. The young kid looked up, catching Wayne’s attention.
“Mr Munson? I’m Dustin. This is Steve. We were with Eddie during the accident.” The final puzzle piece slid into place. Steve Harrington. He’ll be damned. 
Once he knew Eddie was safe, he’d tried to pry more information from the boys to little avail but they made good company for the long days and nights that followed Eddie’s admission to the hospital. In that time, Wayne started to see the kind of person Steve Harrington was. He decided if his boy was going to be with anyone, Eddie could’ve picked a lot worse. 
Wayne didn’t push Eddie to tell him anything. He’d never been that kind of parent but at some point, he had to intervene to save his own goddamn peace of mind. 
“Who were you talking to?” Eddie asked as Wayne pulled up his familiar seat at Eddie's bedside. 
“Steve. He was waitin’ out in the hallway. Figured something happened between you two.” His nephew looked perplexed. 
“Nothing happened. I told him he could leave hours ago.” Right. Wayne was going to have to sort these two out, wasn’t he? 
“Did you tell him he could go, or did you ask him to leave?” Eddie blinked up at him, as though the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.
“Closer to the second. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to hang around,” He responded after a moment. 
“What if he wanted to stay?” 
“Why would he want to do that?” Wayne loved Eddie, but sometimes the kid was trying. 
“Because that’s the kind of thing people do when they care about you.” 
A look of recognition flashed across Eddie’s face. 
“Jesus Christ, Wayne, we aren’t a couple.” 
“Here I was thinking you’d finally taken some initiative,” Wayne grumbled. 
“I thought you told me to repress my emotions and ignore the shit out of him.” Eddie had a habit of twisting his words. Wayne tried not to begrudge him for it. He was still younger than Wayne ever remembered being. 
“That was before I knew the kid. He wouldn’t have sat on those shitty chairs for six hours every day for anybody. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I know you should talk to him.” 
Eddie let out an elongated groan, scrubbed his face, and muttered,
“Maybe you’re right.” 
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Steve didn’t know what had brought him back to Eddie’s hospital room the following day, call it intuition or the inability to take a hint. He had the common decency to linger in the doorway.
“Hey,” Steve spoke, as he caught Eddie’s eye. No turning back now. 
Eddie propped himself up in bed and ushered Steve into the room.
“Hey,” He replied, clearing his throat. 
“Wayne told me you stuck around yesterday,” Eddie began. Steve sunk into the chair at Eddie’s bedside. He’d really hoped Wayne would keep that to himself.
“You could’ve stayed if you wanted to, Steve. I wanted you to stay,” Eddie confessed, throwing Steve for a loop. He spoke before he had the chance to think better of it. 
“I thought you kind of hated me. Figured you wanted some peace and quiet.” It was Eddie’s turn to look confused. 
He absentmindedly drummed his fingertips on the railing of the hospital cot, deliberating. 
“What the hell makes you think I don’t like you?”
Steve couldn’t help but snort, looking to the door, planning a quick exit in case Eddie threw him out again.
“Where do I start, dude? You went out of your way to make high school hard for me. Which I get. I know I wasn’t a good person, but you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder ever since. I thought maybe we were getting somewhere but... I guess I was being stupid. It’s kind of my thing.” 
Steve hadn’t meant to sound as self-deprecating as he had, but the words were out there now, hanging heavy in the space between them. It was Eddie’s turn to snort. Steve’s eyes snapped to his hands, suddenly feeling very small. He felt the solid weight of Eddie's palm pressed against his shoulder. 
“You’re not stupid. I don’t hate you, Steve. I really, really don’t hate you. You drive me fucking crazy, which is why I keep avoiding you. I don’t know how to be a normal goddamn person around you.”
“You’re not that normal around anyone,” Steve noted softly, unable to keep the comment to himself. To his surprise, Eddie laughed and squeezed his shoulder.
“I don’t know how to be myself around you.” 
