it is possible I will be a supervisor

NSFW Jiglup idea but what if their wedding night being the one night Jigen fucks Lupin when he’s dressed as miss Marie

Their rings glittering in the low light

The red dress hiked up high on lupins hips until Jigen just gets frustrated with it and rips it off down the middle 

Lupins makeup running 

His wig a mess

His fake nails dragging scratches down Jigens shoulders to the point they bleed

Jigen still half dressed in his suit, the ties loosen, the buttons undone, exposing his chest and his chest hair to the night air

They start against the wall first cause their both impatient

It isn’t the first time they’ve fucked like this but maybe it’s the occasion I dunno and neither do they, their both drunk, their both giddy, Jigens topping tonight because that’s lupins wedding gift to him, a full night of control.

Jigens got lupins back against the wall, while Lupins got his legs wrapped around Jigens waist, the red heels he’s wearing digging into his lower back and their push down anytime Jigens grinds against him, to the point Jigens suit pants down are below his hips exposing the V in his hips and his lower back.

Then things move on over time

Their both naked

Their both on the bed

Jigens laying flat on his back, his poneytail a mess

Lupins on top of him, he’s still half dressed as miss Marie, the pearls around his neck are glittering in the moonlight shining through the window, the blond wig is disheveled and he’s riding and grinding Jigen. 

Jigen just dumbstruck, he’s trying to grab onto something *anything* 

anything his fingers can get a grip on

First lupins hips, 

then his waist

they travel up and they grab at the fake breasts that lupins still wearing that somehow managed too survive the ripping ordeal and Lupin doesn’t feel it but their both so in the mood right now that maybe Lupin *imagines* what it feels likes so he groans and sighs and whimpers.

Just then one thing leads to another, and Jigen suddenly growls when Lupin slams down on him particularly harder then what the slow rhythm they got going on allows and it triggers something in him. He suddenly sits up, Lupin still in his lap, but Jigen takes off everything, the hair the fake breasts the necklace, because no barriers, he wants to *feel* Lupin without the little bits and bobbles and distractions getting in the way.

The two are once again in the zone with one another.

They mirror each other, no different then how they have mirrored each other in the years before and the years now after in their lifetime

They are neither slower or faster then the other, they sync up perfectly cause that’s who they are, that’s who they’ve been, they’ve been each others halves. Halves that now make up the full embodiment of what they are to each other 

The missing half. . .the missing piece in each others lives now come together on a special night that somehow makes their coupling all the more mind numbing and thrilling.

All the more passionate and wild 

All the more *them*

And when the night winds down, and their both sweaty and sore, but happy and satiated, and their bodies have ceased their tremblings and they both settle down for sleep 

that coupling is how they lay as they drift off. 

Two halves 

Now officially and forever apart of the same whole.

// nsfw

YES im gonna be thinking about this for the next fuckin week

All for both moe and Jan

omg u guys & ur big long questions [thank u !!!!!!!!!!!!!] [im just doing jan since i already answered moe] [thank u for inquiring about my weird guy i rotate him in my brain 10 hours a day]

👖 Will they undo their belt or unbutton their pants to relieve pressure on their belly, or will they suffer through it until they can get changed? - he'll undo it if hes home alone but if anyone else is around hes gonna suffer through

🫳 How do they respond--physically, verbally, emotionally, etc--to belly rubs? - hes a pretty socially uncomfortable person & most people wouldnt even think hed Want belly rubs but i think he would appreciate them, even if he had No idea how to respond. i think hed get all tense & stiff & just kinda Sit Still with a neutral expression until it started makin him sleepy & then he might settle in a little

🤒 Are they prone to tummyaches? If so, for any particular reason? If not, what circumstances DO they get tummyaches in? - he doesnt have any like Serious Major Intolerances but there are a number of things that make his tummy feel Not Awesome, & he doesnt tend to eat much so it doesnt take a lot for him to be Too Full

🤤 Do they have a favorite thing to be full of? Not necessarily a favorite thing to eat, but something that feels good in their belly? - fruit. the thing he tends to go most wild on is butter pecan ice cream its one of his major weaknesses but he does not feel great afterwards. fruit on the other hand he loves And he feels fine even after having a little too much

🤢 Is there anything in particular that does NOT feel good in their belly? How much of it can they eat, if any? - Many Things. not even 100% sure what specifically but a bunch of stuff. since none of it has any Severe Effects he doesnt always bother to worry about it but generally it takes a little bit of some irritant to make him feel a little bloaty & adr but still manageable, and probably about a solid serving size to take him out

🤼 Are their friends & loved ones more likely to be urging them to eat more, or to stop eating so much? Why? - he has a small appetite & hes pretty thin so people are usually encouraging him to eat more

🎂 Are there any foods that they only have on certain occasions? Do they go overboard when they have the chance? - i think there are probably certain things that he only has when he visits back home that he might have a little too much of bc he knows it might be a while before next time. seasonal fruits i think probably get him too but he has a little more restraint with that since he has more time to have some

📐 What's the shape of their belly like when it's full and bloated? - fairly small, kinda top-heavy, just pushes out a little bit. slightly rounded. Tight-Lookin

🛌 Can they carry on like normal on a too-full belly, or do they need to take a break? - he'll try but if hes Really Stuffed hes gonna need to sit down a minute

🍗 How well do they function on an empty stomach? Can they go about their tasks, or do they need to stop and eat? - he can go fine without eating for a while. he might not be happy about it but he'll survive

🥘 How hungry do they typically get before finally eating? Do they have any choice in the matter? - hes pretty good about keeping on top of his meal schedule & hes typically able to do so unless hes on some funny work schedule, & then he might have to go hungry for a while

🗣️ Who's more likely to speak up about being hungry first--them, or their belly? - definitely his belly. he doesnt speak up about much of anything

🍳 If they come home tired and starving, are they taking the time to make food, eating something quick, or going straight to bed? Is whatever they do enough? Is it too much? - i think he'll have a tiny bit of something quick & then go to bed. he might not be sufficiently full but he has a nebulous relationship with sleep so if hes tired hes goin for it

🫄 How likely are they to overeat? Are there any particular circumstances where it happens? - i think if hes hanging out with people [rare occasion] he might wind up eating a little too much & potentially wind up with a sore tummy

🍽️ How likely are they to go without eating enough? Are there any particular circumstances where it happens? - usually only if hes like out & busy & either cant find a minute to have something or is too focused on the task at hand

🥡 Do they usually bring home leftovers if they go out to eat, or do they manage to clean their plate? - he probably brings home more than he eats

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Do their eating habits change around other people compared to when they're alone? In terms of quantity, what they choose to eat, how they eat it, etc? Does this have any positive or negative effects on them? - i think when hes around other people he tends to eat more, either bc he feels like hes expected to or bc someones pushin him to have a little more, & then he winds up Too Full & probably full of things that upset his tummy & he needs to go home & have some tea & sleep it off

part 2 for the last angst post?

{part 1 can be found here}

grayson watched you disappear. he watched the back of your head fade into the distance between the glass door separating him from his future, his happiness and what just so happened to be his biggest regret. his body was paralysed in a state of shock, he no longer recognised himself. the man a few minutes prior was not the man his mother raised him to be. he was ashamed, hurt and whore frankly disappointed in himself.

he vowed to himself that he would never disrespect you in any way, he would never be the reason for your tears, your pain and heartbreak- yet tonight he was all of those things. he let the pressure of his ‘fans’ and social media warriors get inside his head and cloud his judgment on the woman he was supposed to know the best through and through.

having read the thousands of comments flooding his timeline prior to the missing card situation, he let people’s disloyal words eat away at him. doubting everything he knew as people who don’t even know him deep down, supposedly knew what was best for him and his relationship. he was a fool. his anger got the best of him and unfortunately you received the front line of it.

grayson decided it was time to fight for what he loved. watching you walk out on him was a sight he wished to never see again, a pain he wished to never feel. he picked himself up of the stool, kicking away what was left of his self doubt and stupidity before making a bee line in the direction you ran off in. taking his heart with you as you fled, not stopping to look back at the man you once believed was your endgame.

grayson was frantic, screaming your name over and over- not giving a fuck in the slightest that his neighbors of their luxury estate could possibly give them a noise complaint. you were his priority and he needed to find you.

he breathed a huge sigh of relief when you saw you still present in the drive way of his home, yet the sight broke him. you were slumped across the steering wheel, rubbing at your puffy eyes as you cried enough tears to help save california from their drought. grayson stood and took in your fragile state, his own eyes pricking with tears as he approached you gently. startling you by knocking on the passenger side window to gain your attention, in hopes of fixing what he broke.

you look up at him in a panic, bloodshot eyes glaring in his direction as you lock the doors on your vehicle franticly, not wanting to deal with any more harmful words grayson had left to throw at you.

“baby come inside, please. talk to me.” grayson pleaded with you from the otherside of the window, his view cracking with every word. hands pressed agasint it in hopes it’ll draw you closer to him, in hopes he could somewhat feel your body through the sheer glass. just needing your touch to ground and comfort him as well as you.

“go- go away!” you scream through muffled sobs, hitting your hands agasint the wheel in frustration.

“im not leaving untill you talk to me, y/n.” grayson was stubborn, even more so than you, so you knew putting up a fight with his demands would only end in more tears. you reluctantly unlock doors, wrapping your arms around your body as some sort of protection when you hear grayson let out a sigh and climb into the passenger seat beside you.

“baby-“

“you’re an arse, dolan.” you laugh almost sinfully, the disbelief of what just happened settling in as you stare deep into his soul. searching his eyes for any sort of remorse as you knew deep down, grayson knew he fucked up. you could read him like a book and the fact it took him less than 5 minutes to run after you, reassured you that tonight’s events, were completely out of character for him.

“i deserved that-“

“you deserve a lot more than that.” you say. sighing as you bring your hands to your face, tiredly rubbing away the dried stains of your tears.

“i know. i fucked up, i-i didn’t mean anything i said, angel, you have to believe me. i don’t know what came over me, the fans- the media, it all got too much for-“ grayson rushes out, sending himself into a panic attack at how nervous he was. he’s reaching for your hand in the process and sighing in success when he doesn’t feel you pull away from him. his heart rate decreases as you were the only thing he needed to remain calm.

“your words hurt me, grayson.”

“and im so sorry, baby. so so sorry. money means nothing, if i don’t have you by my side. you’re a million dollars, not the numbers in my bank account- you’re the money, baby, id rather be broke if it meant i didn’t have you in my life. your love is worth a fortune and it’s all im ever gonna need to survive.

once again his words make you cry, but not in the way they did earlier. they were tears of joy, tears of peace and love. your grayson was back, the man you fell in love with was back in the room, back in your heart.

having just explained to you the reasoning behind his breakdown, going into detail about all the articles, all the tweets and comments, you were more than understanding. you calmed his nerves by leaning over the console of your car, turning his face towards your own by resting your delicate, gental fingers on the bottom of his jaw as your lips brush against his own.

you indulge in a make out, a much needed session at that. both pouring all your emotions into the kiss. grayson even pushing into you that little bit further, his own little way of apologising without needing to say much more. when you both get dragged away from one enough due to the lack of oxygen, grayson is still holding onto your cheek. not ready to fully let go of you now he’s got you back in his embrace.

