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deceitfuldevout · 1 year

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Easy Money (Part 2)

Dark!Robert Pronge (Mr. Freezy) x Heiress!Reader

Warning(s): +18, Non-Con, Kidnapping, Torture, Mind break, Loss of Virginity, Object insertion, Non-con filming.

Author's Note(s): This is one of the lewdest pieces I’ve ever written iml and I apologize my followers for seeing this side of me. It’s just over all Robert being an awful human being.

What exactly went on in the warehouse three years ago. Robert follows the instructions given to him perfectly. But in the end, it still came crashing down. He finds himself stuck and it's beginning to annoy him.

Robert sits in a movie theater. His eyes are glued to the screen. Where two adult actors are currently in the middle of a heated performance. He pumps his shaft to their rhythm. Suddenly someone decides to sit right next to him. A new client. Some greasy geezer. He made small talk of how he was laid off for fondling a fellow employee’s ass. Only to find out that it was actually his new boss. He hands him an envelope stuffed with cash and a photo of the woman. She would be his next target.

A young, pretty thing. Robert couldn’t blame the guy. From what he’d seen in the pictures provided she really did have a fine set on her. But boy, was this guy a huge pervert. His employer had sent him a list of sick demands. An array of porno magazines were provided to give an idea of what he specifically wanted, with everything provided for of course. Pronge is careful to count the bills. From just the amount paid Robert could tell the guy must’ve really hated her. 10k per hour was too good to be true.

Originally posted by euphoricdaydreaming

It was humorous really. These kinds of hits were always made by the quiet ones too scared to do it themselves. All because their fragile ego had been shattered. He couldn’t give less of a shit. At least his pockets would be full for the next few months. After memorizing his soon-to-be target’s route Robert had purchased a tasteless sedative from a dealer who worked with the Italian mob. He would pick her up not too far from the bus stop she’d wait at. Located nearby his ‘shop’.

Robert decides to use the abandoned warehouse not too far as the place he’d bring her to. Renovating it shouldn’t be a problem. Every few days he would stop by his new workplace, slowly setting up a studio. It took a while to secure the area. One of the things he hates the most is when his plans are sabotaged. No risks. No mistakes. That’s how he likes it.

Originally posted by beautiful-nature-gifs

He notices how the woman would always take the bus to and from work. Just before rush hour. It made things easier. Less people around. A perfect time to spring into action. He drove steadily her way until his van was perched at the curb in front of her stop. He looks up to find her waiting patiently with her hands in her lap. She was just waiting for him to grab her. To ruin her. Robert hollers for her attention, “Excuse me ma’am.”

The young woman looks up in curiosity. Almost in disbelief that he was actually talking to her. She tilts her head slightly then points to herself to make sure that it was her he was calling for. Robert smirks then nods, “Would you like to try a free sample? It’ll help with this heatwave going on,”

Originally posted by imissyourbattlecries

She hops off the bench and walks to the side of his truck, “You would really do that?” her reaction came off as surprised. Robert nods yet again. Her hands clasp together while her fingers intertwine, “That’s very kind of you sir!” she grins. She made it too easy, his little money maker. He asks the woman how her day had been. Not that it mattered to him. He retreats to the back of the truck and pulls out a Popsicle. It had been chilling all night in order to preserve the sedative mixed into it. It was pricey, but it also got the job done.

He made sure to wrap it up so that there would be no sign of tampering. He told her it was a new ‘signature flavor’ he was working on. Who knew she’d be so fucking gullible. He watches closely as her red stained lips part. Robert licks his lips when her tongue pokes out to swipe against the tip. He admires way her mouth wraps around the head. He was going to have fun breaking her in.

She lets out a moan, “Mmm ‘show good..” her eyes are closed in a blissful trance. It only takes her a matter of seconds before she begins to stumble. Her legs wobble momentarily before buckling. She lets out a long sigh, her muscles go lax as she drops the treat onto the ground. A long sigh escapes her lips. Her eyes roll back before suddenly fainting. Robert whistles when he steps outside his van. He drags her unconscious form to the back of his vehicle. He eyes the woman’s form one more time before closing the door and driving off.

Robert stops by his usual ally way pick up some stimulant pills from a local dealer. Said his name was Johnny. He’d sell them on the side of his gas station. Along with condoms and a case of beer. If Robert’s going to be fucking someone for hours, he might as well be prepared for it. But before he makes it out the door he hears the little runt calling for him, “Hey! Pronge! Any plans for tonight?”

Nosy little shit…

“Nah just uh..have a date.” he turns around. Johnny raises a brow at the small box before scanning it. He hums a tune, “You know..if you wanna go raw I’d be more than happy to sell you some morning after pills. He dangles the package in front of the older man, “I’ve had a few slip ups myself. Trust me after a long night those condoms are gonna give you a burn. In fact, I’ll sell them to you half off.”

At this point Pronge is beyond annoyed and slaps a wad of cash on the counter just to make him shut up. Johnny counts the cash and whistles, “Pleasure doing business with you sir..” he waves goodbye to the hit man. When the door chimes shut the snickers to himself. He popped a few holes in the condoms for his little scam trick. He buys the condoms, then sells them the pills for any slip-ups. Besides, business was business and he never liked the guy.

Pronge drives towards his workshop, where her fate would be sealed.

When they make it inside his victim is still in a state on unconsciousness. Sprawled on some old mattress he had found. On the side are an array of different toys. From vibrators, to dildos, butt plugs, nipple clamps, and a spreader bar were given if she weren’t compliant. He clicks the camera on, “Alright…” his hands move away from it, making sure that the device is still recording, “Showtime,” zooming in his camera in to capture the sleeping woman.

Her lips are slightly parted. Robert reaches for her. A hand brushes away hair from her face, revealing the identity of his victim. He watches her chest rise and fall slowly from the angle she had been laid out in. He could get a close look at the woman’s cleavage pressing against her expensive negligae. His gloved hand reaches in to wrap around the her neck. He gives it a light squeeze. Nothing happens.

Robert traces his touch lower and lower. Until it reaches the top of her blouse. His knuckles brush against her bare skin. He yanks at the expensive blouse, popping it open in the process. Her pencil skirt is pulled off in the matter of seconds. He makes sure to use duct tape when binding her wrists together. He lifts her head up to wrap a blindfold around her eyes.

Now only a matching lace set was in his way. He parts her legs and bunches up the front of her panties. He pulls the front to the side. Robert lets out an audible gasp. Her pussy was practically waiting for him to ruin. Neatly groomed and everything. Now that was his bonus. He lets go of the fabric. Letting it snap back. One of her lips still visible to tease the audience. He pulls down her bra to reveal her breasts. Her nubs harden from the summer breeze.

Robert is careful not to rip her panties in the process. His employer had a fetish for keeping them after. He drags her underwear over his face in an attempt to hide his identity. When Robert parts her legs he lets out an audible gasp. There it was, all for him.

Robert’s hand drags from her lower belly down to her mound. Two fingers slide up and down her slitbefore reaching up to play with her bud. Her reaction was almost immediate. Goosebumps began to form on her skin. Her brows furrow in confusion from the unwanted pleasure. Then all of a sudden the woman jolts awake and screams. He doesn’t give her enough time to register what’s going on.

He wraps a hand around her throat, “Fight back and I’ll fucking kill you.” he voice is deep, dripping with demand. Her eyes widen after noticing her panties missing. She whimpers, “Who are you? W-what do you want from me..?” the woman is visibly shaking. He taunts her, “It’s time you pay your dues sweetheart.”

“Nononono please I didn’t do anything wrong–please don’t!” her voice begins to crack, “Please mister don’t do this. Don’t kill me…p-please—ow!!” he yanks a fist full of her hair. She hears the sound of something unzipping. Something warm and wet rubs against her cheek. It smudged her makeup in the process. It’s tip was sticky. In that moment she realized just what it was,

“Oh my god! Gross!!! get it off of me!! GET IT OFF!!!”

Robert’s fingers dig into her locks. She yelps from the pain, giving him access to shove his length into her parted mouth. She squeals in disgust. He’s taken aback. It was as if she’d never done this before. He hushes her muffles cries, “That’s it…choke on it. Good slut..” his voice is sultry and dripping with desire. He continues to barge in until he reaches the hilt of his length. His pubes brush against her nose. He thrusts himself in and out of her channel. Enjoying the velvety feeling of her wet mouth.

When Robert finally pries himself free he struggles to catch his breath. Looks like the back ally pills worked well. Too fucking well for him to handle. He groans, “Open your mouth and stick out your tongue..” his hands comb back some fly away hairs. When she doesn’t comply he wraps a hand around her neck, “Or I could slit your goddamn throat and fuck the hole. Don’t test my patience.”

She sniffles before parting her lips once again. Robert lifts his member up. He rubs circles around his sack a few times to get him going. He settles it against her tongue that poked out. Enjoying the warm, wet sensation it had to offer, “Lick them,”

She starts off with a few kitten licks. Robert pulls her hair back again, “What the hell was that? You act like you’ve never sucked a dick before.”

“B-because I haven’t!” her voice cracks. He sighs, collecting his thoughts, “Lick them like a lollipop. Lap your tongue against it a few times.”

She pokes out her tongue again but this time flattens it against his testicles. His eyes roll back, “Oh fuck…just like that…” he palms his crotch, teasing the tip every now and then. Robert pumps his shaft while enjoying the feeling of her wet mouth against his sacks. He spills his load across her face. Robert chuckles at the sight of her covered in his spunk, “Shit…I think you just milked my balls dry…” He rasps. He lets her go for a while. She tries to wipe off the residue off with her shoulder blade. He chuckles at the failed attempt. She still had her pride intact. Well, not for long.

He shoves her to the ground easily with the back of his boot. She bounces on the mattress below. He’s set up the camera right behind him to avoid revealing his identity. He settles himself in between her legs and drags his pants halfway down. A little fan service for potential buyers. When he strokes his member above her folds her breath hitches. If he could barely fit in her mouth, who knows the damage it could do on her inhabited parts.

He’s heard dozens before beg for their life. It was funny really, now matter who they were or where they came from. At the end of the day they’d offer the same things. Money, Information, Drugs. But not her, “Look, I-I’m sorry…If I’ve ever done anything to upset you I–” oh how adorable. You were actually apologizing after what he had done. Robert pushes his thick tip, causing the woman to squeal, “W-wait!! Wait!!!“ her pleas were silenced by his lips crashing against her mouth.

Robert’s beard brushes against her wet face. He shoves his tongue deep into her mouth. While dong so he hovers his member over her entrance. He thrusts his full length in one shove, slamming his pelvis deep into her core. Not giving time for her to adjust. His hands grip her hips. She wails into his mouth as he violates her womanhood.

You realize quickly that having sex with this man was like getting pummeled by a bulldozer. Not fun. Not sexy. It isn’t long until Pronge spills another heavy load inside. He backs away to show off the damage done on camera.

Two of his thick gloved fingers separate her folds. A streak of crimson and cum drip out of her opening. She was quite the sight. His little damsel in distress. Her face is flushed with embarrassment. Her skin now dulled by the adrenaline rush. Tears soak her blindfold along with drops of mascara streaking down her cheeks, Her ruby lipstick is smudges across her chin while her lower lip quivers in fear.

As soon as he hears her sniffling it shoots straight to his dick. Oh fuck…he didn’t know just how bad he has it. Robert made sure that he’d ruin her in any way possible. Besides, it was in the job description. “How does it feel hm?” he holds her chin and rubs his thumb against her bottom lip, “To be fucked by a grimy, good-for-nothing bastard. A prim and proper broad must feel pretty filthy being used like this,” he huffs.

“You disgust me…” She turns head to the side. He chuckles, “It’s fine if you don’t wanna face me.” Robert flips her over. He coils her hair in a makeshift ponytail. He sinks himself back in. His pelvis slaps hard against her ass. He groans out from the pleasurable feeling. He almost loses control right then and there from grip she had on him. He starts to pound her from behind. Every now and then he’d deliver a harsh slap or squeeze on her rear for the audience. Mainly because he just loved the way it bounced back. He roughly fucks her into the floor during the next three rounds.

His dick was on fire. Holy shit… he hisses from how sensitive his member became. These pills were strong–way too fucking strong for him to handle. Which was strange for someone his height and weight category. He should’ve absorbed them with no problems.

Robert has to take a break in between. He was sure his dick would fall of if he hadn’t. He holds a wand lazily to her clit. She chokes out a sob when another orgasm hits her. Her stomach flexes from how strong the rush was. A stream gushes out of her folds. His gloves are soaked. He presses it harder on her sensitive bud. Her wails echo throughout the abandoned building. Listening to her screams only urges him to shove his cock back in.

A few hours have passed. Robert has her on her back. Her pussy is faced towards the camera. He lazily ruts into her mouth. A finger traces the bulge in her throat where his cock dwells. He flicks it, causing her to gag. He’s still horny but all out of ideas. He tugs his mask to the side and takes a few swigs from his beer. That’s when an idea hits him. Robert pulls his length from her throat.

She’s a coughing mess. Her lips are swollen from sucking his manhood more times that she could remember. He pulls another beer bottle from the case. By now it had been room temperature. He pops off the cap with a pocket knife then holds the pad of his thumb against the rim.

He scoops her up with one arm. Her bottom half is too sore to kick him away. Robert manhandles her until she’s upside down. Each leg is hoisted over his broad shoulders. He takes a quick sip of his drink before flipping it over. He pushes the tip against her folds, letting it slide into her entrance. He chuckles when she begins to twist and turn in shock. Robert has a solid grip around her waist as he began pumping the bottle in and out vigorously. She wines in discomfort. Sweet liquid starts to drip from her cunt. Gliding from her folds, to her belly, down her breasts, all the way to her neck and face. Her hair is already sticky from all kinds of fluids.

His minx now reeked of sex. Of him. Robert licks his lips from the lewd display. He loves it, “My, my. What a messy little pussy you’ve got there.” he grazes his fingers against her drenched folds. He coasts his hand in the sticky wetness and smears it across her face. Her carefully applied lipstick was now streaks of crimson along her jaw. He tugs his bottle free from her opening with a lewd ‘pop’ sound. He lifts her panties over his mouth. His tongue dives into her slot. His palm presses against her lower belly. Liquid easily seeps out of her opening. He drinks it up, humming in delight when finished. He licks his lips. Eager about what he has in mind.

It isn’t a minute later when he starts to fuck her again. Her legs are wrapped around his hips as he grinds into her. A hand reaches in between them to pinch and pull at her sensitive bud. She screams through the gag from the how sensitive her bundle of nerves became. Her head shakes vigorously. A muffled “No!” escapes her lips as she’s forced into yet another unwanted orgasm. He doesn’t stop there. It was the sixth round that had his hostage sobbing.

Her legs were shaking, her back was arches, her eyes roll into her skull. She could feel him an empty his load yet again, shamelessly groaning into her ear “Oh fuck..” he breathes out harsh enough to blow the side of her damp hair. Every time he wasn’t fucking her cunt he would fuck himself to climax in another hole. He made sure to make her his dirty girl in every position he could think of.

Robert takes another break. He browses through erotica magazines for anything they haven’t tried by now. He can’t seem to focus with her sobbing interrupting his thought process. For someone with such a high ego, she sure cried a lot. But that’s what he liked about her. Hearing her scream through the gag for him to stop. It only encourages him to continue pumping himself through her abused holes. His eyes roll back at the feeling of her walls clenching him milking him dry.

“One more..just one more…” he urges. Her back was flush against his chest. His member slides in effortlessly for a final round. Her womb is filled to the brim with his seed. It swells from the overflow. He spits on the palm of his hand then slaps it against her bruised bud. She shrieks again for him. That’s all she can do. Her body violently shakes then gives out. She was spent. Too tired to fight back. He takes off her blindfold and gag before having her face the camera, “Now, what do you say?”

Th-Thank you…thank you f-for fucking me…” It’s hoarse but still audible. His work was almost done. Almost. He just needed a good smoke after all that. He turns around for a brief moment to turn off the camera.

He shoves a pill into your mouth. thumb gripping your chin as he commanded, ‘Open.” before spitting inside. He pinches your nose shut. Making sure you would swallow. He can’t risk having any bastards walking around. As soon as that’s done he’ll smother you with chloroform.

He retrieves a bottle of chloroform and dabs on a handkerchief. Robert faces his victim. She doesn’t run away. Doesn’t flinch when the sounds of his footsteps approach. Her mind is too broken to even take notice of her surroundings.

He had finally broken her. Robert puffs out a cloud of smoke and all she could do about it was cough. He holds the back of her head to still her shaking. He presses a firm hand to smother her breathing. It’s a few seconds until she’s out cold again. Now he just needed to clean up and collect the rest of his earnings.

He washes her from head to toe. Rinsing and scrubbing away any evidence. He separates her folds with his fingers first before prodding her with a metal speculum. Where it holds her insides in place. Now he just had to let gravity take over. Robert watches as his load drips out effortlessly. Robert swipes away any proof of him ever being there. As soon as he’s finished dressing her in newer clothes he couldn’t help but grin at the sight before him.