Steve felt lighter, knowing Eddie didn’t hate him, but all the more confused. Eddie liked him, but he’d been trying to avoid him. 
“Why?” Steve pushed. Eddie drew back his hand. 
“Please don’t ask,” Eddie breathed, all of a sudden looking like he could puke. 
Steve remembered having seen the same petrified look once before, on Robin’s face, when the two had been high as hell in a public bathroom. He thought more about Robin, and how she complained about not being able to hang around Vicki. How she rambled. How she couldn’t act like herself. Oh. Okay.
That made sense. 
Steve was hit with a wave of relief, followed by a shock of panic, not because Eddie had a crush on him or that Eddie was a guy. No. Steve suddenly understood why Eddie hating him had gotten under his skin. Why it’d bothered him so much. 
Shit. Steve hadn’t expected to find that out about himself when he’d woken up that morning.   
“Steve? You’ve gotta warn a guy if you’re seeing clocks or something,” Eddie spoke, interrupting his thought process. 
“You have a crush on me,” Steve gaped. He’d never been one for tact. 
He watched all the colour drain from Eddie’s face. There was no way he’d expected Steve to pick up on it. It was Eddie’s turn to shift his eyes to his hands. 
“Sorry,” he breathed, after a moment. That didn’t sit right with Steve at all. 
He leaned forward and tentatively rested his hand on Eddie’s, surprising himself as much as he surprised the other boy.
“Don’t be sorry,” He spoke, squeezing Eddie’s hand. Eddie sat gaping at Steve for a moment.
“You seeing clocks?” Steve asked, shooting Eddie a shy smirk. That’s all it took to get the boy breathing again. 
“Jesus Christ,” Eddie huffed and rested his head on top of their intertwined hands. 
“You don’t hate me,” He whispered. 
“I really, really don’t hate you,” Steve confirmed with a soft smile, resting his head beside Eddie’s, shyly leaning closer, placing a chased kiss on the boy’s cheek. 
748 notes · View notes
linderosse · 1 year
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Wielders of Wisdom: Introduction Part 3
Dusk (Scholar) [TP]
Constantly exasperated; keeps the others in line
Often comes across as cold or heartless due to her stoic demeanor and cautious outlook
She doesn’t know Twilight well. But they both loved Midna, and her loss unites them.
The most sentimental Zelda
Story: The populace has begun to recover from the twilight takeover. However, monsters and bandits still roam the land, and the soldiers of Hyrule are, in Dusk’s expert opinion, incompetent. Dusk’s own public image has suffered due to her initial surrender to Zant and possession by Ganondorf. Telma and the Resistance are a blessing, but they can’t be everywhere at once— especially now that rumors are starting to circulate about a connection to the Twilight Realm reopening…
Artemis (General) [HW]
Bold and fearless, extremely headstrong
Often impulsive; easily provoked
She and Warriors dance around each other’s feelings like old politicians at a rally. It’s a familiar dance. Neither of them have tired of it. Yet.
The most fashion-conscious Zelda
Story: The War of Eras is over, and the heroes have returned to their lands. Artemis feels her friends’ absence acutely as she struggles to take the reins of a kingdom that’s still recovering from war. Dissidents taunt her at every corner, and traitors and assassins lurk in the shadows. Artemis and the others will have to root them out before it’s too late…
Flora (Scientist) [BotW, TotK]
Inexhaustibly curious; a mad scientist and innovator
Developed patience during her long battle against Ganon
She’s relearning her relationship with Wild. She has to admit she’s a fan of this new, freer version of him.
Most likely to be fiddling with something; sometimes breaking it, sometimes fixing it
Story: Civilization blossoms once more in the wild. Flora has gotten used to living again, finding pleasure in small comforts and learning her country. Research still beckons her, though, and recent events and breakthroughs have allowed for new fantastic inventions. Flora works to promote unity while keeping an eye on progress, yet a strange malice lurks beneath the kingdom…
< Part 2
Masterpost
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ladykailitha · 8 months
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Well Met By Moonlight Part 2
I'm still struggling with the tagging, but I have found out the cause. My account was in the middle of the new UI rollout and it was fucking everything up. But the new layout is still going to make it a nightmare to tag, but I'll keep working with it to see what I can come up with. Just be patient with me, okay?