“im gonna need to get a new card.” deciding to rid the tension with some much needed humour, grayson eyes sparkle as he memorises every freckle on your face. knowing the atmosphere needed a boost and turning the night around for the better as you laugh along with him. giving him your own apology as you let your anger get the best of you, causing you act irrationally by destroying his card.

“dinners on me tonight, dolan.”

grayson smirks at you, using all his strength to lift you over the middle section and into his lap. your giggles music to his ears as he kisses down your exposed neck. fingers pressing deep into your hips as he steadys you on his crotch, your fingers running through his hair. you’re rolling your head back to give him more access to your skin, as warm puffs of air leave your swollen, flustered lips.

“in that case... im hungry for something else.”

tis is ranon! i wanna try the twisted match-up eventho it'll probably hurts. my worst traits would be

1. Not knowing myself well enough, having to ask others how i actually am from their eyes instead of looking through my own lense because I care of other's judgement better than mine.

2. I suck at handling compliment. Everytime anybody says anything good about me, I always get defensive by saying no, change the topic of the conversation, or saying "thank you, but [insert why i don't deserve compliment]"

3. Similar to the 2nd one, I have horrible horrible self esteem. I never really look at myself in a good light, I think I am horrible. Sometimes I feel like "im the worst" yet some of the times I feel like "woah I'm a queen". Even worse, sometimes I don't have the motivation to better myself in order to raise my self esteem.

My favourite(s) would be reiner and jean, you can choose the one with the worst(or whoever you prefer) compatibility with my traits. tears up already as I slip 1 dollar to your hand, whispering happy ending please..

Pairing: Jean x Reader

Summary: You accidentally meet Jean, your high school sweetheart, thirteen years later. While he has turned into a successful man whose face you'd see on TV a lot, you think of your life and what could have been with him, if only...

Tags: Angst/Fluff, coming of age, slice of life

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: Oh Ranon my sweet child, hereby I present to thee... hopefully an antidote to the despair Yams had given us with 138. Hope you like it love!

Song mentioned: Linger by The Cranberries

"It's nice to see a familiar face 'round here."

There was no word that could describe the feelings you had upon hearing that voice. A voice that was once the first sound you hear in the morning and the one you say goodbye to before falling asleep. A voice that you had not heard for what felt like forever.

You didn't have to turn around to tell who it was, "Jean?"

The two of you erupted in laughter, both surprised by the mere coincidence of meeting each other at this old and ran-down department store, on the outskirt of the town you both grew up in.

Jean was quick to pull you into a big embrace that you gladly came into. A familiar piece of warmth was his hug, and yet it had struck you as odd that it did not feel foreign at the closest, although it had been years since the last time you met him.

Jean had grown very tall. There was no longer his signature undercut as he had let his hairs to grow past his ear. His chiseled jaw hid beneath dark brown beard he now had. You pretended to check him out and be shocked with the view, "You really grew! Like grew, GREW!" as if you hadn't seen him on the news station or the daily mail. As if you didn't follow his Instagram with your second account. As if you never thought of him at all.

He held your shoulder and pulled away to look at you, "Thirteen years and you don't look any different."

Your face grew hot and the compliment sent an uncanny discomfort to your guts, "Ah the lighting sucks here - to my advantage, fortunately."

There was a disapproving look in Jean's eyes for a passing moment before he carried on with the conversation. He didn't expect to see you at the old department store the two of you used to roam in after school, he said. Neither did you to ever meet him again, especially here. A place so awfully ordinary for someone who had grown to be the best version of himself. Jean had finally achieved his dream to be a household name in the country as one of the rising young attorneys.

The celebrity status he had achieved, all the actresses and models he had dated - it all inflicted you with some kind of inexplicable pain. One that made you feel worthless, to say the least. Someone who used to be so close to your heart, had grown so magnificently, leaving you with the painful fate of being ordinary. Yet, still your face lit up in distant pride each time a mention of Jean’s name surfaced, be it from the passing conversation your friend had, or to see it announced by the news anchor for some big public case he was working on.

Jean said that he returned home for a funeral. His uncle died, and he needed a spare sandal. He didn't know any other store, as the area both of you grew up in had changed a lot. Leaving this old department store the only place he could remember.

You passed your condolence but he was more curious with what you were up to. You chuckled because he seemed so serious when he asked, "Didn't you move out to the city? Why the hell are you coming back?" as if the misplacement of seeing someone so glitzy in this boring, dilapidated town didn't apply to him.

So you answered, and Jean turned silent for a moment. He tilted his head downward, and you noticed that he was the same person with the same mannerism. Although he was no longer the 17-year-old boy who used to get all ruffed up in school fight, trying to defend you from some stupid jocks; nor was he still the tall, lanky kid from your Home Economics class that you gave your first kiss to.

Your mind couldn’t help but to race to all the what-ifs, and the presence of Jean before your eyes right now only made the wonderings more palpable.

Jean smiled faintly to your answer, “Congratulations,” he still made his way to pat the side of your head, something he used to do every time, “big step, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s scary.”

“So, who’s the lucky guy? Anyone I know from school?” Jean said, faking the enthusiasm in his tone, but you didn’t notice. Because in your mind, it would be an absurd idea to think that you would still have the tiniest bit of effect on Jean, for he had outgrown all the memories he ever had with you.

“No, no,” you tried to mask the bitterness that suddenly emerged on the back of your tongue, “we met at work. He’s a great guy.”

Indeed, he was. The reason why you returned home was because you were getting married, and your fiancée wanted to be close with your family, for he didn’t have one growing up. He was an exceptional man, he had this magnetism in him, with the way he perceived things, to the abiding tenacity he had in him.

Your fiancée was a man you knew you could lean on in the eye of adversity. That’s why you agreed to marry him. But then again, there was always a void inside your heart that had no resolve to it for so many years. Your fiancée was your foundation, and yet, perhaps selfishly, you still yearned for the childish laughter and the irreplaceable feeling of freedom you once had with the man standing tall before you. Whose glance never failed to make you feel the most at ease with.

“He must be a pretty great guy to get you,” Jean’s faint smile grew into a grin, he was trying to down play the commotion he started to feel within his chest, “what’s his name? So, I can picture him.”

You laughed, because it was only natural for you to do so in the presence of the first guy you had fallen for, the first guy to ever told you how pretty you were and how all your imperfections never mattered to him, the first one to bring your teary face into his embrace after a gruesome day, before saying, ‘I never thought it’s possible. But, crazy, seeing you cry hurts me too.’

However, you knew, that all those memories had passed by and you were happy with where you were now. “Reiner,” you smiled at the mention of his name, “my fiancée’s name is Reiner Braun. He’s… amazing.”

“Wow. Tough name. Probably someone I’d stay clear from in high school.”

Both of you laughed, and the two of you continued to talk, as you walked him through the desolated alleys to find the sandal that he wanted to buy, and Jean walking you to the towel aisle that you had meant to buy one for Reiner, only to find out that they had stopped selling towels since long time ago. The laughter and reminiscing persisted until the cashier row when Jean heard your stomach grumble. Both of you exchanged glances and broke into yet another laughter.

“Salerno’s?” Jean said, suggesting the pizza place off the highway, where you had spent so many dates with him back then.

“How could I ever say no to that?”

“Settled, then. Did you drive here?” Jean’s eyes gazed afar to the parking lot, strangely looking for the old car you used to drive back in school, before realizing that thirteen years had passed and there was no chance that sickly car could ever survive the time.

“No, actually Reiner dropped me and—” As if staged by the universe, your phone rung and Reiner was calling, “—right in time, it’s him!”

You walked away from Jean for a moment as he looked for his car key inside jacket. Across the line, Reiner was gruntling, his voice was hazy, “Babe—”

“Reiner, I bumped into an old friend!” there was a sing-songy tone in your words. Through the phone, Reiner chuckled, picking up the excitement in your voice, even though it was getting more apparent that Reiner was drowsy, “Anyway babe, can you get an Uber? I took the cough syrup your mum gave me, and now I’m sleepy as fuck. ‘Fraid I won’t be able to drive.”

You turned to Jean and saw him jingling his car key at you, before returning back to Reiner on the phone, “Rei, I think my friend can drive me home. I’ll be stopping at Salerno’s, do you want anything? The calzone maybe?”

Reiner yawned, “That sounds nice but—” yet another yawn, “I’m gonna pass out. Come home soon, okay? Tuck me in.”

You cackled at the buff man whining before you said goodbye and followed Jean into his car.

The trip to Salerno’s was nourishing with memories. The poplar trees along the avenue had been replaced by lines of billboards – from advertisement of real estate agent to divorce attorney, they all reminded you of how much the town had changed. Yet the sense of comfort you shared with Jean as you joked about all of the absurd things you saw along the way, had not changed at all.

If for one second you forgot that you were driving in Jean’s expensive car, and that you imagined he was wearing a shabby soccer jersey instead of a tailored-fit shirt – if you closed your eyes and thought that thirteen years hadn’t gone by between the two of you, it almost felt like you rode a time machine to a time when Jean was yours and you were his. And something about the thought of it just broke your heart.

When Jean pulled over at Salerno’s and found out that it’s past the time for dine-in, the two of you decided to eat at his car instead. Jean didn’t even ask what you want and he returned with exactly what you had in mind, the classic calzone, something you always used to have. He remembered.

The two of you laughed, bantered and joked at each other. It felt almost as if no distance had ever been laid out between the two of you, like you hadn’t lived an entirely different life, like he was the same person after all. He hadn’t once made you self-conscious like you thought you would, considering the amount of success he had attained for himself. You felt bad for accusing Jean of the worst, when all it was just a projection of your own insecurity.

“So, you’re getting married on the 15th, and your annoying aunt is not invited?”

“Yeah, thank God for the pandemic somehow. Legit excuse, when all I wanted was not to have her talk shit about Reiner on my wedding day,” you munched through your calzone, talking mindlessly, “as for you, sir, you’re invited. That’s a no-brainer. Hereby I invite thee to my humble dwelling. Bring your model girlfriend, please, so I can brag to my cousins.”

His grin subsided into a weak smile and then into nothing at all, as he sipped on his coke. Suddenly awkward silence loomed within the small space of his car.

“Jean,” you shifted in your seat as the guilt grew on you, realizing the error in your judgment, “sorry I was being presumptuous.”

“No worries, it wasn’t serious. None of it ever was.”

You nodded, engulfed in your own guilt for bringing a bad topic up. The silence let the radio’s murmur to become noticeable, and an old song had just been played through the local radio, a tune that you used to listen with him on the back of your old creaking car after a make-out session filled with enraging teenage hormones.

And I’m in so deep~

You know I’m such a fool for you~

You got me wrapped around your finger I—

Do you have to let it linger?

You sighed and finally looked at Jean with his head hanging low, “Do you want to settle down someday?”

“Eventually.” Jean answered nonchalantly, “Not even sure about the whole relationship thingy.”

“Oh.” An acknowledgment you voiced, before succumbing to yet another silence.

Jean called your name softly and when you turned to face him, he was looking at you. Even in the darkness of the parking lot, you could see his honey eyes gleamed in a look that was so familiar to you—a look of disappointment, “Tell me, how could you never end up working where you’ve always wanted to be?”