She looked as if she were in a deep sleep. He kisses her temple then pauses. He can’t explain why he just did that. Instead he decides to brush it off. It’s not like they’d ever see each other again. Robert drives them towards a location he hasn’t used yet. He makes sure to place her in an area where someone would find her, then drives off.

Originally posted by futuretage

You woke up on a hospital bed. A nurse is by your side. When he asks what happened all you could do was scream. You thrash around. Legs kicking wildly. That’s when they decide to call the police. When you told them what had happened they had you tested. You spent weeks cooped up in your apartment missing work, hoping that they’d find out who the culprit was. It’s the Sheriff who arrives at your place to give you the news. He has a hand placed on his chest as he told you the results. Your heart sinks. In his own words, “There wasn’t enough evidence.” the only form of proof were the bruises left behind. Whoever this guy is, is smart. Sick in the head, but smart.

Robert spent the next few weeks reminiscing in his own thoughts. It had been like this everyday. This itch that he just could never scratch away. He knew it was just a job. But he just couldn’t help it. Something about the sex had him wanting more. He visits Johnny’s block again for more pills. But the narc was no where in sight. Turns out old Johnny had been selling fake drugs and had gotten himself shot. At that moment Robert knew, he had it bad. Now he finds himself in a phone booth frantically punching numbers in.

He needed another taste. Just one more. That’s all he needed, right? A good shag would get rid of his itch. There was only thing on his mind the entire month after the night spent with her. When the man on the other line picks up Robert tries to keep his cool, “I’m available for more work, come and find me.” the message was sent, and now he waits.

#dark!fic #dark!fanfic #dark!fanfiction #dark!smut #dark fic #dark fanfic #dark fanfiction #dark smut #easy money fanfiction #the iceman #robert pronge x reader #mr. freezy x reader #my works #my work

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kawaiidoodles95-blog · 4 months

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The Stranger Stampy Circus: Chapter 6

The sixth chapter of a long series I am making!

NOTICE: This is 11+! Throughout this story, there will be light mentions of blood, death, war, darker humor, and violence. While nothing here is explicit, if this bothers you in any way, keep on moving. Trust me. I won't be mad.

AN: I am making this not only on here but on google docs. This is a crossover between Stranger Things, Stampy's Lovely World, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Wonka. Each chapter will have a name of one of the characters (or main POV's I refer to them as,) and whoever's name is on the chapter title is the person narrating the chapter.

Anyways, enjoy TSSC!

Chapter 6: Vecna

After dinner, everyone went to bed… except for me. How could someone die such a horrible death? I mean, I have experienced some horrific deaths, but how did that specifically happen? I know it’s video game logic, however, this is different. The person is actually dead.

“Hello?”

“I mean, what if I got stuck there? Good god, I am horrified just THINKING about it!” I cried in my mind

“Erm, sir..?”

“What if one of my citizens got stuck there, and we didn’t know?! I can’t sleep!” I kept thinking.

“SIR!”

I snapped out of my thoughts, and frantically looked around. “WHO THE HECK SAID THAT?” I screamed, grabbing a knife from the table and standing up. I kept looking around, but couldn’t see who it was. I finally looked down, and there it was. A small orange man with green hair stood in front of me. “Who the fudge are you?” I frowned. “I am Lofty, and I need your help,” The small man said. “Man, your voice is much lower than I expected…” I muttered. “Anyways, what do you need?” He gave me this look that said he meant no funny business. “So you know that portal room you have?”

-+*~*+-

“So which portal do you need?” I asked. “Type in the word ‘Wonka.’ Don’t ask questions about the name, got it?” Lofty asked. “Alright,” I shrugged. I typed in the word, and a brown portal opened. It looked like chocolate swirls. I, though, couldn’t savor the look for long, because I just got sucked in.

Just like what I have heard the other’s experiences were, I woke up shortly after.

My face felt fuzzy, so I just touched it. “OH WOW, I BECAME MY HUMAN FORM AGAIN!” I grinned. I leaped onto my feet as I also realized I was now wearing 1800’s clothes. “I feel so victorian! I am a Victorian boy!” I screamed to the heavens while bouncing around like an idiot. “AHEM. We don’t have much time to waste, my good sir. He could die,” Lofty interrupted. “OH. OK,” I said. Scrambling back onto my feet, I caught up to him on the rescue mission

“So who are we saving anyway?” I asked, walking into the chocolate chapel or whatever the heck Lofty called it. “We are saving a boy named Willy,” he responded. He proceeded to grab a rock off the ground. “What will you be using that for? You’re gonna be breaking some stuff, aren’t you,” I sighed. “Yep. I will be breaking some skulls just in case,” he said, picking up more rocks. I just glared at him.

After he was done picking up rocks for what felt like 3 minutes, he looked at me. “You break into the downstairs and deactivate the chocolate mechanism,” he instructed. “Look, why don’t I just use a rock to break that glass right there?” I asked. Lofty looked past me, and shrugged. “Sure, but that’s the easy route. Why not a challenge?” I ripped a rock out of his hand, and pummeled it into the glass. “Hopefully that didn’t kill anyone,” I smiled. Suddenly, I saw a hand stick out of the broken glass dome. I ran over to see what it was.

I helped the boy out of the tank. He looked to be at MOST four years younger than me. He had fuzzy brown hair, light brown eyes, a baggy ripped blue shirt, and some tan pants. “H-hi…” he murmured. I quickly grabbed him because he looked like he was going to faint. He was covered in chocolate, which I struggled not to lick off, because that would just be really weird and uncomfortable. So I sadly didn’t. “Thanks… I am Willy.” He smiled slightly at me, and I smiled back a bit. “Come on, let’s get you home,” I said.

#willy wonka #wonka 2023 #wonka #vecna/henry/one #henry creel #001 #stranger things #the stranger stampy circus #vecna x wonka #wokna #dark fanfiction #fanfiction #crossover #crossover fic

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razorblade180 · 2 years

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Random thought: I think Adam made a good foil for Blake, even if they didn't always show it. We need to remember that Blake agreed with the violent direction that White Fang was taking at the start. It was why she called her parents cowards. Blake and Adam had similar ideals, but the difference, in my opinion, is that Blake saw the line. She saw that more innocent people where going to get hurt or killed, and realized that getting equality for Faunus was not worth crossing that line. Adam, on the other hand, didn't see that line since by that point he was to angry to. It even shows that, by his end, he didn't care about getting equality, he just wanted revenge against anyone who wronged him in his eyes. Blake could have gone down that route of violence . It is so easy to justify what the White Fang was doing because 'it's helping humans give equality to Faunus' but the more you use that justification, the easier it is to justify more extreme acts of violence. Thankfully, Blake saw that line, realized how far gone Adam and a lot of the White Fang where, and bailed. Sorry for the long ask. It's just something I thought of, and I don't see a lot of people talk about this.

I don’t think this counts as an ask considering you didn’t ask me a question but you took the time to write this so I might as well bring out the soapbox because I don’t know the next time I’ll be able to talk about this.

I respect your opinion, but I disagree. Personally I think one of the worst things about RWBY is the fact Blake and Adam could’ve been great foils but RT dropped the ball along with the White Fang arc in general.

Adam stopped being a good foil the moment they leaned into him being a crazed ex who doesn’t care about killing his own kind. Wanting humans dead and even oppressed for sake of faunus is what would’ve him a good foil along with highlighting an aspect of Blake nobody or the show ever dives into despite the irony of it.

As far as Faunus go, Blake is privileged; essentially the 1% in a way. Morally speaking, Blake is just in her way of thinking about taking the high road, but no one ever possesses the question, “Would you believe that if you had nothing left to lose?”

She wants to lead her people, but is easily the most disconnected from their struggle. Blake chose to fight, but the argument can easily be made people like Ilia and Adam didn’t choose. The world killed their family, used them for labor, and abused them. It raises so many introspective questions for her journey.

Does one have a right to lead people through a hell they don’t truly know, or is it because they’re unburdened by such tragedies on a personal level that makes them shining light to follow down a better path? How strong are Blake’s ideals truly? Are they held by naïveté or actual will? Adam could pose all these questions to her and there’s a variety of answers from a narrative standpoint.

Blake doesn’t know loss or pain like Adam does, but faunus inequality did take from her. She lost him. The hate took her mentor and their fundamental ideals on what is justice for their people now force them to clash because neither refuse to idly stand by and let injustice happen.

Another way to tackle it is to actually test Blake’s resolve by giving her similar pain. Could she hold on to her ideals of peace craving if humans, or even Adam actually killed her parents? If Blake became wrathful and only wanted to kill their murder then what reason did Adam or anyone have to believe in her? Conversely, if she took down her parents’ killer but spared their life then it’s a spit in the face of Adam and all who believe they have no choice or shouldn’t take the high road. If Blake could show compassion inspite of the pain, then it’s possible for other Faunus.

It’s things like that for me that would show a good foil between characters and actual shades of gray instead of the black and white we get in the show; even though the characters themselves try convincing how situations aren’t so cookie cutter. Unfortunately we don’t get the kind of nuisance. RT took a story arc that was supposed be about racial inequality and the answer to dealing with the hate made by it, then turned into a story mainly focused about overcoming your toxic/abusive partner while your new partner deals with the ptsd the ex gave them.

I can’t call Blake and Adam good foils to each other because frankly It’s clear they’re never actually thinking about their shared end goal of helping their people. They much rather talk about who left who and they were never the person they believed they were.

Hops off soapbox

#rwby #blake belladonna #adam taurus #rwby talk #ask me stuff

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itfitsitshipsart · 11 months

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Anti-Hero and Bejeweled(my two favs from the Midnights album <3 ) for the F/O(s) of your choice. :)

Alright! More Reiji ranting! ^3^

Anti-Hero: Is your F/O more of a hero or an anti-hero (or a villain) Do you or your F/O ever experience feelings of inferiority or have moments of weakness and how do each of you handle them?

Well, both, really. Before I go more into my personal story with him, if one looks at his character, he is definitely the hero... if you pick his route in the games. Otherwise, he ranges from being an obstacle for MC and the other guy to get past... or he ends up so far gone that he tries and/or succeeds in murdering the other guy or MC. Let's just say... his mental state is fragile thanks to his past.

Now, even in his story with my S/I, he isn't 100% the good guy depending on how you look at it. Mainly because of how he tries to kill his brother, the one my S/I is engaged to, and then later stages a coup to become king, though the coup thing even Shu (said elder brother, who was in line to be the next king) was cool with. And he has in his childhood the fact that he burned down an entire village once and murdered his mother.

Now, second part of the question! ...Reiji definitely deals with an inferiority complex thanks to his mother's treatment of him and Shu. His actions being ignored and hard work being praised no further then told he will be able to serve his brother, future king, well, and Shu being given all the attention, it's easy to see how he could develop such a complex. He tried to act like he was far superior to everyone, Shu included, but internally, he usually didn't feel it. He also felt he couldn't connect with others well, couldn't understand them at times, and why they do what they do.

Meanwhile, my S/I felt quite... bland and not unique. She didn't feel inferior per say, but she felt like she didn't belong in such a place, and to be chosen for such a path. And she felt alienated, an average human now amongst vampires and other demons.

Reiji and I helped one another though, the very act of choosing Reiji over his brother, despite being pushed in that direction, and the constant being there for each other. Two lonely souls found each other.

Bejeweled: What are the shiniest, brightest parts of you and your F/O and your personalities?

Okay, this autistic coded vampire has his hyperfixations, and it's so wonderful to see him so passionate. Like, will I remember all the things he tells me about this new teacup? Or every property of this new poison he developed? No, but I'll try, and I want him to tell me more. Literally, when he is in his element, it is the best. Another great thing is how, even though he tries to be callous and cold... he can't. He hates to admit it, but he cares about his brothers (yes, he tries to kill one, but he gets over those urges and even cares about that one). And seeing the little things he does for them just because is sweet.

As for me, Reiji would say the best part about me is my gentle kindness and general optimism (even though that optimism wavers often). My character is deep into the 'I can fix him' story, and it works for her.

#aparently this is what happens when i dont talk about a character much that ive loved for years #i could also write a whole essay om why this vampire is a broken mess #but that is for another day #answered asks #answered ask #teacup lover 💙#self ship

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jedi-kat-18 · 1 year

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Circuits & Sinew: Newt, Shao, and their Relationship

A while ago, I asked @christian-latte-anon what Newt and Shao’s relationship would be like without the Precursors. She asked a bunch of interesting questions in this post, and I didn’t think I could put all my answers in a reblog, so I’m putting them in here. Also, I just rewatched Uprising, and I have Many Thoughts. 1: What character traits of Newts’ are important? For this fic, I want to focus on Newt’s positive traits. His bravery, his intelligence, his honesty. I want to highlight the traits that make him one of the good guys, even if he’s lacking in empathy and social skills. He’s had time to grow since the first movie and become a slightly better person. 2: What character traits of Shaos’ are important? I want to focus on her idealism. I think that for all her flaws, she genuinely wants to help the world, and believes that technology is the best way to do that. One of the big changes in this verse is that Shao Industries isn’t a weapons manufacturer. Instead, it’s a company focused on biotechnology and civilian uses for Jaeger tech. Their most popular products are prosthetics limbs, and they’re looking into creating artificial organs. 3: Do their character traits cause conflict or make it easy to work together? Depends. They both admire each others’ intelligence and work ethic, and both of them want to help humanity, but nearly everything else about the other they find frustrating. Newt hates how strict and controlling Shao can be, and she hates how disrespectful and plain annoying he gets. She also hates his fashion sense, music taste, and “unprofessional” attitude. They can work together, and when they do can make some pretty impressive stuff, but they don’t get along very well outside of work. 4: What do they want? Do their goals align, who is manipulating who, who is getting the “better deal”, and who’s coming out on top? Shao offered Newt a job at her company because she thought he’d be a useful asset to her company. Another thing about her in this fic; as much as she hates it when people defy her authority, she despises mindless yes-men who uncritically agree with her on everything and never point out potential problems. Naturally, Newt is the complete opposite of that. And on his end, he felt kinda lost after the Kaiju War. The monsters he spent about a third of his life studying are gone, and he needed to do something with his life, or he’d probably go insane from boredom. Their goals are basically the same, they want to use their intelligence and tech skills to help humanity, they just differ on how exactly to do that. Shao wants to create a peaceful, orderly world free from most of the current ones’ problems. Newt is more libertarian 5: How close to Uprising!Newt is C&S!Newt? Not that close. The biggest similarities are that he’s working at Shao Industries, and how he dresses. Even then, there’s a bunch of differences. Mainly a much lighter color scheme, and he’s far more loose and relaxed (at first). A lot of the time when he comes into work, he’ll roll up his sleeves and drape his jacket over his shoulders like it’s a cape. Shao hates this. Also there’s the noticeable lack of genocidal alien overlords in his head. So far. 6: Where do you want to bring Newt as a character, and where do you want to bring Shao as a character, and will they stop each other from getting there or push each other closer to that? Most likely, closer to who he is in Uprising. I love the “Precursor possession” plotline in that movie, there’s so much to play around with. I’m still not sure if I want to go the Evil!Newt route, where he gets gradually taken over and turned into a villain, or the route where he remains a good guy, even if it means constantly struggling against the monsters in his head. I think Liwens’ arc was interesting, but rushed. I love the idea of this cold, ruthless woman gradually revealing that she has a soft side and becoming a better person, and contrasting that with Newts’ descent into darkness sounds fantastic. 7: Where are the points of conflict, and where are the points of peace? As much as they disagree, I think Newt and Shao do actually respect each other. Newt resents how controlling she can be, but he sees how dedicated she is, how she’s willing to get her hands dirty if it means a project will succeed. Shao dislikes how loud and reckless Newt is, and honestly finds spending time with him exhausting, but he gets results, isn’t afraid to point out problems in her plans, and often comes up with solutons to problems she wouldn’t have considered.

#circuits & sinew #liwen shao #my weird little man #sorry it took so long to answer these #i spent a lot of time thinking these over

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english100project · 2 years

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The Demand For Good Art Using Tech

In the wake of a global pandemic that forced us to go inside and stay on our devices (and still is, remember it’s still not “over”) the fantasies of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 are seemingly well on the horizon if we aren't already in the midst of them. Our parlor families stare at us comfortably from the gentle clutch of our hands, the government wishes to separate the citizen from action as much as possible, it's as though we’re already there. There’s one area that, as of late, the citizens are fighting back and fighting back very successfully. Part of the horror of Fahrenheit 451 was in the idea that corporations could profit off of not “offending” anyone. This dulled the world, and thus dulled the people. On first blush, when comparing this phenomenon from the book to our real world (the United States in particular) this can seem almost comparable. I thought the same. Every other car looks like the next manufacturer’s, clothing brands are spitting out the same dress, and a look at the last few blockbuster’s posters will give you the same poster in five different fonts. So it’s not unusual to be anxious; these could be the tell-tale signs of a society en route to the land of Bradbury. I agree, they very well could be. Simultaneously though, we have groups of people who are incredibly loud and incredibly angry speaking out against these faults in art through the very media Bradbury was scared of, technology. Technology in itself can be seen in a multitude of different lights, but in this specific scenario, technology is being used to fight corporate greed and to demand uniqueness and good art. The recent MET Gala was a prime example of this phenomenon. The theme of the gala was “gilded glamor”, which is 1870-1890 and has it’s own defining historical artifacts and canon from a multitude of different perspectives. Not to mention a quick google search of the topic could yield a ton of information. Instead of expanding on the theme, many celebrities showed up wearing a designer's newest garment because said designer paid them to do so. Sebastian Stan’s vibrant pink Valentino suit and HoYeon Jung’s lackluster Louis Vuitton dress were among a sea of looks that caught flack for not only ignoring the theme, but for also being obvious moves by the designers to cash in on the publicity of the MET Gala. The MET Gala has an ethos in being art for art's sake, and the recent descent through the last few years of it becoming a watered down capitalistic World's Fair has audiences upset. This upset at those who sacrificed art in the name of capitalism also celebrates those who took the time to care about the event at all. Those who tried (Lizzo, Blake Lively, Billie Eilish to name a few) were praised for their research and dedication to the history and theme of the event. Lizzo was even asked on the carpet what the inspiration for her look was, which she replied with a humorously exacerbated “Gilded glamor!”, like what else would it have been?

