Imagine: Erik always rubbing the readers belly, because she loves it more than she does.

Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Plus Size/Curvy Reader, Breeding Kink.

This is a short Imagine. Enjoy!

Y/N hated her belly. She felt like she couldn’t be sexy in anything skin tight and that included lingerie. Since she was so self conscious about it, Y/N always wore her tops oversized or she would wear flannels and cardigans. Still to this day, Y/N couldn’t understand why her boyfriend, Erik, loved her belly so damn much. When he first approached her at a bar and grill while she was out with friends, she thought he was pulling a prank on her. No man that fine would dare to ask her out with her size.

Her friends and family stayed on her ass whenever she talked like that. One asshole from her past made her believe that she was unlovable and disgusting. There were times where she felt beautiful though. Those times included when she got her hair and makeup done or when she wore a particular outfit that hugged her curves in a way that made her feel sexy for once. This Erik guy… her new man, expressed how much he would love to make her his girl through texts, over the phone, and in person. Always overly touchy, always freaky and vocal about how much he loved her big thighs and rolls.

“More for me to nibble on,” He would say.

It took her at least a month to finally consider having sex with him. When she decided to give her body to Erik she pulled out a gift bag from him in the back of her closet that contained lingerie, handcuffs, a vibrator that he could control when he was away, and a dildo that is the exact mold of his big dick. She dressed in the red teddy that was completely see-through, showing off her big areolas, dimpled fat ass, juicy thighs, and beautiful broad belly.

The minute Erik saw her dressed up in the lingerie he spent his money on, her nipples out and hard, pussy sitting fat, ass wide and ready to be spanked, he gave her one warning, and that warning was clear for the remainder of the night.

“Oh… you’re about to get it, girl.”

He picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, carried her to the bedroom, slammed her down on the bed and with little patience took control of her body in ways she only dreamed of. Moaning, crying, groaning, body exposed, ass in the air, pussy in his mouth, dick in her mouth, voluptuous body glistening from the intense sex, Y/N didn’t complain anymore. Her man’s actions proved to her that she was indeed a sexy woman who’s body deserved to be loved on and fucked. Erik didn’t care about her size. He didn’t care about what society’s “beauty standards” are. When he looked at her, when he touched her, she excited him in ways that words couldn’t begin to express.

Besides his well-hung dick, Y/N also had to get used to their cuddle sessions. Erik has a habit of rubbing Y/N’s belly and squeezing it. When he first did it she was appalled and she pushed his hand away, covering her belly. Now, after getting all that fat dick up in her wet pussy she let Erik do whatever he wanted to her. If he wanted to get between her legs and nibble on her belly, she would let him. That’s what her man is currently doing now. He came over on a rainy Friday night with a fruit salad and a supreme pizza. She said she was craving it so he picked it up on his way. Drenched from head to toe with a Pizza Hut box in his hand and a bag that contained her fruit salad, Erik enters her apartment while Y/N held the door open for him.

“It’s pretty bad out there, baby,” Y/N stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Erik against his soft, full lips, “You shouldn’t drive in this weather.”

“I’m safe, aren’t I?” Erik says while savoring the taste of her lip gloss with a lick of his lips.

“Yeah, but,” Y/N’s words were cut short again when Erik’s lips pressed into hers. They tongue kissed, tasting each other’s mouths and nibbling on each other’s lips.

Y/N broke the kiss, wiping her chin, “Erik I’m serious I don’t want you getting into an accident with that car-“

“Aye, I’m good. I wanted to see you,” Walking away, Y/N gave up worrying over his erratic driving and closed the door to her apartment. Erik was inside of her kitchen grabbing foam plates and two red disposable cups. Y/N joined him inside of her kitchen, standing next to him at her kitchen counter near the stove to watch him pile pizza slices and fruit on both of their plates.

“Yesssss, you got the fruit salad with the kiwis and mangos in it,” Y/N clapped cheerfully.

“Still got some honey?” Erik asks making her smile.

“You know me so well, yeah, it’s in the cabinet next to the fridge…yeah…no, top-shelf babe.”

Erik finds the organic honey, grabbing it from the top shelf and opening the yellow cap to drizzle some on top of her fruit.

“This set up is weird,” She says with a scrunch of her nose.

“I think it’ll be bomb.”

“We’ll see,” Y/N thanks Erik before grabbing her plate and heading towards the living room.

“I’ll be out, girl, let me fill these cups with some liquor.”

“Not too much in mine!” She knew it was Hennessy and she couldn’t drink too much of it because it always made her feel sick when she drank too much.

Erik joined Y/N a minute later, Erik seated on the floor between her legs while Y/N sat on the couch. She actually liked the combination of the supreme pizza with the fruit and honey. Erik even went back for seconds and another full cup of Hennessy. They were both watching Booty Call with Jamie Foxx, laughing and vibing like they always do. His thick fingers started running up the back of her calf and down to her feet. Squirming where she sat, Y/N tries to pay attention to the movie but Erik’s rubbing and groping fought for dominance. Giving in, Y/N raises one of her legs to Erik’s shoulder.

“I can’t watch the movie when you do that, Erik,” Y/N spoke softly.

“And I can’t pay attention to the movie when you smell like you do and feel the way you do…you keep forgetting what you do to me, girl.”

“What could I possibly be doing now that has you so worked up?” Y/N asks, mostly so she could swoon over his response.

“Because you’re deliciously thick and yummy…anything you do turns me on you know that,” Erik looks over his shoulder at Y/N, “You just wanted me to say it.”

“Yeah, I did,” She admits with no shame, “You make me feel good about myself…”

“I want you to know how sexy you are…beautiful all over…I made you open up more when I gave you this dick, now every time you walk past a mirror with those chocolate cakes, heavy breasts, sexy plumpness that I just wanna fucking bite…you’ll see a beautiful, sexy woman. See? I love that smile.”

Y/N grinned from ear to ear with her leering smile. 

“So beautiful, girl, always remember that,” Erik turned on his knees, bringing his face closer to hers before taking hold of her bottom lip with his teeth and dragging it into his mouth. Erik kisses with so much ardor. His hand is on Y/N’s chin, both of their heads moving from side to side while he attached her lips. His deep grunts into her mouth caused Y/N to claw the couch. He makes these noises because of how much she turns him on. Her panties surely has a dampened spot by now. 

“Delicious, sweet chocolate,” Erik whispers against her lips, “I wanna hold you now…let’s go we’re getting in that bed, ma.”

Y/N knows exactly what that means. She eagerly lifted from the couch, taking the lead while grabbing Erik’s hand to guide him. They walked to her bedroom, Erik switching on the light and closing the door. Y/N was wearing a onesie shorts pajama set with no access to her stomach. Erik takes off his T-shirt and grey sweatpants, completely naked like he’d rather be. He practiced naturism privately. A Naturist who is lascivious and salacious in the best way. She’d never met a man so openly sexual and full of life before. To him, sex is the most fun you can have without laughing. 

Laying naked on the bed, hands behind his head and his big black dick nice and solid against his thigh, Erik motioned with a curl of his finger for Y/N to come to him. Without further instruction, Y/N began to undress, the expression on Erik’s face so filled with desire and longing she moaned a little. He stared at her breasts while gnawing on his pouty bottom lip, then his eyes traveled down to her round belly, taking in the beautiful pattern of her stretch marks before landing on her juicy and succulent pussy. Y/N’s pussy is nice and fat and filled with all the wetness in the world. Like a rain puddle, Y/N’s tight, sweet pussy is a home for Erik’s dick and tongue anytime and all the time. 

“So inviting,” Erik says with a low tone, “Come here so I can squeeze you.”

Y/N gave Erik a shy smile before crawling in bed with him, turning her back towards him so that her ass rested against his crotch. Erik’s dick is really on hard as it poked her ass. His hand came up and around her body, pressing against her belly to rub it in slow, soothing circles while his tongue slithered up and down her exposed neck. Y/N’s broad hips thrust back against his dick with a bite of her lip while he French kisses from her neck down to her shoulder. 

“Damn…juicy looking body,” Erik whispered in her ear, “uhmmmm, is this my breakfast, lunch and dinner, ma? If so I’m ready,” Erik chuckles, causing Y/N to giggle, “a fucking meal…Daddy would love to show you what this tongue and dick can do…I just wanna eat that fat pussy and enjoy your cum all over my face…how’s that sound?”

With his hands rubbing, squeezing, and jiggling all over her stomach, thighs, ass, and titties, Y/N didn’t need convincing. She just wanted Erik to lift up one of her thick legs so he could eat her pussy from the side like he enjoyed so much. Then, she wanted him to hold her legs open wide into a side-to-side split while he fucked her and watched her breasts bounce and sway. He always liked smacking them and mushing them together. 

“You are making my fucking mouth water,” He says with his dick nestled between her abundant cheeks. 

“Erik,” She moans.

“Yeah, Daddy wants you bad, girl,” Erik pulls Y/N down flat against the bed while he positioned himself between her thighs, “play with your titties…do it.”

Y/N’s hands found her heavy breasts, twirling her nipples and pushing them together with her arms squeezing them. Her large chocolate areolas and nipples held his gaze like a pair of eyes. 

“Pudgy pussy looking good good,” Her chocolate pussy looked so lavish covered in her natural fluids made her clit, and inner folds glisten, “Goddamn it’s so plump.”

She shivered when his thumb teased her clit before his hands dragged up her body to her belly. He stared into her eyes with his dilated pupils while he squeezed her belly lovingly. Y/N licked her lips when Erik leaned forward to flick his tongue in her belly button. Grabbing her titties, Y/N watched Erik bite her belly softly and drag his tongue over her stretch marks. She whimpers while moving her big titties around in a circle, mimicking how Erik would do it. His sexy, athletic body with all its hardness against her soft flesh felt amazing, especially with all the sweat from her. At this point he was putting passion marks all over her belly. 

“Erik…fuck, you love my body so much,” Y/N moans, “You’re so good to me, Daddy.”

“You are just perfect,” Erik kisses around her belly button before looking up at her from in between her breasts with his beautiful eyes and long lashes.

“I’m so wet for you and you didn’t even fuck me yet…you get me so wet.”

“And you make my dick hard,” Erik lifts to his knees, grabbing one of Y/N’s hands to rest on his dick, “That’s because I want you right fucking now, girl.”

“Fuck me then, Daddy, please,” Y/N stroked his dick while rubbing her thumb across the tip of his dick, “Fuck me and tell me how much you love my pussy and my body…I can’t wait just put your dick deep in me.”

“Goddamn, ma,” Erik grabs his dick from her hand, rubbing her clit with it before sliding his dick into her snug and creamy pussy Y/N stared at his dick with a burning desire. While she fingered her clit, Y/N spreads her thighs even more. She craved his dick. All she wanted and needed was to be fucked. Erik held her thighs back while his big dick spread her tight pussy open. She hissed from his thickness at first but minutes later her warm, wet pussy opened up for him and covered him in her cream. Pussy making sloshing noises while Erik grunted and growled, Y/N twirled her nipples for him.

“You’re so juicy, baby…fuck…Daddy just wants to nibble and suck all over your body…mmm…”

“Yes, Daddy. Ooh-“

“Pussy so wet…keep it so wet for Daddy like a good slut-“

“Fuckkkk, fuck me, fuccccck-“

“I don’t feel sorry for stretching this little pussy I’m getting all this dick up in you…Pretty ass face and phat juicy, pretty, pussy lips-“

“Shit it’s so damn thick-“

“I’ma suck your beautiful pussy when you cum…cum on this fucking dick so I can suck that pussy up-“

“Yess, yes, yes, yes,” Y/N’s fingers shook while she rubbed at her clit. Erik’s thrusts increased with the speed of her fingers to make her cum hard and fast. She stared at him with pining desire before her eyes dragged down to his big fat dick drilling her with a slam of his hips. 

“Where’s that fucking cum at? Huh? Give it to me,” He fucked her so hard her belly jiggled with her titties.

“FU-“

“Don’t worry, you ain’t even gotta talk I know what to do with your thick ass,” Erik brought Y/N’s legs back so her toes touched the headboard. In a push-up position, Erik dropped down strong into her pussy with his powerful hips. Y/N clawed his waist, while he stuffed her pussy deeply. Erik wanted to paint her cervix with his cum. With a plentiful body like hers, he wanted to breed her. He’d cum in her pussy so many times already and now he will make it his job to fill her deep pussy up with as much cum as it can hold. 

“I’m cumming, you’re pussy is cumming for you, Daddy, you’re fat pussy is cumming! Ahhhh!” 

Erik withdrew his dick with speedy delight before his lips caught her sugary filling with a craving close to starvation. Erik slobbered all over Y/N’s juicy twat until the mixture of fluids coated her asshole. She could feel her pussy clench each time he sucked on her clit like he was sucking whipped cream from a strawberry. She couldn’t help herself as she climaxed again on his pointed tongue. He slurped from her honey pot until her legs squeezed his head tightly. Wet face and beard, Erik lifted up, grabbing hold of her titties and with the strength of his hips, he thrusts forward into her fat pussy. 

“Good girl, take Daddy’s dick, baby,” Erik leans over her body to suck on her nipples. He slowed down his strokes to a sinuous rhythm with a swivel of his hips. Y/N could feel every vein along his girthy shaft and how thick his tip is brushing directly over her G-spot. 

“You look so beautiful taking all this dick. Daddy’s big dick is stuffing this little pussy and I’m filling you up with all my fucking nut since you wanna look at me with those sexy ass eyes…” he couldn’t go slow anymore because it was challenging from how good her tight pussy is.

“Shit, I’m fucking cumming again!” She shouted while slapping her clit, “ohmigoddddddd,” her words came out jumbled.

“Pussy is eating this fucking dick, shit-goddamn,” Erik grunts, “Hmph, I was daydreaming about this shit all fucking day LOOK AT THIS DICK NOW.”

His gruff tone made Y/N shiver as her eyes watched his dick pump her good and full. Using her large titties as leverage, Erik’s hips smacked painfully into her thighs causing her flesh to sting. Every muscle in his body flexed and his face frowned with a hankering to cum deep in her pussy. Y/N held her thighs open wider, using all of her self control to handle his crazy strokes to her pussy until he exploded. He began to swell and pulsate inside of her and Y/N’s nails were digging into the flesh of her thighs.

“Shit, Daddy-“

“Damn! This tight, gripping pussy! you see all that shit?! all this cream on my fucking dick like this? huh?!”

One of Erik’s hands came around Y/N’s head to pull her forward in a crunch position so he could hold his dick nice and deep inside of her pussy with so much force that he was pressed firmly against her cervix. Her ankles shook and her eyes rolled up into her lids. He was cumming so much and he still stroked her pussy. She could see his cum covered dick and she could feel how sloppy it is going in and out of her. 

“Shit…I got more nut for you, baby,” He spoke between clenched teeth, “Fuckkkkkkkk, baby, fuckkkkkkk.”

“Umph!! Umph!!! Umph!!” She felt that this time, “THAT’S IT DADDY CUM INSIDE ME. PUMP IT BABY!!!!!!!” Y/N shouted to the ceiling. 

“Ahhhhhhhh, FUCK!” Erik buries his face into her neck, fighting for his breath while his hips jerked out of his control. Y/N squeezed him tightly, her hand rubbing the back of his head soothingly. 

“It’s okay, Daddy,” Y/N kissed his forehead, “You came so much,” She says with emerging gasps. She could feel him slipping out of her pussy. 

Erik pulled in a lung full of air before lifting up to stare into her eyes. He pecked her lips a few times before chuckling softly. Y/N smiled up at him while rubbing sweat from his forehead.

“You see what I mean?” He whispers shallowly from his lungs, “that’s how much I enjoy your body, baby…and it’s all mine to play with,” Erik kisses Y/N with passion and lots of tongue action.

Gasping for air, Y/N pulls back from him, “it’s all yours, Daddy…whenever you want it…just keep fucking me and loving on me the way you do…it drives me crazy.”

@tgigoldie @soufcakmistress @chefjessypooh @chaneajoyyy @pananegra @theblulife @becincere @blaqwidow91 @fish-outta-watah @eyeknowmywrites @crowngold @njadakillthiscookie @blktinkerbell @luvanxi @sheisexcellent1 @chocolatedippedinhoney @brandithecrystalgem @dababydababydababydababy @soulfulbeauty19 @btitannaaa @sunkissedebony97 @youngblackndgifted @harleycativy @rbhp @thee-germanpeach @thadelightfulone @palmstreesallday @skylahb @bakaris-shorty @nizzle-mo @truglori @queenflaws @ljstraightnochaser @theegoldenchild @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @nickidub718 @vikkidc @thehomierobbstark @rent-emspoons @abluesforlyssa @abeautifulmindexposed @fd-writes @chasingsunlight @sickaddiktions @munteanhore @xo-goldengirl @tiava143 @33kiara@honeytoffee @asiasblackworld727 @momobaby227 @informalmelancholy @soulshinechronicles @hearteyes-for-killmonger @goddessofthundathighs @soulfxll @whazzzupmyhitta @seyven89 @lahuttor @janelledarling @shewritestheblues @fanfangal @kreolemami @thoughtsoftheantagonist @luvwitoutlimit1 @mygirlrenee @hippiesandpeacesigns @alittlejd @jaysaidhi @thewaysheis–awkward @walkrightuptothesun @sweetestdream92 @shawnstacksss @theesotericqueen @mareethequeen @browngirldominion @ceeverse @therealmrsrhodes @sensitivelegend @teheeboo @yomiloo @msreshel-blog @bbygirrll05 @fahi0nanart @afteracouplepuffss @shaelyn102 @yaminax-kuss-a @lackbbaby @amyhennessyhouse @thattruckinwitch @ajjiiaaahhh @dameshaemonique @naeelyniecee @glittermakesmesmile @ambthegamer @justgetitoverwith0 @efonteno @notavintagecliche @pariahcolored @cydneyrenee4

Post

Forbidden fruit

This is part two of my first one if you haven't seen it there's a link :)

This is where we left off at from the first one

Warning: degradation, angst, choking, hate fucking ,dubcon, edging,humiliation, jealousy, mentions cheating, toxic relationship

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ l “you’d miss this too much,so you won’t leave,will you? He said with a grip on your ass you know this voice it was dabi. With a sharp inhale removing his arms away from your waist " I knew not to come here, I was trying to avoid you and your little whore's while I'm at it too. He grabbed you by your elbow "who were you talking to earlier?" Must be referring to bakugo"why do you care it shouldn't matter to you we're not together anymore." With those last words you took your arm from him and walked back to the dance floor, walking to a table to calm your nerves thinking on why he cared about who you were around with, is he trying to barge back into life again? Taking a sip from your drink It's like he didn't even care to check on you when he came back from just blowing some girl back out,it filled you with despair anger and sadness when he walked right past you.

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You got sick of this party you just decided to leave telling your friends the very few goodbyes, once you got back to your apartment you made yourself something to eat, took your shower. You weren't ready just yet to go to bed so you chilled in the living room watching a movie getting a sudden notification from bakugo who was just checking on you,it made feel better since he's coming to hang out at your place tomorrow.

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You giggled at the few sly remarks he made about dabi letting out a low yawn finally ready to go to bed until you felt a hand clench at your jaw with the other grabbing your phone "you wanna explain to me why your talking about me to this fucker." slapping his hand away from your face " How did you get in my house!? " He only whistled swinging the key you gave him a few months ago for your house " Your not gonna answer my questions (name)? " You back up a little "No you need to get the hell out my apartment." He dropped the keys on the sofa walking towards you still holding your phone "he's coming over tomorrow? What your planning on fucking him behind my back" Tossing your phone on the floor "you didn't even open my gift. Least ya could've did was call me , tell me how you liked the little video." 'Those cold eyes just glaring at your soul without a single care as if he didn't break your heart' he gets closer reaching a hand out you slapped him " The audacity to come in my house go through my phone and say I'm fucking someone behind your back when you cheated on my first! Then you try to come back in my life when you sent the video" Shoving him in the chest with your finger "you look so hot when your mad at me but look I'm here to apologize for my entanglement." With a slight smirk He moved your hand away from his chest with you turning your face away" I hate you so much dabi " Tears forming in the corner of your eyes He tugged down your waistline of your shorts getting on his knees throwing your legs over his shoulders "I hate you too".

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How could you let yourself go so easily? Your ex slurping your juices from your abused cunny dominating your clit on his vibrating tongue piercing leaving you to be a quivering shaking mess with your grip on his hair, is this his way of saying sorry? Making you whimper and moan his name "seems like my little slut did miss me" Gliding his index and middle finger down your wet slit he got up sat next to your head pulling you by your hair pushing his groin in your face "after all that work to pleasure you I think you need to return the favor doll" Unbuckling his pants looking at how hard he was from here,you slid his boxers down til you were swatted in the face with his cock.

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This position was new to you, dabi's cock face fucking you in his lap as he fingers you. He groaned at the way your head bobed on his cock up close you looked hot going down on him, moving at a rough pace with his fingers grazing against you g-spot had your insides clenching down on him. It was coming your release taking over but dabi pulled his fingers out while he slid your head off his dick with a quiet moan he came on your cheek watching it slide down your lips "you don't cum just yet doll face,you look better like this don't you think (name) ." He pulled you up by your hair turning you to face a mirror on the wall. You looked like a mess tears stains on your face with dabi cum glued to your cheek .

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This is wrong isn't it? It feels so wrong but God does it feel good, he had you sitting in his lap your sweet pussy gliding down his cock holding you by your thighs to keep you in balance mercilessly fucking you while facing a mirror marking every empty spot on your neck with a hickey. It sounded like he said something but all you could hear was skin slapping together and broken moans"you listening doll face! " Slapping your clit made you yelp clenching tighter around him a low moan came from him tightening his grip around your thighs "I missed fucking you into oblivion baby, hearing you moan out whimpers letting my cock destroy your insides like the perfect whore. You should be glad I came back to fulfill your needs." You felt it again the heat pooling in, reaching down to give your clit attention but dabi only slapped it away "sluts like you don't need to touch themselves, cum on my dick"trying to forget your wanted attention on your clit dabi few thrust hit against your cervix causing you to grab at his hair " s-slow down." Barely able to form a sentence though it didn't work he kept fucking you relentlessly making you both cum at the same time curling your toes with your mouth hung open, getting felt up upon you could feel dabi playing with your slit rubbing his seed around your hole.