You were pulled even deeper into your silence as you looked away. Suddenly a hot rash of sadness started to swallow you whole, “I—”

You tried to voice out a tangible reason, but you had realized that all of it was your own doing. Your insecurity, your self-consciousness, the thought that you were never good enough for the thing you once wanted so bad; all of it led to a life unlived, and to have someone finally putting you in your place was embarrassing, if not painful, “—wasn’t sure if I really wanted it and—”

“—wasn’t sure if I was good enough to pass the test.”

“So, after college, you never ended up applying there? Not even a try?”

You shook your head embarrassed, looking down at your shoes.

Jean sighed and laid his food on the dashboard, before reaching for your right hand and held it warmly into his grasp. He called your name which propelled you to look back at him, “Weren’t you the one who talked me into getting into law school? Even when I thought it was impossible? Weren’t you the one who wrote on my yearbook to-my-future-attorney when everyone was convinced that I’d end up working a mediocre office job? Or a mechanic in my Dad’s shop?”

Jean carried on, “I just… I just don’t understand. How could you have so much conviction for other people but—but yourself?”

You passed a grim smile, as vulnerability started to catch up with you, “Nevermind Jean, it’s passed. I am where I am now.”

“But, wasn’t it your dream?” Jean grew antsy on his seat, it was obvious that he truly didn’t understand, “The pages and pages and pages of diary you wrote about wanting to work there? What happened?”

You sighed, running out of words to say, until you caved in, “Maybe I never knew what I truly wanted.”

“Is that why?” Jean shot another look at you, there was an intensity in his eyes that you had never seen before. There you wondered what had happened to Jean’s life in all those years passed at your absence, had he led a difficult life before getting the success he was enjoying now? “Is that why you left me—because you didn’t know what you truly want?”

Jean understood the consequence of his action, he was a well-accomplished attorney after all. He also understood the vivid pain painted all over your face, but he was taking his shot. Years of wondering where had you gone, what kind of live had you lived – you never ceased to haunt him, all the what-ifs with you he always thought about whenever he broke off yet another meaningless relationship with yet another woman he’d never cared for in his life. Over the years, he’d taken a close look at you. He’d find you on the internet, he’d asked about you to friends of a friend that was still in touch with you, he’d ‘accidentally’ found your legal documents just to see that you had gotten your college degree one year earlier than him. He didn’t know why the thought of you lingered, you just did. Arriving into his dreams where he was seventeen again and unassuming, only for him to wake up disappointed at seeing a woman that wasn’t you in his bed.

For the longest time, Jean had fended for himself to be where he’s now. When survival had finally bore fruits, what else could there be for him? Still, he felt lonely in the embrace of another woman, still he felt the void persisted even if he spent his money on things he didn’t need. Jean never thought, that after years of dreaming to be the person he’s now, all he yearned for was to have a piece of simple, ordinary and innocent happiness he once had with you.

You were, after all, the only thing that could remind him of the innocence Jean had lost after years of grueling work as an attorney—seeing how corrupt and insidious men can be. So, when his wearied eyes landed on the sight of you this evening, in the alley of that long-forgotten Department Store, Jean had no choice but to finally face his haunting.

“Jean, it’s a long time ago,” you smile, cupping his hand with your free hand, “besides, I’m no longer your type, right?” A grin, a playful grin, painfully fabricated and Jean saw right through it.

You could feel the air had gotten thick in his car, and you shifted closer to the door. Jean let go of your hand as he moved closer to you, running his long fingers through your hair. His voice had gotten deep and you could sense a hint of pain in his words, “Maybe I never had a type.”

He dragged his gaze all over your face; your eyes, your nose, your lips – the way he used to reassure that you were so beautiful in his eyes despite the self-hate you inflicted upon yourself, “Maybe all I ever wanted was you and all I ever did with those girls was to try finding you in them,” he forced a smile, so stale, so painful, “to no avail.”

You could feel the air into your lung was compromised as you battled the tears, “Jean…”

“Out of so many things that I have been brave for, I was never brave enough for one thing that I needed the most: to tell you that it’s always been you,” Jean slithered his hands through your waist and pulled you into his embrace. He laid his head, heavy with loneliness and exhaustion on to the nook of your shoulder. For lack of better term, Jean was finally back home, as he muttered, letting go of all his inhibitions, “Baby, it’s always been you. It’s always been you.”

Your whole body was weak with emotions. The thoughts, the persistent ones – the what-ifs you could have had with Jean, the life you could have lived and the dream that could have been fulfilled. Without your permission, the tears fell to your dismay as you thought of one last thing remaining in your heart: Reiner. The way he smiled and listened all through your nightly despairs, caressing you close until you fell asleep, exhausted with tears dried up all over your face. The way Reiner whispered on to your ear, amidst your drowsiness, that he loved you and that he promised to make you whole, to fill the void you had always feared for. All the little things he had done without you asking, or the way he loved your family as if they were his own.

You cursed yourself for being surprised at how much you realized that you truly loved Reiner, even when you were in the embrace of someone you wondered about often. You realized, the best way to prove to someone that you love them was to stick around. And Reiner had stuck around, as much as you stuck around for him.

You left Jean long time ago for reasons you only vaguely remembered now, but life went on and sooner or later you should make it in your heart to accept it. You smiled and thought of your life. Sure, there was a lot of thing you need to patch up, but what is life if not persevering?

You pulled away from Jean, surprised to see a beaten look on his face. Far away from the dandy and sharp young attorney you would see on the news. Once, you loved this man, but years had passed and the one he wanted was no longer there. You were no longer the person you were thirteen years ago. You were no longer the girl Jean longed for, all he wished for was a passing ghost that you have left behind in your adolescence.

You caressed his cheek for the last time and landed a kiss to his forehead, “Jean, I’m so proud of you. How far you have gone. I’m sorry I wouldn’t be the one you’d share your future achievement with, but for all the things you have done to me, for seeing the good in me when I could hardly see it… I want to say thank you,” you smiled although pain was searing within your chest, “there’s a world out there where this would work out. But not this world.”

The unexpected rendezvous you had with the man whom you had given your first love to ended with both of you crying at each other’s embrace, until Salerno’s closed and turned off their lights.

When Jean finally dropped you at your childhood home, the place he used to spend all the times in, Jean smiled and pointed at your room with the lights still lit, “He’s waiting?”

“I think he’s asleep. He’s a deep sleeper, he forgets to turn off the lights every time.”

“Does he even fit in your tiny bed?”

“Well, you did fit.”

“For a time.”

“Yeah, for a time.”

“So, you’ll be Mrs. Braun?”

“Yep, Mrs. Braun I will be.”

Jean scoffed, pretending to be annoyed, but smiling nonetheless, “Lucky bastard, that Mr. Braun.”

I noticed in the recent update that there was a net to keep the MC from swimming too far *cough escaping cough*. It got me thinking about what if the MC- in guise of trying to find more creatures- finds an opening big enough for them to squeeze through and almost escapes. I'm not really sure which villager/character would fit best in this situation though.

Okay so like anon, not to be like that but I would dIE FOR YOU! THIS IDEA IS SO GOOD!!! YOUR MIND! ITS TO POWERFUL ANON! But yeah this was really fun to write and I choose my two favorite bitter ex boys both wanted the same poor representative. You guessed it, it’s out boys!

Yandere Tom Nook X Reader X Yandere Redd

Hole

Sneaking. You were sneaking. It was a beautiful summer day, kids were outside playing, some were out fishing or catching bugs. But where were you? You were sneaking like a teenager trying to get past their overprotective parents. You didn’t want to sneak but you had no choice. Ever since Redd first showed up on the island Tom had been more protective than ever. He didn’t want you to wander off without him, he wouldn’t let you go outside without his permission and sometimes he would want you to sleep in his house. You used to love Tom but nowadays he was just too overbearing for your comfort. You and Tom never really said out loud that you loved each other and you never did any couple-stuff. But both of you knew, you both were in love. Or, that’s how it used to be at least. Any and all feelings for Tom that you had gone right out the door once you lost control of your life.

“Y/N? Where are you going, dear?” Shit. He had found you, he had heard you. And now he was gonna stop you. “I-umm...I was just gonna go outside and search for some sea creatures for blathers” you said, trying and failing to mask the fear and worry in your voice. “Oh? Is that right...hmm...well do you need to do that? I mean, what if you drowned? What if you got attacked by a shark or octopus? Or worse! What if Redd showed up!? You remember what happened last time right? Do you want that to happen again?!” Tom asked you, you knew very much what had occurred between you and Redd, in fact just thinking of it sent shivers down your spine and formed a pit in your stomach. But at the same time, you didn’t want to stay with Tom, you’d be lying if you said that he didn’t scare you at times. Sometimes at night, you’d hear him mumbling things in his sleep, things that made every part of your brain scream to run away and never return, yet your body refused to listen. You worried about his well-being and especially now since he seemed almost obsessed with you. “Tom, listen...I haven’t been out of the house without you for some time now and I was just hoping to have some privacy. You know I’d never wander too far off” you grabbed one of his hands, taking your other hand to gently stroke his cheek. You felt him lean into your touch as he closed his eyes. These were the moments you missed, the tender, loving gestures that you and he would exchange. But now, these moments were just a way of getting you out of his intoxicatingly strong grasp. You didn’t want to stay with Tom, not in the slightest, that Tom whom you once loved died when he started limiting your freedom.

“Mmm...oh well...I guess if you know what you’re doing. Then sure, you can go out for a while yes, yes?” He said, this brought an actual smile to your face as you gave him a hug to which he giggled in reply. “Alright! I’ll see you later Tom!” “Be careful!”

And so, you were off. You ran straight to the shop to buy a wet suit, and then you ran straight to the water to do a cannonball. You laid in the water for about twenty minutes before rising up and swimming around. You didn’t bother trying to climb over the net, you knew it was useless as any major disturbance on the net sent a notification to Tom and inform him of your apparent escape. You learned that the hard way. So instead you just tried to relax for now. Later you might visit some of your residents and maybe go talk to sable, it has been a while since the two of you talked. But for now, you were trying to find sea creatures to give to Blathers. That was until you saw something that made your eyes squint before going completely wide once you realized what it was. It was a hole! A big hole in the net! Big enough for you to fit through without alerting Tom! You could escape! You could finally leave this hell!...but...what would happen to Tom if you left, you worried what he might do to himself or the others if you leave...no...you can’t think like that! The reason Tom is unwell is because of you. The only way he can heal is if you stayed away from him, if you didn’t, his obsession would only get worse.

You swim closer to the edge of the net and Closer to the hole. Looking at it you could indeed conclude that It was big enough for you to fit through. Hastily yet carefully you went through it. Making sure not to touch anything on the way out. If you did, it would be game over. Tom would see that something, you, were trying to get through and he would lose it. That’s what made you afraid. But you just couldn’t care right now, you were done sacrificing your life for other's happiness! It’s your time to be a little selfish. To look out for yourself! Carefully navigating your legs out of the hole your whole body was now out, you were out. You could barely believe it! But you wouldn’t stick around to see if Tom saw it or not. You had a plan. There was an island a bit away from yours, which would normally take about five minutes with a plane so it would maybe take about twenty minutes to swim. If you could hold out and keep out of dangerous water, you could make it. You would either make it or drown. Either way, there was no turning back now.