It seems that we are at a point in time where corporations are almost trying their hardest to achieve the economic landscape that Fahrenheit 451 was characterized by. The world of Fahrenheit 451 is every manufacturer's wet dream. Little attention is required to human need/taste, a blanket idea of what people want is all that is required, and everyone non-stop buying such a boring (and easy to produce) commodity. It's a capitalistic dream land. The great thing, and what has been slowing the progression to such a hellscape, is the rise of social media. Because of the rise in technology, and manufacturers and producers' intimate connection to the media as well (for you can't have a company without some part of it having a social media presence nowadays) people can vent their grievances with certain aspects of a product incredibly easily and directly. As well as be aware of unique and, in Fahrenheit 451’s world, “offensive” material. The platform also allows you to show support of it if you like it, as well as demand more of a similar flavor. A phenomenal example of that was the premier of the first season of HBO’s show Our Flag Means Death. A show that can be boiled down to “A historical rom com about two pirates.” An incredibly unique and incredibly offensive show (I mean this in the most endearing of ways possible) that gained a massive amount of support almost immediately upon being released. I for one had not seen one piece of publicity from the actual show or from HBO, but I did see it all over social media platforms and heard incredible opinions of the show from people who had watched it and loved it. The show itself is as stated before, incredibly fresh and unlike a majority of TV right now, and was probably considered a risk by it’s production network. The public ate it up though, and is awaiting the announcement for a season two. This show is not incredibly unique in this public reaction though. Many other “risky” or “offensive” shows have had similar reactions and have garnered success from their, at times niche, audiences. May it be We Are Lady Parts (a show about an all Muslim girl rock group hoping to get a proper gig), Derry Girls (about a group of Catholic teenagers growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles), or Reservation Dogs (a coming of age show set on a Native American reservation). These shows challenge the status quo of most mainstream media, but have found incredible success in spite of mainstream expectations. These shows are what Faber told Montag could have happened in their world, “The same infinite detail and awareness [of books] could be projected through the radios and televisors, but are not” (Bradbury 78) But they are for us! There are people still taking risks and still being “offensive”, and it is the most marginalized of people doing it as well. These aforementioned shows are written by and with people of color, women, queer people, and at times all three. It is because of their hard work and incredible skill in this media that the world still has color and has not devolved completely to the world of Fahrenheit 451. The television of Bradbury’s world was more akin to the parlor family nightmare he had dreamt than our television is, and it is ironically because of the technology he was so terrified of. In this instance, the tech is in the right hands and is being used to push our humanity forward, not restrict it. Audiences are not putting up with bad and dull art and are celebrating those taking risks in the name of good and complex art.

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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years

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RE8 Ladies + S/o with chronic pain HCs

Type/cause of chronic pain is kept ambiguous, but some of the hcs might seem geared towards migraines, since that's the main thing that I personally struggle with (and these are very definitely comfort hcs). Features Alcina, Bela, Cassandra, Daniela, Donna, Mother Miranda, and as a 'lil bonus Ava. Not particularly long, but the combined length of every character is enough to be put under a read-more (About 2,500 words in total).

Alcina:

It’s difficult for her to know that you are suffering, but be unable to deal directly with the source of the problem. Chasing off unwanted nuisances or hunting down threats to the castle was one thing, trying to solve complicated medical issues was another thing entirely. If only she could tear your condition asunder without tearing you asunder.

That being said, she’ll still support you endlessly, however she can. It doesn’t matter how expensive or hard-to-access possible treatments are. If there’s something you haven’t tried, and are interested in trying, she’ll find a way for you to get it.

The biggest, and arguably most helpful, thing that she does is set up a space for you within her office. She spends quite a lot of time there for her family’s business, but doesn’t want to leave you alone on bad days. So this was her idea of a nice compromise.

There’s a very comfortable sofa that folds out, a cabinet filled with the softest blankets, and several pillows of a few different sizes. Servants are instructed not to interrupt Alcina’s work without good reason, but she has a couple who ensure your snack cabinet is always well stocked.

If there are certain environmental factors to your condition, such as sensitivity to light and sound, she does her best to reduce their effects. Lights remain dimmed (or she’ll rely on candlelight), her music will be kept quiet enough to be soothing, and she’ll refrain from taking any calls while you are with her.

Bela:

To think that Daniela once tried to claim that Bela would “never need to know any of that (medical) stuff”! Sure, there haven’t been many people who have needed (and received) treatment from her, but that didn’t mean the skill was useless. Admittedly, she doesn’t know enough to replace one of your doctors, or try to create her own version of a cure, though no one really expected that much from her.

Still, she knows enough to help soothe your pain. Obviously there are different techniques for different kinds of pain, and she does research before trying anything specific. Bela’s also aware that you’ve been dealing with this for far longer than she has, meaning that you probably wouldn’t be pleased if she came in, acted like an expert, or assumed that you hadn’t really thought about the most popular remedies. So she’s tactful with how she approaches things, always checking if you’re familiar with a subject before she tries to explain anything.

Bela ends up surprising you with a lesser-known skill of hers: Massage. Studying anatomy has given her a decent idea of the body’s more sensitive spots, and the rest she’s figured out through her own, ahem, experiences. Regardless of where you’re in pain, your girlfriend can help reduce your suffering. Okay, well, if your pain is more internal than external, it’s a bit harder for her, but she can still help you relax.

One of her favorite things to do after giving you a massage is to just pull you in close for some cuddling. Preferably you’ll be in her lap, with her arms around your waist, her chin tucked on top of your shoulder. Then she’ll do her best to whisper you praises, reminding you how strong you are, and that she’s incredibly proud of you.

Cassandra:

She’s, uh, not great at this. At least not at first. Maybe she’ll never be more than good at it, though. But she’s definitely trying! And learning! By Jove, that’s something, right?

First things first, she’s always ready to try to distract you, primarily through kisses and gentle touches. Fingers softly trailing over your skin, lips tickling your neck, featherlight in all the right places… It’s not inherently sexual (though it can quickly go that route if you ask), just intimate. It’s harder for your brain to process pain when you’re also processing pleasure, so there is some science behind Cassandra’s methods, even if she herself isn’t entirely aware of that.

While she’s not great with words, there are certain things that she manages to articulate well enough. For one, she makes sure you know that you aren’t a burden. Taking care of you- no, helping you take care of yourself- is a labor of love, if a labor at all. More than that, she knows full well that you probably don’t like feeling pitied, or coddled. That, over time, being sick ends up being beyond frustrating. She never wants you to feel like your condition defines you, or like it puts any strain on your relationship.

That said, she’ll avoid telling her family any specifics unless you do first, and ensures that the staff know how to accommodate you (without telling them why, because it’s none of their fucking business, and she’s their boss, and for fuck’s sake it’s their job to do what she tells them. Maybe she gets a lil bit overzealous with it). At no point will she ever complain about helping you, or otherwise indicate that your needs are “troublesome”.

At the end of the day, the best comfort she brings you is her presence, simply being near you, endlessly loyal, tireless in her affections. Especially considering she gets clingier the worse your symptoms get.

Daniela:

Hope you enjoy cuddling. Seriously. There’s nothing Daniela loves more than curling up with you, and that goes double for bad pain days. Some adjustments will be made position-wise if you need, but she’ll still hold you as close as possible, for as long as you need. Although she might eventually fall asleep (because damn are you comfy), she’ll play with your hair or run her fingers along your scalp until she eventually dozes off.

If you want a little more from her than light snoring, or if she feels like going above and beyond, or honestly just if she’s thinking about how much she loves you (so all the effing time), she’ll do something she’s always loved in movies/books: Reading to you! She’ll pick special books that neither of you have read before, so you can experience them together on your sick(er) days. Which does, of course, mean that it might take months to finish even a single one. Surprisingly, Daniela won’t even briefly consider reading any without you. Even if the plot is really good.

But, uh, if you wanted her to read to you on a day where you aren’t bedridden? Hell yes, my friend, she’s absolutely down for that!

On days where she’s too busy to spend hours upon hours in bed with you, or days where her ADHD is just particularly bad, she tries her best to leave you with a “substitute”. AKA a massive fucking teddy bear, in a reddish brown color, with a green bowtie. Custom ordered (The Duke did not dare tease her for it). There’s a heart stitched onto the stuffed animal’s chest, which features your first initial alongside a D for Daniela.

Additionally, she has a blanket she only brings out for you, which she periodically sprays with her favorite perfume. That way you can hold it close when she’s not around, as if you were cuddling her. For her sake, though, don’t hold the teddy bear or blanket too tightly when she is around. Homegirl here will get jealous of inanimate objects, even ones that she gave you.

Donna:

“I think I have a tea for this…” Damn right she has a tea for this. Donna has a massive garden, with dozens if not hundreds of different plants, including a variety of herbs/spices. At least one of them has to be a little helpful for you. Whether it relieves pain, helps you nap off some of your misery, or just distracts you by tasting bloody-well delicious! Besides, few things make you feel quite as loved as holding a cup of freshly brewed tea in your hands, knowing your lover made it just for you. Like a hug in a mug, it is!

Similarly to Alcina, Donna will also try to create a comfortable space for you, but isn’t likely to put it downstairs with her workshop. Instead she’ll let you take over one of the larger guest rooms, customizing it to suit your specific needs. There will be some easy to care for plants for decoration (ones that won’t mind potentially missing out on natural sunlight), a couple relaxing paintings, and a shelf near the bed with things to help you pass the time, mainly books.

Furthermore, she’ll do her best to keep you company as often as possible. She’s naturally a fairly quiet person, so you won’t have to worry about sound if that’s something you’re sensitive to. While she prefers using a sewing machine, she’ll do things by hand while you’re in pain, just to reduce the chances of you getting irritated by the sound.

Speaking of potentially irritating sounds… by god can Angie be difficult to be around when you’re ill. Thankfully, Donna is perfectly understanding of this, and, as the only person Angie ever listens to, makes sure to give the doll a stern talking to about your health. To your immense surprise, it actually works. You’re not exactly sure what was said, but Angie certainly becomes a lot more compensating afterwards. She’ll keep her antics to herself, and usually even on another side of the house from where you rest, but only for as long as you’re tucked away in your room. As soon as you set foot outside, her restraints are metaphorically removed. All hell breaks loose (as is her universe-given right as the physical embodiment of both Chaos and Entropy).

Mother Miranda:

If the two of you weren’t lovers, there’s a decent chance you would completely misinterpret her actions. She might come off as irritated, like she has bigger concerns than your health, you fragile little human. After all, she is a goddess (well, practically). But the truth is that she’s aching inside every time you have a bad pain day, knowing that (for once) she cannot cure your ailment. Maybe if she had infinite subjects with the same condition as you…

But, at the end of the day, that’s the problem. There’s only one of you. One of her beloved, her little human darling, so dangerously fragile in comparison to the scale she works on. Even with all the time in the world, which she most certainly has, she cannot cure you without taking incredible risks. With your life at stake… It is a gamble she refuses to take. You are hers, and while she hates to see you suffer, the truth is that she’ll always be selfish enough to let you endure on your own.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t help, though, just that she doesn't do a full-out experiment on you. Instead, she keeps notes. She’ll track your activities, bedtimes/when you get up, dietary habits, when you have pain, what you do to treat said pain, how effective the treatments are, etc, etc. All of this can be very useful in establishing patterns (a skill she’s gotten very good at, in her many decades of being a scientist), which can in turn lead to less pain days.

(For example, many people with migraines find that certain foods seem to trigger a migraine, or at least increase the chances of getting one. Though admittedly they don’t always end up cutting the food out of their diet. I mean, come on, you want me to give up chocolate? You want me to drink normal milk, like an adult? Kidding, kidding, I don’t have any food triggers. Nor do I particularly enjoy chocolate milk, nor do I dislike it.)

Moving on! While her work seemingly takes precedence over your condition, Miranda is not heartless, and she does do some things to lend you more direct comfort. Specifically, she tries to work in the same room as you when she can, normally while making electronic copies of physical documents, or while looking over the details of a finished experiment. She’s not always one for cuddling, so she won’t often get in bed with you during the daytime. But at night? Yes, fine, she will wrap her arms around you, maybe one of her wings too if you like how soft they are.

Just don’t think that she secretly loves every second. It’s not like she’ll spend half an hour whispering about how sweet and adorable you are as soon as you fall asleep, or anything like that. It’s twenty minutes at the most.

Bonus!Avaskian Caldwell:

“Oh, fuckin’ mood!” Followed by a solid thirty seconds of pure regret. Seriously, though, Ava has spent xer entire life (starting at age 10) dealing with chronic migraines. For a while xe also dealt with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which meant lots of chest pain, but that (thankfully) faded as xe grew into an adult, as is fairly common with the condition. If anyone in Castle Dimitrescu understands unrelenting, unexplainable pain, it’s xer.

That being said… Ava never really managed xer chronic pain, at least not when xe was at xer worst. Xe had to drop out of school because of it. Hell, xe didn’t have a “real” job until xe was almost 23! Didn’t have a chance until things just calmed down for xer. So xe gets anxious whenever you talk about your health, worried that things are (or will at some point be) as bad for you as they were for xer. Other than that, though, you might initially think that xe doesn’t care, or didn’t understand the conversation.

Truth is, xe knows how absolutely fucking ANNOYING it can be to have to explain your health to every new person you meet (like the dozen different doctors you’ve met over the years, possibly every nurse who takes your pulse and thinks it’s a little bit high). So xe did a shit ton of research on your condition, in order to reduce how much you need to explain. Sure, xe will still have questions, and there are always aspects that only you can tell xer, but it’s a nice gesture.

As for helping you destress, xe’s pretty much a mix of Bela and Miranda. You’ll get plenty of massages (because Ava has learned from personal experience what sort of touches help with which sorts of pain), but also some scientific insight on any noticeable patterns. Lots of holding you close and telling you that you’re the coolest person in the world, and that Ava feels beyond lucky to have you.

#alcina dimitrescu x reader #bela dimitrescu x reader #cassandra dimitrescu x reader #daniela dimitrescu x reader #donna beneviento x reader #mother miranda x reader #oc x reader #avaskian caldwell #j has ocs #re8 village #resident evil: village #hcs

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iamthemain-character · 2 years

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Hi, is this where I can request something?

Can I request Bones interacting with a genderfluid s/o who changes pronouns every other day because they feel like it? He can be confused about it or have the ultimate plan idc. Just something funny and cute :)

Hello, this is the place! Omg I love love love Bones and this is such an adorable concept, thanks for submitting! i hope this litte blurb is okay :)

Always My Person

Leonard “Bones” McCoy x genderfluid! reader

He/him, She/her, They/them pronouns interchangeably used

TW: none

requested by @hr-nm-grnd-zr

Star Trek Masterlist

Bones was the first boyfriend Y/n had had since they had come out as genderfluid. While it was something that was widely accepted and normalized in some alien communities, some humans were still unaware or unsure of the genderfluid identity. Leo tried his best to be supportive, but Y/n was the first genderfluid perosn he had encountered, so he had a lot to learn. Throughout it all, Y/n was incredibly patient and understanding. Still, Bones hated not totally being knowledgeable.

Many days Leonard kicked himself when Y/n would dress masculine, and so he would use he/him pronouns, only to find out she was using she/her. The same happened vice versa. And then there were some days he thought the safe route would be to use They/Them, and while Y/n never got upset, Leo would hear someone else use different pronouns for Y/n and he would feel so bad. No matter how much he tried, Bones felt that he fell short of being a good boyfriend. For a long time, he tried to come up with a solution. He loved his SO very much, but he was tired of messing up. He also just wanted to be as supportive as possible, and he wanted Y/n to know how much he loved them. His thoughts were temporarily interrupted, however, when there was a medical convention at a Star Fleet center. He was still turning the issue over in his head when he arrived.

“Excuse me.”

Leonard turned and saw a feminine, green-skinned, humanoid looking at him. “Yes?”