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You felt bad afterwards but knowing dabi you had the intention that he make it worse, surprisingly he didn't. Picking you to go wash yourself up, he did have to hold you so you wouldn't fall either way it felt way different from before he never took showers together or washed you, "and here you thought I was bad at aftercare." Scoffing at the sentence " Your only doing this to make me feel better about what you did." He kissed at your collar bones "but isn't it working?" You didn't answer you knew he was right. You looked in the mirror neck all covered in hickeys to smaller ones on your ears, this his way of marking you of his. He dragged you into bed hugging your stomach you could feel patch of wet spots-was he crying?! Or was he putting more marks on you, you pulled him off "go ahead and spit it out." He pulled his tongue back in his mouth "sorry I guess now get over it already you cry baby." Was he serious "That's not even a-" He pulled you into a sloppy kiss"stop talking." Kissing you on your cheek afterwards he pushed you into his chest rubbing circles on your shoulders " I love okay is that what you wanna hear" You pinched his nipple piercing "yes, took you long enough."

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It's finally out , kinda feel rushed at certain points but I managed. Follow me for more❤

I Heard That you Fell in Love or Near Enough

hm yes TITLE :D (mmmm slowed my beloved). Look a way longer chapter because we’re setting up some fun foreshadowing and I just went nuts with internal dialogue. So much fun with this lmao. It’s v chaotic 

Maeve x Lucas. From bad to worse. 4.5k (we arent gonna TALK ABOUT IT)

TW (more squicky than anything): mention of blood, robbery, LOTS of language 

@dela-png

To say today was a terrible day was the understatement of the century. 

First she didn’t get any sleep due to some noise going on close by. Of course it had to be loud on the first day she was actually willing to sleep in mm say...two three days? So she was even more irritated in the morning. 

Then of course after eating she went downstairs and screamed so loud she broke her soundproofing charms.

Fan-bloody-fucking-tastic.

She kicked at the broken pieces of what used to be one of her tables. Looked like someone took a running jump and broke it. 

And to top it all off she had been robbed. 

She let out a frustrated yell, muffling it by biting down on her knuckles. 

“Gods and stars fuck,” she snarled, stomping her foot once as she tried to think things over. There was paint. 

There was paint everywhere.

And don’t even get her started on the blood.

Bloodied handprints! All over her front door! Smeared along with the paint.

“And what the fuck is with this W?!” She spun to look at her back wall, palms open. Blue paint. Like her tattoos. She rubbed her arms as she moved closer to look at it. 

Crescent spots. A W. What was this? A threat? 

They left a calling card of course it was a threat. But why against her? Did she do something? Not that she remembered. 

Was it to get to someone?

But who? She had cut off everyone who tried to get close besides the kids. And she doubted someone would go to...these extremes to get back at a child.

Maybe she did something. 

But even if she did, what did these even mean? Wouldn’t it be more effective to threaten someone who recognized the markings? 

Ugh it was giving her a headache. 

She moved to her trashed backroom, grabbing a cleaning bucket and a rag. Taking the green handkerchief from it’s hook and rolling up her sleeves she knew it was going to be a doozy of a day. 

And of course, with her luck, her lucky stars, it got worse. 

~~

She collapsed against her counter, now covered in blood and so much fucking blue paint. They had painted those damn animal print spots all over her fucking clinic. 

AND they had stolen the medicines she kept locked up! Including the herbs she made them from!

Oooh if she ever got her hands on the thieves she was going to make them regret laying eyes on her clinic. String them up she would. Might even skin them like a fish if she was in the mood. 

Oh great she’d have to go to the market as well. Sure she was now out of food. She had been meaning to go. 

But fucking hell did she not want to. 

She adjusted the green handkerchief (it...stopped smelling like him), cleaned her paint stained hands down the front of her skirt and steeled her nerves.

Oh she hated going to the market for many many many reasons.

Reasons she was not going to go into.

Grabbing her basket and muttering to herself angrily, she slammed the door to her clinic shut, locked it and then stared. 

“...they’re going to come back. Dipshits won’t stop. Not after one night,” she huffed, resting her palms on the door.

Locking charms. Right. 

Aislin taught her this one. 

Breathing in and holding the air, she willed her magic to life. A gentle warmth settled across her skin, small locks appearing at her fingertips. This didn’t take energy from her, she pulled from the air around her. Aislin’s magic was more wind and air stuff so this was easier for her younger sister anyways. Much stronger than Maeve’s locks. 

Speaking of, thank goddess her charms held. She didn’t know what would’ve happened if whoever stopped by had managed to get into her house. 

Stepping away to admire the fading glow on her door, she nodded, satisfied. There. Those would have to do. She might need to update her soundproofing charms though. 

Who knew the neighbors didn’t like it when patients screamed? The things you could get away with back home. 

Stepping away from her clinic she made her way down the street. 

Maybe if she tried a disguise spell so she wouldn’t be bothered…

No, that wouldn’t work. She was shit at disguise spells. No one in her family was good at them. Last time her Seanmháthair tried she grew a fake beard and it didn’t go away for a week. 

...fine she would just suffer then. 

It’s not like once she got there anything could possibly get worse. No sir. Only being fucking robbed and then having to deal with the market. 

All she had to deal with for today. 

Letting out a sigh she walked into the market. It didn’t take her long to start gathering medication and plants. Of course they were backwater stalls. 

But it’s always been like that. 

Feeling a bit lighter she started to hum as she went through her mental checklist. Still didn’t have aloe, the asshats stole her entire fucking plant. 

...she also didn’t have anything to make lunch.

Great. 

She opened her eyes, turning around to go look for something to eat, letting out another small sigh.  

And there was Lucas. 

She choked on her sigh. 

Why oh why did he have to be there today of all days. She couldn’t even go back home! She needed something to eat (thinking about it now she hadn’t eaten in quite a bit) but noooo. 

So why did all those stars and spirits above decide today would be a good day for him to come to the market as well?

Sometimes she wondered if some deity had it out for her.

She turned to quietly sneak away.

“Thumb- Maeve?”

...oh fucking fuck. 

She forced a smile, slowly turning back around. Mmmm so this was how today was going to go. Fucking fantastic. “Giiiiant.”

...too informal, too informal. Abort mission.

He flinched a little at the nickname. Ah yes, this is definitely how she wanted her afternoon to go. This was perfect. So wonderful. 

She was going to fight whatever star had been assigned to watch over her and her fate.

“What are you doing here?”

Wow it wasn’t obvious? “...shopping. What else would I be here for?”

“Shopping for what?”

Oh she did not like his tone. Her eyes narrowed. Her basket swung off her wrist as she placed her hand on her hip. Sure maybe snapping at a seven foot tall man who was still fairly hurt and mad at her (for good reason) was not the smartest thing she could’ve done but…

She was in a terrible mood and ready to just go home and call it a day. Of course after she actually got what she needed for dinner. And actually eat something.  

“Do I have to tell you anything?” she huffed. “I am here to get something to eat for dinner and herbs to make more medication? There? Is the marketplace police happy?”

His eyes widened. “O-Oh! Didn’t mean to come across…” The softness and the...actual innocence of the apology sent her reeling. Then, as her luck would fucking have it, he seemed to remember he was still mad at her. “...sorry.”

She rolled her eyes, moving to look past him. Fine. This was fine. She just needed to get something for her to eat. Maybe something for Tehi. The old bat would kill her if she went hungry. 

Maybe she herself could deal without dinner. 

Her mood soured even more when she spotted mortal enemy of Maeve #1. 

The fruit stand guy. Malory. (it was a very unfortunate name)

Malory’s eyes narrowed when he spotted her. “Well well well, if it isn’t the little thief.”

She shifted away from Lucas, glad she now had someone to direct her building frustrations to. 

“I am no thief, you just want me gone!” she sneered, glaring at him. “You accuse me of taking things and then try and get me arrested! Every time I come here! Without fucking fail! Aren’t you tired of it?!”

“I will never be tired of it until I see the likes of you behind bars!”

“Unfuckingbelievable!” She threw her hands into the air. “I am not a thief! It was an accident. Tehi was hungry and I paid for it!”

“Your little bat has it out for me! And her owner is no prize either.”

She gasped in offense. “You fucking dickjerk ASSHOLE!” Her footsteps were loud to her ears against the rush of blood. Oh he got on her very last nerve. EVERY TIME! She jutted a finger at him as she growled. “I. Did. Not. Steal. Your. Shitty. Merchandise!” Well that was a half lie. His produce was quite good. 

It’s why Tehi stole from him so much. 

All too bad the guy selling was a balding old man who had it out for her. A vendetta! 

“Malory you are a slimy weasel who has no idea what he’s fucking talking about! Tehi was hungry. I caught her and I paid for the few grapes she had stolen. What else do you want?!”

“For you to go to jail!”

She was on the verge of fighting him. 

This close. 

“For the last time,” she snarled, stomping closer as she felt her skin heat up with her rage. She slammed her hands on the counter of his stall, opening her mouth to snap back. The others around went quiet with the show they were getting. She. Was. Going. To. Kill-

The ground under her feet was all of a sudden not under her feet. 

And she was thrown over someone’s shoulder. Like a sack of flour. 

“Put me down! I demand it! Right this instant!” she yelled, smacking the back of the person who had picked her up. 

Gray shirt. 

Oh fucking hell. Today was just not her fucking godamned day. Maybe if she became a hermit things would go her way in the luck department. 

“Lucas set me down!” 

“Maeve as angry I am with you I don’t want to watch you murder someone and then get sent to jail.”

“Well he would fucking deserve it!”

“Murder is still murder no matter how much he deserves it.”

She sulked, propping her face up with her hand, elbow resting on his back. “I thought you hated me.”

“It’s broad daylight. Very least do it at night.”

“Killjoy.”

She and Malory glared at one another. “Fuck off,” she sniffed, lifting her hand in a very vulgar gesture. 

“Maeve!”

“Guards! Guards! These two stole from me!”

“FUCK YOU TOO, MALORY!”

“Maeve!” 

She kicked her legs. Didn’t Lucas like, hate her? This was the first time they saw one another in weeks and it was a total fucking accident. 

“Put me down!”

“...you’re going to give the guards a reason to arrest you if I do.”

“Yeah? He would FUCKING DESERVE IT!” She yelled the last part at the fruit vendor, still flipping him off. “Droch áird chúgat lá gaoithe! Go mbrise an diabhal do dhá chois! Go ndéana an diabhal dréimire do chnámh do dhroma!”

“Maeve what the hell are you saying?”

“Droch chrích ort! Droch chrích ort!” she said, waving her arms. “Go dtuitfeadh an tigh ort!” 

“Maeve I have no idea what you’re saying but watch your language.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “If I want this asshat’s house to fall on him I will tell him such!”

“...you said what?”

“You heard me! Go dtuitfeadh an tigh ort! Fucking bastard.” She sneered at Malory, who was still calling for the guards. Who were coming around.

Quickly. 

Ah fuck. 

And goody for Lucas, he was now an accomplice. 

Meaning she wouldn’t be able to get rid of him. 

Though judging by how people gave him a wide berth it wouldn’t be the absolute worst thing. Maybe she’d actually be left alone. (but why did people look so skittish? And then there was the anger? What the fuck did he fucking do?!)

“...shall I escape with you or do you want me to leave you behind?” He was still hurt. She could hear it.

But this was a short truce. 

She sulked, falling limp. “Fine. Carry me away. Just to a hiding spot. You can hide in one of the alcoves down the street if you hurry.”

“...thank you for the tip.” His voice was just dripping with sarcasm. 

“Well I’m sorry if I do this every other week and know what I’m doing!”

“You’re also tiny! You think I can fit in an alcove?”

“Fine! Don’t listen to me! Just set me down and let me get arrested! Save yourself.”

“You know I’m not gonna do that.”

“Oh you hate me anyways,” she groused, her filter was coming completely off as he moved quickly through the market. Guards shouted after them as he dodged the crowd. “Why not just abandon me?”

“Stop being dramatic, I'm not abandoning you.”

“Hmph you didn’t even touch the hate me part.”

“Just because I’m saving your ass doesn’t mean I’m not mad.”

“Ah! So you do hate me!”

“I never said that.” He didn’t elaborate, only tapped his fingers lightly on her thighs. 

She squirmed. “Hey buster watch the hands.” 

“Nervous tic.”

Even with his defense he didn’t stop. Little bastard. 

She kicked her legs a little as he ducked into an alleyway. It wasn’t what she recommended but oh well. 

“Hey stop that, you’ll get us caught,” he huffed as she tried smacking his nose with her heel. He shifted out of the way. 

“Put me down.”

“If you promise to be quiet I’ll put you down.”

“...fine.” She didn’t promise. 

He set her down, she huffed and dusted off the front of her skirt. 

“Malory is a fucking dick,” she muttered. 

“I thought you promised you’d be quiet.”

She stuck her tongue out at him again, getting more irritated by the second. “I never promised that. Only said ‘fine’.”

His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. “Don’t be a child.”

“I’ll have you know,” she snarled, pointing a finger at him. He almost went cross eyed staring at it. “I have had the shittiest fucking day today and seeing you has done nothing to improve my mood or overall day so thanks a fucking lot.”

“...you’re really going to blame me now?”

“Well I do not appreciate being picked up and thrown over your shoulder when I had the situation under control.”

“You were going to kill him.”

“I was and as I’ve said many many times; he would’ve deserved it.”

Lucas seemed to weigh what he would say next. She huffed, staring up at him with her fists at her sides. Damn him and his height. She was going to strangle the person that decided making him this fucking tall was a good fucking idea it made fucking arguing with him or even just ranting a pain in her neck. Literally. 

“Ugh!” she yelled, standing on her tiptoes to be at least a little taller. 

God fucking damnit she was just BARELY up to his shoulders now. He looked almost amused as she puffed up her chest a little. 

“You listen here buster,” she snarled, shifting so they were chest to chest. “I have had it up to here with the BULLSHIT I just had to put up with today!” 

His face was red.

Why the fuck was his face red?!

Excuse you sir, she was in the middle of a RANT here. 

And he was still fucking mad at her for the shit she pulled. Yeah sure it was to protect him. Yeah sure she should not be as close as she was to him at that moment. She should also not be ranting. She should also not have been robbed didn’t she lock her doors?!

Also why the fuck was he still adorable when blushing?! Unfair! She was calling bullshit! She was supposed to be distancing herself and her feelings to not feel attracted to him. But nooooo the gods and stars above just had to bless him with being so fucking adorble she wanted to kiss him. Oh stars and spirits she was not going off on a fucking mental tangent about wanting to kiss him. That was not going to happen.

Even though she was close enough to. 

Gods why did everything have to be so fucking complicated?! 

That’s it she was going to fight someone. 

“Hey! Are you listening?” she asked, they were now chest to chest. She was off kilter with being on her tiptoes, back arching to get a good look at him. God fucking- height. 

She growled, settling back down onto her heels. He pursed his lips to keep from laughing and that was it and that was the last straw.

She pulled him down by his ear, hissing through her teeth. “You listen to me here Lucas whatever-the-fuck your last name is.”

“K-Karimov.” He stumbled a little with the weird angle which she was holding him in. But somehow, the filter was off and so was her ability to care. 

“Thank you. You listen to me here, Lucas Karimov. I do not want to be stuck in this alleyway with you anymore than you want to be stuck with me. Today has had it OUT for me the whole fucking day!”

He seemed to hear something but she was too caught up in herself fuming to notice. “Maeve-”

“And don’t get me fucking started on what happened to me this fine morning-”

“Maeve!” He shifted out of her grasp. 

“-with my clinic and the mess I had to- MMPH!” He slapped his hand over her mouth, shoving her roughly against the alley wall, caging her in between his legs and resting his elbow beside her cheek. 

“Shut up,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder. 

She watched the guards run by their hiding spot, yelling about hearing something. 

His face was so close to hers, his breath tickling her ear as he murmured to her. “You’ll get us caught.”

She glared at him over his palm. He wasn’t looking at her. Her brows furrowed as she squirmed, but he held firm. He didn’t let go of her even as the guards disappeared. 

So she took matters into her own hands. 

Or well, between her teeth. 

So she bit down on his hand. Hard. 

He pulled away with a yelp. She scrubbed at her mouth with the back of her hand as he nursed his wound. 

“You...you bit me!”

She placed her hands on her hips. “You needed to let me go!”

“You bit me!”

“Indeed I did!”

“What put you in such a sour mood?” he muttered, rubbing the bite gently. 

“Hm? Bad mood? Me?” Her eye twitched a little. She was so done. She was actually ready to sleep for a million years. 

Fuck the nightmares he was starting to star in she was done. 

“Yeah! Me getting fucking robbed was great to put me in the best of fucking moods!” she snapped, pacing around the small space of the alley while she waited for the clear. 

She shocked him into a stunned silence. “You were...what?”

Her head whipped around and her eyes were deathly narrowed. Absolutely done. 

“Heavens and stars are ya deaf?” Oh no her accent was coming out. Fan-fucking-tastic her accent was coming out. “I was fuckin robbed! So I was not put in the bestest of moods today so you get to see me when I’m irritated. I know! I’m so fucking fun aren’t I?”

Who would’ve guessed having her clinic trashed and her things stolen then having to deal with both LUCAS and MALORY would put her in such a sour mood that she didn’t even care if half of her words were clouded by her accent?! Oh and being handled like a sack of potatoes REALLY added to it! Then being pinned…

Hmm okay being pinned against the wall by Lucas wasn’t the worst thing to happen to her that fine day. 

Even so she felt the tiniest spark of pride at biting him. 

Was she guilty over that? Surprisingly no.

Check back later. 

“Who...who robbed you?”

“Shit if I know! I’m sure that weird thing I found was a fuckin callin card though. Why do you care?”

“Calling card?”

“It was a pain in the fuckin ass to clean too! I don’t know where the hell they got all that blue paint to paint my entire back wall but they fucking did it! And then leaving the weird stains on my door. Blue and I don’t know probably blood. All and all it was fucking disgusting.” 

“...blue paint? What did they paint?”

She rubbed her temples. She did not have to share this with him. She did not have to share this with him. “Some weird crescent spots and a letter. Took forever to clean.”

Annnd she shared it with him.

“Spots? Letter?”

She cracked one eye open. “Yeah. I think they were either leopard or cheetah spots. Letter was a fucking W. And then they tried to break into my house and left bloody handprints! I had quite the scare this morning.”

All the colour drained from his face. 

“Blue...cheetah marks?”

“Did you just...ignore everything I just said? Yes! And blood! Like everywhere! They tried to break into my house and I don’t know why I am sharing this with you I should not be sharing this with you and I am going to regret this later but oh well I have no filter and I’m rambling.”

There was a slight anger swirling in his eyes. Barely contained. 

Even with how pissed she was it spooked her. 

What did he have to be angry about? 

“Were you hurt?”

“Does it look like I’ve been hurt?” He crossed his arms. She threw her hands into the air. “No! I have locking charms on my door. I didn’t hear them because of the sound proofing charms I have on my clinic and above that in my flat.”

Why the fuck did she just mention that?!

And she kept fucking going. 

This was it. 

If he didn’t hate her before because she rejected his kiss (like a fucking MORON. She did have a good reason for it (at least to herself. She was such a liar) but why oh why did she have to break things off with him. Granted if she kissed him that would’ve made things so much worse even though she really wanted to kiss him holy fuck she wanted to kiss him why was this hitting her now of all times when he was so close why was he so close and why did he look so scared and so pissed?!) he would definitely hate her now. 

Nice fucking going O’Connor. You did it. Messed up one of the only good relationships you’ve had in a while not just once but twice. 

Give the girl a medal. 

“Do you need help cleaning it up?”

“My tables are broken and I need to fix them and set them up again but I cleaned up this morning. All my medications and herbs were stolen. My tools. Stolen. My clinic? Fucking wrecked. Fruit stand guy? Tried to get me arrested again. You? Pick me up like I weigh nothing. So yeah. Having a great fucking day today.”

“...you are scary when irritated.”

“Oh and you barely scratched the fucking surface. I. Am. Going. To. Kill. SOMEONE!”

“Calm down Maeve the guards could hear-”

“I am not going to fucking calm down. I have bottled up everything for too fucking long. The only time I could sleep in peace was fucking ruined by my neighbors being obnoxious. And they bitch about me. So no a ghrá mo chroí, I am not calming down! You haven’t talked to me in weeks and now that you do you tell me how to feel and no. I am so done! I am done with you, I am done with Malory and I am done with the shitty fucking gods who decided creating me and giving me my fucking luck was a good fucking idea!”

Hold on. 

Did she just say that nickname out loud? 

The hurt on his face let her know that she did, indeed, say that out loud.

And he was taking it in the entirely wrong direction.

“...sorry.” His tone was deathly soft. 

Ah great.

Third times a fucking charm. 

“I...didn’t mean for it to come off that way. But you don’t need to curse me in another language.” Great, she hurt him again. As per fucking usual. 

Maybe he was right by calling her a trainwreck. Useless without him. 

Her voice cracked a little, hoarse from yelling. “Lucas-”

“The guards are gone now. I’ll...see you.” He was angry with her. 

Gods...fuck. 

“That's not what I-”

His expression was a mixture of hurt and anger. “I get it. You don’t like seeing me anymore. I was too...too much. Too much too soon. I understand. I overstepped again and I’m sorry.”

She brought her hands back to her chest as he moved out of the alley. “...if you go to your right and then down the first alley you should avoid the guards,” he whispered. “Get home safe.”

“Lucas I didn’t-” But he was gone. 

Her hands shook with both the raw snapping hurt of his words and just even more anger. 

“I didn’t insult you,” she snarled to the open air. “I said some dumb fucking shit by accident...a ghrá mo chroí.” It felt...right to say.

Because it was true.

He was her heart’s beloved. 

Even if he was a fucking dumbass. Shit, she was a fucking dumbass. 

Maybe she didn’t deserve love. If this was how it was going to treat her, maybe it was better if she just was...alone! 