As you were swimming briskly, you started to rethink your decision a little. I mean, abandoning all your friends? And what would happen with Tom? Would he become unfit to take care of Timmy and Tommy? You didn’t want to consider that scenario, you wanted to believe that he would get help. But it was hard when you had experienced how deep his possession over you had gotten. After about halfway there you realized how far away the other island truly was, your arms got very tired and you had swallowed what felt like a ton of seawater accidentally as you had swum. You’re honestly starting to give up hope of reaching the island in time. You were gonna drown. You were gonna drown. You were never gonna see your friends again, never gonna find a significant other, never get married, settle down, get a pet fish with said significant other. Never gonna- Wait...is that a...boat? A little boat, sailing off in the distance caught your attention. Maybe there was still hope! Maybe there was a chance of survival! You had to do something, anything, you had to get its attention.

“HELLO!!! IM HERE!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!” You shouted at the boat. And as if on cue, it turned around and went over to you. Yes! You had done it! You were gonna survive- Wait a minute...you recognized that boat...was that...oh god, it was! That was no other than Jolly Redd's boat. He was even worse than Tom! You had no time to think before the boat arrived in front of you. “Well well well...if it isn’t my favorite human! What are you doing all the way out here cousin?” He asked you, his voice full of glee, knowing you would need his help. “Get away from me Redd!” You said you didn’t want anything got to do with him. “Oh really? What was 'please help me' about then? I just wanna help Y/N, I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive about this. Now tell me, why are you all the way out here in the middle of the Ocean?” He asked you. Tilting his head while resting his chin above his hand, huge grin present on his face. “...ᴵ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʳʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵉˢᶜᵃᵖᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵀᵒᵐ” “huh? A little louder cuz, I couldn’t hear ya?” “I WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM TOM OKAY!!! HE PRETTY MUCH LOCKED ME INSIDE OF HIS HOUSE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID!” Everything became deathly quiet as you said this. Out of all the answers, Redd had NOT expected that one. After quickly regaining his normal posture, he mustered up another smile on his lips. “Well, do ya need a ride, or would you like to swim for another forty minutes, hm?” Forty minutes? You had grossly underestimated the time that it would take for you to swim. “Get away from me Redd, I don’t want your help after what you did...” you told him, refusing to look at the smug bastard. “Oh Y/N. I don’t think you’ve comprehended this situation...you can either come with me or drown. Now I’d understand if you’d want to drown yourself, I would if I had to spend so much time with Nookie. But ask yourself, is this really the way you’d want to go out? By drowning? That’s lame!” He was right, god damn it! You hated that he was right. You were completely and utterly helpless right now and the only way to get out of this would be to accept his help.

You swallowed all of your pride and looked at him. He still had that shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “Alright, you win. I’ll come up on the ship...but as soon as we get to the island, that’ll be all okay!” As you said this, Redd's grin only got wider. He walked away for a few seconds before throwing a ladder down on the side of his boat closest to you. You could practically feel his joy as you climbed up the ladder. Once you were up, Redd immediately came up to you. Holding his hands together as he looked at you like a giddy kid to open up their presents. “Ohohohooo~ trust me Y/N, you won’t regret this!” He giggled as his movements got more jittery, almost as if he’s restraining himself. “Yeah yeah, whatever Redd,” you told him sternly. You didn’t want to be in his presence for any longer than you had to. Stepping in front of you, the fox pulled the curtain to the entrance open for you. You let out a loud sigh as you saw his dumb gesture. “God, shut up Redd,” you said as you walked inside, you knew he was joking. But jokes were supposed to be funny. And you hated him. “Ah come on Y/N you know I’m just yanking your chain here! I know you can fend for yourself! I’m not like good old nookie-“ “stop!” “Stop what?” Redd looked at you in confusion. “Stop trying to make yourself look better by comparing yourself to Tom! You have no right considering you’re the reason he’s like that! I know what your doing Redd! I’m never gonna join you! So quit trying, let’s just get a move on” you said aggressively, only to be met by the deep chuckles of the fox behind you. Blocking the exit. “What are you laughing at!?” You fidgeted with your hands as you backed up slightly. But it was no use since Redd blocked your exit. “Oh, cousin...you haven’t seemed to have gotten what’s happening right now...I don’t CARE If you want to come with me! You’re coming with whether you like it or not! We’re not stopping at some island. You have nowhere else to go, besides into my arms! So why don’t you make this easy for the both of us and just comply would ya?” Oh...oh no...oh god! He was being serious! “Wha...i...”

As soon as he approached you, you bolted off onto the deck. You knew you couldn't get away but you would rather drown than let yourself become some toy to this maniac. But before you could jump off the boat, Redd ran up behind you and hastily scooped you up by your arms. You thrashed and struggled but it was no use. He was so much stronger than you. “Ah Ah ahhh~ you wouldn’t want to do any myths rational now, would you cousin?” He said in a teasing manner. It made you even more irritated than you were scared. And so, you elbowed him right in his face. He instinctively dropped you as you did this but he quickly grabbed your leg and threw you back onto the deck before Anything could happen. There you laid, on the floor with a rage full fox above you. He was still mumbling curse words under his breath as his face still hurt. But he didn’t care, he just grabbed you roughly by the hand as he dragged you inside. You were being pulled to the furniture part of his boat, all while trying to punch, scratch or halt Redd. But nothing worked. Soon it dawned on you where exactly he was taking you. He was taking you to the big iron door at the back of his boat. The one looming door that had a giant padlock on it. “I wanted to do this the easy way Y/N! Trust me, I did! But if you’re gonna act like this then I’ll simply have to do it the hard way!” He yelled as he threw you up against the wall. The impact made you fall down and lose part of your consciousness for a few seconds. While you were trying to regain yourself, Redd opened the padlock with a key. As he turned around he saw what you were trying to do, you were trying to crawl away. You were failing, of course, the meek attempt made him chortle as he now calmed down a little. “Oh Y/N...” he said softly as he picked you up, looking right into your eyes as he continued. “You can’t escape, and no one is coming for you. Better make yourself comfortable because the ride home is long” while he told you this, he walked in the room. It looked like a bedroom. In the middle of it was a mattress, did...did he plan to do this? How long had he planned to kidnap you!? He placed you on the bed and kissed you on your forehead. You tried to protest but only weak movements and a small groan came out. Redd walked to the door but just before he closed it he turned to you, eyes gentle and seemed very genuine. “Sleep well...”

That was a couple of hours ago. Redd was now steering the boat and was whistling to himself in glee. He got you, he finally got you! And he didn’t even have to do anything, you were just served to him on a silver platter. But before he could think of anything else he felt a powerful wave hit the entire ship. It sent him falling down to his knees. Some madman had crashed into them! Walking outside with violent steps Redd was getting ready to curse out whoever had driven into them. “HEY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH-“ he quickly shut up once he saw who was in the boat. In the boat that had driven into his side sat a very angry tanooki. It was Tom, as he looked at Redd the glare he gave sent shivers down Redd's spine. Let’s just say, if looks could kill, Redd would be dead where he stood.

“Redd! Where is Y/N!” Tom asked, well it was more of a demand. “How did...how did you find me” Redd was completely and utterly baffled. He was out in the middle of the ocean, yet Tom had managed to get to him. “Where is Y/N. I know they’re here so quit acting stupid and tell me where they are!” Tom was raising his voice more and more as he got madder and madder. Redd has taken everything from him once, he wasn’t gonna let him take it again. “No chance nookie! Don’t you think there’s a reason they’re out here? Maybe it’s because they hate you! Maybe it’s because they hate that you act like a restrictive psycho! Have you ever thought of that Tom! Huh? Huh?!” Redd was now leaning over the railing of his boat. He was almost face to face with his bitter rival. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP REDD! I HATE YOU! I-“ Tom grabbed ahold of Redd's shoulders and pulled him down, into the water. “HATE YOU!!!!”

You were peacefully sleeping as the now slightly wet tanooki walked up to your tranquil form. He kneeled down and stroked your cheek, as he smiled to himself. Poor Y/N. Such a sweet individual didn’t deserve to be touched by someone as sleazy and dishonest as Redd. Thus he picked you up and walked over to his motorboat. You were going home.

“Helloooo....wakey wakey...Y/N dear? Can you open your eyes?” You could hear a distant voice say but it was very blurry. Lifting your eyelids open felt like lifting iron weights, but as soon as you caught a glimpse of who was next to you your eyes went wide open with fear. “TOM!?” You threw your body away from him. Backing up until your back was up against the wall. “Ah your awake now, good...you’ve been sleeping for quite some time now. I’ll be honest, for a minute there I thought you were dead” he laughed a little to himself as he said this, a laugh which at one point you thought was adorable but now struck terror right into your chest. “Silly me...oh! Now that you’re awake, are the chains too tight? Do you want Me to loosen them for you?” He asked you. What? You had been so preoccupied with the fear that you hadn’t realized that you did indeed have chains and chuckles attached to your wrists. They were very long so you weren’t exactly chained up to the wall, but they were just short enough so you wouldn’t be able to move around too much. This is when you started hyperventilating. Why were you here? Where was Redd? How did Tom find you?!

“Oh! No no shhh, don’t worry, I’m here, I’m here...Redd won’t ever get you...I made sure of that...” what the hell did he mean by that!? “H-how did you find me?” You asked him, voice quivering just like you were. “Oh Y/N, did you think that the net notifications were the only way for me to see if you escaped?” He said as he petted your head. He hadn’t been so certain whether it was necessary to implant that chip in you, he thought that he could trust you enough but it would seem that he really couldn’t. “By the way, thanks for bringing that up. I’m sure by now you’ve figured out your punishment for trying to leave me. Don’t think just because I’m happy I got you back that I’m not angry, that I’m not sad, that I’m not heartbroken that you would ever think to escape from me! I just want you to be safe and this is how you repay me!” His tone got a little angrier towards the end but he quickly gathered himself in front of you. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You hurt me Y/N...but I’m happy you’re alright...and your safety is the only thing that matters right now,” he said as he snuggled up to you. The tanooki was madly in love with you. He wanted you to be with him for the rest of his life. He had tried to do it with you being free. But it had seemed like he couldn’t trust you with that freedom. So, he would have to lock you in, cage you up, keep you with him. Whether you liked it or not. He was gonna be with you. By this point tears had started to well up in your eyes, your whimpers getting stronger once Tom started cooing you, stroking your hair.

“Don’t cry Y/N....I...I love you...”

He said it. He had said it. The three words that you had dreaded him saying. Up until now. You could have just pretended that Tom was just a very protective friend. But now...now? He had admitted to loving you. You couldn’t back out now. You couldn’t keep that level of comfort in that Tom wouldn’t do anything to engage a relationship, but now it was only a question of when he would actually start proposing ideas of dates and stuff. You were doomed. Doomed forever with this possessive, lovesick man. You couldn’t handle it.

You started sobbing. Tears that had threatened to spill started pouring out. The only thing you could do was bury your head in Toms's neck, closing your eyes and hoping this was all just a nightmare. That you would wake up and all of this would’ve just been a dream. But it wouldn’t, this was your life now. And you wished you would have just chosen to drown instead of joining Redd.

Movie Night ( Douxie x reader)

You’re having a movie night at your house, inviting your friends: An odd bunch made up of aliens, trolls, troll hunters and wizards. Plus a talking cat. Oh and Toby.

Stand alone fic

—————-

Judging from the screeching sounds coming from your kitchen, you guessed it wasn’t a good idea to let Aja and Krel handle making the snacks. All it was was was some popcorn, and yet it sounded like they were taking apart a motorcycle in there.