“Could I have your name please? I need to check you in for the convention.”

“Oh uh, Dr. Leonard McCoy.”

For a moment the receptionist scrolled through their screen, finally coming to point and stopping. “Ah yes, Dr. McCoy, welcome. For convenience, please attach this badge to your uniform, parallel to the Star Fleet insignia.”

Bones took the small, brassy rectangle and looked at it before attaching it to him. It read:

Dr. Leonard McCoy

Head Medical Specialist- Starship Enterprise

He/Him

Looking around, Bones noticed everyone around him had a similar pin. The names, assignment, and pronouns of each person were clearly displayed, making it easy to introduce one another and prevent any confusion. Suddenly, Leonard felt inspiration strike, and he couldn’t wait to get back to the Enterprise.

———————————————————————

“Alright, just sit tight.”

Y/n blindly sat down, their eyes shut tight as instructed by their boyfriend. They heard him shuffle around and the rustle of paper, and they felt their anticipation creep up. When Bone’s had come back from his convention, he was very energetic, but he had quickly run off, claiming there was some paperwork he had to do. Leonard had them also mysteriously gone missing occasionally for the next couple days, pretending like nothing ever had happened when he returned.

“Okay, hold out your hands.”

Y/n did as told, and suddenly they felt a small box pressed into their palms. Opening their eyes, they saw it was just a simple brown box.

“Go on, open it.” Leo looked like he was going to burst any second, and he couldn’t contain the grin on his face.

“I know I’ve really botched it some days, and you’ve been so incredibly kind and patient. But i really wanted to give you something that would be useful but also-hopefully- stylish.”

After removing the lid, Y/n pulled out what was inside and held it in their palm. It was a set of gold [your favorite jewelry], and upon further inspection, each piece was engraved with different sets of pronouns.

“Leo, I love it them.”

“Really? Cause if you don’t it’s okay, I just-“

Y/n cut off their boyfriend with a quick kiss. “They’re perfect, just like you.” Carefully Y/n pulled out the one engraved he/him and put it on.

Bones looked impossibly happier, and leaned close into Y/n. “Well sir, if I’m just that perfect, may I have another kiss?”

And who could say no to that?

#star trek #leonard mccoy #leonard mccoy x reader #genderfluid #bones x reader #bones

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queer-adhd · 2 years

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I was sent to ask accounting question, so here I am.

How do I, a disabled person, where my disability makes it difficult for me to save money (thanks mania/s) save for a house? I'm doing well and making any payments I have on time, but I just...can't save money. It's a sticky problem, because while I want to join my boyfriend and be in the country, he doesn't have a house, nor does he have the plans or the money to do so, but he also refuses to live in a city.

Any advice at this point is appreciated, especially when all my parents say is "IDK, just save your money."

So! There are a few approaches which can help.

General saving help:

- track what you're spending. If you can, take that amount away from your money for the month/week. Even better, do it BEFORE you spend it, while you're making the decision. New ritual. Watching the number go down can help trigger an emotional response to which makes you not want to spend. (You can tell I was raised Catholic can't you. Guilt is useable if you're going to be having it anyway lol)

- use cash wherever you can. Get out a set amount instead of using a card wherever possible. Seeing the money as a physical thing can help with conceptualising the actual amount. Human brain is just BAD at really realising how big amounts of things are. Seeing half of your physical cash for the month gone before the month is halfway done rings more of an alarm bell.

- chunk the amounts you spend. I used to think about my money in terms of like. How much a takeout costs. How much my groceries for a week were. Helped me decide whether something was worth it if I could compare it to like. A bag of groceries. Whatever works for you as a good comparison.

- or, of course, go the opposite route to the second option. Take out cash, store it somewhere physical. Don't touch it. That one's riskier though, for obvious reasons.

- Second bank account/savings account. You don't take the card for that one anywhere. It stays at home. Transfer stuff into that when you first get your money, don't touch it except in emergencies or until you're using it to save.

Mania specific stuff:

- Second bank account really helps this one ngl. Put that card somewhere you have to work to access. Make it Not Easy Access for manic you, raise that threshold so you have time to get bored/frustrated/think it through.

- Same thing for the cash option. Tupperware box in the attic inside another Tupperware. Hell, bury it in a flower pot. The key is to make spending money as annoying as possible for you when you're manic lol.

- I do know one person with bipolar who had an app that only let her withdraw a certain amount of money within a month. I would suggest researching that well beforehand though. Giving a third party access to your account / letting it hold your money is something I'd want to be sure about first.

Anyway I hope at least something here is somewhat helpful 😅

#long post #financial advice

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laceymorganwrites · 3 years

Text

One of us

Word count: 1,979

Pairing: none

Warnings: swearing, mentions of abuse

Summary: Illumi tries to rebel, leading right to you and the troupe. His shackles break, he tastes freedom for the first time.

It was the most dangerous point this time of the year, the time when the troupe had to change their hideout.

You didn´t really have to but there have been incidents in the past that made you extra careful now, incidents that started the whole Zoldyck hatred in your group.

Well hatred would mean fear as well which wasn´t the case, they were more of a nuisance, a wasp that always came back to eat the cake even though you flicked it away so many times already.

Though you had to give it to them, they tried, always came back even though they knew they´d lose. Just like all the other times.

It was like a game of cat and mouse, hide and seek.

It would´ve been fun if it wasn´t so annoying.

You had to admit that it was kind of funny to see those old guys chase after you, with such a laughable ambition in their eyes. What were they even trying to achieve? Honestly, you were just trying to live your life and have some fun. As far as you were concerned you never interfered with anyone of them or their acquaintances if they had any.

Well, maybe they were just trying to stay relevant in the underground and took every job they could get even though they could never even hope to finish it.

Quite a sad fate but that was what you got when you just wouldn´t learn your lesson.

Being stubborn wasn´t always the key to being successful.

“Where are we going this time, captain?” you asked, peaking out your head from behind the boxes you were carrying.

“Oh! How about somewhere near a beach? I haven´t been on vacation in so long” Machi chimed in, a dreamy expression in her eyes.

“Wait actually, how about a vacation? I mean we don´t really have any jobs right now, why not take a day or two off?” you supported her statement.

Everyone seemed to agree with the idea but Chrollo was reluctant. “We should move somewhere safe first and make sure the Zoldycks are busy with something else. I´ll think about it then” he let you know.

After they killed one of you he became paranoid, even more than he already was.

And you couldn´t blame him.

Chrollo didn´t have it easy in the first place managing the spider, being able to stay hidden and without anyone bothering you.

“Alright. I´ll check the route” you said, making yourself useful and making sure nobody would follow you.

As you stepped out of the hideout and looked around everything was in the clear, you nodded at Phinks and Uvogin who were responsible for driving the trucks with all your belongings.

The two men helped carry the last boxes inside the trunks and then you all joined them in the cars.

Chrollo was on edge, you could tell, the way he stared outside the window so paranoid as if you´d get attacked the next second.

“We´re almost there, captain. I can´t sense anyone but us, it´s gonna be over soon” you tried to calm him down, he appreciated it, just nodding.

His jaw was still clenched, but that was just how he was, always looking out for others and disregarding himself in the process.

When you arrived it was a bit too quiet for your liking, the others were careful too.

“I´m going to check it out, you guys can start unpacking already” you said and walked around the property. This time you chose an abandoned hotel, the furniture was still in tact and Shalnark could work very well in the security and control room.

You decided to work on the basement together, making a nice playroom for Feitan.

The building was big enough so that there was something for everyone, the location was very well hidden too, so maybe you could stay here longer this time. You´d like that.

Carefully and observant you looked around and walked everywhere around the property, nobody else was here besides you, but you could feel something. It made you uneasy. And yet it wasn´t a threatening aura.

That was it. An aura.

Anyone who´d come to attack you would conceal it, so why…. Why was this person here? And more importantly: where were they?

You frowned, being even more careful now and not making it as obvious that you were looking around. Hell, you even laid against a brick wall as to show how much you didn´t know what was going on. You let your guard down in hopes of them doing it too.

But Illumi was even more careful. This was the most important mission in his life, the mission to gain his parents´ approval and love, failure was not an option.

No matter what you do, don´t mess with the spiders. They´re not worth the effort and work. That´s what they always told him. And he had believed them his whole life, not even questioning it once.

But rather than doing exactly that and becoming aware of the fact that he was stronger than his parents thought he could ever be, in a way that wasn´t self destructive, in a way that wasn´t manipulative, he decided to make this rule something twisted.

Illumi knew what sort of punishment waited for him for breaking that rule, after all his family were the only ones who were still able to actually hurt him.

However he saw it as a chance, if he broke the rule and succeeded in killing them that would only show them what a great assassin they made of him, he wondered if his parents would finally be proud of him then.

“You don´t have any ill intent, how can I help you?” you faced him, still not seeing him but you could sense his nen well enough.

Illumi stayed hidden for a bit, how could you detect him? That messed up his plan quite the bit, but he didn´t have time to let it get to him.

He watched you from afar again, watching you just stand there unguarded. It was naive and stupid but so calculated, he rather felt like prey in a trap now, not the other way around. You made him uneasy and that excited him.

Maybe it wouldn´t hurt to play this game of catch with you, after all there was no hurt in having fun in his job, was there? Perhaps he was just playing with fire, you had challenged him for something he couldn´t calculate, for something he wasn´t ready for. It was exciting beyond belief.

“Ah, there you are~” you grinned when Illumi finally revealed himself.

“It´s not wise to be out here on your own, not calling anyone for help when you know someone´s here to harm you” he coldly stated, though it wasn´t really cold, it was just… distant, uncaring. There was no emotion behind it at all and yet all of them were. Maybe you were delusional but you could swear that you saw deep grief in his eyes, an even deeper hatred and regret.

Still, you didn´t know him, you doubted the others did as well.

“Yeah well it´s kind of obligatory to face danger in my work, so what brings you here? Something personal or just a job?” you couldn´t deny the fact that you were curious. After all it was pretty easy figuring out that he was an assassin as well. That only made things more interesting though.

“A bit of both” he answered truthfully. Again. No emotion in it at all. And somehow that just drew you in all the more.

“I see, well… hate to rain on your parade but we´re not really the types of people who get taken out easily. Or at all for that matter. But since you seem like a nice guy I´ll let you go before you make any stupid decisions” you offered him, Illumi was trained that nobody could ever trace his true intentions but all that training might as well be useless. Your intuition was better than that.

“I´m afraid I can´t do that. If I leave now everything will be over. I´ve come too far already to give up now” he let you know. Leaving for him would mean admitting to his parents that he broke their rule, he didn´t want to be punished like that ever again. He wanted to be free of them. Free for good this time.

But you were right, this was stupid to begin with. He knew how dangerous the spider was, he knew he wasn´t strong enough on his own. He sighed, the first sign of humanity he showed ever since he appeared. “I won´t kill you. But I can´t return either… this is inconvenient” he shook his head, thinking. Just what was he supposed to do now?

“Tell you what, why don´t you join us? You look like you have some tragic past, fits the job description” you grinned a bit.

Inviting him was a stupid idea, you knew that. But you felt sorry for him somehow. He clearly didn´t have a place where he belonged and to you that was just sad. Because you knew that everyone had a place to belong to, no matter how fucked up and broken they were.

“Pardon? I´m afraid that´s the worst idea I´ve ever heard” he said, appalled. Human emotion detected!

“Bad ideas make for good stories, what do you have to lose?” you grinned, curious about his answer.

Illumi had to chuckle at that. “Nothing anymore actually. I would´ve said my family but I never had one to begin with” his eyes were so empty when he said that, it made you sad.

Though they also held that sorrowful look in them, that realization that he could never have a normal family, that he could never be truly happy and he shouldn´t care, he knew he shouldn´t but … he couldn´t help it. It wasn´t his fault. It was engraved in him from childhood.

“Well now you do! Welcome to the spider” you smiled and practically dragged him along into the hideout with you.

To say the rest was shocked would be an understatement. Alarmed would be more fitting. After all you just brought their enemy into the hideout. However even they had to admit after a while that Illumi was anything but an enemy. Sure at first he was quite awkward and didn´t know how to act around everyone. But that was the thing, he didn´t have to act anymore.

For the first time in his life he could be himself, for the first time he had a chance to figure out who the hell that even was.

He fit right in into the troupe, they were all outcasts in their own way, each had their weird quirks about them and that was just what made them unique and special, that wasn´t a bad thing like he had been taught. After a while he even opened up enough to laugh and joke around with everyone. Though his way of laughing was just smiling ever so slightly that you wouldn´t even notice it if you didn´t look hard enough.

But you did. And the others did too. You cared about Illumi, he was one of you now, everyone would want to read him and they were patient enough to wait for him to open up, he was a great addition to your little makeshift family. And he was funny. Illumi had a dark humor but when you got it, it was the funniest thing you´ve ever heard. It even had Chrollo chuckling. And for him that was the highest of expressions and the biggest compliment.

And when Illumi´s former family attacked he fought on his real family´s side. He fought for himself, to keep this freedom, this inner peace, this adventure and excitement he´s never known before.

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imaginewarehouse · 3 years

Text

Marcus White x Jonah’sSister!Reader || Oneshot

Plot:

You find out that you are pregnant... with Marcus' miracle baby.

Warnings: Pregnancy, panic attack

🔆 🔆 🔆

Carefully, I pick out one of the pregnancy tests from the shelf. Then grab another... 2 more... and another. Just to be sure.

As I go up to the pharmacy desk, I thank god that Tate isn't working here anymore; I never would've gotten away with this. He would've snitched to Jonah or something, for his own sociopathic enjoyment. Instead, the new guy thankfully rings up and bags my items casually, not really caring what he flings into the white plastic bag- then hands it to me with a soulless customer service smile. If I had to describe it, I'd say its if the man had been working here for years before finally letting the job kill him on the inside- just in time for the wind to change and stick his face like that. Honestly, I never see the guy without this smile. Not even in the breakroom. Its unnerving.

Still, I take the bag and smile back even though I know he for sure doesn't really mean it and turn around so I can walk (The long way around the store, so I don't pass the doors to the warehouse) towards the employee bathrooms... but stop short, jolting into panic mode immediately. Freeze, freeze, freeze!

There's Isaac, standing as tall as a bear in my path behind the aisles, with a scanner in his hand and a surprised look on his face. Or at least as surprised as he would ever convey.

Clearly, though, he saw the tests. And I'm screwed. He is absolutely the well, second last person I wanted to catch me doing this; Buying these.

A nervous smile flickers onto my face and I walk the short ways over to him, hugging the bag to my front. He's still just staring; Mouth half open and eyes a little less dead, then usual. "Oh, hey Isaac! How's is going? You got sent to pharmacy today? That s-sucks... " Honestly I didn't think he was allowed to be assigned pharmacy...

Completely by-passing the option to forget what he just saw and exchange polite chit-chat with me, he instead closes his mouth and his eyes, shakes his head and then opens his eyes again. Then inhales. "Are those what I think those are?"

"Wh-what?"

"Pregnancy tes-"

Shit- Giving him a desperate expression, revealing my true feelings today - being complete and utter panic, - I cut him off. "SHHH! Isaac! No- uh. Yes. Um... Would you believe these aren't for me?"

"Mmm... " His face twists slightly into one of thought, tightening his lips together and sizing me up. "No, I don't think so."

"Well!- " I'm totally ready to make up an excuse... but peter out as soon I try. I could do it. I could string together some kind of half-believable bullshit like 'They're for Amy', but he would still go and tell Marcus and he would find me and... I would still have to have the conversation earlier then I want to. So instead I drop the façade, and my shoulders, and show just how tired I am. "I want to find out myself before breaking the news to Marcus. Okay? He might be unhappy about the idea and then we do the test and it turns out I'm not pregnant and then I just stressed us both out, for no reason! And, on the other hand, what if he wants it and it turns out I'm wrong about this? Please, Isaac, just don't tell him yet. Please, please." I feel like no matter how many pleases I use they may still not change anything. But I'm desperate.

He stands still for a few minutes... so long in fact I think he may be in shock himself, or having some kind of drug induced anxiety attack, and am about to wave my hand up in his face or say his name again, when he finally breathes a little more obviously and I relax back down to earth. "... Well, lets go find out then, right?"

"What- You- you want to come?" Something in me relaxes at the thought- I don't really want to do this alone. I want someone there, like in the movies, to hold the box and just read me the instructions. But I imagined it would be someone I'm actually close friends with, who can hold my hand and wouldn't care that it recently touched a pee-stick. I did not expect that person to be Isaac - Isaac, who likes to watch homeless people kill each other with shopping trollies and sticks and trash can shields like in a horrible, pitiful, modern-day coliseum, - in a million years.

But he nods.

"Yeah, sure." He puts his scanner on the shelf, and we set off the way I was going. He seems to silently understand why we have to go the long way around- to avoid passing the doors to the warehouse. Or he just doesn't care. Either way, I'm thankful he doesn't try to re-rout my course. Or even mention it. "Good excuse to slack off work... besides I should probably get out of this section, anyway. Hey, it is Marcus- right?"

I sigh- I suppose the companionable silence was too much to ask for. "Yes Isaac. If its a thing, in the first place."