Once again Maeve was off by herself. 

Hurting people she really liked because she couldn’t keep her dumb mouth shut. 

She muttered to herself as she picked her basket of new (if she found the perpetrators she was going to whoop their asses) medications and plants to make medications. 

Fan-fucking-tastic. 

She followed Lucas’ instructions after she ran into the guards on her normal way home. 

Damn you Malory you asshole.

With a sigh she arrived at her doorstep. His way added ten extra minutes to her walk. How fun. 

She peaked inside the clinic to see if anything else was destroyed but it was...cleaner than when she left it.

Her tables that had been turned over were set up again. There was paint and blood all over the tops of the tables but...they were up again. 

She ran her hands along the grooves, looking around. 

She stopped when she saw a small cloth bundle sitting on her counter. The string was a ribbon, and it was tied into a messy bow.

Her earlier bashes slowly dissolved as she stared at it. 

And that one lone butterfly fluttered to life. 

hello 💓 if you're accepting requests (feel free to ignore), I'd really appreciate it if you wrote something about sett. for a few weeks, his girlfriend avoids him because someone tells her that she is too much trouble for him after finding out she's hiding an eating disorder and self-harm from sett. she believes this person and decides it's realy the best if she just disappears from his life. sett finds out and immediately goes to find her? fluff and soft boi sett? 🥺❤ thank u ❤

I had actually did headcanons for this but it just got too long so I turned it into a  one shot! I hope you don't mind that and you still like this!

Sett x Self-harming!Eating Disorder!Reader

Warnings: Trigger Warning, Attempted Suicide, Self Harm, Minor Character Death, Minor Blood, Minor Swearing.

Catching the eye of the infamous Ionian pit fighting ring boss seemed impossible but lo and behold one trip to the pits with some adventurous friends and now you hardly ever leave his side. Ever loving and charming in his own gruff way. He always made you feel normal and happy even on days where you didn’t feel right. When you felt empty and not enough food could fill it or even the thought of food made you want to throw up and never eat again he was there to make all the badness go away. Everything for once felt decently right and you could just live as best as you could with someone that actually loved you for you. Too bad that didn’t sit well with some of the more envious eyes.

A green monster’s eyes stare into the back of your head with bitterness. Why would their tough, strong, handsome boss care for such a weak, pathetic nobody like you? You weren’t even a fighter for deities sakes! So what made little worthless you so much better then them? They were stronger, better looking, and didn’t have weird eating problems. They just needed you to leave him since Sett seemed so adamant on staying with you. Unfortunately for you the opportunity for them to strike arose rather quickly when Sett turns to you.

“Hey, babe I need to check in with my bookies for the nights payouts, you keep my seat warm alright?” You nod happily and he grins and gives you a quick peck on the cheek before walking off to the bookies office. As you sit there you can’t help but feel a looming presences behind you. Turning around you spot one of Setts underling fighters looking at you. They take your look as an invitation to saunter up to you and glare down at you in Setts seat. You can feel the bubble of anxiety building up in your abdomen as they stare you down. They pick up a fruit from the table next to the seat your in and they lean in close as they bite down on the fruit hard enough that you could feel the juice from it land on your cheek. You cringe at the sight and your are not sure if your want to eat a fruit or throw up at the thought of eating it. They chew for a moment before before speaking to you.

“So your the boss’s new arm candy? Must be for charity or something.” Your brows fur in confusion and you glare up at them. They snort loudly and eat more of the fruit.

“I mean why would such a man like Sett like a little broken thing like you? So feeble, useless really, I heard you can’t even eat right. Here, have a fruit.” They toss one of the same fruits they were eating at you. You catch it and stare at the fruit like its a foreign object. It looked edible but then could you stop eating or would it just make you gag? As you contemplate the fruit your harasser just laughed.

“See, you can’t even decide if you want to do a basic human function. Even babies know what they want. I feel kinda bad for the boss. He has to put up with you and whatever the hell is wrong with you. Such a pain in the ass if you ask me. He probably just stays with you so he looks nice to better people. You know attract the better normal people.” You look down in shame. Sett wouldn’t do that to you, would he? No, he wouldn’t, but then again he didn’t know the broken side of you. The days of eating mindlessly or not eating at all for a couple days or the days where  you did eat but just threw it all up. He didn’t know that you would physically beat yourself up about it. The scars that criss crossed across your arms, a daily reminder of the darkness in your mind. As your mind wondered the underling observed you and realized what you were thinking.

“ Oh, he doesn’t know does he? Now your a lier as well as a broken waste of space. You know, if you really supposedly love him wouldn’t you want him to be happy with someone who’s probably better for him in the long run. I’m sure you know as soon as he finds out about your little eating problem he’ll want you leave you for something better. Might as well save yourself some pain and let him go first don’t you think?” You felt a horrible familiar pain in your heart. It would be better for Sett if you weren’t around being a ball and chain. He could most defiantly do better then you. He deserved someone better then you. The fighters eyes brightened as the seeds of doubt were now planted in your head. It would only be a matter of time before your out of the picture.

“You just think about that, huh? If you can’t be good for him let him have someone who is good for him. Don’t let him suffer your problems. He doesn’t deserve your problems, no one does.” They say that last part with bitterness and a sharp in your face glare then made their leave back to the corner where they came from. So many things running through you head. Sett loves you right? Yeah he does, of course he does and you love him, but he didn’t know about your problems. He didn’t know that you had trouble with eating or how much you hated your self because of it. He doesn’t know that your a dirty lier that hasn’t been honest with him about all your faults. The fighter was right, you needed to leave Sett, he needed someone so much more then you. A perfect, honest, wonderful person for a wonderful, handsome man like him. You were lost in thought for who knows how long until a large shadow overcast you. Sett looks down with you with his lovely sharp toothed grin and dipped down to kiss you.

“Hey babe, I’m back everything’s good to go. You ok there hun? You look a little sad. Did someone hurt you? Just tell me babe I’ll make sure they’ll never hurt you again.” He cracks his knuckles and neck and looks around for any potential culprits.

“No love, I’m just tired its getting late thats all.” You tell him. More lies. Another fault and reason why Sett should be free from you. He looks a bit skeptical but he doesn’t push and instead settles down in his seat next to you and holds you close to him. He was so warm and comforting. So much more then you deserved. Starting tomorrow Sett will be free, no matter how much it would wound your heart.

The following weeks were so incredibly hard. You had been avoiding Sett like a plague and it was waring on your very soul. Every time he wanted to see you you would leave or make an excuse. Any dates he wanted to make you’d say no. He’d be so confused and sad but you’d take off before he could say anything. Everyday now you would cry. Everyday controlling how you ate was more of a task then it had ever been before. The small blade you had to defend your self now became the thing of your self destruction hardly ever leaving your hand and in those hands left a trail of blood and shame in its wake. In the sanguine pools around your limbs your life drained from you. It hurt so bad but good at the same time. The pain of your skin being split open by a sharp blade hurt for a short while but there was also and inexplicable relief in this pain. Though in the end your end will not come. Only a new mark will stay on your tapestry of sorrow that was your skin. This tapestry had become your life recently. The constant waves of agony that washed through you were only soothed this way. You try to convince yourself that Sett could never have loved this. This was all for the best, all for your dear love, Sett. It had to be.

Unknown to you Sett was getting rather fed up with all this running away and avoiding him. He loves you dammit and he knows you love him too! So why the hell were you being so distant lately? He was grumbling to himself and putting everyone in the pit on edge. Bookie and fighter a like knew what happens when you test the Boss when he’s in a bad mood. Nothing good they’ll tell you what. While everyone was generally avoiding Sett while he was irritated one particular fighter saw this as a chance. You were gone, you had to be to put him in this kind of mood. Time to test the waters. They made their way over to the beast man, who paid them no mind in the slightest. They frowned then coughed loud enough for the boss’s ears to twitch. Sett quickly and aggressively rounded on them and growled.

“What do you want? Can’t you see I’m not in the mood right now? Buzz off!” They were taken a little aback by his sheer aggressiveness. Now they knew he’d be a little upset but to be this upset over a broken thing like you was a bit ridiculous. It almost seems that he actually liked you but that couldn’t be it because no one in their right mind could like you. Well if he was going to be rude then they could be rude right back.

“No need to be so rude Boss. Im sorry if your little fling flaked out on you but they were certainly nothing to be upset about losing.” Before they could say anything else Sett moved with such speed they had no time to react. Their head hit the wall so hard the world started to blur and spin. Sett was snarling as he lifted up this dead weight bastard by the throat and slammed his head against the wall again. No one talked about you like that in front of him NO ONE.

“And just what the hell would you know about them?!” They yelped in pain as Sett punched them hard in the gut hard enough for some blood to dribble out of their mouth. A dark grin appeared on their blood stained face making Sett glare and tighten his grip on their throat. Ah, they had truly underestimated how much he didn’t know about you. It was likely Sett wouldn’t let them live but at least they could go out knowing Sett’s love would waver when he hears the truth about you and maybe just maybe you had already left this world and they could rub it in your face in the afterlife.

“More then you apparently. Little flake was broken anyway. It would be so much better for you if you just let the little defect go. I mean a guy like you shouldn’t have to deal with a creature that can’t decide if they want to eat a lot or nothing then just throw it all up or just spit up acid. Then on top of that have to deal with their “accidents” that they give themselves because they can’t handle their own mind. Honestly a waste of life that no one should put up with. You should just let them go. That is if they haven’t left this world already.” Sett blinks as he takes in all that information. You had eating problems? You HURT yourself? You want to avoid him so you could break yourself more because you were afraid of he would leave you? None of that set well with the beast man. You didn’t need to hide that from him. He loved you so much and if you had problems he’d want to be there for you. He NEEDED to be there for you, but first he needed to take out the trash. With a deep growl Sett channeled some of his Vastayan power into his arm and quickly crushed their throat. Blood sputtered out of their mouth for a moment before they fell completely limp. Sett dropped them like a sack of potatoes and turned to face some of the other fighters who silently watched the scene unfold and nodded for them to get rid of the body. Two of them moved quickly to dispose of the corpse and the others stood there in fear of their boss.

“Alright fellas I’m gonna head out for a bit. I’ll be back later with my babe and if anyone has any crap to say to them you’ll end up like that horrible bastard thats being taken out the door, got it?” Everyone in the room collectively agrees and Sett promptly leaves the terrified room behind. He needed to get to you now. If anything that A-hole said was true then you were probably not ok and if you weren’t ok he wasn’t ok. He kept you in mind as he started to run as fast as he could towards your home, hopefully he wasn’t too late.

In your seemingly dark and cold abode you sat on the floor in front of you bed. Sullen, in pain, and defeated there seemed to be no end to this sadness today. The only thoughts that ran through your mind were of your imperfections and your love who needed to be free from the blemishes of your life. You held the blade in your hand precariously. You were so used to the blade grazing the skin as of late that it didn’t bring anymore of that reliving pain. Perhaps you needed to go deeper. Yes, you needed to go deeper the pain was deeper so you just have to push it in closer to the core of your misery. You looked at the thing that had become a part of you arm its sharpness could go in so far it could be so easy for it to just pierce the core of your being. If it did everything would end. All the pain, the doubt, the indecision, gone. Thats what you want. Everything to be gone. You bring your end closer to you and in the process catch the sight of your arms tattered in red lines and blood splatter of today. Sett would be so sad to see that. He never liked to see you in pain, always wanting to fight away all your problems, such a sweetheart. A small smile actually appeared on your face as you recalled the memory of the day Sett told you he’d kick the ever-loving ass out of anyone that would even try hurt you. Such nice thoughts. Hopefully Sett’s next love will appreciate such protectiveness. The sliver of a smile you had fades and the knife in your hand and the wounds on your arms become more real. The pain rolling back into your chest double time after the happy memory. No he didn’t need this. You were a horrible mess that needed to be disposed of and you had the way to be disposed of in your hand. You feel nauseated as your mind races. Everything hurts. Everything hurts please make it stop! You gasp and begin to cry. You didn’t want to die, you wanted to live happily with Sett, but that could never be. You didn’t want to be that much of a burden to him. This is how it has to be. You hesitantly bring the blade up to your chest and start to hyperventilate. No, yes, no, yes, don’t do it you deserve to be happy with someone that loves you and he’s out there waiting for you. Lies, he probably doesn’t even notice your gone just end it and lets be free from all this pain. Your so lost in thought you don’t hear the pounding on the door or the sound of it breaking.

“Babe? Babe?!” The loud, sudden yelling in the room draws you from your thoughts and a blur rushes to you and wrenches the knife from your hand and throws it across the room. Your in shock as two large, warm, strong arms wrap themselves around you and pulls you in to the large man their attached to. You look up and see red fluffy hair and a dark purple fluffy vest collar in your face. Sett, he came for you. Tears bubble up and begin to rain down on Sett’s shoulder. He coos you softly and sits down fully on the floor and pulls you into his lap. His head presses softly against yours and he begins to kiss your tears away. A calloused hand cups the side of your face and makes you look up at him. He looks so concerned and slightly frightened. He was scared of losing you and you almost let your life slip away. So stupid, your so stupid, he really did need someone better.

“No I don’t! The only person I need is you. I was so worried about you. You started avoiding me and I didn’t know why. I was so confused, I didn’t understand what was happening. I still don’t to be completely honest but I want to know. I want to understand so you don’t have to feel like you have to do this. So you don’t have to hide from me and almost leave me.” His voice trembled at the end. You look upon his face and see his eyes shimmering like tears that wanted to fall but didn’t. He missed you so much and it felt so nice to have you in his arms, a little beat up but alive.

“But there’s so much wrong with me. You don’t have to deal with it, you shouldn’t have to. You don’t have to deal with me not being able to control my eating habits or this.” You gesture to the scars on your arms and your tear stained face.

“I’m a mess. A horrible mistake upon you and the world.” You were silenced by a deep loving kiss that held you both quiet until neither of you could breathe. The kiss ended with both of you gasping for air but Sett recovered faster and filled the quiet with his voice.

“Don’t be saying that crap. I know you feel bad, but your definitely not those things. I was told the same thing growing up. That I was a horrible mistake and nothing but a pain in the ass for my mama. She didn’t care about that though and whenever I felt bad she’d tell me that as long as one person in the world was happy with you then your life is worth living. I’m that one person. I love you so much and I don’t care if it takes me my whole life to understand or maybe I’ll never understand but the point is, I’m here for you and as long as I’m here for you, you don’t need to feel alone or ashamed. We can take all the time you need babe. I’ll be right here.” Your eyes filled with tears once again not from sadness but with joy. He truly loved you so much and was so patient with you. Perhaps, this can work. It would take a lot of time but maybe you could get better. As long as Sett was by your side it felt like you could just make it through and see some light at the end of your previously dark tunnel. You smile at him happily and cuddle into him. He lets out a small laugh.

“See, it’ll be ok, hun. Now lets get you cleaned up a bit your starting to look tougher then me!” He chuckled and kissed the scars on your arms as he picks you up easily. You can feel a better mood creeping in and jest with him.

“I am tougher then you.” He smiles and starts to kiss at your neck making you giggle and you swat at him playfully.

“Hmm, you might be right there, babe. You might have to protect me every now and then.” You nod and he snuggles into your nape. The light is even brighter now and for the first time in a long time you feel something you haven’t felt in a long time, Hope.

incomplete [1]

 Pairing: Peter Parker x Female!Reader ( a hate-to-love soulmate au)

Summary: Where you hate Peter Parker and you hate soulmates but maybe those two themes have more in common than you thought

Warnings: some bad words but that almost always happens

Word count: 4.5k A/N: here! it! is! my first multi chap, i am very excited about it and pretty hecking happy w the result :) i’m gonna try and keep to posting incomplete on thursdays! <3 

series masterlist // prologue  // chapter 1 // chapter 2

The sound of chatter presses against your mind, trying to force its way inside, but you’re preoccupied.

The soulmark on the back of your neck has been itching since the night before, a soft and irritating pulse that you can barely ignore, and your skin is nearly raw to the touch.

Absentmindedly, you let your fingers dance across it, across the tiny black words that foresee your future. The ones holding the key to finding your perfect match.

You can’t help but wonder if there’s a part of this that isn’t entirely true. How can someone have a perfect match? How can your perfect match be someone you’ve never met?

“-that your tattoo isn’t the first thing your soulmate says to you,” Liz is shaking her head and your eyes snap to hers, trying to focus your mind on the subject at hand but she isn’t looking at you. You push around your milk carton, eyes finding a white spot on your perfectly blue lunch tray. “She said it’s the first thing your soulmate says when you’re ready to find them.”

Her voice holds an excitement on the subject you couldn’t fake if you tried, but your eyebrows pinch at the words. The topic of soulmates isn’t exactly rare in your group of friends, but this theory is one that you’ve never heard and you can’t help it when you intervene.

“That can’t be right.”

Suddenly every pair of eyes at your table lands on you, and you find yourself wishing you’d said nothing at all.

Your gaze finds Nora’s, who’s sitting in front of you with a curious smile. She tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear before crossing her arms over the table. “What do you mean?”

There’s a tiny red line marking the inside skin of her elbow, the only proof that she had a tattoo to begin with. It’s rare for a teenager to find their soulmate, but she was over the moon once she got over the initial pain and shock of finding them so soon.

You were happy for her, of course, but something about soulmates made your skin crawl. The sheer powerlessness of it all.

“It just seems weird,” you shake your head. “How can you be ready? How do you know?”

“You ask way too many questions,” Liam buds in from beside Nora. There’s a crooked smile resting against his lips, suggesting the words a mere joke but you can feel the irritation beginning to course through your veins.

“Maybe you don’t ask enough,” you say. He shrugs and takes a long swig of his coke.

“Whatever you say,” he laughs around the can of sticky sugar.

“It’s an automatic thing,” Nora explains, something happy dancing in her green eyes. “It’s all predetermined.”

“Predetermined by who?” you ask, swiping your plastic fork from your plate and nibbling on the ends of it. The plastic bends easily beneath your teeth. “Isn’t it weird that you’re just supposed meet some random person who says the words you’ve been assigned and bam, you’re practically married?”

“Okay, you know that’s not how it works,” Nora says, shaking her head.

“Maybe it’s an exaggeration,” you admit, throwing down your plastic tupperware again. “But now, apparently, I might already know them? Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird?”

“Uh,” Liam shakes his head, a crooked smile on his face, and shoves a burnt french fry in his mouth. His expression twists into one of disgust a second later, but he swallows it down nonetheless. “Yeah, you are.”

Liz leans closer to you and nudges your arm softly. “Why is this so important to you?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” you say honestly. Nora furrows her brows and though it seems as if Liam is preoccupied with the manufactured food on his tray, you know his ears are trained on your words. “Don’t you want to be able to choose who you fall in love with?”

You watch their faces with a sudden desperation you didn’t know you possessed. Desperation to be heard, desperation to be understood. The crease between Nora’s brows deepens as she takes in your inquiry, Liam shakes his head and Liz just stares at you, as if you started spewing sentences in Dothraki.

“No,” she finally says. Her head tilts to the side, causing her midnight curls to fall over her shoulders in an ocean of black. “Not really.”

You suck on your teeth and push your greens around your tray with a plastic fork. “Just forget I said anything.”

“You’ll see it’s better this way,” Nora says, her voice soft as if she’s trying not to spook you. “When you meet your soulmate.”

You know she’s only trying to reassure you of your doubts, but her words stir something strange in your chest. You feel like you’re being brainwashed.

“Right,” you breathe out a laugh.

“I think it’s exciting,” Liz exclaims, clasping her hands together atop the table. “What if your soulmate is here right now?’

Her eyes shimmer with something hopeful, you can’t help but store away your own reservations, at least for the time being.

“Knowing you, you have at least thirty options as to who it could be,” Liam says with a smirk, once again an active participant of the conversation.

“Maybe Alex Smith?” she wonders, resting her chin on her palm. You snort, turning away when she shoots you a questioning glance. “What?”

“No, nothing,” you shake your head, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Alex Smith wears the same shirt, like, four out of five school days,” Liam reaches over Nora’s arms to snatch up her untouched bowl of fruit. She barely puts up a fight, knowing full well she’ll only pick at it until the bell rings, but doesn’t hesitate to clip him over his ear.

“You know you could ask,” she jokes, while Liz starts to sputter with protests.

“That is so not true,” she says, eyes already searching the crowded cafeteria to fact check her friend’s accusation. Her face falls when she does but she quickly recovers, flashing Liam a sarcastic smile and flicking a lock of hair behind her shoulder. “Okay well what do you think?”

“For you or for me?” he cards a hand through his dark hair, quirking an eyebrow when she shrugs. “I don’t think you’ve met yours yet,” he supplies.

Liz’s face morphs into an adorable pout before switching to a smirk just as easily. “What if one of your exes is your soulmate?”

He scoffs, eyes rolling upward and you share a knowing glance with Nora. 

Although most seem to wait for their soulmate to start dating, it’s not uncommon for romantic relationships to develop outside of the chosen, and Liam is no stranger to that way of living. 

It seems he has a new significant other every week, and you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor hearts he often breaks. Then again, he can’t be bothered to change and the boys and girls who are victim to his fleeting love seem to come out okay on the other side.

He shakes his head. “That’s never gonna happen,” he says, and then “I hope mine is Peter Parker.”

Your spine snaps into a rigid straight line and you reel back at the words like you’ve been slapped. Nora and Liz begin to laugh.

“Peter Parker?” you question. “Why on earth-?”

“He’s cute,” Liam laughs. “And he’s got a six pack you know.”

“Because that totally makes up for being an ass.”

“He’s got one of those too,” He shrugs with a smile when you screw up your face, then shakes his head. “I’m messing with you.”

“Thank go-”

“I think he’s yours.”

Nora laughs vehemently, throwing her head back and slapping the table with an open palm. Liz has the decency to try and hide her laughter between her fingers, but her giggles still slip through her skin and seep into your own.

“What the fuck,” you deadpan, unable to supress the curse from your lips and suddenly Liam is joining in on the snickers. You think you might explode.

“Wouldn’t that be something,” Nora licks her lips, trying to regain her composure.

“Yeah, I think I’d jump off of a cliff.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Liz pokes your cheek, just two short jabs, but your skin stings at her touch.