You glanced around your living room, which was currently way too packed considering there were two trolls, five teenagers and one wizard crammed in. Your eyes landed on Jim, who was sitting on the couch next to Claire, arm around her as they laughed.

“Jim, hate to ruin the really cute moment but could you go in the kitchen and save our snacks please.” Asking your cousin nicely, you watched him scowl as you wiggled your eyebrows at the pair.

Laughter erupted from Claire but she also turned bright red. Jim on the other hand gave you a small scowl but quickly lightened up, smiling as he nodded.

“Sure thing cuz.” He got up waving as he headed into the kitchen to fix the damage your alien friends probably caused.

“You know you and Jim are really cute. You guys really found each other.”

Once Jim got up you took his place next to Claire, sitting down cross legged on the comfy sofa.

“Yeah I guess we did, there’s nobody else like Jim. He’s something special.”

A warm smile graced Claire’s lips as she looked lovingly towards the kitchen where Jim was. Although it was slightly sickening sometimes to see how much they loved each other, you were happy for the pair. Especially, since Jim was your younger cousin and you wanted to see him happy.

“Oh yeah he’s special alright, Trollhunter by night and just below average student by day.”

You made sure to say the last part just loud enough for Jim to hear, who let out a squawk of indignation from the kitchen causing the others around you to laugh.

On the floor, Toby was arguing with Steve and Eli about what film to watch. It was currently between Killer Robot 3, Ouija Board and Holiday Romance....Yes, Steve did choose Holiday Romance but he kept on denying it and saying Eli chose it. Of course Eli went along with it, being the supportive friend that he is.

Unbeknownst to you all, Aaaargh was happily sat on the bean bag in the corner, chomping away on some old DVDs and VHSs, happy that everybody was safe for once.

“You humans have very strange forms of entertainment. What is this contraption ? Oh it glows.”

Beside you and Claire, Blinky pressed down on the button that turned your lava lamp on. It was a gift you’d gotten from your boyfriend Douxie, who was running late at the moment with the pizza you’d asked for.

Blinky watched fascinated as the lava floated from the bottom of the lamp, until it reached the top, and slowly descended down again. It was amusing to watch the scholar be entranced by something so simple.

“Hey where’s Douxie with the pizza ? I’m starting to get hungry.”

Claire spoke from beside you and, as if to confirm her hunger, her stomach growled moments later leaving her a little embarrassed and you giggling.

“He should be here soon. For someone who’s been alive for nearly a Millenium you’d think he’d learn to tell the time”

You responded jokingly, making Claire laugh and the person who’d just entered through your doorway.

“Cheeky love.”

You turned around quickly to see your boyfriend standing there in all his punk glory carrying six pizzas and a bag of fizzy drinks.

“Wooooo food !!”

Cheering, the teens got off their butts and ran over to Douxie, practically trampling him as they snatched the food away, having not eaten for hours, before quickly running back to sit down in front of the TV.

With a laugh, you got off your feet and made your way over to the wizard, who looked like he’d walked through a tornado. His lips curved into a smile at the sight of you, his lovely girlfriend in sweatpants and a Papa Skull T-shirt (that was definitely his).

“Hello love.”

He greeted you with a kiss on the cheek which you returned, kissing him gently on the lips as his arms entwined around you.

“Oooooooooooooo.”

Four snickering teens giggled at the pair of you as you broke apart. Your face had turned beet red whilst Douxie just rolled his eyes.

“Get a room you two.”

Steve hollered, pizza cheese smeared along his upper lip.

“Well Steve this is my room so.”

You snarked back with a laugh watching as Eli tried to wipe the cheese off of Steve’s face with a napkin. Sadly, Steve was not enjoying being babied by his friend and was thrashing around.

“Stop it pepperjack. What are you doing bro!”

You rolled your eyes at the pair of arguing teenagers, watching as Claire and Toby debated over which film to watch as Blinky came to join them.

“Hey Aaarrghh come over here big guy, got a space for you here.”

You called your large troll friend over who had struggled to fit into your “cave”, as he’d put it, due to its small size but you’d cleared a space just by the sofa for him, having pushed back some furniture.

Grateful for the consideration Aaaargh, with a bit of clumsiness, plopped down in the space, right next to his wingman Toby.

“Thank you. (y/n) is very kind.”

His large hand patted you on the head as he thanked you, smiling widely.

A giggle left your lips as you told him it was nothing, still cuddled up under Douxie’ arm.

“Hey Doux Im gonna go check on the kids in the kitchen. It’s suddenly gotten very quiet. Try and get them to choose a film please.”

You untangled yourself from under Douxie’s arm and made your way into the kitchen.

“Im not a bloomin babysitter love.”

Douxie let out a little grumble as he glanced at the now full on arguing teenagers who couldn’t pick a film for the life of them.

The kitchen was, well to put it lightly, a distaster. Butter and popcorn scattered the floor and surfaces. Some strange yellow liquid was smeared across the cabinet doors, and a strange machine that resembled a blender stood in the middle of your kitchen.

Aja and Krel were rushing around trying to clean up the mess, whilst Jim was microwaving the rest of the popcorn that had survived the ordeal.

“You know what I’m not even going to ask.”

You waved a hand and left them to it, not really feeling like stressing out over something so small. Plus you knew they’d clean it up properly....eventually.

Back in the living room, Claire was standing on the sofa pointing an accusing finger at the boys who were clutching onto Robot Killer 3.

“We are not watching that stupid excuse of a film !”

From out of nowhere she whipped out her shadow staff which darkened with power, a sign that she was getting serious.

Eli and Steve gulped nervously, backing up behind Tobes who brought out his war hammer. The pair locked eyes, filling the room with as much atmospheric tension as a stand off in a Westen movie.

“Now Tobias and miss Claire we can figure this out without resorting to violence.”

Blinky, sensing the tension, stepped in as he was sort of the pseudo-parent around here. He reached out and pushed down their weapons, giving them both a stern look. Whilst that was happening Steve and Eli had quickly escaped over to Aaaargh, hiding behind him for protection.

“No fighting wingman. Watch fun film. No violence.”

Aaarghh’s request settled both Toby and Claire down, who hadnt even considered that Aaaargh couldn’t watch a film with too much violence in it. It’d probably trigger his PTSD and make him too anxious.

“Yeah wingman we can watch Holiday Romance.”

Sighing, a little dejectedly ,Toby agreed with Aaaargh smiling at him.

“Oh yeahhh !!!”

From behind Aaaargh, Steve’s head poked round as he celebrated and started whooping, until he saw the surprised looks on everybody’s faces.

“I mean pshhhh lame, that films for chicks.”

Trying to play it cool or crispy, he sauntered out from behind Aaaargh, followed by Eli and laid down in the sofa only making a small amount of room for Eli.

“Uhuh sure Steve sure.”

Claire and Toby laughed a little as they plopped down in front of the sofa, Blinky between them. You looked round and saw your boyfriend in the armchair in the corner of your living room, stroking Archie who must’ve flown in through the open window.

Noticing you looking at him Douxie winked at you, smirking a little at the way you blushed. Rolling your eyes, you smiled amused before looking at the kitchen as Jim, Aja and Krel emerged with minimal scathing.

“We have corn that is popped !” Krel cheered shoving the popcorn into your face as if to emphasise his point.

“Nice job Krel, I knew I could count on you guys....”

You let out a small laugh as you trailed off thinking about the mess your kitchen had been in and hoping that they’d cleaned it up the best they could.

“Hey wheres the pizza ?”

Jim’s question caused you to look away from Krel’s bowl of popcorn and to look around the room. Sadly, you only found empty pizza boxes and four very guilty looking teens.

“Hey sorry Jimbo. Got hungry you know, missed out on dinner.”

Toby scratched his head nervously as he admitted to eating the last of the pizza. The others looked just as guilty, especially Steve who still had a cheese moustache that Eli had failed to wipe off.

“Oh fudgeknuckles, fine I’ll go get some more.”

Sighing, annoyed, Douxie got up from his chair, pushing poor Archie off onto the ground who looked very unhappy with the action. A few cheers ensued as the two alien royals and troll hunter made themselves comfortable among the others in front of the TV.

“Thanks Douxie, can you get pepperoni.”

Jim smiled genuinely at Douxie as he asked for his order whilst Krel beside him was trying to make up his mind.

“Oh oh ! Can I have the one with the fruit and meet on it...what I’d it called...hoowian...Hawan....”

Struggling to place the name of the pizza Krel scratched his head looking a little frustrated.

Aja suddenly appeared enlightened next to Steve and let out a yell of:

“Hawaiian ! You want Hawaiian pizza !”

Krel smiled at his sister happily who in turn smiled back at her brother before snuggling back into Steve’s side.

“Yes that’s it I want one Hawaiian please.”

Good naturedly, Douxie smiled at him and nodded before heading to the door. His famialir had found a comfortable place next to Claire who was petting him and also shooting away Aaarrghh who was staring at the cat hungrily.

“Alright I’ll be back in fifteen tops.”

Shuffling out of the door, Douxie waved goodbye, only stopping when he felt your hand on his as he turned the doorknob.

“Im coming with you.” You announced, smiling as you did up your jacket. This caused a wide smile to grace Douxie’s lips as he laced your fingers with his holding onto your hand.

“We’ll be quick guys. Nobody make a mess whilst we’re gone !”

Yelling out the last part you shut the door, hoping that your apartment would be in one piece when you got back but knowing it probably wouldn’t. Which was okay. They were your friends: A rag tag group of teenagers, ancient trolls, aliens and wizards.

Outside the sun was setting as the evening faded into dusk. Pinks and oranges melted across the sky as if a paint brush had swirled the sky. It was beautiful.

With Douxie’s hand in yours you both walked down the quiet street, heading towards Mario’s Pizza place in the plaza.

“So, you reckon the place will be in one piece when we get back ?” Douxie let out a little chuckle at his question, already imagining the chaos the group would be causing.

Sighing but with a smile across your face you answered:

“Probably not but that’s okay, it’s part of the charm you know, the unexpexted and exciting. Plus I don’t mind as long as they are all having fun for once.”

You turned a little wistful at the end, recalling in your mind all of the past hardships your friends had endured and probably the many more they’d face in the future. For now though you’d given them a safe space to have fun and be teenagers.

Douxie watched the wistful look on your face appear, and felt a deep admiration for your protectiveness. It was one of the things that had attracted you to him, how strong you were and the lengths you went through to protect others. Plus your snark and sarcasm bounced well off of his flirting.

“Im sure they are love, this was a great idea. Didn’t think you had it in you to think so well.” He joked poking your forehead playfully.

“Oh shut up that’s really rich from the guy who thought the man bun was a good look.” You laughed loudly as Douxie’s face fell at your insult.

A red tint pased across his cheeks as he pulled you into him in a very loose headlock, where he then started to mess up your hair. In response you shrieked, trying to shake his grip as he messed your ponytail up and moved onto tickling you.

“Hisirdoux you stop that right now or I’ll...I’ll...”

You were breathless as you threatened him in between your laughter. Tears started to form at the corners of your eyes as he continually tickled you whilst you guys made you way along the street.

“No can do love. That’s what you get for being cheeky.”

An evil grin could be seen on his face as he kept on tickling you loving the sound of your lighthearted breathless laughter. It had been too long since you’d laughed like that. You’d become so stressed out, continually worrying about your friends who you felt responsible for.