In which Hopper learns a valuable lesson and Eddie is the dramatic bitch we all know and love.
Part 1
***
At dusk, Eddie was met by a giant grey and black wolf.
“I’m here to see the alpha,” Eddie said in lieu of a greeting.
“The alpha is resting and cannot see anyone today,” the sentry growled, deep and rumbling.
Eddie nodded. Steve’s injuries were pretty bad, it would make sense that it would take a couple of days to heal.
So he tried the next day, and was met with the same response, but this time it was a shaggy little wolf with a noticeable limp even in wolf form.
Eddie knew he could take this one, no problem, but he had promised Uncle Wayne he would play nice.
On the third day, Eddie was starting to lose his patience.
“You will let me through to see the alpha,” Eddie growled at the female wolf.
“Vampires aren’t welcome here,” she insisted, baring her teeth in a snarl.
“Then bring him back out,” Eddie sneered, “that I may see that he is safe and not being held captive.”
She growled low and deep and Eddie was forced to fly off.
The forth day came and he had had enough. He flew down and landed deftly in front of the compound entrance.
He walked up to the lone sentry and said, “I will see Steve Harrington, now.”
“Hop said you can’t come in,” the sentry told him, a shaggy, short wolf with a lopsided gap tooth grin.
“Hop isn’t the alpha,” Eddie growled, low and menacing.
“He is while Steve is hurt,” the sentry snarled back.
Eddie drew himself up to his full height and pulled out a large revolver and pointed it in the face of the wolf blocking his path.
The wolf scoffed. “That won’t do shit.”
Eddie flicked open the barrel of the revolver to reveal silver bullets. He plucked out a bullet from its chamber and held between two talons. “It weakens me, but it will kill you. You want to take that chance?”
He threw the bullet in the air and caught it deftly in the chamber of the gun. He flicked his wrist again and the barrel snapped shut. He pointed the gun at the wolf sentry. “I bet if I start shooting, it’ll do some real damage...” Eddie hissed.
Suddenly there was a crashing through the woods as a thin blonde girl with all the coordination of a baby giraffe came stumbling out to the property line waving her hands, screaming at him to stop.
“Wait!” she cried, skidding to a stop in between the sentry and him. “Let’s be civil about this, shall we? I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding.”
He turned the gun on her and moved his finger to the trigger. “You have ten minutes to bring out Steve, Buckley or I will start shooting. Because even if silver has no effect on you, little bird, I have no doubt a bullet to the head will still kill you.”
She put her hands in the air. “Whoa!” She turned to the sentry. “Get Steve now.”
“But Hop said���”
“Steve’s the alpha,” Robin snapped. “Get him now.”
The curly furred wolf turned, running back to the forest line on a tear.
Robin smiled chagrin at Eddie. “Sorry.”
*
By the time Dustin got to the cluster of cottages he had shifted out of his wolf form and was fully human.
“Steve!” he screamed. “There’s a vampire on our doorstep threatening to kill Robin if you don’t come out in ten minutes.”
Steve peaked his head of the center cottage and shook his head. “I’ll be there in a minute.” A moment later, he stepped out of the cottage and walked past Dustin.
But before he could even take two steps to the entrance, Hop stopped him, gripping his shoulder tight. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
Steve raised his eyebrow and shook off the older man’s grip. “To the entrance.”
“Like hell you are,” Hop snarled. “You are not going anywhere near that vampire and that’s final.”
Steve cocked his head to the side and then drew himself up to his full height, an ominous energy radiating from him in waves. “I am the alpha now. You don’t get to bully me around.”
“I was the alpha before and I’m back now,” Hop snapped back, bringing himself up to full height, too, being taller and broader then Steve by a lot.