“It’s what I’m known for,” you say, rising from the rickety bench you’ve been uncomfortably perched on for twenty minutes. Liam and Nora watch you stand languidly, but Liz pushes herself up from the seat a moment later.

“Bathroom?” she asks and you nod, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

It’s a stringy grey thing given to you by your dad when you started middle school and despite the pleas of your friends to invest in a new one, and the fact that one Peter Parker teases you about it any chance he gets, you find comfort in the packet. Especially when your dad is away on work trips, which you find that he is more often than not.

“Yeah,” you step away from the stained lunch table, offering Nora and Liam a two fingered salute before Liz grabs your hand and pulls you from the cafeteria, but not before dragging you past Peter’s lunch table.

You stumble behind your friend, senselessly letting your eyes skitter over his figure- slouched over, smiling brightly at something his friends are saying- but his gaze meets your when you don’t turn away quick enough, and the fragile piece of Peter Parker that you’ve never known shatters before your eyes.

He glares at you, blankly somehow and the indifference harborded in your gut burns into a raging fury.

When you finally fall through the cafeteria doors, leading to a near empty hallway, you whirl around to face a simpering Liz.

“We could have used the other doors,” you say, arching a brow. “You know, the ones that were closer to our table and not in the direction of Parker’s.”

She bats her eyelashes to feign innocence, but her shit-eating grin and the glimmer in her eyes betray her too quickly. “Whatever do you mean?”

You groan, setting course for the bathroom again. “Why?”

“I like watching the sexual tension between the two of you,” she shrugs and you stick out your tongue in disgust. “Oh my god, imagine if the two of you were, like, actually soulmates.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to despise your soulmate, Lizzy,” you roll your eyes, watching a few of your peers mull around the halls. A few of them smile as you pass, and you return the gesture before focusing on the girl next to you again. She tucks a dark lock of hair behind her ear, the straightened piece losing its heat and starting to frizz again on the end.

“Don’t worry,” she says, cocking her head. “The odds are like, one-in-a-zillion.”

“That’s not a real number, how’d you get into this school again?”

She twists her face, her nose wrinkling at the words as she pushes open the grey bathroom door. It squeaks on its hinges, the sound echoing across tiled walls.

Liz walks in a straight line towards the dirty mirrors, running her delicate fingers through her hair while you walk into one of the empty, and horribly smelly, stalls.

When you step out again, Liz is still admiring her reflection, this time reapplying her lip balm and you can’t help the smile that eases onto your face. Even in the dingy bathroom mirrors she’s gorgeous, and she holds herself with a confidence you can only hope to one day possess.

She grins when she catches sight of you in the mirror, a pearly white smile lined with full lips.

You step forward, running your hands underneath the faucet and shaking your skin dry before nodding your head to the door again. Liz taps the back of your bag.

“Ready?” she asks.

You nod, sliding forwards on the damp tiled floor- no doubt from students opting to shake the drops of water from their hands rather than dry them on the less than sanitary towels, like you- and shove open the door again.

The hall is still halfway empty, and a quick glance at the clock on a far wall tells you that there are twenty minutes left until your lunch break ends.

You make a beeline for the cafeteria, and Liz trails behind you for a moment before her long legs are catching up to yours in easy strides.

Neither of you speaks for a moment, and you let your hand travel to your mark as you walk. It doesn’t take Liz long to catch on to the movement and she swipes up your hand as you let it fall, one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows arched.

“Okay, you’ve been messing with your tattoo all day. What’s up?”

She tries to turn you away from her, no doubt to inspect it, but you step out of her reach and pull away from her touch. “Nothing.”

“Oh please,” she rolls her eyes and takes a step forward just as easily as you took one back. Her dark eyes glimmer with curiosity, and you decide that she’ll never stop pressing if you don’t just tell her now. “Don’t lie.”

You shake your head, clenching your fist to keep yourself from reaching upwards again. “It just itches a little, it’s fine,” she’s staring at you like she doesn’t believe you, and you can’t exactly say that you blame her between your wincing and the redness of the skin around your mark. But she doesn’t need to know the extent of it, telling her the problem and detailing it are two very different things. “Probably just a mosquito bite.”

“Doesn’t look like one,” she sing-songs, but starts her trek through the school halls again.

That was close, you think to yourself.

You’re not sure why you’re lying to her. Maybe it’s your own concern taking the wheel, or the fact that you know she’ll make a bigger deal of it than it should be, but it’s too late to turn back now.

She’s a few steps ahead of you when a new thought pops into your head, this one more urgent.

“Oh wait,” your steps halt suddenly, and Liz shoots farther ahead before she turns her head and stops.

“What?” she asks, wearing a quizzical expression.

“I need to grab some books out of my locker,” you nod in the opposite direction, back down the way you came. “I’ll meet up with you in a second.”

She dips her head, a nod yes, before pushing through the cafeteria doors and leaving you to yourself. You start your trek towards your locker, nothing on your mind but seemingly useless things- the weather, your friends, your soulmark.

Your hand travels to the bumpy tattoo on your neck once more, as if called there and in the privacy of the empty halls you let your fingers roam the irritated skin. You know what it says, you’ve known since it appeared, but what it means… what elicits it is what confuses you, intrigues you and pisses you off.

You turn the corner, still lost in thought, but when you finally notice Peter Parker leaning against your locker, a smile pressed on his lips, your arm falls in surprise.

He isn’t looking at you; he probably doesn’t even know that yours is the locker he’s decided to block, but it is, leaving you in an uncomfortable situation that will surely end in a verbal brawl.

Ned is standing in front of him, animatedly telling a story that you know you’ll never hear— not that you’d want to— and you steel yourself at the sight of them before marching over to the pair, your shoulders set back in determination.

As if sensing your presence, Peter’s eyes dart from Ned’s face to yours. Just like every time he sees you, the smile that he was wearing vanishes from his lips. You think that in another world, it would hurt that you’re able to bring such displeasure to someone just by being in their line of sight, but with him it twists something like satisfaction in your gut.

Ned picks up on his sudden change of demeanor, but unlike Peter, when his eyes meet yours his face splits into an even bigger grin.

You’ve always liked Ned. He was always kind to you, even when Peter was cruel.

“Y/N!” he calls, and a smile pulls at your lips.

“Hey, Ned.”

Peter crosses his arms as you approach, head tilting upwards. You wouldn’t be surprised if the motion is only so that he can say that he’s literally looking down on you. You try not to laugh.

“You’re just who I was looking for,” Ned says, pulling your attention to him once more. You slow your pace, cocking your head in confusion.

“Oh?” you question, trying to block Peter in your peripheral, trying to block the stupid smirk that’s now replaced his frown.

“Liam said you needed the notes that we got in History?” your eyes flit to the notebook that Ned’s grasping in a hand, and to the letters adorning it. The words he’s written in a playful scrawl are highlighted with a spectrum of colors.

“Right,” you tuck a lock of hair behind your ear and roll your eyes. “Of course he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself. Sorry, Ned.”

Peter lets out a scoff at that, small and easy to miss, but you turn to him anyways.

“If you have something to say,” you press the heels of your hands into your hips. “Then say it.”

He shakes his head, eyeing you up and down. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Your stomach twists with irritation and you try not to fume as Ned takes a step forward, his smile pinched. “It’s no big deal, Y/N,” he says, tearing the papers from his book and handing them to you gently.

You turn away from Peter, letting the anger ease from your face when your eyes focus on Ned once more. “I owe you one.”

“We’re square,” he steps back again, cocking his head. “Last year, Physics?”

Your mind shoots back to the year prior, when both Ned and Peter were out sick and you took notes for the former unbeknownst that they would be passed on to the ladder afterwards. But you’re square.

“Right,” you nod. “Thanks.”

You take a new step forward, almost directly in front of Peter but all he does is stare at you, a single eyebrow arched. You tense your jaw.

“Can I help you?” to anybody who doesn’t know him, his voice would sound sincere and concerned, but you’ve learned to uncover the underlying sarcasm and bite of irritation that accompany the words.

You cross your arms, letting your eyes dart across his face. “You’re leaning against my locker.”

He grins, sarcastic and so obviously an attempt to rile you up that you can’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that it really does. “Sorry,” he says, sounding anything but sincere.

“I’m sure,” He doesn’t make any attempt to move, and you can see Ned fidgeting nervously next to you at his friends defiance. “I’d,” you breathe, clenching your teeth so hard you’re afraid they’ll shatter. “Appreciate it if you would get out of the way.”

Still, he doesn’t budge, but a new condescending smile pulls at his lips and he hums. “Would you?”

The expression he wears takes you back to when you were young and in elementary school. He used to stand behind you when you walked in straight lines around the school and he’d always pull at the end of your ponytail. Any time you’d turn to glare at him, to yell at him to stop he’d wear this same expression. Even years later it makes you want to break his jaw.

“I hate you,” your voice is set in a deadpan when the words leave your lips and your face is wiped of any emotion, but you’re quite sure you’ve never spoken a heavier truth.

He laughs at that, a silly and boyish thing but there’s an underlying harshness that tangles into the sound. “I’m flattered.”

Ned steps forward as Peter talks, and grabs his arm tightly. “Come on, man,” he pleads.

Peter glances at Ned and the cocky expression laid out on his face flickers for a moment, then he turns to you again, his face wiped completely. You cross your arms and wait.

It takes him a few seconds to heed Ned’s request, but when he does you don’t hesitate to occupy the spot where he stood and shove open your locker door.

Your fingers grapple for your textbooks, but when you turn around after cramming them into your bag, Peter is still standing behind you, something mischievous in his eyes.

“Don’t you have anyone else to piss off?” you ask, slinging your backpack over your shoulder again and closing your locker door. Peter cocks his head.

“I’m literally just standing here.”

“Your presence is more than enough,” you shift in place and suck on your teeth. A soft pressure begins to set on the back of your neck, but you write it off as nothing. It has to be. “Did you need something?”

He shakes his head, and a dark lock of hair falls away from its peers and curls over his forehead. If you didn’t hate him so much you’d think it might be beautiful.

“Why don’t you get a new bag?” he asks. There’s honest curiosity in his voice, and he looks like a child asking why the sky is blue, but the question stirs something deep inside of you.

Maybe you’re too protective over it, maybe the anger boiling in your gut is irrational and reckless but you can’t help it when the feeling transforms into words spilling over your lips.

“Why don’t you get a new personality?”

He purses his lips and releases the air lodged in his lungs, but his eyes hold his humor. It does nothing but anger you more.

Your skin itches and the hair on the back of your neck rises, and the pressure is on your tattoo, you realize.

“You thought hard on that one didn’t you?” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. His tone has changed from curious to halfway cruel.

Ned takes a step back now, his eyebrows still bumped together. For a moment you forgot he was even there to begin with, and though it does nothing to change the situation, you feel almost disappointed with his choice to stay out of the argument.

“Can you just leave me alone?” you bark, turning your gaze back to Peter. “Just once, mind your own buisness and fuck off?”

With every passing second the pressure on your soulmark grows more and more until you’re afraid it might burst, but you blame it on your anger rather than anything else. You blame it on the adrenaline coursing through your veins.

“You’re one to talk!” he yells, brandishing his hands in anger. You balk at his sudden change of tone.

“You don’t know anything about me!”

“Oh, you wanna bet?”

“What?” Your body goes rigid the second the words leave his lips, and suddenly you feel as if you’ve been dipped in liquid fire and thrown into an icy bath all at once. You’re left blubbering in confusion and for a second you think you’re going through early menopause- very early menopause- that it’s merely a coincidence that his question is the same one that’s printed on your skin; but then a searing pain shoots up your spine.

“Wait,” you gasp, right before your legs give out underneath you.

Peter’s arms are outstretched and he darts forwards to keep you from hitting the ground, but you yank your arm away before he can touch it, and your knees hit the tiled ground a moment later.

There’s no doubt in your mind that they’ll be colored with bruises in time, but that’s almost the least of your concerns.

You cup the back of your neck, as if you can shield it from the pain, but it only burns hotter. Tears gather in the corners of your eyes and Peter’s face begins to blur into an unrecognizable blob.

He doesn’t touch you, like he’s afraid you’ll crumble at the first brush of his fingers, but he does inch closer, hands hovering halfway through the air.

And then, as suddenly as it happened to you, he gasps and his face drains of color.

Maybe the same thing is happening to him, but what on earth is it?

He grapples for his ribs, keeling forward and bracing his hand on the tile next to yours. There’s sweat collecting on his brow and he’s close enough that you can make out every detail of his face as you blink away your tears.

“What’s going on?” he asks, panic lacing his gaze. You almost find it in yourself to roll your eyes.

“I don’t know,” you snap, squeezing your eyes shut to try and brave the sting, but it’s fading just as fast as it arrived.

The sound of Ned’s shuffling feet fills your ears, next to his mumbling and that of someone else. When you look up again, peeling your eyes open, you see Michelle Jones with a rare startled look on her face mirroring Ned’s surprise.

“Oh my god,” you hear her mumble, and then Peter’s sitting up and blocking her from view.

His face has regained its color, now a bright red and his brows are bumped together in a mix of confusion and concern. You stand up at the same time, but when you stumble and he doesn’t, he grabs your forearms to steady you.

His skin presses against yours, hard and soft and suddenly you find that you’re feeling better, you feel like nothing ever happened at all, so you pull away from him and throw up a shield.

“Uh,” his voice is low and timid. “You okay?”

Like you care, you want to say.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you say instead, trying to ignore the way your stomach drops at the complete lack of him. Of his skin against yours, because you’re not supposed to feel that at all. “Are you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he scratches the back of his neck, but his eyes are foggy and it almost seems like he’s looking through you rather than at you. “I’m good.”

A cough sounds behind him, and when you glance over your shoulder you see his friends,  fidgeting nervously. Ned’s face is twisted into pity and concern, but MJ is smirking devilishly.

“Uh, guys,” Ned stutters weakly, scratching the back of his neck.

“What the hell was that?” Peter asks, his hand drifting to his ribs again, you wonder if that’s where his tattoo hides. And then you find yourself wondering why he would be reaching for it at all.

MJ huffs out a laugh, then smothers it with her palm and shakes her head. “You’re not gonna like it,” she says.

“Just say it,” you press. Your hand begins to drift upwards automatically, searching for the bumpy mark on your neck, but when your fingers brush over the surface you find nothing but smooth skin. Your blood runs cold.

“I think,” Ned swallows, visibly hesitant and MJ nudges his shoulder, prompting him to continue. “I think you guys are soulmates.” he finally says. It sounds forced and meek and he winces after the words clear the air. You think you might faint.

You don’t.

You want to scream and yell and curse at the sky, but when you open your mouth no words aid you. So Peter yells instead.  

“What?”

~

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strikethrough means i couldn’t tag you <3 

Same anon from the werewolf prompts ask. I was mostly asking because I'd love to see the 3rd, 4th and 10th prompt for a Polycho fic. You can decide who the werewolf is, or if all of them are wolves or not. I'm not picky!

The hardest part of getting bit is that, even when he's the "big bad wolf", Josh still can't find a place among his peers.

Luckily the wolf has an eye for good folk and maybe someone up there is finally looking out for him.

---

[[MORE]]

Despite what anyone might believe, Josh Sawyers had always lived a little rough. He'd gone to school, was well read, enjoyed arts and history, and had dreams of being a teacher one day. Sadly, he'd not had the money to pursue a higher education and due to his area of residency and skin color he was considered nothing but a lowly thug.

No one wanted to hang out with the too smart black kid that lived very close to the woods. No one but his family really. But that too had changed when he'd gotten bit.

No point keeping another mouth to feed when it might try to take your hand with it, and having a werewolf in the family would have further ostricisized his parents and siblings from the All American Dream society they were busting their asses to belong to.

In the end, Josh had just accepted it and left.

If he could run from muggers and cops that looked at him with predatorial grins and murderous eyes, he should be able to run with the crew of wolves that further complicated his life.

Except he couldn't.

"Yes I understand I'm a big bad werewolf now but really, I dont want to hurt those cute little rabbits and deer, can't we just wait until we transform back to eat?" He shrunk back when some of the others glared at him with condescending exasperation "That's not how it works? Well can't I just eat before I transform so I won't be hungry–I'm sorry I'm just new at this and I'm sorta trying to go vegetarian here–"

"Jack did you really have to pick the pansiest lilly in the fucking garden? Christ the stupid cunt won't even eat what he can get!" Dimitri, a southern english blond with a thick accent and the worst case of resting bitch face Josh had ever seen on a wolf, colorfully hissed at the alpha of the pack.

"I figured the guy would make a mean wolf. Fuck me sideways, I was wrong." Jack, their leader and the stockiest member of the group, grumbled as he glared daggers at Josh "Fucking smarty pants too good for meat?"

"Might make a good bitch." Yuri, Jack's second in command and a rather spineless idiot, offered with a barking laugh that made everyone else chortle while Josh blushed furiously and looked down.

"Ugh... You guys are assholes. I'm just gonna go for a walk." He got up and moved out of their den, an old abandoned cabin that had definitly seen better days. The stench of wolf didn't help.

"Good luck finding any food, Flower Boy, werewolves are carnivores. You gonna die for being a pussy." Jack called out behind him, getting a hearty laugh out of everyone else in the cabin.

Josh kept his back straight and his head held high, but if his tail had been showing and his ears were just a bit more wolfish, they'd have hung low in shame and sadness.

Not even a group of outcasts wanted anything to do with him. That certainly took the cake.

---

As it turned out, the others were right. As much as Josh wanted to be a vegetarian (a thought he'd had since primary school), the wolf couldn't properly process green foods. It was frustrating, because he didn't want to kill any animals. The thought of blood and gore made him shudder, even if the idea of salty iron tang made his stomach croak painfully with want. He was hungry. Very hungry.

"Think Josh... If vegetables and fruits aren't an option, then what else...?" He mumbled to himself as he walked. He needed to feed, otherwise the wolf would have a few things to say as soon as he got too hungry to keep in control.

His wolf was gentler than the others in the pack, but it was still a wild animal and hunger tended to do strange things to the mind. Especially one driven by the more primal instinct to survive.

He noticed a stream running downhill and got an idea. It wasn't a deer or a rabbit, but if bears could get nice and fat from eating fish, surely he could sustain himself on them as well? It was just a matter of catching some.

"Well, I don't have anything to lose from trying..." He figured, as he took off his clothing and folded it neatly. He set it by a rock near a massive tree, marking it with his sharpened fingernails before letting himself change into a huge dark coated wolf.

The feeling was still strange and painful, but his worries eased considerably as an animal. The world was a much simpler thing for a wolf.

With a hearty howl the wolf sprung towards the stream, hell-bent on catching some dinner.

---

"You know..." A female voice startled Josh as he pathetically crawled up onto the sandbank. A young woman was sitting there, holding a fishing cane and other assorted supplies. She had red hair, wore clothing that looked a bit too big on her, and a pair of heavy boots that looked to have steel toes. "When I saw you climbing out of the stream I was fishing in dirty, wet, and naked, I assumed you had just survived some kind of intense mob hit or something..."

Josh gulped as she set aside her tools and crossed her arms. She was smirking at him.

"But really you had just detransformed from a werewolf after you were playing in the water trying to catch a fish, and ultimately failing." Had she been watching him the entire time? "Nice ass, by the way..."

Yelping as he remembered he was completely in the nude, Josh picked up the nearest thing to cover up. It looked all the more pathetic considering the flat rounded rock was much too small to cover much.

"Easy there. It's not like I've never seen a dick before." The woman rolled her eyes "Now, before I go get my ma's shotgun, state your business here dog boy. You and your pack off to cause us trouble?"

"I... Uh no, no? I'm not..." He shook his head. "I'm not with my pack and uh, I didn't even know anyone lived here."

"We don't. The cabin is a summer retreat." The woman shrugged "What's a wolf doing trying to fish alone?"

"Could you not call me wolf? I have a name..."

"So do I. What a small world."

Josh grimaced before looking back where he came from. He should go get his clothes.

"I... Should get going."

"Hm... Yeah sure. Whatever. Try not to scare the fishes even more, you just cost me and my friends our dinner."

"You have friends?" That was hard to believe. The woman had been nothing short of unpleasant for the entirety of their short-lived and awkward conversation.

"Yes. One of them has a crossbow. Beat it pooch." She glared.

He didn't need to be told twice.

---

A couple of nights later, Josh had finally mastered his fishing abilities and was anxiously awaiting the rise of the full moon.

He hated going back to the den, but cuddling for warmth was the only way not to freeze to death in the woods, and it was risky to wander off too far without the pack. There were other wolves and worse, bears.

Not that his pack cared that he ran off anyway.

Still, as soon as the moon rose he could slink off to the stream and catch himself a good meal. He'd found a massive school of fish in a hole that lead to an underground pool. The fish either got stuck there by accident and couldn't leave due to low lighting, or were just too greedy when feeding on the vast surplus of food that the hole had to offer them.

All the better to keep him nice and full.

He had almost completely forgot about that woman from the other day, until he'd rushed off on all fours towards the stream and caught an odd sent in the wind.

The wolf grumbled in annoyance at the intrusion, but its curiosity was just as great as its human side's.

On feather light paws, it crouched and tracked the sent, before a whiff of grilled fish made its mouth water.

In the same spot Josh had met the woman, were three humans making dinner out of a bucket of large fat fish. It seemed like the redhead was a skilled fisherwoman.

"It's a loud night." A man with a shaved head, tan freckled skin and heterochromia, commented as he listened to the occasional howl in the distance. This trio was far away from the pack's hunting grounds, so there was no danger.

"Werewolves. I met one the other day..." The redhead murmured. "Took me longer to get a catch because the dumbass was flopping about like a drowning lamb."

"You met a werewolf? How come you didn't say anything, North?" A blond man with tired eyes and pale complexion asked.

"Didn't seem important at the time." North huffed "Besides, at the mention of my shotgun and your crossbow, he fled."

"You mean your mom's old shotgun. That thing is rusty as hell North. Wouldn't kill a fly..." The freckled man chuckled "But in all seriousness, Simon's right. You should have said something."