Since you were one of the oldest among the group you’d become a caretaker of sorts. Of course they could handle themselves, Krel and Aja were aliens for Merlins sake, Jim was a troll hunter, Claire a sorceress, Steve apparently had become a knight in Camelot and well Eli and Toby could probably defend themselves plus Aaaargh had been a war machine. Blinky. Blinky had his books.

Whilst your cousin had become the trollhunter and you’d continued going to Arcadia Oaks high starting your senior year with little knowledge of what was really going on, by the end you’d found out everything and even a secret about yourself. You were a sorceress, a desscendant of Morgana La Fay herself. The Arcane Order had sought you out, looking for the descendant of Morgana to join them. Of course you’d refused but they took you prisoner, hiding you captive for weeks. Just when you’d given up all hope of seeing your family and friends again the troll hunter team, along with Douxie saved you. That was the first time you’d met him

Now the pair of you were inseparable.

The others looked up to you, naturally as you were older. Claire came to you for advice or just a girl talk that she didn’t want to share with Darcie or Mary. Jim was your cousin so he was already family to you and you’d do anything for him whilst Tobes you’d known since he was five and watched him grow up. Of course Aja and Krel were new but you’d felt so sad learning about the state of their home world and saw that they were struggling to fit in. You were there go to for human advice or a hug, an earthly custom they’d grown to like. Steve and Eli you weren’t as close to, but you knew Steve was dealing with a lot of stuff, more than he let on and you made sure to go the extra mile to make him feel accepted.

Yeah so you were basically superwoman in Douxie’s eyes. He had no idea how you did it all. But of course it was just natural for you to protect others. You’d lost your own family when you were younger and were very protective of the new one you’d acquired, trolls included.

“You’re amazing love. I mean it (y/n). You’re magic.”

Winking at the end of his pun Douxie watched you roll your eyed in mock annoyance before laughing and squeezing his hand tighter.

“It’s nothing really, I’m just looking out for them. It what you do you know. For family....” You trailed off towards the end of your sentence glancing up at your boyfriend who looked a little surprised at the end of your sentence, but in a good way.

Ever since Merlín had died he’d felt a little lost. Sure he had Archie and whilst his famialir could get on his nerves he loved him like family but he’d been wanting more. Having been alone for so long in his 919 years on earth it tended to leave a yearning for home.

“I bloomin love you (y/n). There’s not a person like you, never had been and never will.”

Douxie confessed seriously, voice heavy with emotion as he twirled you into a hug, arms ensnaring you. Your face met his skull shirt and you took a breath in, loving the scent of old books and indistinguishable herbs that radiated from him. It smelt like warmth and home to you.

“I love you too Doux.”

You reached up and kissed his cheek grinning as they turned a little pink. For a moment the pair of you stayed like that wrapped up in each other’s embrace as the sun set casting a golden glow around you. For the first time in a long time to you felt at peace, like everything would be alright.

That was until you head the smoke alarms going off from your house.

“Fudgeknuckles.”

The pair of you said at the same time as you saw billowing smoke emerge from the end of the street.

————

the thought of hange and levi surviving the story, settling down and having their own family breaks my heart in two... we could have had it all. 💔

yep 😭😭

but honestly??? at this point who cares about canon??? certainly not me wtf is canon is that something you eat-

as marie kondo says if it doesnt make you happy throw it the fuck out and guess what thats exactly what im gonna do ladies and gentlemen # surviving off of au, fics and fanarts where my babies are happy ayyyyyyy 🤙🤙🤙

also you know what anon imma mend your broken heart with a fuckton of cute levihan family headcanons so buckle up cause you’re in for a ride

after the war levi and hanji stop dancing around the issue and they finally get a house in the woods and live there together like the married couple they were from the start (but now its official yay)

when they bump uglies they tend to be careful but accidents happen lmao wink wink and thats how hanji found themself expecting yo big surprise

however!! i feel like they wouldnt know *for sure* until the second trimester tbh life as a soldier is stressful and i imagine most soldiers would have sporadic periods as a result of it so the period option is ruled out, also i feel like it wouldnt be realistic for paradis to catch up with the rest of the world so quickly after the war technology-wise, so same thing goes for the medical field with pregnancy tests and whatnot; basically i feel like the only way for hanjo to know would be actually the moment their body starts to change. of course hanjo is fucking TERRIFIED but tells levi right away so they can work the situation out together like they do for everything COMMUNICATION IS KEY MY LOVELIES

anyway the big reveal would go something like this lmao them sitting at the table together eating dinner, levi would say “why tf are u eating so much slow down you’re gonna shit for days if you keep this up” and hanji would say “bro i cant help it im eating for two” and levi doesnt get it hhhhhhh his heart is as full of love as his head is full of air when it comes to these things so he says “yeah i can see that more like eating for an entire army” and hanji has the most bruh look on their face “dude im literally pregnant”

and levi is FROZEN he is so frozen he’s about to whip out a fucking blonde wig and a sparkly blue dress and sing let it go

he’d probably snap out of it rather quickly tho without saying anything he just hugs hanji really tight as they start to cry bc holy shit they’re gonna be parents how are they going to survive this how are they going to handle taking care of another human when all they’ve known in their lives is pain and loss bc thats the survey corps for ya so yeah hanji is really freaking emotional poor bby

i feel like they’d be really, really happy after fully processing it, levi just strikes me as someone who’d want a family (see him looking at the woman and child in the uprising arc and being reminded of his mom) and hanji is like really good at taking care of others tbh they just never allowed themselves to even think about it because of their duty but now that it’s over and they’re finally together and happy, why not?

skipping through the pregnancy and birth shit because the topic kinda freaks me out a bit oops sorry 😔 all im gonna say is that they’re in for a cute surprise just think about it levi’s an abnormal hanji is an abnormal they are de facto abnormals so why not give them an “abnormal” (as in: uncommon, rare) pregnancy thingy and have hanji carry fucking TRIPLETS yes im definitely going there yall they wanted a baby?? COOL, THEY’RE GETTING 3

levi has a heart attack lmaooo but everything goes smoothly and now they’re the happy happy happy parents of 3 little girls who look so much like him but have hanji’s nose and eye shape and pretty eyelashes and MF 👏 IS 👏 WHIPPED 👏 just imagine levi waking up in the morning and seeing hanji playing with their babies and his heart is about to burst (and so is mine ngl) because he never thought he could feel so much love for someone in his life@@:%,%”@“””””...@@.@“% brb gonna cry for a sec

he’d spoil the shit out of them and when they’re a bit older they literally get away with EVERYTHING cause dadvi is physically incapable of resisting their puppy eyes that they got straight from hanji lol ANYWAY they’d be the best parents ever who love their children more than anything in the world and they live happily every after in their little house in the woods, also accidents happen again and they get surprised with baby number 4, a little boy that they name after erwin <33333 you’re welcome bye now i have to wipe away the copious amount of tears i shed while writing this

The Warrior and the Embers

Chapter 30: A Healer’s Advice

So i know its the middle of the night, but I just finished this and I had to post it! I restructured this section so that the emotional convo with Aelin was at the end of the chapter, because it works so much better for this fic. Also, I know Namonora is completely OC, but I just had to give her some kind of conclusion in the story because it’s the last time we are going to see her, and I thought it made for a nice emotional moment. You’re just gonna have to forgive me (I know I managed to make one paragraph in the book into a whole ass 3000 words. Im sorry. I hope you like it anyways).

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For hours that night they stayed up talking, adjusting their plans to accommodate the lack of reinforcements.

There was a somber moment when Rowan calmly encouraged all of the non-fighters still in the fortress to flee. Several demi-Fae exchanged worried glances, but all refused. Even Emrys wouldn’t leave, and Malakai simply said that where his mate went, he went.

Rowan didn’t know whether to be thankful or not that there wasn’t much they could change. The die had been cast, and there was no turning back now. But Rowan kept the demi-Fae captains talking anyways, distracting them from their fear.

It wasn’t until Emrys hauled a pot from beneath the kitchen sink and began banging it with a wooden spoon – demanding that they give it up for the night, that they headed off to bed. Aelin managed to catch a few hours of sleep, but Rowan lay awake, just staring up at the stone ceiling and listening to the slow, even breaths of the female at his side.

The next morning, they led almost every single demi-Fae at Mistward – those who weren’t already out delivering messages, that is – to the healers’ compound, where they helped cart the patients to safety.

They moved them to a camp set into the side of a mountain, an easily defensible cavern with enough space to set up a temporary hospital. It was dark, and a bit damp, but the healers and the wounded would be far safer here than along that exposed section of river.

It took most of the day, even with the dozens of healers and healers’ assistants to help them carry the many stretchers, cots, boxes, and baskets. And there was a seemingly endless line of patients needing assistance traversing the rocky path up to the secluded caves. Many of the wounded used crutches or were bedridden, and many more were too sick to walk unassisted for longer than a few minutes – Fae with weak hearts or lungs, with recently stitched wounds, or half-healed broken bones.

And then there were the supplies. Medical tools, salves, cloth, bandages, and herbs – clothes, books, blankets, and mountains upon mountains of food. All that needed to be carefully transported and stored.

Namonora was a frantic presence in the fringes of Rowan’s vision, flitting in and out of his view throughout the day. One moment, she was assisting a stumbling female over a particularly uneven bit of earth, the next she was organizing piles of books into ‘stay,’ ‘storage,’ and ‘leave,’ piles, according to levels of usefulness. Another, Rowan caught her chastising a rowdy group of young demi-Fae, clearly students, and corralling them into separating piles of patient uniforms into ‘clean’ and ‘dirty,’ and folding them neatly into burlap sacks. In yet another, he found her instructing a harassed-looking assistant on the proper way to pack sets of scalpels “without cutting off the fingers of some unsuspecting healer!”

It wasn’t until evening that Rowan caught a quiet moment with her, when much of the chaos had died down. Even after everything had been moved from the compound and into the cavern, the demi-Fae from Mistward stayed to help the healers organize the camp into a functional structure, and help the wounded settle into their temporary home.

Luca and Emrys had assisted with dinner, whipping up a meal from the dry rations now filling the makeshift pantry, using a convenient rock shelf to prepare the soup that they were now ladling into dozens of bowls. Bas was laughing enthusiastically with a group of injured men from Wendlyn in a secluded corner, exchanging bawdy jokes and generally lightening the dour mood. Aelin was wandering through the rows of cots lighting candles and torches, occasionally giving a soft touch and a smile to those who seemed quiet, or lost.

Namonora was now standing cross-armed near the entrance to the cave, her eyes surveying the company critically. Rowan sidled up beside her, and together they looked over the motley group, stress furrowing both their brows.

After a few long moments, Namonora sighed and turned to face Rowan. “I think you owe me an explanation.”

Rowan frowned. The messages sent to the healers and the other fortresses had been short and to the point, purposefully neglecting to explain much of what they had learned about the dark creatures.

So Rowan told her. He explained how Aelin had discovered their hiding place in the caves, how she realized the connection between the stench and the creature she had faced in the palace in Adarlan. How Rowan had discovered the creatures hidden at the back of the soldier’s camp, and what he learned there. How they had escaped.

Namonora’s eyes darkened as he spoke, her face tightening. When he got to the battle between the creature and the skinwalkers, she paled. “So you are sure it is dead then?”

Rowan sighed. “There was no body.”