"Yeah, right."

___TIME SKIP___

"You're having a miracle baby, you know? He's not supposed to be able to do that- isn't that kinda... good?"

I only whimper in response from |my new home| the cubicle I've been taking the tests in, holding my head. How am I going to do this? I have college, I have this job, I have my studio apartment to continue paying rent for! Marcus and I don't even... there isn't even... we haven't labelled it yet, and... Oh god, I'm shaking.

Isaac heaves a sigh outside, his chair creaking as he shifts. "Well, that's... three positives, so far." Isaac's memorable, slow drawl seeps through the cracks in my cubicle and takes away my thoughts for a moment. And my breath.

3 positives.

Not one, not two... three.

... Then he goes on, a whiny tone in his voice. "Do we really need to do another one?"

I breathe in deep. I don't know what else to do. The next logical step would be telling Marcus or Jonah, but I'm ready for neither of those. So procrastination through pregnancy test, it has to be. "Uh, yes. We do. Um... can you, please?- "

"Ughhh. Yeah, yeah. I'll get you more water. Stay here." Then Isaac, who has surprisingly been very helpful, even getting me tape so I can stick the finished tests up to the door in front of me so that I can compare them easier, disappears out of the women's bathroom, leaving me with my thoughts.

I peak back up at the tests, feeling panic fill up my chest cavity like its anxiety gas and my rib cage is the gas chamber- and my heart's the poor organ at deaths row. I'm... pregnant.

Oh my god. I'm pregnant. There is a human being growing inside me, right now. A human being who will require time that I definitely don't have, money that its parents certainly could not scavenge if we scavenged for used soda cans like Myrtle and sold them in our spare time, effort that I'm terrified might not even be in me at this point... A baby that needs some semblance of a comfortable, stable home, which I do not have for it.

I'm just burrowing my face into my arms and knees atop the toilet seat when the bathroom door opens again. Looking up, I immediately ask for Isaac- because that was really freaken quick, for him.

And get a familiar, confused sounding voice call back "... No, its Amy... Sorry, I just need to pee. Are you going to be long?".

"Oh!" Oops. Immediately, head going empty with panic, I unlock the door and and jump out to let her in. "No! I just finished. Um- go ahead. I'll just wash- wash my hands."

Now seeing each other, I see Amy's forehead crease and her eyebrows furrow in confusion and concern at my pink cheeked/pale faced appearance and the panicky way I'm talking. She reaches out toward me. "... Y/N, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I laugh, the most nervous sounding laugh ever. "Don't worry."

Amy's nose screws up. "... why were you waiting for Isaac?"

"We-we're just having an affair."

... what??

Her eyebrows furrow even deeper. "Okay... I'm just gonna go... pee... now... " She says slowly, gradually disappearing into the cubicle; Not quite sure what to say back to that.

I sigh in relief when her eyes aren't on me anymore and the door locks, thinking flushing some water onto my face might calm me down, when a loud GASP comes from Amy and I i m m e d i a t e l y remember the tests stuck to the wall. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!!

Amy comes right out of there, looking at me with completely new eyes now- understanding truly why I'm pale, I'm sure, and definitely why I was acting the way I was. "Y/N! You're... pregnant??!" I open my mouth to respond. Maybe say 'yes' seeing as that's the truth and the only proper answer, but I choke on my words and instead say, "Isaacs getting more water so I can take another test."

"I think 3 is a pretty conclusive number!"

"I-" She is not wrong, but I don't want to do anything else but take another easy test, and get defensive instead. "I bought four, I'm doing four!"

"Wh- Is Isaac the father!?"

"God, no." Isaac and I both spit back in offense.

I whip my head around when i realise he wasn't supposed to be there yet at all, and- there he is in the doorway.

... Jonah right behind him looking sicker then me. My jaw drops. "You brought Jonah??!"

"Uh, no, I was just waiting outside for, um," He gestures to Amy and my stomach drops. So he heard the whole thing. Could this get any worse??! Well I mean of course it could, Marcus could be here. Stupid question. Don't ask questions like that; It always summons the worst, in movies. "You're pregnant!? Who- you know what, unimportant right now. Do you wanna sit down??"

I shake my head, taking a deep breath and holding my hand out to Isaac. "No, I'm fine. I have a test to do. Water, Isaac?"

"Here." He hands me the bottle, and I go to disappear back into the cubicle before jumping back away again, remembering that Amy still needs to go and gesturing for her to go, ridiculously enough. She shakes her head and gestures back, like I'm crazy, to take it instead.

I do so and lock myself in, starting to chug the whole bottle.

A blessed silent moment passes... before Jonah speaks. "Is the 4th test really necessary?- "

"For the love of god- Let me take the fourth goddamn test for fucks sake!"

___TIME SKIP___

"... so what is it?" Amy asks 10 minutes later, breaking the deafening silence, as I sit back down on the toilet seat and hold my face in my hands again.

"... Positive... "

Isaac sighs. "Who would have guessed, really?"

No one tells him to shut up. He's right. But also no one agrees, because I'm a fucking 23 year old pregnant girl and I will kill them.

"So... what now?" Amy asks, speaking to the room, but expecting me to answer.

"Well, I'd like less people to be here, honestly." I pipe up, removing my hands from my mouth to speak clearer.

"Done. Isaac, Jonah, get out."

"What? I was here before you... lady." Isaac exclaims, offended, but a moment later I hear the door close, anyway. I assume it had something to do with Amy's signature resting bitch face- cranked up to eleven. "We'll just wait out here, then! Yell if you need us."

"Yep... " Amy responds to him, sounding exhausted and I can totally imagine her rolling her eyes right now. She takes a deep breath, and sighs it out. I hear her rest carefully down into the chair Isaac vacated. For a moment she thankfully says nothing, and I do wonder whether I should... but I don't know what to so say. So I just stay hidden in the cubicle, silent until Amy takes another deep breath and asks the question. "Who is it?"

I take a deep breath, knowing that once I say it I cant take it back, while on the other hand... its done, anyway. He's already the father and I cant change that (Would I if I could, though?) but telling Amy may either make or break my confidence in having him as the dad of my kid. Not that I have a choice... I just know that Amy's going to be worried about it and I don't know if I can handle the criticism right this moment.

Finally I spit it out though. Marcus.

...

"Oh- wow."

Uncomfortable, I shift on the closed toilet seat. "Yeah."

Her voice gets higher, clearly fake and trying to sound like this is better then she really feels it is. My heart plummets into my stomach like a terrible roller coaster. "Well, that's... " She pauses, searching for a safe word to use, assumedly. "Great!"

"... 'great?" For some reason that word, and Amy's tone... hits something wrong, in me. Panic flickers deep in my chest and my stare on the wall gets colder, harder. "... you think this is 'great'? Really? You? No, you don't. Do you hear yourself? 'Great'. Puh! This is Marcus. 'Been to jail' Marcus. 'Ex Con' Marcus. 'Creator and CEO of BOOB CHEESE', Marcus. Marcus who shits in the shower and thinks breastfeeding is akin to whipping your dick out in public, Marcus who has a tattoo of his mother on his back for Valentines day- "

Okay so maybe I'm just picking on him because I'm inadequate, because I don't have the time for a baby, because if I'm trusted with this perfect thing then I will ruin it... I'll pick work, instead of love, and they'll grow up with less of it then they should have and I'll be to blame...

But I don't want to address that yet. I cant.

"Y/N."

"Neither of us even have the money for this." I'm panicking again. "He lives with his mother! And- what if he gets mad... " I suddenly get worried, my eyes go round and I cover my mouth. "I really like him Amy. I cant have him mad at me. Not for this. Not him. Please don't let him hate m- "

"Y/N! Calm the fuck down, okay, right now. Don't speak. Just... take some deep breathes okay? First of all, Marcus is not going to be 'mad' at you. He's sure as hell is not going to hate you. You're spiralling, just take some long breaths." Amy makes it sound like a ridiculous idea with her tone, that he might be mad or he might hate me. I do as she says as she talks; take deeeeeep breaths. Slowly, I start to clam down. "He might be shocked, yeah, but he's- he's not like that. He's an idiot, not a total asshole. Take it from me, I know what I'm talking about here. I promise you. Whether he'll be good at being a parent, is... debatable." Everything she says makes sense. And she would know- you've met Adam. "But he'll be there, at the very least.

And... and you'll be a great mum, anyway."

I feel my heartbeat start to slow down again as I breath. I close my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and rest back against the wall, carefully.

I really hope she's right on that second part.

"... thank you."

___OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM___

Jonah rubs his neck in nervousness at his sister in the bathroom dealing with something like this, pacing around the small hallway area before turning to Isaac. He raises his dark eyebrows. "So, do you know... wh-who?? I mean... the guy, that- I mean, does he work here, or... ???"

"Its Marcus." Isaac pulls out a bag of trail mix from his vest pocket and starts picking through, standing by the bathroom calmly. The brother to whom he just broke such detrimental news - that his sister, has Marcus White of BOOB CHEESEs baby inside her, - widens his eyes until they're more like dinner plates. "Yeah, they've been talking for a while, man. You didn't know?"

"I- I just thought she wasn't interested in... guys... " All her time must be busy with balancing both school and work, plus her friends... how can she possible have had time to... But on the other hand, he realises that its a bit naïve to think that his younger sister still isn't interested in 'boys'. Part of it might have been wishful thinking.

Isaac barks out a laugh. Its a stale, dry sound that makes Jonah really uncomfortable. "She also went out with Tate. Had a bit of a thing for Sayid for a while, too... "

"What!?- "

"Jonah!" At Amy's exit from the bathroom, he calms down immediately and straightens up. She raises her brows at him. She nods into the bathroom. "She wants you."

Yep- it takes him about 2 seconds to fly into the bathroom... to find his sister still hidden in the cubicle. He sighs, pressing his hand against the door. "Y/N? Amy said you wanted me. Do you want me to get you something to eat? Its just, I'm the only one who knows your snack preferences... and maybe we shouldn't eat in here, cuz its kinda gross... but if you want to, that's cool too!"

She doesn't respond for a minute, silent apart from the careful peeling of tape from the cubicle door.

Then the peeling sounds stop. A moment later her voice, sounding small and tentative as if just saying this would open Pandora's box, slips out. "... how're mum and dad gonna react?"

Its a rhetorical question. They both know it'll be bad - and they'll like Marcus even less, - , but its said so he knows what she's worried about. He sighs and leans back on the door. "Well very, very badly. But that doesn't matter right now. I'll take care of them."

"How valiant." Her voice is still small, quiet. But she sounds less scared; She always believes her big brother. Even when she knows logically that he cant protect her from them. Not their parents.

"Well, I try."

"... hm."

___TIME SKIP, BACK OUTSIDE OF THE BATHROOM___

"She is not leaving that bathroom," Isaac shakes his head. Its been an hour, and they've all been in there with her a couple times but she has not left the cubicle. Not even peaked her head out. She hasn't even e a t e n anything while she's been in there. Its starting to worry them. "Maybe we should go get Marcus."

Immediately Jonah looks up from his phone - having been reading up on pregnancy. What is going to start happening to his sister, now?? - and shakes his head, firmly. "No, she'll tell him when she feels comfortable with it. We aren't doing that."

"Yeah, it isn't up to us." Amy agrees, while still looking like on a deep, unsympathetic level that is tired of standing here... she definitely wants to drag Marcus here. But she also knows that Jonah is, unfortunately, a n n o y i n g l y, right.

Isaac heaves a deep, frustrated huff and gets comfortable on the floor.

___TIME SKIP: 3 HOURS LATER___

Finally, Jonah breathes in a deep, exhausted breath and puts his phone away. That's enough of that. He's sufficiently disgusted. He looks down the hallway, out to the store. Then to Amy playing solitaire on her phone and Isaac drawing slowly on the ground. "... Well, I mean, it's Marcus's baby too, right? He should know... right?"

"Mhm,"

"Yep, that's right."

"And... besides, Y/N might need him, right? Maybe he could get her out."

"You make some good points."

"I just wish they weren't points we already mentioned." Amy looks up from her phone and turns it off, flashing an sarcastic, displeased kind of smile. "Earlier."

"Yeah well... " He rolls his shoulders, looking away from Amy's piercing gaze- god, her face is like a loaded gun with no safety. And he's totally into it. He coughs, then whispers. "So, who wants to go get him??"

"Not it."

"I would, but ah... nah. I'm down for the count, down here."

"So... me."

Amy nods, making a 'shoo'-ing gesture with her hand. "Yep, you, Jiminy Cricket. You made us stay here for hours- you go get Marcus."

Looking to Isaac for help, Jonah is just met with the deadest eye's he has ever come upon, so he eventually sighs deeply, wiping sweaty hands on his jeans. "Fff-fine. Wait here."

___IN THE WAREHOUSE___

"Uh, hello? Hi- have you seen Marcus anywhere? Wh- No? Well if you see him can you tell him I'm looking for him? Its about Y/N."

The warehouse worker with the nametag reading 'Nigel' that Jonah's never spoken to before in his life and who prior to his words, had the new deadest eyes that Jonah has ever seen, suddenly beams- a twinkle of evil mischief in his eyes. "Oooooh, cats outta the bag, huh?"

Jonah blinks. "What?"

"You found out about Marcus and your sister, and now you're gonna beat him up? I was waiting for this moment." Nigel clarifies, actively looking around the room for Marcus now as Jonah rushes to explain that no, that is not what he's here for. Please don't say that so loudly- "HEY RICO! You seen Marcus around?? Y/N's brother's here to deliver an ass beating." Half a second passes while Jonah's ears ring from Nigel's screeching before something new apparently occurs to the warehouse worker as his eyes widen and he turns again to who must be Rico. "And you owe me 20 bucks!! Told ya he'd come!"

How often is Y/N in this place? Just seems weird, these guy's saying her name so casually... Jonah's forehead crinkles in thought as Rico rolls his eyes and groans, walking off to assumedly find Marcus. I'm learning a lot about my sister, today... Not sure how I feel about it...

Jesus Christ, has she eaten the cheese, too??!

Jonah doesn't get a moment to panic about that particular bit of nightmare material before he realises Nigel is still standing, awkwardly now, arms straight at his sides and eyebrows raised expectantly, right by him. Watching him, instead of returning to his job. Jonah raises his own eyebrows back; Shrugging. Like, what?? What do you want?

Nigel just just shrugs and shakes his head back passive aggressively, crossing his arms. Like, he doesn't know. Fine, we'll just stand in silence, then...

"Jonah! What's up, buddy? Visiting me in the warehouse- this is so nice! Want me to take my break now, cuz we totally can. Just let me wrap one last thing up and then we'll be back in my car, together. Listening to tunes; Ya know. Guy buddy stuff." T h a n k f u l l y, Marcus seems to rush from wherever he was in the depths of shelf-land when Rico apparently found him and cuts off the awkward stand off between the two men, dropping a hand on Jonah's shoulder and beaming. "What up, man?"

Quick to turn away from Nigel and get to what his mission really is at the moment, Jonah graciously ignores the touchy greeting... despite the awkwardness on his end and the fact that Nigel is still there, watching. "Actually, I wanted to talk about, uh, Y/N."

Marcus' eyes immediately widen and his eyebrows raise, taking his hand off Jonah in favour of ringing his hands and stepping back nervously himself. "Oh, man... you found out, didn't you? Did she tell you? Cuz like, I know the bro code says its not cool to bone your friend's sister but- "

"Ah, ah, ah!" No, no, no, Jonah does not want to hear those words. No. "No, um. That's fine, whatever. Y/N's sexuality is her own. But- "

"Its a ruse, Marcus. He's here to kick your ass." Nigel insists, still very much there despite everything about this situation having nothing to do with him and instead just freaks Marcus out more as the warehouse head's eyes go even wider and he takes another step back- raising his hands in surrender.

"No, no! Nigel!- That's... no. I'm not here to kick anyone's ass! The asses here are all perfectly safe, I promise. Okay?" When Nigel's expression doesn't change a lick, Jonah gives up and just gestures off in a random direction. "Nigel, could you give us a minute, here?"

"What, so you can jump my boy here alone?"

"Alone?? Who's alone?" Jonah is getting increasingly irritated. "We're literally surrounded by other warehouse workers!! Ones who are actually doing their jobs, by the way. Maybe you should- "

Marcus finally intercepts and pats Nigel's shoulder, getting his attention from looking confrontationally at Jonah and smiles relatively softly at him. "Its okay, Nigel. If Jonah wants to kick me in my junk once- he's kinda entitled to it. Bro code and everything. Why don't you get back to work? I got this. Thanks, though." Nigel leaves, with that, but certainly not without giving Jonah one last greasy look over his shoulder and an 'Okay, Marcus. But call me, if... you know... '. Along with an extra evil squinty look at Jonah. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks bud. I know I can count on you." When Nigel is finally out of the picture, Jonah feels fatigued and just wants to get back to Y/N. At least its just him and Marcus now, though, so they should be doing that very soon. "So! What'd you want? If you really do wanna hurt me, then, can we go outside? By my car ideally, so I can drive the emergency room right after? Or you, cuz I mean... you're small, man. And I'll have to defend myself. Even if its fair. Its instinct, you know? You get it."