"Oh lay off Markus. It's fine! We're not staying much longer, just a couple of days anyway, and the wolves are far away."

The wolf watched them curiously. They were an odd trio. North, Simon and Markus.

Their names sounded... Nice somehow. And their interactions were all in good jest, rather than aggressive.

Whining softly, the large wolf lay down and kept watching them. It's heart ached for companionship it did not get from it's peers.

The blond's head perked up suddenly.

"Did you hear that?"

"Not everyone has your bat ears Simon..." North pointed out. "What's up?"

The blond didn't reply, instead staring off into the treeline where the wolf hid.

Had he heard it? That was impossible, humans didn't hear that well.

The man squinted, before getting up. His posture was intimidating to say the least, and the look in his eyes was one of warning.

Before anyone could say anything, or the wolf could process what was going on, the blond was right in front of it with his lips curled back so the wolf could see his long fangs. A vampire.

"Simon!" Markus called out, seeming just as startled at the wolf. "Don't do that!"

"We've got a wolf!" The blond called back.

"Is it big and got black mottled fur?" North asked from where she was sitting.

"Yes."

"Same guy from last time. Hey you caught any fish yet or just did a bad impression of the Little Mermaid?" The redhead grinned.

Simon rose an eyebrow in question before noticing the grimace on the wolf's face.

"I don't think it liked that."

"It can say that to my face. Come on, bring the thing over, if it didn't pounce us yet, it's not going to."

The vampire shrugged and looked back at the wolf, still suspicious, before motioning for it to get up and follow. The wolf decided it best not to argue, especially when the redhead offered a grilled fish.

It had been ages since it ate something cooked.

---

"So you really do run solo, don't you?" North asked in the morning, when the moonlight was no longer coursing through his veins, and after they'd all introduced themselves at the cabin.

The redhead hadn't been kidding about owning a shotgun. It was on display at the cabin, but it was also rusted to kingdom come. Markus had been right about it not harming a fly.

She used it as a threat to intruders. Uninvited guests were unwelcome, which was funny considering she had invited a vampire and a wolf into the threshold.

That was certainly some risk taking. Not that he was complaining.

The offered blankets had been so soft he'd practically rolled around in them when he woke up. The texture felt nice against his bare skin. It helped ignore the dull aches and sores of transformation.

"I prefer it." Josh replied. "It's calmer when I'm on my own. Quieter. Easier to get food and rest instead of getting pounced on and forced to submit to some asshole's command..."

Simon held the blanket he'd covered himself in tightly as he took a sip from a glass. The breakfast table was nicely organized, and he'd given them all plates of pancakes and glasses of orange juice. He himself ate nothing and drank a tinted glass that Josh's nose noted was full of pig's blood.

"Sounds rough." The blond commented as he shielded his sensitive skin from the sunlight creeping into the cabin.

"It is... Honestly though I hate my pack so much, like theyre a bunch of assholes but I ran into you guys on my full moon run in the forest and..." he shrugged "I don't know you seem pretty cool..."

"We seem cool? Bitch we're the coolest." North grinned.

"North..." Markus rolled his eyes. "Well... Uh, aren't werewolves social? Running solo seems very lonely for a wolf."

"It is but uh... I don't know, I was hoping I could sorta... You know." Josh stammered in embarrassment "Go hunting or scare some people or some shit? With you guys? I know this lake thats always really warm, I can show you... and uh, there's this hole in the stream that's full of big fat fish that just kinda hang in there? In case you uh, needed more?"

The three looked among each other debating what to do. They only had a couple of days left at the cabin and Josh would surely be lonely after they left.

North looked back at Josh before looking at Markus intently.

"... No." The heterochromatic man said flatly.

"Oh come on, we kept the vampire living in your attic, can't we keep this poor lonely lost puppy too?" North put on an exaggerated pout.

"I'm not a puppy. Also you were living in Markus's attic?" Josh asked Simon incredulously. That seemed a bit weird.

"Technically his dad's attic which technically is my attic because that mansion has been in my family for generations, but yeah sure let's go with that." Simon shrugged.

"A vampire doesn't shed or howl." Markus argued with North.

"I don't shed!" Josh was slightly offended.

"Come oooon. I can walk him, and feed him, and teach him cool tricks." North grinned.

"What the fuck is happening right now?"

"Your pack sucks and you're nice. You're getting adopted by the two most insufferable humans in this part of Michigan." Simon smiled "Don't worry. You'll get a bed, access to hot water and tv, as well as treats. They'll spoil you rotten."

"...Well I can't argue with that." Josh snorted. "I haven't showered in months and the smell of wet dog after I take a dip in the lake is pretty bad."

"Good choice." Simon laughed "Come on Markus, you always did say you wanted a pet."

"I was thinking along the lines of a canary or cockatoo..."

At the end of their trip to the cabin Markus relented, having grown very fond of Josh, and the werewolf collected what little belongings he had at the den before joining them at the cabin and sitting in the back of North's car with Simon.

The other wolves wouldn't miss him anyway, so he didn't bother to say goodbye. If anything he hoped he'd not hear from them ever again.

Thank god his wolf had a good eye for nice folk. North, Markus and Simon were weird, but they were his brand of weird.

He could get used to not living rough for once.

Interlude in the Woods

Wow do I suck.

Anyways another BATB fanfic, this one set both post and pre curse. It seems Adam and Belle have actually met before.

Masterlist

30 DAYS OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

DAY 6 - FIRST

“Oh. My. God!” Belle stopped dead in her tracks in front of the window. “What is it my lady?” Mrs Potts was all concern as she watched the color drain from Belle’s face. “I don’t believe it. How can it be?” she whispered, staring at the scene in front of her. Mrs Potts followed her gaze and saw nothing of concern, just the Prince playing with Chip out on the grass. “I need to sit.” Belle flopped down on a bench, her eyes never wavering from Adam as he ran and rolled with the little boy. She was shaking as the realization hit her and a memory came flooding back. Resting her head against the windowpane, she closed her eyes allowing the images to flow, never noticing Mrs Potts hurrying from the room to get help.

MANY YEARS EARLIER “Papa! Can I go and help Pere Robere today? He has to clean all the pews and he said he would give me 6 deniers if I would help him.” Belle hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation, 6 deniers was a huge amount of spending money at her age. She was already doing the figures in her head. A loaf for her new friend Agathe and maybe some sweets to share. For today, those were all the desires she had in the world. If only Papa let her go. “I’m not sure Belle, it might not be safe.” “Oh Papa, you always say that. I know the way, it's only 7 buildings away and the market is going, I won’t be alone...or you could walk me.” She knew Papa would let her go, all she had to do was open her eyes wide and smile brightly. “Alright Belle, you may go. But be home by dusk.” “Thank-you Papa!” she jumped onto his lap, chubby arms wrapping around his neck while she peppered his cheek with kisses. “I’ll be good, I promise!” She skipped the whole way to the chapel, ignoring the curious looks from the villagers. In the year since Papa had brought them here she had tried her best to make friends with them, but nothing had worked. None of the adults thought that a little girl was worth talking to, except maybe the potter and of course Pere Robere. All of the other girls in town spent their days doing laundry and housework and thought books were boring. All they wanted to talk about was dresses and flowers and boys. Belle tried to be nice, even though none of them were nice to her. All in all she was a lonely little girl who just wanted a real friend. “Hello little one!” Agathe called out as Belle skipped by. “Hello Agathe,” Belle stopped to hug the beggar woman, who was always nice to her. “I’m going to help Pere Robere, he’s going to pay and then I’m going to get us some sweets after.” “Well that's very nice of you, you sweet girl.” Belle liked it very much when Agathe smiled at her, it made her feel happy in her heart, much like she supposed a girl with a mother would feel. The door to the chapel was open when Belle arrived, and she peeked inside, not wanting to startle the priest. “Pere Robere? Are you there?” she called, stepping inside the cool interior. “Ah! Petit Belle. I had quite forgotten you were coming today I’m so sorry but we cannot clean today.” “Oh.” Belle’s heart sank, she had been looking forward to helping and listening to the young priest’s stories of other towns and cities he’d seen. And she hated to break her promise to Agathe, the poor woman had little enough in life to look forward to. Seeing the child’s crestfallen expression, the priest took pity. “I will pay you your wages today if you like, and we can still do the work tomorrow.” “Ok.” Belle still looked at the ground, the toes of her boot tracing patterns on the tile. The priest shook his head with a smile. This one was special, with a hunger he had never before experienced in one so young. “Would you like to borrow one of my books?” That did it. Belle’s eyes lit up with delight as she ran toward him. “Really and truly? I would love that so much.” “Take whichever one you know you can read, and then when you are done, you may borrow another.” “Oh Pere Robere! Thank you!” she hugged him tightly, so excited to have a new adventure. Papa brought her a book each year from the markets he took his music boxes to, but each one was quickly read and she had long outgrown most of them. A new book to read now was indeed a rare and special treat. The decision could not be made lightly and her little brow furrowed as she examined each treasure carefully. There were many that looked so very interesting, especially a large volume of plays by someone named Shakespeare, but the language in that one seemed a bit too much for her at present. Perhaps when she was 9. Eventually she chose a slim volumes that looked to be about knights and princesses and the words weren’t too hard. “I’ll take this one.” she stated, sliding the book into her apron. “Excellent choice, here is your coin so you can go and eat with your friend.” Belle smiled widely, grateful and thankful before darting out the door. At the market she bought a loaf of bread, a jar of jam and two little cakes, a veritable feast for a young lady of 8 and her only friend. “Agathe! Look what I got.” “Well now, that does look tempting.” Belle sat on the stone fountain beside her, spreading her cloth and arranging their lunch. Around them the villagers griped and moaned, with good reason, as they spent what coin they had left after the latest tax collection. “He’s having another ball, tonight! That’s every week.” “Mark my words he’ll be after more money come next week.” “There’s nothing left to give, soon I’ll be paying him for the privilege of ploughing my fields.” “Maybe once he marries he will settle…” “Marry? He’s a libertine, no young woman is safe around him. He’s going to tax us into destitution so he can chase debutantes like his father did.” “I heard he’s horrid, that he yells at the serving girls. They say that he has a heart of ice and stone.” “Has anyone ever even seen him?” Belle and Agathe listened, though Belle didn’t really understand all of what was said. “This Prince must be a very bad man, I think.” “He certainly appears to be a bit of a villain.” Agathe remarked thoughtfully, a trace of amusement in her eyes. “One of the Mayor’s daughters, Nannette,” Belle said around a mouthful of bread. “She said that he dresses in jewels and that even his skin sparkles. I think that sounds quite silly.” “Very silly indeed, I agree.” “Maybe they make him, or he’s pretending. The villagers say his father was very awful.” “He was, but it's doubtful, he seems to enjoy every minute of being spoiled and nasty.” “He needs a spanking.” Agathe laughed, her mind whirling through the possibilities. The events she was about to set in motion weighed heavily on her, but she had made a promise long ago and she intended to keep it. Somehow. With lunch done, Belle walked back home to see her papa. He was busy in the workshop and barely noticed her there. The book was burning a hole in her apron but she didn’t want to read it in her room or even in the cottage. Her little hiding spot by the brook called to her and since her father would be engrossed until supper, Belle decided that would be her destination. Gathering some fruit and her baby blanket she walked out behind her home and past the village wall. A rolling green hill led upwards, then down into the trees. Beside a small clearing of wildflowers was her tree. An ancient oak, drinking from the stream and twisted in such a way that several branches formed a cradle of sorts, large enough for her to settle into. Everytime she needed to be alone this is where she came, to cry, sing, laugh, read - all were carried out here in this almost sacred spot. The tree was her friend, and he alone knew all her secrets. Late morning turned into the bright afternoon as Belle lay in her tree, devouring the new story of a man named Arthur who became a great King. She imagined the misty woods and great stone fortresses of Britain, the clinking bright armor of the knights and the rich gowns of their ladies. Sighing contentedly she escaped into this different world. The sound of a horse’s hooves caught her attention and she looked out through the leaves to see a stunning white horse walking into the clearing. He was massive, with a long flowing mane and hooves almost as big as her head she imagined. He was so beautiful. Belle saw his rider, a man with hay colored hair, curling from a blue ribbon, a dark blue coat stretched across his shoulders, finer than anything she’d ever seen before. He was certainly a stranger and she found herself anxious to see his face. The horse stopped close by and Belle lay still as stone, heart hammering as the rider dismounted. “Some peasant has left a filthy blanket behind.” he muttered to his horse, his boot kicking at her precious blanket. Belle’s stash of fruit spilled out and he bent down to pick it all up. “Look Ragnar, they left me a present.” he laughed mockingly, biting into a peach. “Not bad, I wonder if the poor wretch is still around.” Belle watched in growing anger as he plucked her blanket up with two fingers, holding it out in front of him as though it was infested with vermin. “We can use this to wipe that mud off your saddle.” That was it. Belle grabbed the nearest small object, an acorn and launched it with deadly accuracy at the man’s head. “Leave it alone, that’s my blanket! She yelled from her perch as the acorn struck home. The man jumped, holding the back of his head. “Ouch! What the bloody hell!” he turned, just as Belle let another acorn fly, this one striking his forehead. “Go away!” she cried. “I’ll have you hanged!” the man roared, seeking the sound of her voice. “Come out here you disgusting wretch!” “No! Give me back my blanket!” “Ah ha!” Belle screamed and kicked as a large hand grasped her ankle, yanking her out of her hiding spot. “Stop it you little brat.” “Get off me! Leave me alone!” she kicked at his knees as he hauled her down, her little fists pummelling his arms. “Quit your squirming…..why, you’re just a little girl!” the man said incredulously as she continued to struggle. He put her on her feet gently, still grasping her shoulders tightly and holding her at arm’s length so her boots wouldn’t connect with his shins. “You’re a vicious little heathen aren’t you?” he chuckled. Tears pricked Belle’s eyes as she fought for her most prized possession. “Please, Sir.” she pleaded. “Stop kicking and I’ll think about it.” Belle did as he asked, going still and daring to look up. Her eyes widened as she took in the man’s appearance, his smooth skin and eyes bluer even than the sky. She assumed that this was what the older girls in the village meant when they called a boy handsome. Belle thought he was beautiful. “May I have my blanket now?” “What’s the magic word?” “Please.” The blanket was draped gently over her shoulder. “I don’t know what’s so special about it, it's very old and ugly.” “You are not a nice man!” Belle snapped. The man simply shrugged, unconcerned at the opinion of the little peasant girl. “And you are a very rude child. Kicking and throwing things, you could have simply asked for your rag.” “Oh no, I was terribly rude wasn’t I?” Belle felt shame. “Papa always says that I should think before I act.” “Your papa gives good advice, you should heed it.” “I’m very sorry that I threw acorns at you, Sir.” she said with all the dignity her age could muster. The man laughed, but she noticed that his eyes stayed cold and distant. The horse had moved to drink from the water and Belle took a step toward it, caught between distrust and curiosity. Curiosity won. “He is very beautiful, your horse.” she took another step closer. “His name is Ragnar, he isn’t dangerous. He’s thrown a shoe and can’t walk much further.” “Oh.” Belle reached out to run a hand over the animal’s flank. “The village blacksmith is good with horses, they say he is fair and that he does good work.” “How far is this village? I need to be at the castle by nightfall.” “For the ball?” Belle wrinkled her nose, remembering the comments she’d overheard in the marketplace. “Why would you want to go to that?” “Why to have a good time, of course.” he laughed. “It doesn’t sound like a good time.” “And what’s your idea of a good time oh mighty one? Rolling in the grass and climbing trees?” “Yes.” Belle said defensively. “And reading books.” “You can read?” he looked astonished. “Of course I can read.” Prince Adam chuckled at the sight of stubborn pride and insult on the little girl’s face. He found himself amused by the little hellion, some fire in a seemingly neverending parade of sameness. Not a single person in the court or his castle would ever dare to act toward him in this way, his temper was legendary and his spite even more so. For some odd reason though he was fascinated by the child, the boredom and emptiness that plagued him fading away for the moment. “And what, pray tell, do you read young miss? Laundry lists? Recipes?” He watched her stomp back to the tree, where something had fallen during their skirmish. It was a book, leather-bound and expensive looking. She brought it back and handed it to him carefully. “Please don’t take it, I only borrowed it. It doesn’t belong to me.” her dark eyes were serious and fearful and he noticed that she held the book as carefully as one would a newborn child. “I won’t abscond with your book, I promise.” “What does abscond mean?” “Run away with.” he muttered leafing through the book. Surprisingly it was one of his boyhood favorites, a tale about King Arthur that he had read many times. He was amazed that the little waif in front of him could read letters, let alone this.” “This is a good book, but I warn you it has a sad ending.” “I don’t mind.” she shrugged. “Not all stories can be happy.” Very true, he thought, a tug of actual emotion pulling at a corner of his heart. “I don’t understand all the words though, I’m still learning.” He was in a rare mood, one for indulgence and though he had a ball planned that evening, he had time to spare. For some reason the child intrigued him, perhaps because here was a female he wasn’t trying to seduce or who was trying to seduce him. She reminded him of….something he wasn’t sure he wanted to remember. A flash of pain. A bittersweet memory and the anger and spite rose back up, a familiar balm. “You’d make a better use of your time if you went home and had your mother teach you how to keep a home and raise children.” he stated cruelly. The girl’s eyes went wide, fat tears spilling down her cheeks, her head jerking as though slapped. She snatched the book from him, cradling it close to her chest with the blanket. “I don’t have a mama.” she whispered as though he had broken her heart and she started to walk away. Something like guilt rose up in his chest. “Wait!” she stopped in her tracks her little shoulders stiff and unyielding. He was an ass, he knew it. The person he had become was a warped and twisted excuse for a man. All he lived for was pleasure, sin and wealth, he had no close relationships with anyone, no friends. It had to be that way, it was too late to go back now and his course in life was set. He almost relished the opportunity to be as despicable as possible. So why then did this child seem to touch him? Was it because in her, he saw himself as he once had been - innocent, curious and brave. Before everything but greed and vanity had been beaten out of him. “Come back here, child, I’m sorry.” he was exasperated with himself and with her for making him feel. She turned slowly, her cheeks still wet, her eyes cautious. With a sigh he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, waving it at her. Belle considered, then took it from him, wiping her face and eyes and angry that she had allowed the pretty man to see her cry. “Why are you so mean to me? I never did anything to you.” He looked pained, a look of regret darkening his features. Belle decided that he was the most confusing person that she had ever met. And the most interesting. “Show me what words you don’t understand.” he sighed in the same way the baker did whenever she asked too many questions. Unwilling to let the opportunity pass by she opened the book, skimming through until she found one, pointing with her finger on the page. “This one.” The prince leaned his head over, taking the book from her hands and lowering himself onto the grass. He patted the ground beside him and Belle eagerly planted herself alongside him. “This word is undulated.” “Un-due-lay-ted.” she sounded out carefully. “What does it mean/” “Moving, like a wave.” he made a motion with his hand, causing her to giggle. He smiled and Belle thought it almost reached his eyes this time. They stayed that way for some time, patiently going over the few words she didn’t know. The sun rose higher in the sky, drenching the little clearing and turning the man’s hair to glistening gold. She found she wanted to touch it. “Mister, you have very pretty hair.” “I know, I’m quite fond of it.” he chuckled. “You are very vain.” “I’m handsome and rich.” he shrugged.” I am allowed to be vain.” “But you aren’t every nice, and you aren’t happy.” “I’m being nice to you.” she could see the flare in his yes as her statement hit home. “Only because you felt bad that you made me cry.” she said matter of factly. It was true, though it had never made him feel bad any other time. “How old are you anyway? He asked suddenly. “I’m 8.” she said proudly. “Well when you are 21, like me, you will understand better how the world works.” “You are so old!” she gasped, at her age anyone older than 15 was more than grown up. “Hey.” he sounded insulted. “I am a very young man in my prime.” “What does that mean?” She noticed he went red in the cheeks, stuttering. “I...ummm…..never you mind. The point is, I’m not old.” “You are older than Gaston, and he is pretty old.” “And who is Gaston? Your sweetheart?” he teased. “Ewwwww.” she cried. “He’s not nice either, but he’s a war hero and everyone loves him.” Except her, she didn’t like him at all.   But this man she did like, even if he was mean, and old, there was just something about him. “Is he as pretty as I am?” the man laughed. She considered him seriously, the arch of his brow, straight nose, white teeth, the shape of his mouth and she kept coming back to those eyes. “No Sir, he’s not anywhere near as pretty as you are.” “Then I am satisfied. Now, I would appreciate it if you would stop holding me up and show me how to get to your village. He stood, holding out a hand to help her up. “It's really very easy, it's right over the hill.” “Hmmm seems complicated. I would appreciate an escort my lady.” he bowed deeply, laughing. “I think you may see how difficult it is from the back of my horse.” Belle jumped up and down in excitement. “Really? I can really ride him?” “How else can you show me? Come on.” She allowed him to hoist her in his arms and into the saddle, her long bony legs gripping the animal’s sides. The Prince hauled himself into the saddle behind her, placing his arms under hers to grip the reins. “Put your hands on mine so you can feel how to direct him.” she did as he asked, his long fingers helping her grip the leather. “Right then, which way?” Belle pointed and they set out at a slow walk, the sensation of moving so high off the ground strange, but exhilarating. “Are you enjoying yourself?” “Yes, Sir very much.” “Can I tell you a secret, since we appear to be friends now?” She nodded, her little heart full of the joy and adventure the day had brought so far. “I don’t have a mother either.” he murmured, and for the first time in years he allowed himself to feel the grief of her loss. “I was a little older than you when she died.” “I’m very sorry.” she leaned her head on his arm in sympathy. “I don’t know what happened to mine. Papa won’t tell me. But I never knew her. I miss her though. Was your mother wonderful?” “She was. Beautiful and kind and good. I loved her very much.” “She must have loved you very much too.” Belle twisted in the saddle to attempt to hug him, both of them silent for a moment. The Prince wondered at the little baggage in his arms and the first truly real human interaction he’d experienced in many years. For the first time he wondered if it was possible for things to be different. Then the familiar feelings rose in him again. He didn’t want it to be different, as things stood he had all the control, he decided and no one else. A few hours in a field with a mouthy little girl wasn’t going to change that. No matter how adorable she was. The rest of the ride was full of question after question from the mouth of his exasperating companion. She could talk the ear off anyone and she became less adorable and more annoying the closer they got. By the time they were in view of the village walls he had rather a headache. “Sir, can you please stop and let me off here?” With pleasure, he thought, pulling the reins to halt Ragnar and ignoring the twist in his heart. “Papa would be very angry and afraid if he saw me on a stranger’s horse.” she stated as he helped her down. “Thank you. I had a very nice time.” “As did I little one.” he chuckled, realizing that he meant it. “The blacksmith is on the south side of the main square.” she stated. “Don’t be late for your silly party.” “The party doesn’t start until I get there, my sweet.” The child rolled her eyes as she started to scamper away. “Maybe when I grow up you will invite me to one of your parties, your highness.” And she was gone, leaving him stunned and bemused. Belle told no one of her meeting with the very confusing prince they all despised and by the next morning after a restless night and strange dreams of storms she had completely forgotten him, and indeed most of the day. She mourned the loss of her mother’s blanket with no realization that it had been left in the prince’s saddlebag. It was as if he had never existed at all.