“So you cannot be sure.”

“No, we cannot. But I don’t see how it could have survived.”

Namonora looked back over her patients, her healers. All these people she was responsible for. “I was right. Adarlan is breeding monsters in the Dead Islands.” Her voice was cold and hard.

Rowan nodded slowly. “So it seems.”

“Do you know how they can be killed?”

Rowan’s jaw clenched and he shook his head. “I have only guesses.”

Namonora turned sharply to look at him, but she didn’t say anything more. After a heavy pause, she asked, “Are some of your people going to stay here with us? We would be happy to shelter as many as needed.”

“Yes, a few of the non-fighters were going to stay, and we were planning on leaving a small group of guards as well.”

“Good. That is good.” Her voice trailed off.

“Is Paynor still here?”

“No. We discharged him two weeks ago, and he went off to rejoin his naval company. He’s probably fighting at Wendlyn’s northern border as we speak.”

The disdain of a healer filled her voice. A few months ago, Rowan might have thought lesser of her for it. But now…

“Then let us hope their outlook is better than ours.” He was surprised at the layer of sarcasm that darkened his tone.

Her eyes widened. “Is it really that bad?”

The question was earnest. And Rowan knew that he couldn’t avoid it.

“When we could be sure of reinforcements, I knew we had a shot.”

“And now?”

“Now, we will fight as hard as we can. And let the dice fall where they may.”

Silence.

Sorrow leeched into the healer’s lily-mint-and-rain flavored scent, and the two of them turned once again to look over the churning, rippling mass of people before them. Mortals, demi-Fae, and Fae, all working together, helping one another.

Rowan’s eyes automatically sought out a golden head of hair, and found Aelin sitting at the end of a child’s cot. The girl looked pale, and gaunt, but her eyes were bright. A small smile warmed Aelin’s face as they talked quietly with each other.

Aelin raised her hand, and flames began to wrap around her fingers, leafy vines blossoming over her knuckles. The girl started slightly, but Aelin only took her fingers in her own, letting the flaming vines slowly creep over their joined hands to curl around the girl’s wrists as well. They began to sprout into golden blooms, each petal curving and undulating in an invisible breeze.

Rowan could hear the child’s delighted laugh from all the way across the cavern.

“And what will her place be, in the battle to come?”

Rowan realized with a slight shock that Namonora had also been watching Aelin and the girl. Had been watching him watch them. He quickly collected himself. “The princess is an accomplished fighter - she will do whatever is required of her,” Rowan replied simply.

But Namonora seemed unsatisfied. “I can feel the touch of her power from here.”

Rowan nodded vaguely.

“A mighty gift.”

She was prodding, seeking answers he wasn’t sure he wanted to give. Rowan just pursed his lips, jerking his head once.

“Such a gift could only have been bestowed by the gods.” She turned back to face Aelin, face tight. “A demi-Fae princess, with power enough to remake the world.”

Rowan remained silent, his face expressionless.

“A rare thing, that. Priceless.”

Rowan was sure that her eyes must be boring holes into the back of his head by now. Still, he kept his silence.

Her teeth clacked together. “Do you know what our Queen intends to do with this precious gift?”

A pause. “I doubt, Head Healer, that I would tell you, even if I knew.” Rowan’s voice was measured, cautious.

A huff of breath. “A courtly answer, if ever I heard one, your highness.”

Rowan snorted.

“Still – if you both survive, you must take her to Doranelle?”

Rowans silence served as answer in itself.

Namonora sighed. “The thought of those powers, colliding...” she shivered slightly. “I suppose you won’t tell me what the princess intends, either?”

Rowan just sighed.

“I figured.”

“What will be, will be, Head Healer. There’s not much in our power to stop it.”

“I never would have thought you to be so defeatist.” A cold frown. “You must do whatever you can. She must survive.”

Rowan’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond.

There was a short pause, but then: “You cannot let that girl die.”

Namonora’s voice had become low and intense. Rowan turned to face her, but didn’t say anything. He was surprised to see that instead of anger or reproach, her face was filled with a deep concern.

Rowan sent the old female a questioning look, but she only answered it with yet more evasiveness. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I became a healer?”

Rowan slowly shook his head.                                                  

“I met Queen Maeve once. As a child. She found me.”

The healer’s voice relaxed, preparing to tell a long and familiar story. By contrast, Rowan found himself tensing, his muscles stiffening with unease.

“I grew up on the streets of Doranelle. I am full Fae, but still, my parents abandoned me. It took years, but eventually I found out that my father had gotten my mother with child, and then abandoned her. My mother had a very hard labor, and she died giving birth to me. A nursemary took care of me through babyhood, but eventually the money ran out, and she abandoned me too.” A wry frown.

“I lived among groups of demi-Fae children, moving between empty homes and abandoned buildings - scrounging for food and stealing coin where we could. With my gift, I learned how to draw water from the earth, and others were drawn to me, and to the small amount of safety I could offer. I had no idea that another life was possible.”

Rowan found himself interested against his will. It was so similar, and yet so different from Lorcan’s upbringing.

“One day, in my late teens or perhaps early twenties, I stole from the wrong person. A lord of some kind, I never learned his name. Guards came after me, and they broke apart the small group I was living with at the time. They killed one of my friends.”

Namonora’s voice broke, and Rowan shifted in discomfort. Unsure just exactly where she was taking this story, why she felt the need to tell it to him.

“Then they hauled me to the palace, jailed me, and sentenced me to six months’ hard labor. In the textile mills in Kerrcian.” A swallow. “I began to plot my escape. They didn’t know I had a gift. I was untrained, so it was small and easily hidden. I sharpened my water into blades, and began to cut at the bars they held me in. But of course, I was discovered within days, and they covered my hands in iron gloves.

“Only now they knew I had a gift of healing, and everything changed. Queen Maeve sent for me. I can still remember the way my hands shook as I walked through the stone hallways and into the throne room…” She trailed off, her eyes far away.

“She listened as I told my story, listened to my complaints and my excuses. But just when I expected her to render judgement, to punish me for my theft and my desperation, she began to tell me a story of her own.”

Namonora’s face clouded over, in anger or fear or hate, Rowan was not sure.

“She told me a story of evil men, and a narrow escape. Of violence and power and corruption and abuse. I do not know how much of it was true, if any. And I don’t know why she decided to tell it to me. But I remember what Maeve said once she finished.” A deep breath.

“She told me that we should accept the vileness. That instead of trying to change the wicked, instead of trying to fix or heal or learn, we must make ourselves more powerful. That the only way to right the wrongs done to us, is to ensure that they suffered in kind.

“She told me that she would do all she could to win. All she could to protect herself. And to take the revenge she thought herself owed.”

Namonora’s voice was as ice.

“Before she let me go that day, our Queen said that I would owe her for this. That one day, she would call in this debt of mine. I promised her I would do as she asked, then she sent me away to be trained. To learn the healing arts, hidden away in the compound astride the capital city.”

Rowan couldn’t tear his eyes away from the healer, couldn’t help the dread that pooled in his stomach as he began to suspect what was coming next…

“I learned well, and years passed. The work was difficult, and yet those were the safest and most comfortable years I had yet experienced. Though always, the shadow of that debt hung over me, a cat just waiting to pounce. And then, nearly a decade later, she sent for me once more.

“Even though I was no longer that scared little girl, even though I had learned and grown and become an accomplished healer, it was no different this time than the last. My hands still trembled as I walked through those granite hallways, and I can still remember the way my heartbeat pounded in my eardrums.

“And my fear was not unwarranted.”

Rowan felt the dread begin to curdle in his gut.

“Maeve wanted to ask me to become her personal healer, to be by her side and protect her always. She wanted me to swear the blood oath. To be her slave.” A deep breath. “I declined her offer.”

Rowan’s gaze fixed to the floor.

“So that is why I am here, Prince. Despite my many accomplishments. Why I have been banished to the fringes. I refused to do her bidding, and she punished me accordingly.”

Namonora raised her arms to Rowan, and pulled up the long sleeves of her linen gown – revealing ancient, mottled scars. The remnants of deep burns.

“Maeve controls through fear. And she does whatever she can to best serve her own interests, regardless of the harm. Even by defeating and subjugating her enemies before they even become so.” She lowered her arms, letting the sleeves pool once more to cover the old injuries. Her gaze was a stone thrown at his face.

“You know this prince; you have been doing this for her for centuries now. But this girl, this princess...she is different. She could be something different.”

Rowan turned his eyes away, but Namonora was undeterred.

“You must protect her. Even if you have to sacrifice the whole of the fortress to do so, you must keep her safe. This fight doesn’t matter – war is coming. And it is bigger than a fortress in the mists of Doranelle.”

Her voice was insistent. “You must save her, But not for you. Not for your own happiness. The world turns on that child’s fingertips, and I think you know it. Do not forget what your queen has done for power.”

There was a pause, but then Rowan raised his head to see Aelin and the girl, across the way, laughing with each other. Bright. Warm.

He turned to face Namonora, and he nodded.

···

They spent the rest of the evening back at the fortress, discussing their plans for the next few days. They had left Emrys, along with a selection of sentries and few other older demi-Fae who would not be able to fight, with the healers. Rowan wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget the look on Malakai’s face as he walked away from his mate.

Darkness fell, the moon rose, and soon he and Aelin were making their way to bed. Within a minute of entering their rooms, Aelin was undressed and flopping into bed, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

Instead of joining her, Rowan turned to the washbasin, peeling off his shirt and beginning to clean the seat and grime from his limbs. “You did well helping me plan tonight.”

Her reply was wry. “You sound surprised.”

Rowan wiped his face, then leaned against the dresser, bracing his hands against either end. The wood groaned in protest.

Everything had changed between them, and yet absolutely nothing had.

Rowan began to turn back to face her, but his eyes were caught by a golden glint. Aelin had left Goldryn casually leaning against the bedpost, its ruby smoldering in the dim light. Rowan ran a finger across the hit.

What a flimsy shield he had given her. Namonora’s words swirled in his mind, and he wished, wished with everything he had, that he could protect her. Could keep her safe.

Rowan let go of the dresser and approached the bed. “I sent word,” he said, the words slipping from his lips as if by accident. “To my…cadre, as you like to call them.”

Aelin’s face tightened, almost imperceptibly. “When?”

“A few days ago. I don’t know where they all are or whether they’ll arrive in time. Maeve might not let them come – or some of them might not even ask her. They can be…unpredictable. And it may be that I just get the order to return to Doranelle, and – ”

“You actually called for aid?” She cut off his babbling.

His eyes narrowed. I just said that I did.

She stood, and he retreated a step. What changed your mind?

Some things are worth the risk.

This time, he didn’t back away as Aelin took another step towards him. And another. Her face was filled with some deep emotion, a well so dark he could not see the bottom.

Her words were ragged. “I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don’t care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.”

Rowan turned away from her before she could see the way his face twisted, before she could read the words that would surely be obvious there.

Because it didn’t matter. Even if they survived, when they went to Doranelle, she would walk out of Maeve’s realm alone.

And it hurt.

Her words wormed inside him and ached and festered and itched.

Hurt even more because he knew that under different circumstances, in a different life, he would be filled with joy. And love. And happiness and every other hopeful and tragic and heart-wrenching emotion you feel when you’re accepted by another person for exactly who you are.

Rowan stood there, listening as Aelin rustled the covers, getting herself settled in for sleep. He collected himself, then padded over to join her.