"I'm not gonna hurt you?? Why does everyone think- " What is wrong with people here? Do I give off a confrontational aura right now, or something??? "Ugh, whatever. Y/N needs you- she's been in the bathroom for 4 hours. We did try to get her out ourselves, but our attempts have been... l-lacklustre." Lacklustre? Okay, even he is surprised to hear that one come out of him.

"She needs... me? Like, she said that?" All of a sudden Marcus' expression changes. Worry wells in his eyes and his forehead creases, and he glances at the door out to the floor before returning to Jonah, looking restless now as his body fights with him to go, immediately. "Oh, what's wrong with her? Is she sick??"

"Uhh... in a manner of speaking... Look, I just think she needs to see you right now."

That makes the taller man move towards the door, clipboard dropped on a box on his way. "Of course; Right away man. Come on, lets go see her. So you really don't know what's wrong?? Should we pick up some root beer on the way?" Jonah follows behind, hand on his chin as he answers Marcus' questions. Wow... He did not expect such a response from him... He... kinda respects it, in a way. Its a pleasant surprise, at least.

___BACK TO YOU AND YOUR POV. God I hate third person. Its so hard, I want to cry___

"Y/N? You in here??" As soon as that voice registers in my mind, my heart beat skips in the worst way and I almost start to full on panic all over again, but thankfully instead just freeze and only widen my eyes. What the hell? The door to the employee bathroom closes as Marcus shuts himself in and you watch his boots appear under the door to your stall. "What's going on? Jonah couldn't tell me what's wrong with you," Jonah. I glare at the stall door. I'm going to kill him. "But I brought you some root beer for you- a total cure all. I promise. And some (Enter your favourite snack) cuz I know you like them. Here," He stretches up and holds the items over the stall door, and, feeling genuinely touched that Marcus was sweet enough to bring these, I get up off the toilet seat and accept them from him.

"Thank you, that's really nice. I'm... not sure, that the root beer will fix this, though." I speak carefully, sitting down and holding the items in my lap close to my stomach.

"Course it will! I poured some in Mateo's ear once when he had an infection... I think it worked?"

Probably not. "This is a lot bigger then an ear infection... Kinda permanent, too?"

"Oh god, is it cancer?" He pauses for a moment but before I can put that particular worry at rest... or remind him that cancer is not always permanent... he makes it worse, and I fight not to facepalm. "The plague??! Its still a thing, you know. Jesus, its not that is it? Please tell me its not that! That would be the worst!" I mean... yeah, it would.

"Oh- no no! No, nothing like that!! I'm just pregnant!"

... wait.

Immediately I want to take back my words and say them differently- because is that really the way I just broke it to him?? Oh my god. My hand slaps over my mouth- then pulls back an inch to speak again, but is definitely on guard to slap again and prohibit anymore stupid to come out. "I mean! ... N-no big deal?" My voice gets tiny. "At least its not the plague, right?" I'm just making this worse, so I cover my mouth again.

Marcus does not respond, and I can imagine his face crystal clear, without having to look. He would have his mouth hanging open like a cartoon character, his shoulders have dropped, eyes are blank, and he's pale as hell. Oh god... oh god oh go oh god... I cover my whole face now and just try to breath evenly, and not talk anymore. I was right! He's not going to even like me anymore, this is going to ruin how he looks at me- I cant have Marcus look at me coldly. I really cant.

Finally, a few minutes later the door to the bathroom creaks open again and I know it's not Marcus escaping because I can still see his boots under the door and they haven't shifted in a while. Amy's voice rings out, too loudly in the stock silent bathroom. "... everything okay in here? We haven't heard anything in a while- Marcus?"

He doesn't respond.

I hear Amy walk in now, her heels click-click-clicking on the tiled floor. "Marcus? Marcus, are you okay?" She snaps her fingers, assumedly near his unresponsive face. I slip my fingers down to just cover my mouth, straining my ears to hear any movement from him. "Wake up!" Another snap. "Marcus wake up."

All of a sudden I hear shifting and his boots shift slightly and I squeeze my eyes slowly shut- now he speaks. Now's the part where he speaks. Now's the worst part! He either leaves, or stays. "Uhh... I'm awake, okay?"

...

Amy and I are both startled by the seriousness in Marcus' voice- Amy evidently in the way she responds, backing out of the room. "... Okay! Um, well talk. To Y/N. I'm... just gonna... wait outside... "

Marcus just grunts in response, turning back to my stall door. Then he wraps his knuckles against the surface and I flinch- unsure whether to unlock it and be a grown up or stay hidden away like I really, really want to. Its not like I'm afraid he'll hurt me or anything, not at all! Its just... I don't like to disappoint people and I'm terrified at seeing his face. "Y/N? Can you come out, now?"

"Ummm... no... " I wince, keeping my eyes closed to the world. As if that'll hide me from it.

"No???" He asks, bewildered.

"No... "

Marcus' voice isn't at all as cold-serious as it was when he spoke to Amy, but still. There is still definitely an unfamiliar focused quality about it, and its making me nervous. "What? Come on. What do you think's gonna happen? I'll yell at you? Come on, that's not gonna happen; Come out. "

"I'd really rather stay in here... " I fire back.

"Don't be scared of me." He really does sound trustworthy... but that fear, man; She's one unrelenting bitch.

My voice goes high pitched when I answer, too vehement to be the truth. "I-I'm not! Silly! Why would I be scared of you??" My eyes open up again and I just wince. Such a liar.

"Aghh... " I just listen to him shifting around out there looking for something for a bit, or thinking of what to say next, while I myself sit and think comfortable that there is nothing that will make this worse, seeing as I'm safe and sound in this toilet stall... before his boots disappear from my vision under the door and I hear him disappear out of the bathroom then return again almost immediately, going into the stall beside me and putting something down on the toilet seat in there.

Oh my god- he wouldn't dare! He would not-

Then all of a sudden he's climbing over the wall and I have to jump off the toilet seat and press closely to the stall door, root beer and snack still hugged in my arms like teddy bears. Marcus eases himself over the wall and onto the toilet seat before my eyes, then jumps off it to the tiles again in front of me, while I gape wide at him. "I- what- Marcus!"

"Well you weren't coming out! It was my only option!" He exclaims, and now that I see him I do relax a bit. There's no coldness in his face now, and there is certainly no unfamiliar, unfriendly seriousness, either, seeing as the man just climbed into a toilet stall to get to me. Very Marcus-y. I slowly let out a relieved breath, which is still also a 'calm down' breath as the pressure is certainly still on. I can see him, but he can also see me.

Eager to avoid the issue at hand, I snap. "You might've kicked me!"

"No, I wouldn't have." He makes a defensive 'pshhh' sound immaturely, waving me off with a hand before resting them both on his hips and looking right at me. I give him my own dubious look right back- What makes him so sure??? He rolls his eyes. "Whatever, anyway." Suddenly, a beautiful big smile spreads across his face; the kind that still makes me a little bit weak and almost forces me to smile back. Even now, in this situation. "This is great."

And then I'm speechless, mouth closed and eyebrows furrowed together. ... Great? What? Quickly he moves to clarify, before grinning that goofy grin of his. "The pregnancy! Man, I've seen enough girlfriends get pregnant over the years... its nice to see one having my baby." A moment passes and my system is just registering this reaction - not even relieved, yet. Just in shock and a little less anxiety, - before he drops his smile, raises an eyebrow, and adds: "It is mine, right?"

Still shocked, I answer as if the question was more on the lines of 'That was my cupcake that I just ate, right?'. Meaning, probably too casually. "Oh- oh, yeah! Abs- absolutely." He doesn't seem to mind.

He beams again. "Great! We'll be awesome parents- that is assuming you wanna keep the baby, right?"

"Uh... " All I want to say is yes, right now. Even as the complications of raising a baby right now linger in the forefront of my mind. But at the same time I'm looking at Marcus and I just want to. I want to have the baby, and I want to do it with him... in the moment, he's the absolute perfect person to do it with. I choke out, "Yeah."

He fist pumps the air at that response, and finally the relief starts to settle in my stomach and my heart... a smile grows on my own face. My eyes even get a little watery with the powerful relief. "YES! That's right, I'm gonna be a Dad. Whoo! We gotta tell everyone. But how, do you think? Should we get a cake or something that says it in icing?? Or should we just go out there and announce it over the speakers? Or should we just not tell anyone? Cuz on the one hand, I wanna tell everyone- but on the other... I don't really want Carol to know you're pregnant. That could be bad."

"Um... " I don't even know what to say. I just want to hug him, so I do. I step forward and wrap my arms around his middle, burying my face in his coveralls and the body I've become so familiar with over the past months that smells so uniquely - and not always so pleasantly, but definitely comforting, - like Marcus and squeeze tight, closing my eyes. He smells like that 'new furniture' smell that's really just 'warehouse', and an unfamiliar home, and a little bit of B.O.

Thank god.

Amy was right. Of course she was. Even when I was stressing, I knew the image I had of Marcus getting mad about this didn't feel quite right, but... you have to prepare yourself for the worst, you know? I'm just so glad he's the way he is though, as he wraps his arms around my shoulders in return and bends his neck to press his cheek to my head. "I'm really happy about this. And I know we haven't figure anything out. With us, with money, with anything actually, but... we will, okay? I'll do my best, I promise."

"... Thank fuck." I chuckle, although its muffled and get a similar sound from him in return. "I'm really happy, too." He rubs my back in that rough, comforting way that guys do and I might as well melt; He's too wonderful. I bite my bottom lip, thinking my next move through before taking a deep breath and deciding to take the plunge and ask. "... hey... um... b-boyfriend?"

Marcus immediately pulls me back and holds me at arms length, a crazy-big grin splitting his face. "Oh, yes! This day just keeps getting better and better; Come on, we definitely have to tell everyone this, lets go." Excitedly, he slips past me and unlocks the stall door finally, but pauses and turns back to me before its pushed open at all. I tilt my head in curiosity- what's up? "Unless... congrats sex?"

...

Oh my god- a snort, transforming into a laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. I pull him closer by the front of his coveralls, grinning at both the idea and how silly he is and gently tug him down closer to my level. I close my lips and knit my eyebrows together understandingly. "... How about you come over after work? First we should probably deal with the others? You know, the ones hanging outside right now?"

"Oh, yeah, probably. Oh man- I'll be basically related to Jonah now!" Oh- well- not exactly but... okay fine. If it makes the guy happy. "Ha ha, look forward to seeing this face every Christmas, bro." Oh boy.

I just grin at that - Goodluck Jonah, - before leaning up the rest of the way and pressing a careful kiss to Marcus' lips which he immediately returns with enthusiasm, hands abandoning the stall lock and collecting my waist instead.

This is going to be okay.

It will work out. I hope.

BONUS:

Later in the breakroom while Marcus is busy with talking to some of the other Cloud 9 employees about the news, Jonah takes the seat next to me and I raise my eyebrows at him- he's obviously dying to say something. I know my brother at least that much. He sighs.

"So... you... haven't eaten the cheese, right? I mean, I have but I'm hoping you haven't been put through such, uh, cruel and unusual torture... "

"Oh, no. Absolutely not. I managed to convince him it was cannibalism for women." I grin, returning immediately to my Cloud 9 Caesar salad as Jonah sighs long and hard in relief, relaxing back into his chair.

#Superstore #Superstore Oneshot #Oneshot #Superstore x Reader #Superstore Marcus #Marcus White #Marcus White x Reader #Amy Sosa #Jonah Simms #Superstore Isaac #Superstore Jonah #Superstore Amy #TW: Pregnancy #TW: Panic attack #TW: Stress #TW: Anxiety

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retrievablememories · 3 years

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afterdeath | lucas

title: afterdeath pairing: vampire!lucas x fairy!reader genre: angst, forbidden romance, fantasy, vampire!au request: May I request a Vampire!Lucas with a fairy!s/o (Forbidden romance perhaps?) word count: 8.6k warnings: descriptions of death and sickness, mentions of a funeral, viewing, and funerary preparations, major character death (but...with a slight twist), mentions of blood and drinking blood, smoking cigarettes, arguments/conflict, mentions of physical violence, some romeo and juliet elements? a/n: hmm this fic probably could’ve been more detailed but i was trying to avoid triggering my own damn self with so much talk of death...ha...not sure why i went this route but i wanted a forbidden romance with an actual decent ending for both characters and this was the first idea i had recommended songs: OLLA - jhené aiko

Year 1508

“We’ve felled the demon!”

“Indeed, we have!”

Cheers ring through the dawn as a large group of fairies dance around an immense bonfire, raising their shouts of celebration to the sky. Within the fire burns the body of the Primitiva Vampire, the One and Only Pureblood, haphazardly thrown over the wood pile and relieved of her head—which sits near the bottom of the burning mass of wood, her face still twisted in a mien of anger.

As the sky begins turning lighter with the onset of sunrise, the fairies continue their celebration, staying close to the fire all the while. They carry large flaming torches to guard against any of the Primitiva Vampire’s followers who might try to sneak upon them and strike in that sliver of space where the sun has yet to rise.

The Primitiva Vampire had a long reign of terrorizing fairies and turning humans and other supernatural creatures into vampires. Each transformed being became a terrible revenant, one which viciously hunted villages and stole into people’s homes for more blood, more death, and more unwilling adherents to the vampiric cult.

Mass numbers of fairies had been decimated once the vampires first tasted their blood and took a unique liking to it. For over 200 years, the carnage continued on at the hand of the Primitiva Vampire, who had one day blinked into existence in a way that could never really be explained by any conceivable means, either human or magic. And without ever giving a hint to her strange conception, she tore across cities and towns, converting others into night creatures like herself and building a loyal following of half-bedeviled beings.

When fairy populations had dwindled to nearly extinction-level quantities, they were left no other choice—fight back or be wiped completely from the universe’s ledger. So they took up arms, honed their magic skills, and did just that.

And now, all their efforts culminate in this blood-stained morning. It marks a much-anticipated moment of revelry before they have to return to their posts to watch for the night creatures inevitably waiting on the other side of the sunset, ready to avenge their slain Goddess.

Present Day

“You probably shouldn’t be here right now.”

“I wanted to come,” Lucas replies, taking your hand is his large one. “I wanted to see you.”

“I can figure that.” You laugh quietly, a little afraid to let your voice rise higher in case it carries too far. “But that doesn’t mean you should’ve come.”

Lucas holds your hand tightly. His skin is cold against yours due to his slow blood, and colder still from the chill permeating the air. It’s only one of many vampiric traits that the other fairies would think of as strange or barbaric, but you don’t see it that way. The chilliness just reminds you solely of him.

“Well, I missed you. And I’m here now, so you’ll just have to deal with me.”

The building you’re standing behind is damp, old, and dilapidated, and it’s not even one of your pre-designated meeting places. In front of you is a rusted chain link fence, which barricades a field of tall and unkempt grass. More aged and crumbling buildings scatter themselves across the distance, taken over by grass and climbing vines.

You don’t know what’s out here. This is one place within your district you haven’t been to before. It was Lucas’s idea to come here, after your last meeting place had nearly been discovered and he found it too risky to keep going there.

The entire city of Beijing is split up into different districts, each belonging to a different faction of supernatural beings. Some nonhuman races have close ties with each other and allow frequent cross-district mingling; others are sworn enemies, forbidden to fraternize with each other under pain of death. In these latter cases, crossing into another’s territory without express permission—or in rare situations, ties to a powerful ally (or allies) on the other side—is asking to get arrested, injured, or worse.

Lucas would be your tie to the vampire side and you his tie to the fairy side if your species weren’t centuries-long enemies. Instead, you’re relegated to having him sneak in and out of your district and hide what he is with blood-scent blockers and eye contacts to make the trickery easier to get away with. There’s only so much you can do to disguise your fae nature; stepping into vampire territory would turn you into a shining beacon.

“Hmm…” you sigh, shaking your head with a small smile on your face. You grasp Lucas’s hand so you’re now holding it with both of yours. “How long do you think we can keep this up? Going from place to place like this. Hiding like criminals.”

Lucas gives a lopsided grin—one that cannot morph into a full smile because of the sadness coloring it. “I don’t know. Forever, if we’re lucky.” He chuckles.

You stare at your intertwined hands, unaware of the sheer intensity of the longing expression on your face, though Lucas sees it clearly. It threatens to burn his heart to ash. “Unfortunately, fae don’t live forever like you do, so maybe not. Besides, your people would probably find out and come after me before we could even settle into a ‘forever.’”

He shakes his head fretfully at your words, squeezing your hand. “Do we have to talk about all that now? You know we don’t have much time together. Let’s just enjoy it for what it is.” Lucas pulls you into him, tucking your head into his shoulder.

“That’s fine by me,” you say, and resist the urge to make some dark joke about how scandalous it is for a fairy to have their neck so close to a vampire’s mouth—or a vampire’s anything.

You both stay together in that dingy and old spot for a while, talking in the dark until he tells you he has to go. He follows you the whole way back home to ensure you’re safe, keeping to the shadows until he sees you disappear past your front door. Then, he slips away again to head back to the familiar manor in his own district.