“Belle, wake up darling, please.” She opened her eyes slowly, coming out of  a fog of memory to his familiar and loved voice. “Adam? What happened?” she sat up, realizing she was on his bed in the west wing. “You fainted, my sweet. Mrs Potts was beside herself, you were so pale.” “I.” she furrowed her brow. “I remembered something from before. I hadn’t thought about it, but I was in the village when you were curse and it affected my memory too.” “What did you remember?” Adam stroked the back of her hand gently, his eyes full of concern. “A little girl with a book and a handsome but rather unpleasant man with a huge white horse. It was you, all those years ago and I had forgotten.” Hie eyes widened as realization dawned. That was you? That exasperating little girl in the clearing!” “I was not exasperating!” “You threw acorns at me, kicked me and called me old.” he laughed. “Come to think of it I should have known right away that it was you.” “Well you weren’t very nice to me.” Belle pointed out. “Either time we met.” “I taught you words and gave you a ride on my horse, I was a gentleman.” “That was the last day, wasn’t it?” she covered his fingers with her own. “The enchantress cursed me at the party that night.” he nodded, eyes darkening in shame as he remembered. “You were right, it wasn’t a very fun event. You must have thought I was a monster.” “I remember that I thought you looked sad,as well as pretty.” she chuckled. “You did say that.” he smirked. “Do you still think I’m pretty?” “Eh.” she shrugged, smiling at his raised brows. “No, I don’t think you are pretty anymore. I realise now that you are beautiful, inside and out.” Her hands tangled in his hair, remembering how they had itched to touch it all those years ago, pulling him down so she could kiss him soundly. “You are still kind of old though.” With a laugh he stood , walking over to a chest in the corner of the room. When he turned Belle saw her mother’s blanket in his hands. “Cogsworth found this when we let the horses go, after the curse. I kept it to remind me that not everything about my former life was dark and lonely.” “My blanket!” Belle jumped off the bed and ran to him, gathering up the treasured cloth between them. “Oh Adam I love you so much!” They clung to one another for hours, laying together as the sun set low in the sky, talking about the past and making plans for the future. Then they slept, that symbol of enduring love and their first destined meeting between them, and all the possibilities for the future ahead of them.

Chapter nineteen is here, lovelies. I have no idea what I will do when I am done with this fanfic. But, don’t worry. I have a few more things to finish before the ending and this one will be more satisfying than the show. I swear. But anyway, this is dedicated to @zeciex, @lovelykhaleesiii, @frucienlover, @hedgewitchhollow, and @heda-mikaelson.

Chapter Nineteen The Horrid Interviews (Michael)

The interviews were horrible. He thought Jeff and Mutt were bad when he killed them. The first person to be interviewed was Mr. Gallant. The man was more annoying than Behold.

Michael pretended to be slightly interested in him as he asked his questions and talked about how the world was now going to be different. He listened to a horrible story about Evie Gallant, his grandmother, trying to set him up with some other gays in the neighborhood.

“So, you like leather?” Michael asked, sitting on the desk beside him and wishing like crazy that he could torture Lilia like this.

“I like a lot of things.” Gallant answered his question. “Are you gay? Because I’m getting a huge hit off you.”

“Does the thought of that excite you?” Michael tilted his head to the side as he looked into the scared man’s face. He could also see lust in his eyes.

“Yes.” He squeaked, looking him up and down with the same hungry expression that Lilia gave him all too long ago.

“What can you tell me about Ms. Snow?” Michael asked, getting up and walking around his desk to sit back in his chair.

“What do you wanna know?” Gallant shook the lust from his body, confused. “She was here with her best friend up until Venable killed her. For about two weeks she wasn’t the same. Spent every moment she could in her room, crying herself to sleep every night. I do know that Coco and Mallory hate her. I just don’t know why.”

Michael nodded and let him go without another word. He couldn’t believe that Venable was killing off people. That was his job. He looked through the made up file of his lover and leaned his head on his hand as he read about her friend, Winter.

“Oh, my love. Things have been harder because of that bitch.” He murmured as he closed the file, asking a grey to fetch Ms. Venable for her interview.

He waited in the shadows until she was very uncomfortable and thought about leaving, fixing one of the pillows in the chairs by the fire. “It’s amazing how you could make something so chaotic look so beautiful.”

“Well, keeping the chaos contained is what I do best.” She smiled at him as she watched him walk closer to her.

“You’ve been making up your own rules in here.” Michael accused her. “Forbidding sexual contact. Summary execution if it happens.”

“I received strict orders from the Cooperative via secret communique.” She defended herself with a lie.

“Do you have it?” Michael wasn’t as dumb as she thought he was.

“No. I was directed to destroy it after I read it.” She smiled at him as if he believed her lies.

“Huh. That’s odd because I was involved in all the directives for running the Outposts.” He looked confused and tilted his head.

“Nothing could be more humiliating to a man such as yourself to know that a woman had more information than he did.” Ms. Venable certainly hated men. Not that he blamed her. He saw how Jeff and Mutt treated her when she did everything for them, but this was ridiculous.

He moved his hand to his groin as a power move and watched as her eyes followed him. “A man such as myself?”

“You and the rest of the Cooperative.” She was getting worked up now. “Tech giants and media moguls. You men had so much power in the world that you ran it straight into the ground.”

“You’re a fighter. I like that about you.” He chuckled and turned away from her, heading to his desk. “Who deserves a shot at salvation? Tell me about Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt.”

“The Vanderbilt girl is a vpid waste of space. The hairdresser is a homsexual shame to the world and his grandmother is a festering pustule who will not die. And I don’t know much about the talk show host or the Snow girl.”

He stood up again and walked over to her, standing in front of her. “Take off your dress.”

“What?” She chuckled. “No.”

“A physical examination is required.” He pushed further.

“You can read my file!” She protested, gripping her cane with fear.

“A file won’t show what I need to see.” He walked around her and placed a hand on her shoulder, moving it toward the zipper. “I want to see the part of you that humiliates you the most.” Her hand shot up to grip his as he got closer to the zipper. “You won’t get a second chance.”

She finally let go of his hand and he unzipped her dress to show him the advanced scoliosis that plagued the woman. He could see her shoulders shake as she tried to contain her tears. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” Venable whispered as a tear rolled down her face.

“But, does it bring great pain?” He asked as he brought his face closer to hers as if he was going to kiss her.

“Yes.” She breathed, trying to bring his lips closer. “Is this part of my test?”

“Isn’t everything?” He wanted to laugh at this pathetic excuse of humanity.

“Do I pass?” She asked as their lips were almost touching.

“No.” He told her as the doors opened and Ms. Mead asked for Ms. Venable.

They walked away as he closed his eyes and smiled. These people were so stupid. He left his office shortly after them and went to his room to check in on Lilia.

She was sitting on her bed, reading again. But she kept looking to her door, as if waiting for someone to walk through it. She shook her head and whispered to herself. “Stop it. He wants Gallant. The stupid man told you himself before they took him away.”

How could she think that? He waved his hand and went to go save Gallant from the clutches of Mead and Venable.

Hearing Gallant’s screams made him happy. How dare he lie to his woman like that? He waited for the others to leave and walked up to him.

“How they could torture you is beyond me.” He told the man who was chained in the middle of the room.

“Don’t worry. They could have brought out the cat-o-nine-tails and I still would not have ratted you out.” Gallant looked over his shoulder and winked at the man behind him.

“Ratted me out?” Michael pretended to be confused as he touched the whip marks on his back. “For what?”

“For coming to my room the way you did.” Gallant tried to sound sexy, but couldn’t hide the gasp of pain.

“I haven’t been to your room.” Michael stood in front of him.

“Right. And that wasn’t you in the rubber suit?” Gallant raised an eyebrow.

“Let me make this as abundantly clear as I can.” He stepped closer to the man as he could. “I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on Earth. And you almost are.” He chuckled as he continued. “And it’s not because you’re not physically attractive. No. It’s because of your neediness. The hole you need filled isn’t your mouth or your ass. It’s in your heart. It’s pathetic. No wonder your grandmother hates you.”

“You don’t know anything about my nana.” Gallant was hurt now.

“Oh? Then why would she turn you in?” Michael asked. “Go ask her.”

And with that, Michael walked away and magically let the chains down for Gallant to find his nana, smiling as he left. He walked past the parlor room and saw Lilia sitting in front of the fire now, tired of her room. He smiled at her old habit of getting restless in more than one spot. He saw that her right hand was gently touching the skin on her neck and wondered if it still tasted as sweet as he remembered.

He couldn’t take anymore of this. He wanted her near him again. But, he hadn’t even talked to her yet. He sighed and walked away, back to his room.

The next few days went like the first one. He would interview people and ask them about Lilia, get them all worked up and then toss them on their asses. He was loving the torture of the rest of the guests. Except for Mallory who turned out to be one of the Coven. Turns out that that was why she hated Lilia, even if they didn’t remember her.

When the time came for her interview, Michael was nervous as hell. He waiting and watching the clock by the fireplace, wondering if she would just skip the interview and force him to come find her. He jumped when the knock sounded at the door.

He opened the sliding door and smiled down at her. “Thank you for joining me, Ms. Snow.” He told her, holding his hand.

She walked past it and moved to sit down before the fireplace, watching him watch her. They were quiet for a few minutes. Michael was memorizing her facial features and looking for any differences. There were dark circles under her eyes that weren’t there when he last saw her. Her face was more sunken in because of the lack of proper food in this place. His heart broke as the fire in her green eyes was barely there.

“Why were you asking the others about me?” She broke first. He expected that.

“I wanted to see how you were.” He walked over to his desk and sat down, scribbling on his notepad to make seem like he was writing about her.

“Why couldn’t you ask me yourself? That’s a little insulting, don’t you think?” She rolled her eyes as she watched his hand fly across the paper.

He looked up at her and smiled, walking over to the other chair. “I would think someone of your beauty would be flattered that someone was nervous to talk to you.” He sat down and crossed his legs. “Were you not flattered?”

“Like I said, I was insulted.” She still had her spunk from before the spell. It made him happy that not everything had changed within her. “There are rules and etiquette about this kind of thing, you know.” She smiled and leaned back in the chair.

“The old world lived under a set of rules. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt love thy neighbor, etcetera etcetera. Rules that were clearly honored in the breach. I want a world without the hypocrisy. With the kind of people who wouldn’t just eat from the fruit of the forbidden tree, but cut the fucking tree down and burn it for firewood.”

“Why me, though?”

He wanted to scream, ‘because I love you’, but knew better than do that. “I think you’re made for that world.” He leaned down and placed his hand on her cheek, sighing at the softness. “I sense it in you.”

She closed her eyes and leaned against his hand, making him lean in to steal a kiss. But before he could, her eyes popped open and she moved away from him.

She wrapped her arms around herself and chuckled. “I have no idea who you are and yet, my body feels like it knows you.” She ran her hands through her red hair and looked down at the floor.

“You’re afraid of me.” He walked over to her and placed a hand on her arm. “Of being who you are.”

She laughed as she said she had no idea who she was. Finally! She was ready to know their past. She asked him to let her go and he almost refused until she whispered to let her go. That slammed into him hard.

“How do you know my name?” He asked her as he let her go.

“I don’t know. It just popped into my head.” And with that she ran from him.

He had lost her all over again. And because she was breaking down the spell herself. He cursed himself under his breath and waited for that night. He was finally going to have her back with him.

Storm At Sea

Wind was a frequent visitor to Ferdy’s boat, and he came to expect the flash of her silver scales in the water whenever he made his way out to the kelp forests. Sometimes he wondered if that was where she lived, but somehow it seemed rude to ask.

If she wanted to tell him, he would be happy, but he knew better than to push for answers. If he pushed too hard she might vanish on him and take his own private little piece of magic with her.

Also, she had saved his life half a dozen times in the treacherous Alaska water. After all that, she could tell him whatever she wanted in her own good time.

If he made sure to bring her whatever fruit looked good at the farmer’s market, well, that was his choice. His mermaid liked fruit. It might be small, but it was the best way he had to thank her for saving him over and over.

“You are late today,” Wind noted as she hoisted herself into his boat. After the first few times, he installed a ladder to make it easier, and now she spent a good part of her time lounging in the weak sunlight or enjoying the rain. “I worried you found trouble farther in.”

“That was one time,” he told her in good humor, both because it was true, and also because she would probably never stop giving him grief about nearly drowning less than twenty feet from shore. “And in my defense, the undertow was really strong that day.”

Okay, he shouldn’t even have been in the water at all, and that was solely because he was stupid and got his net caught under water. It was new, and expensive, and he hadn’t wanted to lose it only a few days after paying a fortune for it.

Wind happened to be passing by, or was stalking him, he never did find out which, and fished him out when he got swept farther and farther into deep water.

“You have ill fortune at sea,” she noted cheerfully, and brightened when he handed her a little tub of strawberries. She delighted in anything sweet, although she hated the chemical taste of most candy, and he liked to find new things for her to try. It wasn’t hard. Everything was new to her. “What are these?”

“Strawberries,” he said, and showed her how to pull off the greens. She might eat them anyway, but that was her choice. He showed her how to peel an orange too, a while back. “They’re summer fruit, but the store had some. If you like them, I’ll bring you more when the year turns.”

She tracked time by the seasons and the moon. It took some adjustment, but he was starting to do it too.

His friends on land were confused, but that was okay. They were used to him being a little weird by this point.

As she ate, he guided his boat out to the best fishing spots and got ready to drop his nets.

“Wait.”

Wind set the berries aside suddenly and sat upright, before hauling herself higher up onto the seats where she could see. Abruptly she let out a pricing whistle that carried over miles of open water.

At first, Ferdy thought it was an echo, when a whistle answered back, shrill and far off.

“Take us north,” Wind said, turning on him suddenly. There was a worry in her eyes he hadn’t seen before, even when a bad storm was bearing down on them far out at sea. “Hurry, Ferdy.”

What else could he do? He turned the tiller north and kicked the engine up to full. White bubbles trailed behind them as they skimmed farther and farther out to sea. Every now and then, Wind would whistle again, and get an answer that was closer every time she did it.

“What’s going on?” he yelled over the roar of the wind and the engines. “What’s the whistle?”

“It means one of my own is in danger,” Wind called back, unexpectedly forthcoming even as she held on, white-knuckled, to the rail. “True danger, not the vagaries of sea and sky.”

Human danger, she meant. Ferdy wasn’t sure what is said about him that he reached into the compartment next to him and pulled out the hunting rifle he kept there.

If he had to pick between his mermaid, and a human he didn’t know… well, he knew what he would choose.

“There’s a blanket in the compartment next to you,” he said when she glanced at him again. “Throw it over your scales so they can’t see what you are.”

“I can do better,” she said, and shuddered all over with a pained expression. Her scales faded away and left soft human skin in their place. He determinedly didn’t look at all that bare skin as she wrapped the blanket around herself, hiding her nudity. “Would you take me for a human?”

“Humans will take you for a human until they know for sure you’re not,” he told her honestly. The next time she whistled for her friend, the reply was close enough to see the line of orange floats and the boat that was reeling them in too fast. “Crap. Is she in the net?”

Wind whistled again. This time shouts came from the boat, barely audible from so far away. The answering whistle echoed back.

There was a mermaid on that boat. One who definitely did not want to be there.

“Ferdy, cover your ears tight,” Wind said darkly, something terrible in her eyes. “Earplugs and muffs both, and if you catch yourself walking for the water, cut yourself on your knife.”

“Okay,” he said, suddenly certain that no one on that boat would see the sunset. He didn’t know what to think of that. “Wind- Wind!”

She stopped when he said her name and raised a brow, even as she tossed the blanket aside. “Yes?”

“Don’t kill anyone who doesn’t want to be there,” he said, not even sure why he said it, just that he had to. She stared at him, baffled. “Ask your friend before you drown anyone. If there’s someone good on that boat- someone like me- don’t kill them.”

“Pull the boat alongside them,” she said after a too-long moment of silence. On the wind, Ferdy caught a hint of mermaid song, and went for his earplugs hurriedly. “I cannot promise to spare them, but for you, my lost sailor, I will try.”

“All I could ask,” Ferdy agreed, and gunned the engines again. “Signal me if you need me. I’ll be watching.”

“Just get to her,” Wind said, and tipped herself into the water as they pulled up next to the boat. Already the men were starting to stumble, dazed and confused. “You still have the bracelet I gave you? Of my scales and hair?”

Slightly weird, but he wore it always. A token from a mermaid was no small gift. “Yes.”

“Show it to her, and help her however she needs. I will join you when this business is handled.”

With that, she was gone, and Ferdy plugged his ears as her voice joined the others that were rapidly descending in a fast circle around the boats and nets. The urge to walk into the water abruptly vanished as all sound cut off.

Long ago, he had considered what might happen if a mermaid took exception to a boat. Now he knew.

But for now, he had a mission.

The boat was crowded when he stepped on, but the men walked like zombies, focused mindlessly on the water. Ferdy pushed past them and hunted about, not even sure what he was looking for.

He found it when he discovered a huge crab trap, wired shut. Inside was a shivering naked woman, with her arms wrapped tightly around an equally young man, who was as dazed as the others, but held back by her arms, and the cage.

When her eyes landed on him, she tried to struggle back on legs that simply didn’t work very well. Ferdy tapped his earplugs, and then held up his wrist so she could see his bracelet. When she didn’t understand, he whistled, once, and pointed to the bracelet again. “I know Wind. You know Wind? I’m her friend. I’m here to help you.”

Relief so strong it must have hurt washed away her fear, and she smiled as tears trailed down her wet face.

“I’m gonna get you out,” he said, and hoped he wasn’t shouting. It was strange to hear himself in his head, and not without ears, but it would have to do. “I can’t hear at all, so sign at me if you need to tell me something”

She nodded and pointed first to her young man, and then to the water with a different sort of fear.

He would be called overboard if Ferdy let them out.

“I’ll grab him,” he said, and unwired the cage. “Think you can get to the rail on your own?”

The boat shuddered and lurched in the water as she hesitated, and then smiled just like Wind had.

She would be fine as long as she was out.

She pointed to her friend again, and then to Ferdy’s boat, and he nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get him there. Meet up with Wind when you’re out, okay?”

The song must have been overpowering, because as soon as the door was open, the young man began staggering for the edge like he was drunk. Fortunately, he wasn’t a very big guy, and Ferdy was strong. It wasn’t the most graceful thing, but he did manage to get the kid over his shoulder. From there, it wasn’t far to his boat, and safety.

They made it just in time. Almost the moment his foot left the other boat, it started to sink, faster and faster.

There was no sign of any of the other men. The water flurried, like a video of a piranha frenzy. Here and there, red boiled up through the dark water.

Ferdy tried not to think about that.

As a precaution, he yanked out a couple heavy-duty zip-ties and tied the kid’s hands to the rail where he couldn’t get at the water.

And then he pulled his boat away, and determinedly ignored the silence of his radio where there should have been a distress call. Something. Anything to mark the deaths of nearly twenty men and the sinking of a good ship.

As soon as they were clear of the sinking ship, he stopped again and let the water carry them.

Not long after, Wind pulled herself back into the boat and waved at him. When he looked over, she pantomimed taking out the earplugs.

“What happened?” the young man said as Wind’s young friend dragged herself into the boat moments after Wind. “Snow!”

“The song is done,” Wind said as Ferdy cut the kid lose. She watched with interest as her friend immediately wrapped her arms around the young man and held on for all she was worth. “They were hunters of our kind, if you were worried. Murderers all, and cruel.”

“That makes me feel better,” Ferdy admitted uncomfortably, and wrapped his blanket around the shivering kid and his probably-girlfriend mermaid. “Hi there. I’m Ferdy.”

“Anthony,” the kid said, his arms full of mermaid. He had one hell of a black eye, and a split lip to boot. Ferdy would bet that someone on that ship had beat the hell out of him, and suddenly felt considerably less bad about them dying. “Thanks. For saving us, I mean.”

“Any time, but hopefully not again,” Ferdy said, and thought about it. It was more than he had ever suggested before, but Wind knew where he lived. She basked on his dock sometimes. “Wind, I want to take these kids back to my place. We could all use a minute, huh?”

“Yes,” Wind didn’t even hesitate. Her eyes were still on the young couple. “Take us home, Ferdy. Safety will help more than anything else, for now.”

+++

Breaking Waves:

After the Storm

Winter Wind

+++

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Hmmmm could you write a vminkook where one of the 3 is feeling left out and the other 2 cheer him up? Thank youuu💙💙

vminkook where one of the 3 is feeling left out and the other 2 cheer him up

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Coming home drained wasn’t exactly something that Jungkook wasn’t used to. Of course that didn’t mean that he liked the feeling either, he just was used to it. He was used to his muscles being sore from practicing martial arts for hours. And by the way being fit didn’t mean that one magically didn’t get sore muscles anymore.No, it really didn’t. He could still get sore muscles or overwork himself, he could still pull muscles as well and god did that happen often.

But being left without any energy or motivation like a juiced fruit just wasn’t enough of a misery. So his stomach decided to add hunger on top of it.