“You were captured by hunters and Joyce and Murray had to bring you back,” Steve growled, low and deep in the back of his throat. “I won my position by tooth and claw. You want to know how Murray got that limp?”
Hop’s head snapped back. He had known how Murray got the limp. Challenging Steve for the position of alpha. It had been a god damn miracle Murray survived. Or rather, it was Steve’s mercy that had granted Murray the right to live.
“You could fight me right here, right now and you would die,” Steve continued, lower and even more menacingly. “But so would Robin and her blood would be on your hands.”
Hop bowed his head and moved out of his way to let him pass. Dustin, who had quickly gotten dressed, hurried to catch up with Steve as the alpha made his way slowly and determinately to the entrance. Hop brought up the rear.
Steve smiled as he caught both Robin and Eddie both relaxing at the very sight of him emerging from the treeline, flanked by Hop and Dustin.
“Hey, Eddie,” he greeted warmly.
Eddie grinned. “Hi-ya, sweetheart, just making sure you’re safe, sound, and still the alpha.”
Steve grinned back. “Yes to all three. I told them that you would move heaven and earth to make sure I was okay.” His eyes flick over his shoulder at Hop. “They didn’t believe me.”
Eddie laughed and then cocked his head to the side. “Aww...you didn’t tell them about my daring rescue?”
“Oh I did,” Steve said with a huff of laughter. “They didn’t believe that either.”
“He pointed a gun at a teenager!” Dustin protested, pointing frantically at the gun in Eddie’s hand.
Steve turned around and glares at him. “Did he know you were a teenager or were you in wolf form at the time?”
“Wolf form...” he admitted ducking his head. Then he lifted his head with a growl. “But still! He threatened to kill me!”
Eddie tilted his head thoughtfully. “I don’t believe those were the words I used. I believe I threatened to start shooting you, not kill you. I did threaten to kill the keeper though.”
Steve shook his head and turned back to Eddie. “You’re not really helping your case, Eds.”
“I don’t want no coven vamp hanging around my pack,” Hop growled taking a step toward Eddie threateningly.
“Wait? Is this what this is about?” Eddie asked, confused.
“Eddie’s not coven,” Steve scoffed. “I don’t where you got that idea from.”
“All vampires are coven,” Dustin said with all the certainty of a fifteen year old.
“No they’re not,” Steve said. “Smell him, he’s not coven.”
Dustin and Hop started sniffing Eddie’s direction and the vampire put his hands up.
“This was a lot more familiar then I was intending to get today,” he huffed with a twist of his upper lip.
Hop frowned. “But all vampires are supposed to register in a coven when they enter city limits.”
Eddie quirked an eyebrow. “No they aren’t. They’re suppose register if they’re in a coven, not have to be in a coven.”
Dustin sneered. “Who the hell told you that?”
Eddie cocked his head to the side and said brightly, “Oh I don’t know...the man who was there when the law was written?”
Hop took two steps back. “Who did you say your maker was, boy?”
Steve covered his mouth to hide his smile as Eddie’s face transformed into a feral grin.
“Wayne Munson.”
Dustin blinked in shock as Hop took another step back.
“And that would make you Eddie Munson?” Hop asked, his voice beginning to shake.
Eddie ran his tongue over his fangs menacingly. “That’s right, so unless you want to him to hear all about this little fiasco about trying to bully your way back into being the alpha without a rite of combat, I’d walk away right now.”
Hop nodded, his eyes wide with fear and turned, transforming into a wolf. He ran away with his tail literally between his legs.
Dustin and Robin turned to Steve.
“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Steve,” Dustin huffed. “It’s not like he’s a born vampire. If he was born, you know Hop wouldn’t give a shit.”
“I never would have thought that someone as blue collar as the former police chief was such a fucking classist,” Eddie said rolling his eyes.
“Bitten vampires are feral,” Dustin replied. “They have no sense of family or community.”
Eddie opened his mouth to argue, but Steve scoffed.