It’s nearly morning when Lucas gets back to the large house he shares with the other six men. By this time of day, he knows they will either be in bed or getting ready to turn in.

“Still visiting that fairy, I see.”

The unexpected voice doesn’t scare Lucas, but it does make his body tense up a bit in irritation and a slight sense of anticipation. He sighs and stops in his tracks on the way to his room, though he doesn’t face the clan leader just yet.

“Is that a problem? Because you know I’m not going to stop.”

Kun makes a noise of disbelief. “Of course it is. You know what the consequences are if anyone outside of us finds out.” Lucas turns to him slightly, and the look on Kun’s face is more disappointment—maybe even slight fear?—than anger. “I clearly can’t stop you from doing what you want to, but I can’t help you if the Association gets involved.”

Lucas rocks back on his heels and sighs, rolling his eyes at the mention of the vampire organization. “Fuck the Association. They’re nothing but a bunch of old ass hags who have no purpose in their lives other than ruling over every other vampire in the world.”

Kun looks weary at his words. “You really don’t care, do you, Xuxi. They’d have your heart on a stake if they ever heard that.” He pauses and rolls his eyes. “They’re also not that much older than me, so I wonder who you’re calling an ‘old ass hag’...”

“Isn’t it a good thing that they won’t hear it, then?” Lucas laughs, but it’s not an entirely humorous sound, and he gives Kun a searching look as his chuckles die off.

“Don’t look at me like that. I have no interest in telling them anything, mostly because I also have no interest in our whole clan being wiped out.”

Lucas nods, reaffirming his somewhat shaky but still present trust in Kun, needing the regular reassurances for his own calm. He stretches his arms above his head and takes a few steps like he’ll go to his room, though he doesn’t move to leave just yet. “Just don’t see what the big deal about all this is. All this over some ancient bloodsucker who died like 500 years ago...who cares.”

Kun winces again, though he doesn’t bother with reprimanding Lucas this time; he only shakes his head and sighs heavily like it’s already a lost cause. “A vampire and a fairy together is more than blasphemy—it’s ridiculous. It’s illogical. They all think we’re bloodsucking demons hellbent on killing them.”

“To be fair, there’s definitely a sect of vampire zealots or two who are trying to do exactly that despite the laws.”

Kun sighs. Lucas is right; what can he say to argue that? “Xuxi…”

“I’m telling you I’ll be fine, Kun-ge. You don’t need to worry about me and Y/N. Things have been going fine for this long.” Lucas nods, then heads off to his room for real this time. Kun watches him leave, feeling a lot less reassured than the younger man.

Ten takes Xiaojun and Lucas on one of their weekly outings to a blood lounge. Blood lounges are an easy and accessible way for vampires to get blood, though the legalities of this practice are a little muddy. Before getting with you, Lucas didn’t mind drinking straight from the source—going to one of the back rooms and sucking some willing, vulnerable being just to the point of death—but now, it feels like a type of transgression. Drinking someone else’s blood can be an intensely intimate act, on the same level as sex depending on the context, and he doesn’t want to do anything to make you think he’d be unfaithful.

To his fortune, there is no club rule about having to feed off other beings; many vampires take their blood in fancy champagne glasses, just like drinks in a human club. He does that now as the three men sit in a darkly lit booth.

Their conversation is unexciting for a while, with Lucas keeping careful not to mention you or any of his recent visits to your district to avoid any prying ears in the lounge. However, things soon get interesting. “We all know how Renjun got taken off the Association’s Registry a year ago, right?” Ten asks suddenly.

“Yes, of course.” Xiaojun answers like he’s already bored of this turn in the conversation. “That’s what happens whenever a vampire dies.”

Ten nods, but his eyes are wide like he has a secret he’s itching to tell. “But I don’t think he actually died.”

Lucas’s ears perk up at that.

“Why?” Xiaojun asks.

“He was seeing that human before he supposedly died, you know—”

“The one who lost it and drove the stake in his heart? We all know how it happened—”

“Can you let me finish? Anyway, I’ve heard some...suggestions that he faked his death—that maybe he got a magic user to set the whole crime scene up and make it look like it was real. Illusory magic, or something like that.”

Xiaojun sits forward. “A magic user. As in a fairy? Or a witch? Who?”

“I don’t know, just someone who uses magic. People are starting to think he and the human faked it all and ran away to Tianjin. I heard someone even claimed they saw somebody who resembled him when they went to Tianjin recently, though I don’t know how true that is…”

Xiaojun’s interest is thoroughly engaged now. “Think the Association will go looking for him, if it's true?”

“I don’t know if they’d care enough to hunt down an unregistered vampire who’s laying low and not creating chaos with other citizens. We all know Tianjin is way more relaxed about inter-species relationships, too. But the Association doesn’t like looking stupid. And that kind of trick definitely makes them look stupid.”

Lucas sits back, taking all of this information in. He is uncharacteristically quiet, but he doesn’t know what to make of that situation or why Ten is telling them about it. He thinks he can guess why, though, by the way Ten’s gaze lingers on him, and that scares him a little. The way this rumor piques a forbidden interest in him scares him. Lucas lifts the glass of blood to his lips and drinks from it, trying to distract himself from the current conversation.

“All this for a damn human. Only an idiot would try something like that,” Xiaojun says, shaking his head.

“Maybe a smart one. It did get him off the Registry.”

“How can you be a smart idiot?!” Ten and Xiaojun start arguing over the semantics of the term, and Lucas watches them in amusement, though his mind remains in two different places for the rest of their time in the blood lounge.

—

Later that night when they are back at the manor, Lucas pulls Ten aside, just like the older man expected him to.

“What’s wrong?” Ten asks, though his expression shows he already knows exactly what’s the matter.

“You...the stuff you said about Renjun earlier. I…” Lucas doesn’t know how to start or break his idea to him softly, so he decides to just say it. “Is it really possible?”

“I think it’s possible. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to get off the Registry…though many other attempts were way less successful.” Then Ten hesitates before saying, “You could try it.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.” Ten’s expression softens a little. “I know you and Y/N love each other a lot, but there’s no way the Association will ever let you stay together if they find out. Y/N’s life could actually be in danger. Both of you are, every moment you spend together while living in these districts. If you really want to stay with Y/N, then…”

“...But I wouldn’t be able to see any of you again.” You and Lucas have become so entwined with one another that he can hardly imagine a life without you, but he also finds it difficult to picture his existence without his brothers. They’ve become like blood family to him over the last couple centuries.

“Yeah.” Ten sighs deeply, and although his reply is short, Lucas knows that one word is carrying the weight of all of his stress and sorrow about the idea. “Maybe we could find a way to visit you sometimes. Get the fairies or witches to do some of their magicky shit.” Ten laughs quietly. “But...it’s still just an idea. You don’t have to do it.”

Lucas shakes his head slowly. He wants to put the idea to bed and try to continue on with his life, managing his clandestine visits to your district when he can. But now that he knows of an alternative way, no matter how unreasonable or unbelievable it is, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to forget about it. “Kun-ge is going to kill you once he finds out this was your suggestion. You know that, right?”

Ten shrugs, and the sadness lifts momentarily in the curve of his lips. “He can try.”

The next time you and Lucas meet up, it’s in yet another different place under an ancient and mostly abandoned bridge. As a precaution, you stand together underneath the darkness of the bridge and stay out of sight, though there are few chances of anyone being around to see you in the first place.

He has to muster up the courage to tell you of his idea, unsure of how you’ll react or what you’ll think of it. It’s a lot to ask of you. Your kinships and friendships are not as extensive as his, only having a brother and two cousins left in the world, but he doesn’t know if he could ever ask you to leave them behind like this. Or if he could shake off the guilt that would remain from it.

“There might be a way for us to change things…” Lucas starts, skipping the build-up because he knows it would take him forever to think of something appropriate to say. “But I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“Change things?” You glance at him curiously. You wish you could see the deep red of his irises, but they are hidden behind his brown contacts. “As in, with us?”

“Yes. So that maybe we wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore. Or at least...not sneak around as much as we do now.”

“What is it?” you ask. Despite yourself, your wings flutter against your back as wonder and excitement rise in your chest. You and Lucas have waxed poetic many times before about how you wish things could be different; and neither of you have ever been able to come up with a workable plan. But now, his claim that maybe something is possible has you dangerously curious.

“Taking myself off the Registry. I could basically just...disappear. The Association can’t harm what technically no longer exists.”

You stare at him in confusion. “But you can’t do that, right? Only under special circumstances…”

Lucas sees the question in your eyes and nods. “Right. Like if I die…” You flinch, shaking your head immediately. “...or pretend I’ve died.” This makes you pause, not expecting to hear something like that come from him.

“Pretend...you’ve died. Faking your own death?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but...there’s another vampire who we think has done it before. And...it worked. Supposedly.”

You shake your head again, but you turn the idea over in your mind. “How would you even do that? Someone would have to know you’re not really dead. That can’t be as easy as it sounds...”

Lucas swallows hard. “I know, it doesn’t, but maybe if we plan it right...I think we could pull this off. Some of the others...already know about it.” Only Ten, really, but that’ll inevitably change soon.

Your heart is hammering in your chest just thinking about this plan—the small, undefined plan that it is—and you’re unsure how to approach it. “If we leave under those circumstances, we can’t come back here to Beijing. Which means we won’t see anyone else again, our families and friends...”

“You understand that.” Lucas’s voice comes out strained.

You sigh, wringing your hands. “I do.”

Lucas hangs his head, closing his eyes tightly. “It’s too much to ask of you. We can just forget about this, really. I know sneaking around has been difficult, and I just—”

“I never said I wouldn’t agree to it,” you say softly, interrupting him before he can begin deriding himself about the idea.

Lucas’s head perks up again, and you both look at each other for a long moment. A cold night breeze flows through your clothes and rustles your wings, which remain tucked close against your back.

“Just think of it as leaving the nest, I guess,” you say, though there are tears welling in your eyes. “Growing up and making a life for ourselves. We can do that...right?”

Lucas bites his lip and closes his eyelids to stave off the tears trying to form in his own eyes. “Yeah. We can do that. Even if it’s a bit...unconventional.”

You nod hurriedly, wiping your eyes with the backs of your hands before any more tears can make their way out. “If you really want to do this, then we need to visit my brother.”

—

Your brother is predictably not thrilled about the idea. He likes Lucas well enough, but he’s never been very good at hiding his skepticism about your relationship. Though he would never say this to you directly, he never expected your relationship to make it past a few months; and yet it’s been a year and a half since you and Lucas started seeing each other. Maybe he’d be glad about your relationship’s stability if your partner was anyone other than a vampire. Alas, he instead spends all his time stressing over whether either of you will be found out at any moment’s notice.

“You’re playing with fire,” your brother says as he sits down at his desk within his apothecary office. He shakes his head the entire time, but he rifles through his collection of books on magic anyway. If there is anyone who knows a potion or spell that could work for this scheme and would actually be willing to keep it all secret, it’s your brother.

“I know that, Aldriel.” You cross your arms, sighing impatiently at your brother’s continuous reprimands since you’ve stepped through his door. “That’s why we came to you. You’re one of the best magic wielders and potionists around.”

“Oh, I’m well aware. No need to blow smoke up my ass,” Aldriel replies, never one to let a moment to brag slip away. He continues flipping through his book fast enough to make the words on the pages blur, his brow creased with focus. He is paying attention to the words and pictures on the pages, though you also know him well enough to realize this is him trying to distract himself from the many thoughts that must be crowding his brain.

“Don’t be so worried about it,” you say, trying to speak against the lump that’s suddenly forming in your throat. “You’ve always complained about wanting me out of your hair, anyway.”

Aldriel pauses in flipping through his spell book to look directly at you now, his brows creased even further and his face creating a visage of bitter desperation. “Not like this.”

Sighing, you turn away from him and let him go back to his textbook, knowing you’d probably start to cry if you look at him any longer. And who knows what will happen once that begins.

You go back to Lucas, who is sitting in the other room with his face turned to the window. It is nighttime and the blinds are closed, so you know he’s not looking at anything in particular. His mind must be similarly preoccupied.

“You okay?” you ask, touching his arm.

“Fine,” he answers, though he doesn’t turn to you. He just grasps your hand where it slides down to his own, gripping your fingers tightly. “As fine as I can be in this situation, I guess.”

You sit down in front of Lucas on the floor’s intricately decorated rug, resting your head against his knee. “It’ll be okay.” You aren’t sure of the words when they leave your lips, but you have to believe in them or else all will be lost.

—

You both spend a few hours at Aldriel’s place. At one point, you try to prod Lucas into going back to his clan to avoid raising suspicions for being gone too long—you can just get the potion to him some other day—but he insists it’ll be easier for him to stay and receive the potion now.

Finally, in the hour before dawn, your brother’s door opens and he steps through. “It’s ready.”

Both you and Lucas come alert at that, and you step back into Aldriel’s apothecary to see what he’s developed.

“This is an advanced death glamor potion,” your brother says, holding up a small glass bottle. “It contains a magic incantation that will leave you dead for a week and only a week. Seven days. Your body will remain in perfect stasis, so there’s no risk of the regular side effects that come with death.”

“A week?” you repeat, nervousness coursing through your body. Lucas looks equally apprehensive, and he squeezes your hand tighter.

Aldriel nods, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “That should be enough time to take care of the funeral arrangements and make everyone else think you’ve passed.” He says the last bit while gesturing to Lucas. “I’m not super clear on how vampire funerary customs work, though, so—”

Lucas nods. “No, it’ll work. That’s enough time.”

Your brother’s mouth creases into a thin line. “Good.” He passes the vial to Lucas, makes an expression like he might say something else, and then shakes his head, glancing to you instead. “You plan to go to Tianjin, right?”

“That’s right,” you say quietly.

“You’ll need to find a place to stay, then, until you can get one of your own. And I think we both know exactly where that will be.”

The potion works just as Aldriel said it would. It’s hard to know whether to be dismayed or relieved about this, though the former emotion quickly wins out with everyone.

Lucas takes it a week after meeting with your brother and procuring all the necessary fake documents, claiming it’s best not to wait any longer for it. You feel apprehensive about doing it so soon; or maybe you just want to stall for a little while longer. By now the other five men in his clan all know, each with varying reactions to it but ultimately unable to do anything to change his mind—not even Kun.

On the night Lucas uses the potion, Kun makes one last ditch attempt at reasoning.

“You don’t need to go to this extreme,” the older man insists. Though his voice is cold and sharp and deceptively calm, his entire face is a picture of perfect anger. Everyone had already had their turns talking to Lucas alone and telling him what they needed him to hear—and now it’s just Kun left.

“It’s my decision,” Lucas says, keeping his voice steadier than he feels. “I want to be with Y/N. There is no other way.”

“You’re endangering the entire clan with this. You’d throw us all away for one person?” Kun’s eyes are red-rimmed, but not just from the rage; Lucas knows he’s been crying. Lucas shuts his own eyes, his forehead creasing as he presses the pads of his fingers to his temples.

“Don’t say it like that.”

“That’s exactly what it is.”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Lucas shakes his head, knowing he is treading on very dangerous waters with what he’s about to say. As if the situation weren’t already contentious enough. “You closed yourself off to love a long time ago. After Jingyi died. You just wouldn’t know.”

The vivid red hue of anger bleeds into Kun’s irises at the mention of his late human lover, and he has to make a very concentrated effort not to reach for the younger’s neck. “How dare you speak of her.”

Lucas opens his eyes again and looks directly at his elder now. “You’ve let the Association run your life too much,” he says, though the words come out sounding a bit defeated. He’s not even sure why he invokes Kun’s lover now; maybe he is trying to make the split easier by provoking the other man into hating him. “You’ve let them beat it into you that love is not worth trying for. What did you gain from that, in the end? But more loneliness.”

Lucas gets the breath knocked from him when Kun slams him up against the wall, and the unpleasant sound of wood splintering strikes against his eardrums. A long vertical crack forms in the wood behind Lucas, but not wide enough to make the wall separate completely. Not using his full strength, then, Lucas thinks to himself.

Kun looks for all the world like he might kill Lucas then and there without the younger man ever needing to take a potion—just bite his heart right out. He crumples Lucas’s shirt in his hands, fisting the fabric tightly enough to create small rips in it. His irises are the color of newly spilled arterial blood, and alongside the red rimming of his eyes from his earlier crying, it makes for an agonizing sight—one that sears itself into the back of Lucas’s mind. It’s made even worse by the new tears spilling down the older man’s face.

He chokes out through the tears, “You cannot do this. I raised you. You would have me destroyed twice?”

Lucas wishes he could shut every one of his senses off right now, but he can only manage to shut his eyes, once again, against the pain in the other man’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Kun-ge.”

—

After that, Lucas goes back to his own room and sits on the bed for a long time, replaying the events in his head and growing colder with the realization of what he’s about to do. He stares at the small vial on his dresser until he can’t stare at it anymore, and then he downs it all at once. He looks at the vial with renewed interest as it actually disappears once the fluid is gone, the glass evaporating away in the palm of his hand like water droplets under the sun. No evidence.