Jungkook knew that all of this could be solved as he walked around the next corner of the street and spotted their shared apartment. They could solve any of Jungkook’s problems, he was just being extra childish so that they’d treat him extra softly.

Maybe Jimin would cook some food for him; or maybe something was already cooked? Tae could pull him onto his lap and pet his hair, give him everything he needed until Jimin would come back with the food and move him out of Tae’s lap into his own, Jungkook’s whines harmonizing in the background. He wasn’t good with separation, especially not separation from his boyfriend, even if it was for his other boyfriend.

Maybe Jimin would start kneading his sore muscles while Taehyung would feed him and give him tummy rubs while kissing him from time to time. God did Jungkook crave that, he craved it so bad.

But when Jungkook came home he wasn’t greeted with hugs and kisses. Instead he got a “hey baby” from two voices at the same time.At any other time that would’ve been totally fine, that would’ve been great. When he walked into their shared living room he returned the greeting half heartedly.

“Hi darlings,” he mumbled spotting his boyfriends kissing on the couch. Jimin’s smaller body trapped under Taehyung’s larger one. They separated and smiled at him. Similar goofy, sleepy smiles on their lips, their gazes soft and inviting. On any other day Jungkook would’ve let nothing come in between him and this soft cuddle pile but today wasn’t any other day. He was sad and wanted everyone to care about him, as selfish as it was, so he just sighed and went to shower.

No wonder that Tae and Jimin shared concerned, hushed whispers about his behavior.

Jungkook didn’t know that when he came back, how could he? But what he knew was that he was acting childishly. He knew that his boyfriend’s loved him but he also knew that they loved each other and that they also loved themselves. And Jungkook was okay with that, more than okay, he very much appreciated the love blooming between all of them but again, right now he couldn’t help but only think of himself.

“Babe, you okay?”He only grunted in response. Man, he wasn’t opting for being an asshole but he just couldn’t help it.Jimin sighed and pushed Taehyung up to leave. And well… that just wasn’t a good. Jimin sighing usually meant that he was mad or annoyed or maybe even disappointed. Jungkook hated it when Jimin was disappointed with him because he loved Jimin and he wanted Jimin to like him and appreciate him and maybe even be amazed by him. He didn’t want Jimin to be disappointed. It’s the most painful reactions if directed towards him.

He cringed when Taehyung got up and moved as well, thinking that now he pissed of both of his boyfriends. Suddenly, there was a calming weight on top of him and when he looked up he saw Tae. How beautiful, he thought shell shocked. His mouth falling open as he looked up at his man.

The brown curls of his hair falling straight down covering his eyes because of their current position. His sharp jawline separating his pretty face from his marked neck; probably Jimin’s work from before. His skin a soft tan, looking almost golden beneath their house lightning.

“What is it, Guk?” It snapped him out of his thoughts but he couldn’t help and appreciate Taehyung’s lips as they formed around the words. Beautiful.“Nothing.”“Don’t bullshit me, boy.”He got a harsh grip on his jaw and tilted it up, forcing him to keep eye contact. Jungkook gulped. Taehyung was so fucking hot.

“Sorry, Sir,” he replied trying to put a teasing tilt to his voice but it didn’t work quite well. All he sounded like was intimidated, really.

Taehyung giggled before gently letting go of his jaw. “So what is it?”And although being childish Jungkook couldn’t really deny a direct question. He just wasn’t good at that.

“Just am super drained and expected stuff when I got home but you were like all over each other which is fine, really but I’m a selfish ass and wanted you two to just care about me like you usually do when I’m drained like this. I know it’s stupid I just-““Shut up.”It wasn’t Taehyung’s voice that cut him off. It was Jimin’s.Jimin who sat down with food in his hand and patted his thigh obviously inviting both of them over.

And it didn’t take another invite for Taehyung to lie against the headboard off the couch and Jungkook to sprawl himself over Jimin’s lap. There was a spoon infront of his mouth and Jungkook couldn’t care less about what was being fed to him he just wanted to eat and when his lips closed around the food he cried out happily. Delicious, like all of Jimin’s works.

“Us loving each other does not mean that we don’t love you, you know that, right baby?” Jimin whispered into his ear.“Yes,” he replied shyly. There wasn’t another word spoken as they started eating. Taehyung petting his hair and tummy. It only took him two minutes to notice how Jungkook’s gaze fell to his neck every now and then. So naturally, he started marking him up as well.

Jimin cooed at them, shy Jungkook squirming in his lap as Tae playfully bit him. “Look at you getting matching marks, how cute.” He put Jungkook’s plate to the side and kissed the boy on the cheek.

Jungkook felt like floating, his fingers feeling numb as he dragged them over Jimin’s cheek, smiling.

“I love you,” he mumbled.“But please let me get off so that we can all go to sleep, seriously.”

His words were welcomed with light laughter and he really wouldn’t have it any other way. His boyfriends did not only welcome his words, they welcomed him and that was something that he would always appreciate.

————End.

Wow this took years I’m sorry lmao still hope you like it though. :)

Drabble Arch: The Second Plague Rat - The Green Death

(This is the 7th drabble concerning this story and the second-to-last. If you want to read more about “The Second Plague Rat” go to the wattpad page- link)        

"Scratch! I'm home!" I shout as I enter the room from the front door with a small bag in my hand. While it may look awful outside, I decided to make some little renovations to make it less depressing. Most of the cracks were smoothed out inside and all signs of scattered glass and wood were thrown in the garbage. All was quiet in the house. It's expected; I did tell him to stay silent when he hears something the footsteps through the ceiling. I head over to a revealing pipe that I've grown a bit too familiar with. I've always escaped through this thing from my old room, Scratch's room. I knocked on it 9 times, 3 sets of one knock followed by a pause then 2 consecutive knocks.

               I look across the hall, hearing the faint footsteps in the silence across the hall. The door was blocked by an old heavy desk I got from the junkyard. I lift it up revealing a brown rat in the stairs. He lunged at me to hug me. He dug his hands deep into my tough green skin and climbed on top of my shoulder quickly. He leaned forward to my arm to sniff the contents of the bag..

               "Hey!" I say, holding the bag away. "Be patient pal. Heh. It's not gonna go anywhere." I walk down the stairs before dragging the desk back in its place, concealing the opening, leaving the two of us in the basement with only a small yellow lantern illuminating the room. "Sorry I was late buddy. I got into a.. complication." I mumble, feeling my hand go to my back. I could feel the arrow's mark just behind my left shoulder. Of course the skin reformed, but it felt like the scar still existed. He crossed the line...

               Instinctively, Scratch begins to sniff at the spot. I felt puffs of air on my skin before reaching over to guide his head away. I reached in my bag to get a piece of stale bread. "Hey.. I could hear your stomach grumbling, huh?" I said, raising the bread and turning my head to meet his eyes. "Here! It's.. not what you wanted. There.. was no fruit today. I'm sorry."

               He paused before grabbing the bread, his hands shaking in hesitation. His eyes dart back to the spot I was shot.

               Finally, the trek through the old wooden stairs is over. At the end there was only a singular room with 2 small beds made from various trash bags. In the center there was a lantern and on the wall closest to it were some drawings and a small piece of green chalk at the foot of the wall. We sit near the lantern, eating the food slowly in silence. I couldn't say anything, all I could do is go back to the scar routinely throughout the dinner, patting it and imagining a dent that wasn't there filled with ineffective poison as my skin radiates heat to effortlessly combat it as I go for his throat...

               "Squeak!" Scratch yelped, holding the green chalk in his hand and a small piece of bread in the other.

               I pause before replying. "Uh.. Shouldn't you wait after dinner pal. You haven't finished your meal.." I point to the bread in his hand.

               He shakes his head no and just points to a dark corner in the room.

               "You.. wanna show me something?" I grab the lantern and take his hand. I gave a slight smile. "Surprise me buddy."

               He leads me to the corner of the wall. It begins to illuminate to reveal what seemed to be a big headed rat with crazy, pupil-less eyes and large ears holding various stick figure rats to a cauldron. Below the cauldron were just pictures of individual bones. I just stared at those eyes as they stared into me. "Wha.. What's going on buddy?" I ask, worried. "Is this another nightmare again? Those.. bad thoughts?"

               He slightly nods his head yes.

               I walk up to the draw and smudged my hand on top of it, using the fluids within me to wash away the chalk. It barely worked, only taking away minor markings but the whole figure was still intact. I swipe the green crayon away from Scratch. "Listen to me pal. I know you're scared of him. I know he did bad things to you; he did bad things to me too, and I trusted the guy, but he's all behind us now, ok? You're safe here! He doesn't know we're here and he hates the surface. Too much light, y'know? Heh." I gaze at the hideous display again before crossing it out with a big green "X".

               "No more of these drawings okay? It's not good for you to worry." I smooth out his rustled fur. "Heh. That's my job now. Tell you what." I ate the bread in my other hand in one clean swoop. "We can start story time now! Bet you were waiting for that!" I take Scratch and the lantern away from the drawing of his creator, obscuring it in darkness. I lead him to a clean wall, a clean slate. "Now.. I have 3 stories in mind.." I take the green chalk and begin to draw out the choices.

               "I have another story about Atomic Man.. You can't go wrong with that," I said, drawing a stick figure with a cape across his back.

               "There's a nice one about a guy at the Sumps! I was pretty surprised with that one. Real too!" I drew a thug with a mohawk.

               "There's also a Blitzcrank story. I always like stories with that lovable machine.." I drew a circle with 2 circles within to signify his eyes.  

               "Well.. What do you want today? I'm ready!"

               He points to my left shoulder.

               "Guess... you're curious huh." I pause.

               "Blitzcrank it is."

               "How.. How did it not work!?" I shout as I pace repeatedly around the cauldron that now holds my creation. The question repeats. Over and over and over and over again. "How did it not work? How did it not work? How did it not work!?" I gaze into my reflection in the green liquid. Maybe it was time.. Maybe he would come back to me later in the day. Maybe the blob's skin proved too hard to penetrate! Yes! That must be it! But.. why was he that aggressive to his original superior!? What inserted those awful thoughts and actions to his head! Twitch was a great king.. Must be side effects.. It had to be side effects! This was originally meant to target my own rats after all, NOT SENTIENT BLOBS, yet.. it should've worked.. It should've worked!

               I reach my clawed hands to my neck, feeling the pressure on top of it as it was before. So much strength.. So much.. audacity! I.. I can barely breathe as I imagine the pain and anguish as my own subject tries to exterminate me. I couldn't breathe. Only puffs of air comes out. Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

               I let go of my neck, gasping for air. I look back at the potion that may have caused my demise. "You.." I shout at the green reflection staring back at me. "It was YOUR job to make them see me as the sewer king I AM! The sewer king Twitch is!! They're supposed to like me.. I.. I saved one of them! I gave them the gift of sentience! They should be mine.. and now they might as well be dead! The surface isn't kind.." I look into the cauldron again as it begins to boil underneath the green lantern.  I huff and puff.. Breathing in and out.. The sewer king can fix this. The sewer king can get everything that was his back..

               The intoxicating toxins hit my nose. I take the potion's call. I sniff and sniff and sniff and sniff to decipher what could be missing. My rapid, excited hands grab at everything, potions, sludge, larvae, everything that could be the piece to the grand puzzle of THE future! MY future! The stench begins to converge to something harmonious, something grand, something perfect! It was fixed, done, ready!

               I scour the walls through every crack and cranny, digging my claws to seep all of the roach men out before I could find him.

               "YOU!" I shout at him. Time was of the essence. "You told me that there were 4 possibilities.. 1 of them worked! You must tell me the others.. TELL ME NOW!" The hand squeezes violently as he merely squeak the answers I ask. "Of course..." I mutter. I grab my crossbow and scramble out to find him. I hear the grumbling of the machines as I go closer and closer to the surface, an area where the people command their metal slaves to build on top of tombs. This wasn't the place for my subjects.. Surface was never good for anyone.. They need me...

               They need Twitch..

#ImSoAddicted

Written by: @BloodDemonSam @DeanWinchester_ @SanctifiedSword

Sam: •Home. Such a foreign word. It felt like years since home was possible. As Sam stood on the porch of the cabin. The ranch as far as the eye could see. Laying roots had once been a dream, but that dream went up in smoke. And now, the smoke was clearing, it was possible now, with his brother. But there was one thing, Sam’s addiction. Ten long years of drinking demon blood. It wasn’t easy to kick like the first time, that was hell. He didn’t know if it was even possible to get rid of it. Would it kill him? Hell he couldn’t even answer that himself. Rubbing his hand through his long hair, a dusting of facial hair graced his jaw. The itch to drink was always just below the surface. His demons waited in the shadows to pounce at a moments notice. Hell, he started to crave the screams of the demons. It was a feeling that made his whole body ripple. He licked his lips. Fuck, he pushed down the urge. The claws of his need dug and ripped deeper into him. Turning he marched back into the cabin. His hands shook at his sides. He felt like a thousand of fire ants crawled underneath his skin. Pain that he was gotten use to over the years. Licked like dance flames against his flesh. It was just the start. He could fight this off a little while longer. Pacing the length of the living room.

Shaking out his hands. Skin to tight, it felt like his flesh would split in two. Fisting his, hands at his sides. Panting and breathing hard, his chest rose and fell faster, teeth grinding together. Slowly, he started to count down from a hundred in his head. The urge was still there, but he fought through it. He would be worse, it was always. It grew and became unbearable. It wouldn’t be ignored. He needed to get his mind off it, as much as he could. Walking out of the cabin. One person came to mind. Colt, his brother. He walked across to the main house. Was it bad he needed his brother? He questioned himself, with his hands shoved into his pockets, head hanging down, his hair hang like a curtain over his face. Colt was his big brother and he was the only he trusted now. Was it selfish that he he was seeking him out? Maybe. But he couldn’t help himself. It had been him and Colt for so long. And he needed his brother. Sam’s life was crazy, spinning out of control like a Hurricane. Colt was his safe place. He made things clearer. The main house came into view. The tightness in his chest eased a little. Walking up the steps, each step felt like a relief. He could almost breath, almost. His heart pounded hard against his rib cage, like a horde of horses lived in his chest, as he raised his shaking fist and knocked on the door. His brother was just beyond the door. He looked like death warmed over. Deep dark circles lined under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in days or weeks. It wasn’t something he could hide. Letting his hand fall he shoved back into the pocket of his jeans. His flesh drawn tight and a light sheen of sweat covered him. His shirt clung to him a little. He needed to get his shit together, to stop thinking about the need that never truly went away. He leaned against the beams of the porch. Mind racing with a thousands of thoughts. He couldn’t make sense of it anymore. He just needed his brother to make a little clearer. To reach out his hand and let Sam grip it a little. His brother would make it better. He always did, it was who his brother was. He leaned on Colt all through their life. Blowing out a slow breath. It would ok, yes, it would all be ok. It had to be.•

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Colt: -Colt didn’t really sleep much nowadays. The mark saw to that but he tried to remain the same as always. Like now he laid here holding Ethan against him through the night. The angel emitted this peace or atleast that’s what Colt felt. His senses were keenly aware now, so much beyond what a normal hunter could detect. The minute Sam got close he could feel it, Sam’s heartbeat was faster than normal and his breathing was shallow. Colt kissed Ethan’s head and gently eased himself out from under the gorgeous angel. Nude he stood and grabbed his Levi’s pulling them on and buttoning up. Barefoot and shirtless he walked out of the room and disappeared using his abilities. He reappeared behind Sam. Voice low and husky.- Sammy, what is it?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sam: •His voice, washed over him, making his whole body shiver. Pushing off the beam he leaned against. He turned to face his brother. Sam knew what his blood tasted like. It was like the sweetest most forbidden fruit, there was no escape from needed it or wanting it. His addiction roared to life. It was all he could hear. Everything was so clear as he locked eyes with his brother. The smoke of the thousands thoughts cleared. He took a step forward. His voice pitched low and deep.* Colt.. *he sounded like he swallowed gravel. His hands pulled from the pockets of his jeans.* …I need.. *he licked his lips, he was fighting so hard, not to grab him and fed.* ..it’s bad. *he stalked a bit closer, but made himself stop. Eyes flickering to the pulse of his neck. The beat of his heart steady and strong under his flesh. He extend his hand, but then let it drop to his side. Shaking out his hand out. Tearing his eyes away from his pulse. He locked his own gaze with Colt’s.• I’m hungry, so damn hungry. •he didn’t realize his feet carried him the rest of the way to Colt. His forehead falling to his shoulder. His body shook, as he tried to breath.• I’m trying, brother, I really am. •he felt weak, but he needed his brother.• Just..to take the edge off.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Colt: -It broke Colt’s heart to see Sam like this. As he’d turned around he looked like death warmed over. Up close he could see the dark spots under his eyes and how pale an gaunt he looked. He’d been so wrapped up in everything else he hadn’t been looking over him properly. He bent down and picked Sam up into his arms and a split second transported them to one of the spare bedroom’s. Gently he laid Sam down.- You got a knife on you?

::::::::::::::::::::

Sam: •He felt himself lifted. The voices started to whisper in his mind. The demons clawed at the tissue of his mind. Gripping Colt, like he was his lifeline, because he was. Blunt nails, pressed into the flesh and muscle of his brothers upper back. Squeezing his eyes shut, trying push the voices of the demons from his mind. He couldn’t feel the softness of the bed underneath him. Panting, his breath coming out rapid through gritted teeth. Wild eyes landing on his brother. His vision tunneled, the only thing he could see was his brother. As shadows danced at the edges of Colt. It fucking scared him. He thought the shadows would rip him away from Sam. His mouth moved, barely he caught what he asked of Sam. He nodded as best he could. Pushing onto his side, he dug into his pocket, gripping the pocket knife, pulling it out after a couple tries. He handed it to him. Fingers digging into the covers of the bed, balling to the point that his knuckles turned white. Eyes flickering across the room. The shadows taking form. Black soulless eyes of his family formed around Colt. Sam was slipping even deeper into his delusion. That his mind created, his own personal hell. Their stepped up behind Colt. His heart knew it wasn’t real, but his mind was a whole other story. Their dad twirled a knife in his hand. Then he spoke, but it wasn’t their dad’s voice. ‘What do you think Sammy, he would look good with a nice wide gash along his neck huh? From one ear to ear.’ Sam growled, eyes fixed to just over Colt’s shoulder, the words forced through his teeth, spit flew to down along his chin.• Don’t fucking touching him! •he would kill anyone, even their dad, before he let them harm his brother.• You touch him, I’ll rip your heart out. •his voice deadly. As his body writhed on the bed.•

:::::::::::::::::::

Colt: -Eyes fell on the man lying there and it was clear Sam wasn't completely with him anymore. He'd seen guys lose it in combat situations or go down from dehydration and this presented some of the signs and symptoms. He was delirious for sure, he hated that Sam was strung out on demon blood and he hated, even more, he was about to become the supplier of said addiction. He looked down at the knife in Sammy's hand and his stomach turned over. A vivid memory of the past, Colt had been lost so very lost and he'd let people cut him. Do shit that was so fucked up he wouldn't verbalize it ever. He took the knife while trying to calm Sam.- "Easy Sammy, you're not well. Hang in there I'm going to see what I can do to fix this..." -He hadn't broken his promise to Ethan even after all these years and he reasoned what he was about to do wasn't anything close to what their promise had been about so long ago. He'd be gaining no pleasure from this. Opening the knife, the light glinted off the blade before he put it to his palm and cut into the skin. Warm blood began immediately flowing and he lifted it to Sam's lips. He'd find a way to get Sam off this shit and he wouldn't stop till he did.-

::::::::::::::::::::::

Sam: •He watched in the horror of his delusion, as their dad slowly placed the the knife against Colt’s neck. A sick smirk spreads across John’s lips, as a laugh that chilled him to his very bones. The blade slid with ease across Colt’s throat. He roared, like a man possessed.• You motherfucker! I’m going to rip you limb from limb! •blood flowed down Colt’s neck, covering his chest and stomach.• I’m going to make you fucking watch as I eat your heart!! You killed my brother! You fucker! •His body bowed off the bed. Pain licked at his body, like a flame from hell.• Colt!! •he screamed his named. Eyes blazing as they landed on Colt, his mouth was moving. He was saying something. He sounded like he was under water. He fought to try and understand. But it was like moving through quick sand. Each time he moves, he was just sucked back down. His heart had kicked up, it felt like he was having a damn heart attack. But he fought to grip onto his words. They were the melody that sang to him to hold on just a bit longer. It would all be better soon. The scent of his blood filled his nose. The first few drops, dripped to his lips. Like a man that had been in the desert, his tongue whipped out. Lapping out what he could. It was like sweet nectar. As fast as his body would allow him to.

He reached up, gripping his arm like a man drowning. Pulling his palm to his lips. Sealing around the wound, he drunk deeply. His blood flowed into his mouth, coating his tongue and throat. He groaned, fuck, he tasted so damn good. The pain slowly receded, the shadows and voices were just that, shadows. His brothers blood, started to warm his body. He started to relax, his body was coming alive. But a pang of guilt nicked at his heart. Tears slowly tracked out of the corners of his eyes. His brother was saving him once again. Sam, had tried to save his self. And now he had dragged his brother into his mess. A whimper crawled up his throat. His brother had always made him stronger. And now, he was again. He lapped at the wound in his palm, sucking getting every drop that he could. He didn’t want to lose a drop. It would be a waste. His blood made his own blood hum and thrum with power and life. His mind clearing of the deep madness he was stuck in. Slowly, he lifted his eyes, locking on Colt’s. Once where they were cloudy, they started to clear. So many emotions flickered through his eyes. Never staying on one long enough to tell what it was. He knew he asked a lot of his big brother. And this had to weigh heavy on him. It did the first time. He let Colt see him, the raw emotions. Speaking with eyes, he thanked him, he loved him for all he did. He told of how scared this made him. Sam, made have had looked weak by this. Colt understood him better then anyone else.•

:::::::::::::::::::::

Colt: -Colt knew a lot of people but few /knew/ him. Whether lack of interest or him being guarded it kept people at bay. So much had happened in his life, chipped away at him and making him the guy he was. Colt many years ago had watched his brother deteriorate slowly. Sam had been extremely co-dependent to the point Colt never left his side. Until one day he had, a vampire had grabbed Sam up and had tortured him badly. By the time Colt had gotten to him Sam had snapped. He was suicidal. Colt had gotten him out of that situation and tried his best to bring Sam into the world show him there was so much to keep fighting for but Sam didn't want to live anymore. Colt tracked the vampire down and tortured him. Then he poured gasoline on him and cabin they were in. Colt has lost his will to live and longed for some peace so he lit his zippo and dropped it on the trail of gasoline. Flames erupted and he just stood there waiting to burn.