“Only when their makers don’t stick around,” he said, rolling his eyes. “And if Hop didn’t teach you otherwise, I’ve got a long road ahead of me to turn this pack in civilized people instead of the savages people like Jason Carver thinks we are.”
“Hey!” Robin said, “No one is suggesting that Eddie is feral, only that’s why Hop lets Max date Lucas. She’s born and Eddie’s not. It’s not classist.”
"No it really is, Robs," Steve said. "If covens actually gave a damn about something other than lineage and breeding, or punished vampires who turned people and taught those turned how to behave properly, maybe so many of them wouldn't be feral."
Eddie chuckled. “I can see why my uncle likes you.”
Dustin cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Why do you call him that? It’s not as though he’s really your uncle. He’s technically your sire or whatever it is you vampires call your maker.”
“Actually he’s is my uncle,” Eddie said with a goofy grin that made Steve’s insides melt. He counted off with his knuckles, “He’s my great, great, great, great, great...” he nodded, “great uncle.”
Robin and Dustin looked at each other in shock. “He’s what now?”
“My dad and me are descendants of his younger brother Lawrence,” Eddie explained. “My dad doesn’t have any other family and my mom’s family didn’t want anything to do with me. So when my dad decided to do a dangerous job that would mean a lot of money if he pulled it off, death or serious jail time if he didn’t, he turned to Wayne to look after me.”
“And he turned you into a vampire...?” Robin asked, hunching her shoulders up around her ears.
Eddie laughed, throwing his head back. “Only because I asked him to for my eighteenth birthday.”
Dustin’s eyes nearly burst out of his head. “And he agreed?”
Eddie shrugged his shoulders and Steve could tell he didn’t like how Robin and Dustin were being about his turning. “Sue a man for wanting to live forever with the one person whoever gave a damn and that person for agreeing because he loved me, too.”
Steve turned around and put himself between Eddie and the other members of the pack. “I think that’s enough questioning him for now. All you need to know is that as alpha I say he’s okay. Hopper, Ted, Murray or anyone else for that matter can challenge me if they have a problem, but until then, what I say goes.”
Eddie shivered. He had never heard an alpha use his command voice before and coming from Steve it was as hot as hell.
The young wolf bowed his head. “Yes, alpha.”
Steve laughed, ruffling Dustin’s hair fondly. “Go on, I’ll be fine.”
The young wolf rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
***
Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12
@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @bookbinderbitch @littlewildflowerkitten @vecnuthy @redfreckledwolf @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @just-a-tiny-void @potato-of-the-lord
Fingers crossed!
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~ Bonded by a Ring | JJK
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Pairing: CEO!husband!Jungkook x writer!fem!wife!Reader
Warnings: arranged marriage, fluff, a bit of angst. (This is a light chapter tbh, I can't think of anymore triggering content. Let me know if I missed anything!)
Summary: We take a look at your life as Mrs. Jeon, wife of the rich heir to Jeon Enterprises, Jungkook. He was a handsome gentleman who you were able to call your husband yet the relationship between you both was entirely political and civil. Could feelings begin to sparkle between the cracks of marriage?
Word Count: 2.8k
A/N: This was supposed to come out yesterday on Kook's birthday but I was busy and I couldn't edit it but here it is! I'll continue writing this small drabble series when I find the time while also working on other fics I hope to be able to publish soon.
Let me know your thoughts on this one in the comments, please! Drabbles are open for this au in case you want to request something my inbox is open!!💜
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It was dark outside. Dusk had settled a while ago and your husband was still not home. You worried for him, for his health. He worked so much and rested too little.
You were sitting on the couch, your laptop rested atop your folded legs. Glancing at the clock you noticed how it was nearly midnight. You sighed. This was not new for you. For Jungkook to always come home late, seldom were those times in which he dined with you.
Rarely did you ever go to bed together as you often found yourself curled in the large mattress without him to keep you warm during the night.