Lying on his side, he stares at the wall across from his bed and waits for the spell to begin working. He doesn’t know how much time passes, but eventually his vision begins to blur, almost so imperceptibly that it’s difficult to realize until he notices everything in his field of view is doubled, objects bleeding out of their lines like pictures drawn by a drunken artist—there’s a strange ringing in his ears too, a sound on the edge of his hearing but still present, and he doesn’t know what any of it means, or if this is how other beings feel when they are on the brink of death—it’s frightening, and he feels a momentary pang of sympathy for other nonhumans and humans alike who have no choice but to experience this terrible ordeal at the closing of their lives—

It’s harder to keep his eyes open now, so he closes them and lets all sounds and sensations fade out of his hearing—he only holds one last memory of you in his mind, of the soft and filmy texture of your wings underneath his fingertips, of you laughing whole-heartedly at something silly he’d said, and he joins his hands together in the universal symbol of prayer even as they grow weaker, hoping and praying even to his cursed vampire ancestor that this won’t be the very last memory of you—

—

“Yes, he has...most certainly departed from this world.”

An Association council member known as Belial announces this to the room of men after doing a thorough check of Lucas’s body. His voice is distant and saddened. The texture of it is almost tangible, dragging everyone down with it like a physical thing—akin to a rock being dropped into a thin sheet. “Such a fledgling, too. Truly tragic and strange circumstances.” Belial stands beside the bed, shaking his head and looking down at the still form of the younger man as if he might discover an answer if he stares for long enough. “Was there no indication…?”

“He was probably exposed to bad blood,” Ten replies, his voice tense and quiet. Though Kun is clan leader, he doesn’t say anything at all, leaving all the dirty work of explaining the lie to Ten.

Belial’s gaze turns to Ten. He shifts his head slightly to turn his ear towards him, as if he didn’t understand what the other man said. “Bad...blood? As in death by blood weakness?”

The room feels like it’s been sucked of air once these words are spoken, and the younger men shift uncomfortably. Sicheng never lifts his gaze to look at Belial, though Yangyang’s eyes keep darting between Belial and Lucas on the bed like he’s waiting for something to happen. Hendery is just as anxious beside Yangyang, both of them passing uneasy energy between each other. Xiaojun’s face is still fixed into the same permanent frown it had been in since Lucas first told them of the plan. His eyes remain downcast and fixed on Lucas, silently asking Why did you have to be the idiot this time?

“Yes, blood weakness. He hadn’t drank as much blood as usual in the last few days...maybe he seemed a little restless...but we didn’t think it was unusual. He...didn’t seem sick.”

“Where would he have gotten bad blood from? We vampires always take such care…” Belial’s tone turns condescending, as if he could expect no better from a young vampire—someone not even wise enough to tell bad blood from uninfected blood. How could one let themselves be taken out of this world by such a fundamental, basic mistake? Kun curls his fingers into a fist at his side, though he quickly remembers himself and tries to let them relax.

“The blood lounge,” Hendery blurts out. Every eye turns to him now, and Ten’s mouth thins into an agitated line. This isn’t what they agreed on. “M-maybe it was spoiled blood from the blood lounge. It had to be. He’s more careful than that…”

Belial’s eyes are whirling with so many emotions that it’s hard to pin any singular one down. “Serving bad blood, with or without knowledge of it, is an incredible offense within any vampire district. In that case, the establishment must be shut down—after an exhaustive investigation, of course.” This statement causes more discomfort among the gathered men, almost too much of it to be properly concealed.

“I think that won’t be necessary,” Kun interjects quietly. Belial looks at him with an expression that reeks of offense, and Kun returns the stare, glaring straight into the elder vampire’s eyes. “He died of blood weakness, most likely from drinking from some disease-ridden human. Even though he used the blood lounge and blood bags, he was in the habit of getting outside blood on occasion. It was a moment of poor judgment that cost him his life...and nothing more than that.”

A tense silence stretches over the room, and Belial’s eyes still don’t leave Kun’s. The other men remain statue-still, waiting to see what will happen—if it will work—until Belial says, “Yes. Of course. I’ll file his passing with the Keepers of the Registry, as protocol states.”

The other men stay quiet and motionless until Belial departs from their house.

“You used your compulsion on a council member,” says Yangyang, and even his voice is trembling when he speaks.

“I didn’t think that was possible,” Xiaojun notes, though his tone is more irritated than awed. “They’re all so much more advanced.”

That action obviously didn’t come for free, though, because Kun is holding his head like it hurts, turning away from the rest of them. “Such recklessness is not my style. Primitiva help us all. We’re all dead if we’re found out.”

“Why did you say that,” Sicheng deadpans, his words directed to Hendery. Even though Sicheng hasn’t said or done anything since stepping into the room, he looks thoroughly exhausted. “You almost gave us away.”

Hendery holds himself up on the bed as if he’ll collapse, his body bent with all the weight of their lies. He makes a motion like he might sit on the bed before remembering it’s where Lucas’s body is resting, and he straightens himself with some effort. “I...but he was thinking badly of Lucas. Like it was his fault.”

“It was,” Kun says faintly.

“You can’t let your emotions get the best of you right now. Just let me handle the talking.” Ten’s expression is stressed, and for a moment he starts to wonder if he should’ve ever said anything to Lucas at all.

Xiaojun shakes his head. “For now, there is a lot more we need to do than just talking.”

Vampire funerary procedures are much different from what many other supernatural races are used to—even blasphemous to some. Everything is handled at the home of the deceased instead of a funeral home or mortuary, in keeping with the tradition of honoring one’s vampire ancestors—and ultimately, the Primitiva Vampire. After the Primitiva’s gruesome death hundreds of years ago, all that had been left was her ashes once the fire burned out, but her followers still gave the remains a proper processing and burial.

The men dress Lucas in one of his nicest suits and perform all the necessary actions that would be involved at a funerary home, including preparing the casket. All of them help throughout this process as tradition dictates, though it is more difficult than any of them expected it to be. (No one even makes a dark joke about you’ll have to do this for me when I’m gone, which speaks to their inner turmoil.)

The viewing is equally challenging to get through, if not more.

Many of their vampire friends and acquaintances attend, including various members of the Association. Everyone seems to buy the blood weakness lie perfectly, which means Kun’s compulsion worked as it should have. That knowledge does very little to relax any of them in the grand scheme of things, though.

Though they know Lucas is not really gone, the sight of him lying there in that dark coffin with other vampires looking sadly down at his still face and dabbing their tears away is deeply frightening.

The night of the viewing goes by at a glacial pace, and every other night after that up until the funeral passes even more slowly, like time itself has dropped its speed to prolong the torment.

When the last few straggling visitors for the viewing are gone, the men go their separate ways to try to deal with the not-so-small trauma of the day’s events. Kun goes up to one of the manor’s several wide balconies, one that they’ve all used as a familiar hangout spot or simply a place to unwind over the years. The sun will not rise for another forty-five minutes or so, giving him enough time to sit and think before it becomes unsafe. He is not very surprised when he finds Ten already there, though he decides not to leave.

“You stopped smoking three decades ago,” Kun comments, waving his hand in a pitiful attempt to clear out the smell of smoke filling the air. There’s no hint of teasing or personality in his voice, only hollowness and exhaustion. He sits beside the other man in one of the chairs sat outside. “Where did you even get cigarettes from?”

“Don’t worry about me. This is just for the nerves.”

“Why would I worry, it’s not like you can—” Kun pauses before saying the word they both know, realizing it hits far too close to home right now. Silence falls between them until Kun asks, “Do you actually believe this will be worth it?”

“It will. We’ve worked too hard for it not to be.” Ten takes a drag from his cigarette. “We’re giving them a second chance. Isn’t that something to feel good about?”

“A second chance. How interesting.”

“Everyone deserves one.” Ten glances at Kun from the corners of his eyes and doesn’t say anything more, but Kun already knows what he’s vaguely implying.

“And yet everyone doesn’t get one.”

“All the more reason to take the opportunity when it becomes possible.”

Kun doesn’t reply to that. Ten places a hand on his shoulder, but the older man meets this with little regard as he rises from his seat and walks away at a sluggish pace.

You stand in the train station ready to buy a ticket, clutching documents falsifying your identity and feeling more terrified than you possibly ever have. Today marks the seventh day, and you don’t even know if Lucas is alive right now. It was too risky to have any of the other clan members contact you—not until you and Lucas meet up in the designated place. You know Aldriel is an excellent potion master, and if he says the spell will work as intended then it will, but there’s always that seed of doubt.

Your parting with Aldriel had been typical of your relationship with him—you crumbling before him and him pretending like he was fine, lending enough strength for the both of you to survive on, though you knew he was also bleeding from the heart.

“You better not forget about me,” you’d told him, smushing your face into the sleeve of his shirt to hide your tears, though there was no stopping the flow. It was staining his shirt sleeve right through.

He’d scoffed at you, though it was a watery sound. “I couldn’t if I wanted to.” He’d held your head closer against his shoulder, the both of you glued together in whichever way seemed fit when you’d walked through his door one last time to say goodbye. “We’ll see each other again. Don’t worry.”

You’d lifted your head from his shoulder then, looking at him with an aggrieved expression. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Aldriel put his hand on top of your head, petting you like a small puppy. It was a thing you’d disliked since you were both children, but which only made your heart hurt even more now. “Have more faith in me than that, dear sister. You’ll see.”

When it’s your turn to get a ticket, you step up to the counter and hand over your information, trying to keep the shaking in your hands to a minimum. The teller behind the counter is also a fairy, their wings tucked against the back of their uniform but peeking out at the sides. You childishly try to take some solace in that, hoping there will be some solidarity between you two. Maybe they’ll be less critical of your legitimacy than any other being might be.

The process is scarily easier than you’d thought it would be, though you are sweating the entire time. A fake name and birth date, and no one suspected anything. All of this would have to be your new identity now if you were to live with Lucas in Tianjin without being discovered.

Getting on the train when it comes is only part of the long journey ahead. It doesn’t provide you with much relief, but you are at least thankful to have one segment of that journey complete.

—

It takes another cab to get to your destination once you’re off the train, but you soon arrive at the house of one of Aldriel’s friends and his similar-name twin—Raziel. Raziel was Aldriel’s most trusted and oldest friend, their woven history extending back to childhood. The three of you had grown up together, and you’d even been quite familiar with Raziel until they left for Tianjin some years ago. Now, you’re back in front of each other again under circumstances that you never could’ve guessed.

“You’re here. Good.” Raziel welcomes you into their house with open arms, tugging you into a jittery hug that you anxiously return.

“Have...you heard anything?” you ask, though you know it’s futile. Raziel wouldn’t have gotten any more information than you have, not until Lucas was standing right on their doorstep. They shake their head and give you a sympathetic look, patting your hands.

“He’ll be alright. Everything will go well. I believe it.” Raziel guides you further into their house, presumably towards the room you’ll be staying in while you’re there. “It’s all so romantic, though—even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. I hope you know you’re doing a good thing, in the end.”

You force your facial muscles into a smile, though it is a ghostly and fleeting one. “Thank you.”

Either way, you will have to wait until nighttime to know if Raziel’s words come true or not; the sun is still high in the sky. It’s only midday. You’ve never before hated the sunlight, but right now you curse the sun’s rays that elongate the time between you and your lover.

—

“You all, give him some damn space,” Ten says, trying to pull the younger vampires away so they won’t crowd around the coffin. “He doesn’t need the scare of his life looking at all your faces when he wakes up.” Despite trying his best to be the voice of reason, Ten also has to refuse the urge to station himself beside the coffin and watch for the slightest movement of eyelids, the tiniest twitch of the lips. His hands shake from the frayed nerves of a week of nothing but death and gloom, and even though he doesn’t need to sleep, he thinks he will be out for at least two days after all of this is over.

There is no set time, no designated signal for when—or the dreaded if—Lucas will awaken. The waiting game feels longer than it really is, especially with the hours until the funeral commences steadily counting down. However, it is not very long before there’s a big sucking breath coming from the coffin, the sudden sound of lungs being filled after a week of complete stillness. Everyone rushes back to the bier when this happens, peering wildly inside the coffin.

Lucas’s eyelids flutter for an eternity before shooting open. He immediately seems distressed upon waking, sitting up out of the coffin so quick that it stutters on its stand, and the others have to steady it before it tips over.

“Xuxi...are you okay?” Sicheng asks, voice hushed with nervousness. Despite his unending anger and distress about the situation, Kun has also crowded in to witness Lucas’s awakening, and he visibly sags with relief to see the younger man is at last awake.

The look in Lucas’s eyes is wild. They are momentarily afraid that maybe something has gone wrong with the potion—maybe it has affected his mind somehow and he doesn’t remember any of them— but then he says,

“Y/N. Is Y/N okay?”

“We don’t know,” Sicheng replies. “I mean, hopefully. But it was safer to not have so much cross-communication going on—you’ll have to go to the meeting spot to find out…”

Though the reasons for this make sense, this does not provide consolation. Lucas fumbles his way out of the coffin with the men’s help. It’s clear he’s still disoriented, which makes them even more nervous, if that’s possible at this point.

“You should drink some blood before you leave,” Hendery suggests, and everyone else agrees. Lucas won’t argue that, so he downs one of the blood bags they have stored until he feels a little more like himself.

“You have to go soon, the funeral is set to start in another hour—we’ll have to leave—” Yangyang warns him, though the words fade at the end of his sentence. He doesn’t know how to continue his thought or how to even begin saying goodbye.

Lucas fills that gap by steeling himself and saying his farewells to each of them in turn, though his eyes are troubled and his chin crumples like he might cry at any moment.

“Don’t say I never helped you out with anything,” Ten says, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. Being separated is painful, but it’ll ultimately serve its purpose of giving Lucas a chance at having a love that none of them could. After seeing Kun suffer the way he did after losing Jingyi, Ten wants to spare another one of his mates from dealing with the same fate.

When Lucas gets to Kun, there is a slight awkward silence and a swift exchange of glances—Lucas’s soft gaze butting up against Kun’s more solid one, which is simultaneously pleading to him and rebuking him for his actions. Still, Kun embraces him tightly enough that their bodies could join together.

“Xuxi…” Kun starts, “I don’t…” And then his words break, leaving an unspoken thought between them.

“One day, you’ll forgive me for this,” Lucas whispers to the older man. Kun gives him an endlessly hurt look in return, silently asking him how he could even conceive those words. When they separate from each other, it’s with much reluctance. Lucas looks at them all and nods once, his mouth tight with grief.

“Right. Time to go, then.”

—

You awake in the middle of the night to cool fingers on the side of your face, which startles you completely out of your sleep. Opening your eyes to an unfamiliar room scares you even more, and it takes you a moment to remember why your surroundings have changed. The knowledge comes back to you quickly when a large palm slips against your own, long fingers twining with yours.

“Xuxi,” you whisper quietly, the sound of his name hanging in the air like a prayer. One of the last few times you’ll be able to freely call him that, except in private.

You can’t see his figure well with all the lights turned out, but he had no problem navigating through the dark to reach your bedside. Wanting desperately to see his face, you fumble around for the bedside lamp switch before turning it on.

“Y/N…” Lucas’s face is suddenly illuminated to you in all its golden glory, a myriad of emotions flickering over his features.

“I didn’t even hear you come in,” you say breathlessly. You’re somewhat sad and wish you could’ve met him at the door, embraced him after his long trip, but it doesn’t much matter anymore because he’s here now.

“Poor Y/N. My baby must’ve been so tired.” Lucas bumps his forehead against yours, his whole body drooping with relief as he practically sinks into you, and you giggle a little as you complain about having to hold his weight up. There is a tingle behind your eyes that threatens to turn into a sudden burst of tears, but you try to hold them at bay for a while longer.

“Are we safe?” he whispers, needing your confirmation. “Raziel said so. But...are we really safe?”

“That’s frightening to even think about,” you reply quietly. “We can’t stay here too long, but for now…I think we will be.” Lucas nods without a word, still holding your hand. His blood-scent is completely absent, as it usually is when he’s around you, and you know he’s used the blockers. Soon, with the ability to go out together and not be arrested or threatened for it, that will not be necessary to disguise his vampirism anymore. “It...won’t be easy.”

“No, but the things we want out of life usually aren’t.”

You squeeze his hand. “Raziel will help take care of things for us. It won’t all be trials and tribulations. I hope.” More hesitantly, you ask him, “What was it like? Being dead?” You know that vampires, being once human, still have souls and an afterlife to go to like most other living beings.

The look on his face is worrying. He doesn’t meet your eyes; he only shakes his head and stares at your joined hands. “It was cold without you.” His lips pull into a weak and chapped smile, if only to quiet your worrying, but that doesn’t work as intended. You decide to leave it for now, figuring there will be more time to talk about it when he feels ready.

Turning the light back off, you both press your bodies together as close as they can physically get, Lucas’s head on your chest and his long legs all jumbled together with yours. You fall asleep before he does, lulled away by his comforting and safe presence. He stays awake for a while longer, staring into the dark and the dark staring back into him, before everything else falls away.

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