The heat scored his skin, the air. The flames burnt his throat and he felt it was time to go. Screams of pain erupted from both he and the vampire. But it wasn't pain that made Colt rethink his decision it was guilt. Guilt leaving Sammy to his own devices so he fought his way out of the burning building and collapsed on the ground breathing his last breath when he began to pray. That day the miracle that had saved his life was none other than Ethan. Colt had more than one reason to live now but Sam ended up killing himself and it plunged Colt into a darkness that lasted many years.

He understood pain, dependency and hopelessness very well. A year ago he'd watched as another brother Sam refused to live without and shot himself so he knows guilt too. For all the love and joy he's gotten from getting to know his twins, become a grandfather he feels personally responsible for two deaths. So his heart was breaking all over again seeing Sam like this.-

I got you Sammy, won't let you go. We're going to bear this together and one day you're going to be alright and not need this. You're going to grow old, have a family of your own. -Colt leaned forward and kissed his forehead accepting his responsibility as his brother.-

i’ve definitely bitched about my skin in the past, i know, but it is worse than ever lately and really, really negatively impacting my day to day life. i can hardly look in the mirror before/after a shower and see all the spots on my neck, chest, arms and back. i have had multiple sobbing meltdowns over it. it is impacting my sex life in that i start to have a panic attack when D wants to have sex and i haven’t initiated in ages bc i’m so ashamed. the only times we’ve had sex have been at like 3 am when it’s still dark and he can’t see me in too much detail. i do not feel comfortable wearing short sleeves or tank tops and it’s getting warm out and i’m sweating my tits off. i can’t even walk down the street without almost breaking down crying bc every.single.person. i see has normal/clear skin. even those who might have acne on their face, NO ONE has anything on their neck or chest or shoulders or back or anywhere. FUCK. i just want to be ‘normal’. i know it sounds drastic but i would honestly give ANYTHING to have clear skin. i have legitimately wished that instead of bad skin, i had some type of disease or non-terminal cancer or amputee or something if i had to exchange something. if a genie popped up today, that’s #1 what i would wish for. 

anyway, most of the spots are post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which take FOREVER to fade, but i do still frequently get breakouts, which i then pick and then it turns into a scab and then either PIH or a scar. bc a) i have terrible picking habits and b) i’m just lucky like that.  

i don’t 100% know why it’s so awfully bad right now. prior to the move, i was eating a loooooot of junk food, especially greasy fast food. i’m still not doing perfectly, but i’m doing better and haven’t eaten fast food since the drive here. (being totally honest, i might still be if there was fast food close to where i am but the closest is mcdonalds, which is v low on my list and i’ve managed to avoid it). i’m drinking water, taking vitamins, eating fruits and veggies, trying to avoid dairy, white flour, and reduce sugar intake (doing okay on the dairy/flour; not great on the sugar). 

and NOW on top of the fucking acne issue, i am having some kind of itchy rash that won’t go away on the back of my arms and on my hips/top of my thighs (like right below the underwear line. it’s been there for a good 2 weeks. i’m trying like hell not to scratch and it seems to sloooooowly be going away, but i have no idea how it happened. heat rash (which is supposed to go away fairly quickly)? allergy to something? i’ve washed literally all of my clothes and bedding and everything that might touch me. i’m using hydrocortizone and eczema lotion. but again, more crying meltdowns bc i feel like i can’t fucking win. i look like a goddamn leper. 

so, i finally finally finally contacted an esthetics/body/skin spa place to see about a chemical peel or laser or something. i’ve been to dermatologists before and they are always mean and dismissive. i accept that it won’t give me flawless skin and i will always have scars and breakouts, but i need some fucking improvement. this is killing my self-esteem beyond all reason. i am still terrified to go to the skin spa, bc i just envision it’s rich white ladies with like 1 stretch mark or wrinkle they want removed or botoxed, and they’ll see me and be like CALL AN EXORCIST JESUS HAVE MERCY. i could not bring myself to call so i sent an online request and like begged them to be nice/gentle to me bc i’m so embarrassed and terrified to even have anyone see me (also i’m crying now just typing about this yay). the response was very kind; the woman who replied said she completely understood; that she got into the industry due to her own skin issues and that she has seen everything and i should not feel ashamed and they can help.

so, i’m going in tomorrow for a consultation. i’m still fucking terrified. i know i’m going to cry instantly. i need to remember to take some xanax before i go, if i have any left. they’re going to look at me and go FUCKING GROSS, YOU ARE BEYOND SAVING, GTFO YOU DISGUSTING FREAK.

so. yeah. that’s where i’m at. i know i’m being dramatic and i’m *probably* not the only person ever to have this type of issue or the worst they have ever seen, but i’m terrified to be seen and i’m also terrified that nothing can be done to help. really just anxious and ashamed and absolutely terrified all around. trying to keep hope, but feeling like... if it can’t be helped, what’s the point of even going and exposing my vulnerability? i hate this. i hate myself. i hate my skin. 

Verses and AUs (Long Edition)

All these AUs can work with either Host or Author. I’ll write down only the Host option, though in the Human AU Author’s human name is also stated.

Most of these verses have been made from my old version of Host. Said Host is small, sort of depressed, pretty sad and soft. So the opposite of the new revamped Host. There might be differences in how I write Host due to having those two versions of Host.

I’ll make a second page for verses keeping my old version of Host in mind, which will be linked with every AU that has it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Human AU [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker. Sometimes uses Host as nickname.

He is either: Born blind (sclera/pupil milky).                       Blind due to a disease (Neuromyelitis Optica).

He lives on his own with his pets. He either:     Lives in his cabin in the forest.                       Lives on the outskirts of town with a garden.

He has an older brother (Arthur, world-wide known author).

He works on a rather popular podcast as main-narrator. He also either: Works at a radio station.                    Stays at home (financial help from his brother).

Can also go with human Author, the aforementioned brother of Host.

Both can also exist without brother.

Human Slave AU:

Host is named Markus Barker. Host is his nickname though

He is either: Born blind (sclera/pupil milky).                       Got his eyes gouged out by an owner.

He had been sold as slave when he had been a young child (around 4 y/o?).

Medieval AU: [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker.

He’s a servant for a noble household, with bad eyesight. He hates it there, but there’s nothing he can do if he doesn’t want to end up on the street. Even if that means being treated like dirt.

Royal AU: [Second Version]

Host is named Markus Barker.

He’s a rather young king (20-25) because his parents died in a tragic “accident”.

He’s rather strict, but very open-minded and protective of his kingdom.

He is as good as blind, only able to see colours and shapes, due to an accident as child.

in case of magic, his situation with Alden is pretty much the same, though they keep it hidden.

Neko AU: [Second Version]

He is named Host (by his mother)

He is 2'4"

He was born blind (sclera/pupil milky).

He is biologically female but identifies as male.

He was taken away from his mother from a very young age (too young to be taken away from his mother).

His first real owner mistreated him terribly.

He’s angry at the world and hates people, not afraid of them even with his very small size.

Broken Host AU:

This Host is based on the old fandom interpretation after MarkiplierTV:

Dark is at cause for taking Author’s eyes, in exchange for power.

Due to that Host is one of Dark’s “pawns” and is forced to tell him about visions and things in the future as soon as possible.

Due to basically abuse he was mentally broken by Dark.

He is extremely obedient to Dark.

He’s covered in scars and brandings (burn scars).

He doesn’t speak a lot.

He gets lost in his head, and especially in his narrations, a lot.

Angel AU:

Host is named Markus (he was once human).

His pupils are white (eyes usually covered up by a cloth)

He is a collector of souls from dying people.

He can see the souls of living beings with his eyes uncovered (but not allowed to do so technically).

His wings are white, the feather-tips golden.

Knows English more or less.

Mermaid AU: (other versions depending on size!)

Host goes by the name of Host.

He had almost been caught once by humans, which resulted in the loss of his eyesight, and thick scars over his eyes.

His scales are golden. His fins are slightly see-through, and tipped green. His ears are fins. He has fins on his underarms. He has scales on his shoulders and arms.

He has scales that glow in the dark, and markings on his face which also glow in the dark (not visible unless glowing)

He’s a siren, and thus can speak and understand English.

Underwater mermaids communicate via clicking sounds (kinda like morse code, but different).

Fairy AU: (Basically an OC shhh) (More extra info here)

Host is named Rhosyn, but may go by the name Host as well.

He is a (flower) fairy.

He can change his size, between 0.5 inches and 3 feet.

His wings are large and slightly see-through. Golden in colour, with intricate swirls covering them.

(The rest of his looks)

He lives in a small flower field he takes care of by himself.

He is blind, but has learned to see magic.

Every living thing (from humans, to fae, to plants) have magic to some amount, which he can see and tell what he is looking at.

Harpy AU

Host has no name he goes by, but will let anyone name him

He is 8 inches tall

He’s a brown thrasher harpy

He has slightly darker skin (than Mark), short, like brown fuzz on his head resembling hair; white feathers with dark spots on his chest and hips down his thighs, where his legs then turn into bird’s feet; dark brown, almost black eyes. His wings have light brown feathers.

He mainly eats fruits, berries, nuts and insects

He isn’t afraid to attack anything larger than him, going so far as to attack humans if he has to

Forest Deity AU (It’s basically an OC shh)

Host goes by the name Elvin, since the forest he lives in is called Elvin Forest (Elvin means friend of elves)

He’s 5'3 tall

He has long dark brown hair, reaching his mid-back. His eyes are the color of tree resin/amber, the colour looking different depending on the light. He has “antlers”, long branches growing from his head and upwards. They change with the season; growing leafs and flowers; but are always decorated with little trinkets. He’s always bare-footed.

He is “bound” to one tree, which would hurt and kill him if it were chopped down. But he is also the heart of the forest, feeling with it, and it feeling with him

He has magical powers, and can talk to plants, trees and animals

For the people he is something of a myth: some people pray to him, some people ask for help or advice, some don’t believe in him

Fused AU:

Host isn’t a regular ego but also is an ego

TBH I’m uncertain about the lore of this either I’d say all egos are fused or this is a punishment made by Dark or smth

Host is “fused” with his recording equipment

Headphones always on his head, microphone in a metal mask strapped over his mouth

A rig on the back of his chair connected to his arms and hands which controls his movement. He can’t stand up

(Inspired by this drawing, and how he looks like in the AU)

Little Demon AU:

Host is a demon, still called Host

He is 7 inches tall

He has dark purple horns and two tails, and no bandages, but keeps his eyes closed

Looking into his eyes will cause the looker to be pulled into their own mind and be faced with their deepest and darkest fear

Host will be able to see that and interact with the person there, but also leave them there alone to suffer

He can “teleport” short distances, mostly through shadows

Doll AU: / It’s basically an OC shhh

Host is called Benjamin

He is a porcelain doll, 20 inches tall

He is typically asleep, and only comes to life and awakens after 4-5 days of constant care and love towards him

He stays alive through the love and care and want to have him alive from his owner, but also needs to be near them

If left alone and too far away from his owner for too long, his energy will slowly vanish throughout a few days. Making him tired, sluggish, and slow, until he can’t manage to walk anymore, and then can’t keep his eyes open

He was made in 1667 and has been with 19 different people/families throughout his life

A/B/O AU: [Second Version]

If human, Host goes by Markus Barker, Host as a nickname.

He’s a little feminine looking, but due to his height, no one suspects he’s anything but an Alpha.

He’s an Omega. Takes suppressants and scent-blockers to hide this status though.

Child Host AU:

Normal Host technically, but Host is a child now.

He’s 3'3".

He looks the exact same pretty much.

He doesn’t have any memories of being an adult.

Alden is also affected by this, and is brought to a more child-like state.

Asylum AU

Host goes by the name The Host

He is locked in a cell because of hallucinations and unreliable behaviour

Eyes AU

Host still has his eyes

Author was actually more timid and nice and not lusting after power

Dark absolutely hates him because Host doesn’t let himself be manipulated

(Inspired by this picture)

Swap AU

Host is swapped with Dark

He is monochrome. He wears a black trenchcoat and black tights, as well as knee-high black combat boots. He has a bright strand of hair, no eyes, and bandages around his eyes.

Here’s some info about the swap AU and Host’s backstory

He is called Darkiplier in this AU (pronounced Dark-eplí-er? sorta french lol)

He talks in third person as a comfort mechanism

He doesn’t really have a goal like normal Dark (getting revenge on Actor) but he takes care of the other egos and keeps them safe and in check

He does his radio show still, but has no narrating powers

Forest Creature AU

Host had died in the forest wishing to be a part of it

He is still humanoid, but he is covered in moss, leafs, plants, etc, growing all over him. Flowers grew over his blind eyes.

He fell in love with Edward Iplier, but he died in his arms. He is alone.

Banished Author AU

Author was banished into the void by Dark due to Dark believing Author would grow to become very dangerous towards himself and others

He had been stuck in the void, all by himself, for years

Being stuck in the void, he doesn’t physically age, and has no bodily needs

The void seeped into him, mixed with him, changing him

While he still has his powers of writing, and they are still primarily that, the void is a part of him now in a way

Little Space: (nsfw-ish)

Normal verse Host

In headspace he’s either around 1 year or around 4-6 years old

He usually is alone in his room to be little on his own

He largely prefers to be diapered and wear soft clothes

Nyika Mtoto - Child of the steppe 2

Summary: Kito works as a thief with a lot of other kids. They all are subordinates from the same evil man. Though Kito hates stealing from others he has to do it to save his own life. But everything changes when he met a foreign girl on the market. The security he had through that godforsaken job vanished when she stepped into his life.

Rating: 12 and older

Warnings: A lot of sensitive themes.. stealing, physical punishment, mentions of death, poverty

Wordcount: 1.737

A/N: I´m trying to update this twice a week.. but I can´t promise much.. I will add a chapter overview as soon as the story is finished.. which should be after like.. 6 weeks.. according to my plan.. Anyway! Enjoy!

At some point when Kito thought they were far enough away, he slowed down. He looked around and spotted some trees where he decided to take a break. “You can rest here.” He gasped and let go of the girl’s hand finally.

She looked around, worry prominent on her features. “When are we going back into town?” She asked after a while.

Exhausted Kito knelt on the ground. “First of all,” he said seriously, taking a deep breath, “Why?”

The girl crouched down next to him. “You're a thief, right?” She said, watching Kito closely. “And that guy in the warehouse is your both. You and the other children work for him and need to bring him the stolen goods otherwise you get punished?”

Kito nodded slowly. “Yes, that guy is called Mr. Bolo. He's the reason we can't go back into town. His helpers will look for us everywhere. They will kill me on sight and take you hostage, hoping to get any profit out of you. He has eyes and ears everywhere. We won't be safe when there are people around. Anyway how do you know so much?”

The girl grinned mischievously. “I followed you and your friend and heard what you said in the alley.

“You shouldn't have done that!” Kito snapped, making a sudden movement resulting in pain. He groaned slightly, hissing when he remembered his back, which he had forgotten in the hurry.

The girl slid around him and examined his back. “Can you take off your shirt?” She asked hesitantly. She helped him wriggle out of the top without the fabric touching his fresh wounds.

He looked at the floor and waited for her shocked reaction but nothing came. He glanced over his shoulder, wondering why the girl didn’t say a word even though his back was covered with scars from the last punishment.

The girl rummaged through her bag, pulling out a few bandages, hairpins and other things until she finally held a small bottle of vodka in her hand.

“It’s an advantage to be me.” She laughed. “I carry anything around in that bag.”

Kito stared at her in disbelief. It wasn’t the time to drink.

“The alcohol is to disinfect your wound. It might burn a little.” She warned him and opened the bottle to let the contents run down his back.

He inhaled sharply from the sting as the alcohol touch his raw skin, biting down on his lip so he wouldn’t scream.

She pulled a few cotton pads out of her bag and placed them on the open spots before she wrapped the bandage around his torso. “Kito, right? May I ask how you got into that situation? Like why are you working for that man?”

Kito didn’t answer and just stared blankly on the ground.

“By the way, my name is Cleo. It’s actually Cleopatra Mary James. My dad is an archaeologist and he is really into everything revolving around old egypt.”

“Then you are at the wrong place. This isn’t Egypt. Not even close to it.” Kito interrupted her.

Cleo laughed. “I told him that as well. But my dad wants to find out how far the Egyptians were going along the Nile. That's why we’re at Lake Victoria. While he tries to find any connection through his archaeological research I have time to wander around the area.” She fastened the bandage and sorted her things back into her bag.

“What about your mother?” 

“My mom was a singer. When I was seven, she had a huge drug problem. She died of an overdose.” Cleo sighed, remembering that time in her past.

“I’m sorry.” Kito whispered.

She smiled slightly. “Thanks but it doesn’t really affect me that much. When I was little, I hardly ever saw her. She was always on tour or anywhere else but never with me. What about your parents? What are they doing?”

“Dead.”

“Oh.”

“Sometimes the government gets the idea to get rid of the slums. Then armed policemen come to the outskirts of the town. They have sticks and pistols and force the residents to leave. Sometimes they even light up huts. That spreads panic.” Kito took a deep breath, the night still clear as day in his memory. “I’ve been in such a panic. They almost killed me when I fell down and couldn’t get up. My mother fought her way towards me and grabbed me to pull me out. When she thought we were safe, she stopped and scanned over me. I had some scratches but were fine otherwise.”

He swallowed hard, knowing what he was about to say, was something he never spoke about before. “Then suddenly a policemen appeared. He was a bad man. He had fun in killing and he killed everyone he came across. That monster shot my mother. My father had seen that and was furious. He attacked the man but more reinforcements came and knocked him down. They hit him with theirs sticks. Even after he stopped moving they continued to throw one hit after the other.”

Kito looked up into the sky, blinking away a few tears. “With her last breath my mother told me to run. To get away from there. And I did. I still remember the flames and hear the cries of pain. I can’t imagine their pain. I feel guilty for running away but there was no other way. Then I met Jamaal and he introduced me to Mr. Bolo. They were giving me a home and a new family.” He sighed. Now even that was ruined.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know..” she stopped, staring at the ground, “I’m sorry.” Apparently she didn’t know what to say after hearing such a traumatic experience.

Kito observed her, seeing how she looked down and chewed on her lower lip. He was fascinated by her open expressions when he suddenly saw a movement out of his corner. Immediately he turned around, ready to jump and run any second when needed.

“What is it?” Cleo whispered, lowering her body in fear to get spotted.

“Nothing. It’s only a gazelle.” Kito waved her off and relaxed visibly.

“Really? How sweet!” Cleo straightened and tried to get a look at the animal, when Kito pulled her down again in a hurry.

He spotted two lionesses on their hunt. “Stop. We have to get out of here.” He hissed and took her hand, pulling her slowly with him.

“Why?” Cleo looked bewildered by the sudden change of demeanor. Without thinking she turned her head and scanned the area, seeing the two lionesses.

On instinct Kito grabbed her body and pulled her close to his chest, pressing his hand on her mouth. “Don’t scream. Turn to me. Slowly. And follow me.” He whispered into her ear, waiting for a nod before he removed his hand.

“Shouldn’t we run away?” She asked in a hushed voice.

Kito shook his head. “I’ve learned one thing in my life. Running draws attention. The faster you run, the more attention you get. Applies to both humans and animals. We are no different from animals. Your instinct to flee wanted you to run, similar to the instinct of that gazelle. And you know what happens to that gazelle as soon as it runs.”

After that explanation Cleo nodded, trying to calm down her nerves. Still she had wrapped her fingers tightly around Kito’s arm, following him closely as they sneaked away. 

“Do you really want to stay out here?” She whined as soon as they were far enough away from the cats.

Kito blinked shortly, not getting what her problem was. “Animals don’t keep you alive to enjoy your pain. And nature is much more predictable if you look closely. Come on, let’s find a place for the night and something to eat.” With that he marched on, not wanting to waste anymore time.

When he was about to turn around and make sure Cleo followed, she grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers. He paused shortly and looked at her only to see she stared at the ground and her cheeks turning slightly red.

Kito sighed, but squeezed her hand anyway and pulled her along. Somehow it was nice to feel her warmth and the soft skin of her hands in his.

Silently they walked together, the sun already setting when they found a tree with wide branches. They decided to stay on that for the night since they still had to find something to eat. 

Kito climbed the tree quickly and then helped Cleo up as well. He looked around, making sure that there were no marks of leopards or baboons that might use the tree as their quarter. When he didn’t see any indicators he turned to Cleo. “You stay here and keep still. I try and find something edible.”

With wide eyes, mirroring fear, Cleo stared at him. “You want me to stay here alone? What if a lion finds me? Or worse!”

Kito placed his hands on her shoulders, calming her down again. “Nothing will happen to you here. I’ll be right back. I won’t go far, it’s too dark for that. Please don’t expect much.” Without further explanations he jumped off the tree and ran into the dark.

He could make out a few bushes in the distance and hoped they would have some berries or anything else to eat. He got lucky between the thorns were small fruits. Eagerly he picked them, forgetting about his surroundings.

Suddenly something hit his back with full force and he fell forward. Somewhat stunned he tried to get up again but got pressed down again.

“Stay where you are.” Cleo hissed. “They are looking for us and circling the area with jeeps. The tree is not safe, they are coming closer and closer. We have to get out of here.

Kito looked over his shoulder, seeing several headlights in the distance. He nodded silently and crawled with Cleo in the opposite direction.

Only when they thought they got far enough away they stood up and ran.

Kito had thought they made it far enough into the wild but it was clearly not the case. Panic spread through his body. He knew should they catch him he would be killed. Without looking back he increased his pace.

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