You and Jungkook have been married for some months now. A marriage that was arranged by his parents. A marriage that was of advantage to you both for he needed to have a wife and an heir to inherit his family's company and you, well you needed his name.
As an author who had published her first novel, you became really popular in the world of words and books and you could thank it all to your husband's marketing team.
There was no love between you two. But you didn't hate him either. The relationship between you and Jungkook was a polite one, he was ever the gentleman with you and in exchange he obtained your respect.
You cared for him to a certain extent. You always made sure he never left for work on an empty stomach and had ready some light dinner for when he came home late. You always made sure his shirts were ironed and his shoes polished.
And in return, Jungkook always gave you anything you could possibly need. Do you have an appointment with your editor? He'd make sure his chauffeur would drive you there. Do you need some new clothes? You could always use his credit card. Do you want to get Bam a new toy? He’d made sure to bring you the best catalogues he could find for you to choose what to buy for the spoiled dog who had earned your heart too quickly.
It was a balanced relationship. He respected you, you respected him. Jungkook had his life, you had yours. But to the public, you both were a happily married couple. While inside closed doors, you treated each other as an old acquaintance of another lifetime.
Your attention got stolen by the sound of the electronic lock as the front door opened and in came Jungkook. Even from where you sat, you could see the tiredness in his body. The exhaustion.
You put the laptop aside before standing up and walking towards him. You took his coat from his hands and presented his slippers to him.
If Jungkook hadn't been that tired at that moment he'd have thanked you with a soft smile.
"I'm glad you're home, do you want to eat something? I can heat you up some dinner if you'd like?"
He let out a sigh, the stress, problems and frustration from work were getting on his nerves. And to even think that he had to go back tomorrow...
"No, I'm fine, (y/n). I just want to sleep."
You nodded, placing his coat in the hanger while putting his shoes in its place. The scent of his cologne invaded your senses and your touch lingered on the heavy robe he previously wore for longer than needed.
Your eyes followed his figure as he disappeared in one of the hallways and into the bedroom you both shared. You have never minded sharing a room with him, let alone the bed. The other two rooms in the large flat were transformed in your study while the other was his personal gym.
Walking back into the living room, you saved the draft of the story you had been working on for some time now before you powered off your laptop.
For a moment, your eyes lingered on the city lights. They looked so close yet so far at the same time. The large glass windows that reached from the floor up to the ceiling allowed you to see such a beautiful view.
You felt a sudden sense of loneliness wash over you. Something that felt strange in you, something you couldn't describe, let alone place its source.
With a sigh you turned around, your arms were hugging your figure as you approached the couch once more. You placed the laptop on the coffee table before walking towards the bedroom, turning the lights off on your way.
Jungkook was already lying down on his side of the bed, his back facing you. With quick and silent movements you approached the other side of the bed and sat down before getting yourself under the covers.
You assumed your husband was already asleep as deep breaths could be heard in the quietness of the place. You turned on your right side, facing his back as you shut your tired eyes after having been in front of a screen for too long.
"Goodnight, (y/n)."
Those whispered words reached you before you fell into your deep slumber. You mumbled the words back as you succumbed to the tiredness in your body.
"Goodnight, Jungkook."
Little were you aware of the fluttering in your husband's heart at your words. Of the small smile that graced his lips at the little attentions you always gave him. By the way you were slowly entering his heart without you having the slightest idea.
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Jungkook was woken up by his noisy alarm and he cursed under his breath before turning the frustrating noise off. With a sigh he sat up, one of his hands ruffled his hair before he stood up and went to the bathroom as he needed to get ready to go to the company yet again.
After taking a shower and getting dressed, Jungkook stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him with a soft noise that nearly echoed in the overly silent apartment.
"Bam, stop it. You already had breakfast."
He heard your voice from somewhere in his large home as the smell of coffee suddenly hit him. His feet carried him over the hallway and across the living room until he entered the kitchen that faced the dining area.
Jungkook saw how you had prepared a plate filled with fruit and some yoghurt as well as a cup of coffee. He couldn't help the smile that grew on his face, the moment itself was precious as if gotten out of one of the dramas he had caught you watching from time to time when you needed inspiration to write or to simply pass the time.
His stomach fluttered when you lifted your gaze from the large yet cute dog who stole your attention to look at your husband. A smile on your own was painted over your lips.
Time seemed to stop when your eyes met his, Jungkook didn't know for how long the both of you stayed like that. As if trapped in a loop of time of perfection. Almost like a real married couple did.
He broke eye contact and cleared his throat, as if snapping himself from some kind of spell. A spell only you conjure over me. The thought crossed his mind before he could stop it. Your smile disappeared from your face as you looked aside, your cheeks heating.
"Did... did you sleep well?"
You asked after a moment or two of silence. Even Bam stopped moving by your side as if somehow the canine felt the subtle tension rising in the kitchen.
"Yes, thank you."
Then it was awkward again. You didn't know what to say. He wasn't moving, neither were you. He didn't seem to want to lift his gaze as it was placed on the white floor beneath his feet. As if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I made you some breakfast. It is not healthy for you to leave on an empty stomach, Jungkook."
He hummed, walking toward the stool before sitting down, his breakfast resting on the marble counter.
"I'm going to take a shower."
You excused yourself and left the kitchen, not allowing your husband to say anything as the next second you were already walking down the hallway.
A sigh left your lips as you leaned on the closed door of your shared bedroom. What just happened? You thought to yourself while pressing the back of your hands up to your cheeks to try and cool down the skin that felt suddenly too hot.
You decided a cold shower would help you clear your mind so you didn't waste another minute to grab your clothes and hop into the shower, allowing the cool water to run down your body and refresh your mind.
Jungkook sat at the stool, spoon in hand as he ate the last of his yoghurt. His cup of coffee was already half empty when you emerged from the bedroom, your hair was wet and you were wearing fresh clothes.
The scent of your shampoo hit him and there it was, the fluttering in his heart, the soft churning of his stomach.
He emptied the bowl with his breakfast and downed the remnants of his coffee before he stood up.
"I have to leave now."
Your hands picked up his bowl and cup as you placed them on the sink.
"Have a nice day, Jungkook."
He didn't know what was happening. Everyday you woke up and prepared some breakfast for him, sometimes he ate it at the flat other times he took it with him to eat it at the office.
Why was he feeling so strange right now when what you were doing was completely normal?
You turned to look at him with a warm smile over your lips, ignoring the way your heart sped up a little by the mere sight of him or the way you felt your palms begin to sweat due to the nerves of being with him in the same room.
He mirrored your smile and you swore you had seen Heaven. You loved his smile. You had always found it pretty. It suited him. Not that you had ever told him that but it was a thought you had had since you first met.
"Don't forget to have breakfast, (y/n). I'll try to come back a bit earlier today."
Butterflies fluttered in your stomach at the thought of him coming home at a decent hour from work.
"Oh, that's good. Have a nice day, then."
You mentally face-palmed yourself. You already wished him a good day, idiot! But he chuckled, walking away from the kitchen and toward the front door. You watched him like every other day, you watched him put his coat on as well as his shoes.
Jungkook turned around and smiled at you before he was out of the door, the soft click of the lock echoed so loudly in the now nearly empty flat.
You sighed, going back to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for yourself. Just like Jungkook told you. The promise of his early arrival set a smile on your lips once more. Wanting to be with him again, even when he had just left not even five minutes ago.
The reason for this new feeling? You didn't know. But you couldn't say you didn't like it either. Jungkook was your husband after all, it was only natural to want to be close and spend time with the person one marries, right?
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"Jungkook, are you listening?"
His head turned to look at the side only to spot Jimin, one of his close friends and co-workers already looking at him with an expectant and curious expression over his delicate features.
"Sorry, what?"
Jimin sighed, a hand running through his blond hair.
"I was saying that we need to close the deal with Mr. Cha as soon as possible. It will help us increase our sales."
Jungkook let out a deep breath as his thumb kept clicking and clicking the pen that was in his grasp.
"I know. I'm sorry, hyung. I have a lot on my mind right now."
Jimin clicked his tongue as he put some files aside.
"Yeah, I figured. I'll ask Hoseok to look into this and bring you the contract for you to sign."
"Thanks, Jimin-ssi."
The latter smiled, more than smirked and said, his hands tangling in front of him over the table.
"Now tell me, what is bothering you?"
Jungkook knew his friend was going to ask that question sooner or later. He leaned back on his chair and said, fidgeting with the pen in between his fingers.
"It's (y/n)."
If Jungkook had been looking at his friend, he'd have seen how Jimin's eyes widened at the mention of your name. He had met you on a couple of occasions, one of them being your wedding with his younger friend, that's why he grew surprised when you were the centre of Jungkook's current state of mind.
"What happened? Did you two fight or something?"
The doe-eyed man shook his head, placing his pen on the table before his eyes locked with the curious gaze of one of his closest friends.
"What? No, I don't think I could ever fight with her."
Jimin hummed, allowing him to continue.
"It's just that... man I don't know. I can't sleep, I can barely eat. My mind is always racing with the mere idea of her. This morning I saw her smile and... I just thought of how beautiful she looked while smiling. I want to make her smile like that, you know? I want her to be happy and to smile at me like that everyday, Jimin."
There was a moment of silence between the two men. Seconds tickled by, the silence stretched. Nearly swallowing the younger man with his own thoughts and racing heart.
"What? Don't you have something to say, Jimin-ah? You are always teasing me and when I tell you something serious you stay quiet."
The blond haired man seemed to snap out of his own mind. The only thought in his head was the one of Finally!
"You like her."
Stated Jimin. There existed no ounce of hesitation in those three words.
"What?!"
Jimin rolled his eyes, if anyone had seen the scene they would have thought it to be comical.
"Shhh, don't shout like that. I simply said that you like her. You like (y/n), Kook."
Jungkook swallowed. The possibility hadn't even crossed his mind. Did he- did he truly have feelings for you?
"But how?"
Jimin refrained himself from smacking Jungkook on the back of his head. Perhaps they were both speaking as friends right now but the blond man had to remind himself that Jungkook was technically his boss too. At least his future boss.
"Jungkook, it's completely normal. She is your wife, she's been living with you for months now. It actually surprises me that this hadn't happened before considering your one year anniversary is in two weeks."
The heir to Jeon Enterprises was too stunned to speak. Jimin had revealed a reality his heart already knew but his mind rejected to accept for he couldn't deny his friend's statement. He liked you, he really did. And now, he saw his situation with way more clarity than before.
"What do I do now, Jimin? Should I tell her how I feel?"
The older man laughed a bit. His eyes closed with the motion.
"See? You didn't deny it! You really like her, huh?"
Jungkook rolled his eyes, not liking the teasing from his friend.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Aish, you are totally clueless when it comes to romance, aren't you? Listen, Kook, first you have to know if she likes you back. Don't just open your heart where there could be a field of thorns, gift her things and see her reaction, do things for her and pay attention to her words, if she gets flustered or not. And if she doesn't show any signs, well then you have to win her heart."
Jungkook still had so many questions, so many things he wanted to know in order to act on the feelings his heart was treasuring. You were his wife, wasn't a marriage supposed to be sweet?
What he had with you wasn't bitter, but he found himself craving as of lately that sweet love of the heart.
He wished to be with you like a husband loves his wife, not only bounded by a ring but by sentiment too. To be tangled in the web of feelings that threatened to blossom in his heart with every thought of you, every single memory of you.
And he was going to do just that. To fight for your love. To win your heart or claim it if his name was already written in your soul for him to live in such a sacred place.
Bonded by rings, destined by fate. Claimed by society, yearning for a life by your side.
~Masterpost
Sept/02/2023
☕Caffeinate me so I can keep on writing! ☕
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