As he settled into bed beside her, it almost seemed as though she relaxed into his form. Her breaths coming more even, and her lithe body falling comfortably still.

But they did not touch, and all night Rowan knew he would feel the pressure of that hollow ache, that need to wrap his arms around her, to feel her skin on his and know that she was still alive.

To believe that perhaps, she could be his. As he was already hers.

...

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Erlkönig

To: @happykawaiicinnamonroll From: @hi-im-secretly-satan

You asked for an angst fic, suggested getting sick and dying, so I delivered on both accounts! ;) It’s based on the German poem Erlkönig by Goethe, translated by Christopher Middelton. It was also turned into a Lied by Schubert. I highly recommend listening to it before reading this fic. I hope you enjoy and happy holidays! <3

Warnings: Major character death

—

“Shion, what’s that on your hands?”

Nezumi frantically ran through the chain of events that had resulted in him and Rikiga trying to wrestle a delirious Shion into the car, Inukashi anxiously tapping their foot behind them. When had things gone so wrong? He had only just saved Shion from being carried off to the Correctional Facility, a certain death sentence. Deeming themselves safe, they had freshened themselves up after the harrowing ordeal of escaping and Shion had been going on and on about his mother and strange deaths. At the time Nezumi had no clue what Shion was talking about, but now he berated himself for dismissing his words, for just as soon as he had waved him off, Shion became a victim himself. Shion had barely managed to escape from the terror that was No.6, only for another disaster to strike.

The parasite wasp.

In the moment Nezumi had briefly been grateful he had taken (stolen?) the first aid kit when he had quietly fled Shion’s house in the Cronos district, all those years ago. Now he cursed himself for not having made sure the equipment was sterile.

“How is he?”

Nezumi glanced up, catching Rikiga’s worried eyes in the rearview mirror before turning his attention back to Shion, lying curled up in the backseat with him, head resting in his lap. Shion’s breathing came erratically, fingers weakly clutching the torn and dirty fabric of Nezumi’s trousers, face screwed up in a pained grimace. Nezumi’s eyes fell from Shion’s pale face to the bandages wrapped around Shion’s neck, stained green and yellow with oozing pus, filling the car with a wretched smell. Merely a few short weeks ago he had yelled at Shion, a scalpel in his hand, demanding he live. But instead, Nezumi had unknowingly become the cause of his potential death. If the situation weren’t so dire, he’d laugh. Instead, he met Rikiga’s eyes again, and shook his head quickly, jaw clenched tight. Shion was dying, and it was his fault.

But he would not give up yet. They were going to smuggle Shion into No.6 and find a hospital to treat him. Shion had told them where to find one, directions wheezed through waves of pain. No matter the odds, they would succeed in this ridiculous, desperate plan. Shion would live, he would make sure of that. He refused to think of Shion dying, or how to go on living without him. He wasn’t sure he could.

“Nezumi…?”

Nezumi snapped to attention at the sound of Shion’s broken voice, barely audible over the loud car engine. “I’m here, Shion.” He brushed a few strands of tangled hair out of Shion’s face. His beautiful, white, almost translucent hair. Shion shivered but Nezumi doubted it was because of his touch.

“It hurts,” Shion moaned. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he hissed when a bump in the road jostled him and aggravated his already dreadful wound. “I don’t want to die. I… Nezumi, I want to live…” He weakly raised his hand and Nezumi immediately took it into his own.

“You’re gonna live,” Nezumi pressed, eyes locked determinedly with Shion’s. “You’ve survived this long, telling me how to take care of your wound for weeks. In No.6 they’ll be able to help you. You’re gonna make it.” He squeezed Shion’s hand reassuringly.

Shion shut his eyes and shook his head. “Sepsis and severe sepsis can last weeks but-”, a shudder ran through him and cut him off, “…but septic shock is quick and has- has a high mortality rate-”

“Shion.”

At his tone, Shion opened his eyes again and slightly turned his head to look hazily up at Nezumi.

Nezumi waited until he had Shion’s full attention. “You’re gonna live, you hear me? You can’t give up now. You still have so much to live for. I told you before, you still don’t know anything about sex, or books, or fighting. Do you really want to throw in the towel now?” Without realising, his voice had risen and he was nearly shouting. The mice which had been nestled silently in his scarf squeaked softly.

Shion stared up at him for a moment, before breaking out into a faint smile, eyes wet. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right. I’m gonna make it.” A tear rolled down his cheek. Nezumi reached out to wipe it away. “Thank you, Nezumi.”

“Don’t thank me yet, just stay alive.”

Shion nodded and relaxed back into Nezumi’s lap, the corners of his lips still lifted in a soft smile. Unfortunately that smile warped into a grimace much too quickly. Shion moaned and curled up a little more, pulling his knees as far into his chest as the backseat would allow. Desperation seized Nezumi’s heart. Shion had saved him four years ago, he still hadn’t repaid that debt. He couldn’t let him die. He wracked his mind, trying to think of something, anything he could do to help, to ease Shion’s suffering.

There was one thing that came to mind, but Nezumi hesitated. It was a last resort, meant to ensure a peaceful, quiet death, but maybe, just maybe he could soothe Shion’s pain just long enough until they arrived at the hospital. Shion moaned again, fragile and broken, and the sound cut deep into his heart.

So Nezumi took a deep breath and sang.

It was soft, hardly louder than a whisper, but it seemed to resonate through the car. Inukashi, who had been barking orders at Rikiga from the passenger’s seat, fell quiet and turned to stare, dark eyes wide and knowing. Nezumi ignored them and kept all of his attention on the boy in his lap who had frozen and was now staring up at him with big eyes. For once Nezumi was glad that Shion knew nothing of literature, culture, or foreign languages, for if he’d understood the lyrics, he was sure he would never be forgiven.

“Who rides by the night in the wind so wild? It is the father, with his child. The boy is safe in his father’s arm. He holds him tight, he keeps him warm.”

Shion closed his eyes and a bit of the tension seemed to flow out of his body. Nezumi inwardly sighed in relief, too preoccupied to remember how Granny would berate him for doing so. He glanced out of the window and saw the gate fast approaching, so he tugged on the scarf around his neck and pulled it up to hide his face. The mice chittered and ran down his arms to hide in his pockets instead. The car came to a halt and Rikiga leaned out of the window towards the guard, murmuring quietly and urgently before handing over a thick wad of cash- a bribe both to let them in, and to forget they’d been there. Nezumi listened closely and mentally thanked whoever was out there when the car rolled forward again, passing unhindered through the gate and quickly picking up speed, desperate to reach the hospital as soon as possible.

“My son, what is it, why cover your face? Father, you see him, there in that place, The elfin king with his cloak and crown? It is only the mist rising up, my son.”

Unwinding his scarf from around his head, Nezumi gently covered Shion’s shivering body with the special fibre cloth. He remembered seeing this song performed in the dingy theater once, before he had joined the cast. A traveling singer and pianist duo had attempted to visit No.6 but were mercilessly cast out, so they had turned to wandering the West Block, trying to make some money at the rundown theater before moving on again. He hadn’t understood the meaning or language of the song then, only remembered the shivers that inexplicably had run down his spine and the strange, curling tension in the darkened corners of the room, until one day he stumbled across the poem in one of the books in the vault and finally understood.

In Nezumi’s lap, Shion stirred and burrowed under the blanket, grateful for the warmth despite his body heating up steadily.

““Dear little child, will you come with me? Beautiful games I’ll play with thee; Bright are the flowers we’ll find on the shore, My mother has golden robes fullscore.””

“Mum…” Shion murmured, weakly pushing away from Nezumi and raising his head, glazed eyes darting around, searching. “Where are you, mum…?” Nezumi swallowed, pausing his singing to wipe fresh tears from Shion’s face. “You’ll see her soon,” he promised quietly. He wasn’t sure if he could follow through on it. He had to believe.

“Father, O father, and did you not hear What the elfin king breathed into my ear?”

Shion shook his head insistently, gasping as the movement pulled at the weeping wound in his neck and sent pain shooting through his spine, setting his entire body aflame. “No, no, I want my mum,” he babbled. He tried to push himself up, trembling and weak, into a sitting position- but his arms lacked the strength to hold his own weight and he collapsed back into Nezumi’s lap, sobbing softly.

“Lie quiet, my child, now never you mind: Dry leaves it was that click in the wind.”

“Hush now,” Nezumi murmured in the most soothing voice he could muster, softly running a shaking hand through Shion’s hair. His vision became foggy and he blinked away the tears. “Be a good boy now and you’ll see her soon.” In the front seat Rikiga and Inukashi shared an anxious look.

““Come along now, you’re a fine little lad, My daughters will serve you, see you are glad; My daughters dance all night in a ring, They’ll cradle and dance you and lullaby sing, They’ll cradle and dance you and lullaby sing.””

Shion nodded quietly and obediently settled down, face still wet with tears but no longer weeping. He seemed to be at peace for a few moments, but then his eyes widened again and his breathing quickened. “Nezumi…”

Nezumi’s heart lurched at the sudden lucidity and he held his breath. “I’m here, Shion.”

Shion shook his head and shrunk away from him. “No… No, you’re not Nezumi… I-I need to see him…”

“Shion-”

“I need to know he’s safe…” Shion’s eyes darted around frantically. “He left so suddenly, I must see him again-”

Realisation dawned on Nezumi and when it sank in, it knocked all the wind from his lungs. Of course Shion wouldn’t recognise him; he was four years older now. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a shuddering breath, trying to stop the tears from spilling. There was nothing he could say to reassure Shion anymore. He was too far gone. Even if they reached the hospital, they probably couldn’t help him anymore. So he gathered all his courage, every ounce buried in his soul, and pushed it into the song, hoping it could help carry off Shion’s soul in peace, like it had done for countless others before him.

“Father, now look, in the gloom, do you see The elfin daughters beckon to me?”

Shion paused his desperate searching and looked at Nezumi like he saw him for the first time, watching him with childlike wonder. “You have a beautiful voice,” he murmured. He studied Nezumi’s face and smiled. “And your eyes… they’re just as grey…”

“My son, my son, I see it and say: Those old willows, they look so grey.”

Nezumi returned his smile in a way he hoped was reassuring and combed his fingers through Shion’s damp hair. Shion’s eyes fell shut and he sighed, a wisp of a sound.

““I love you, beguiled by your beauty I am, If you are unwilling I’ll force you to come!””

“Sir…” Shion said quietly and Nezumi’s heart fell into pieces. “If you ever find Nezumi, could you please tell him “thank you”? And that I miss him very much?”

“Father, his fingers grip me, O The elfin king has hurt me so!”

“And my mum, too. Promise me.”

Nezumi swallowed painfully and nodded, not daring to stop singing out of fear it would shatter the tentative calm that had washed over Shion.

Outside the car, the scenery rushed by, lush forests and bustling wildlife, carefully maintained by the City Hall, blurred by the speed of the car as Rikiga pressed harder down on the gas.

“Now struck with horror the father rides fast,”

“There’s the tree Shion mentioned!” Inukashi yelled, pointing ahead of them at a gnarled old oak tree. “Floor it, old man!!”

“If I go any faster we’ll all die before we can even get there!” Rikiga snapped in return.

“His gasping child in his arm to the last,”

“Please, sir, promise me…!” Shion begged, hazy eyes fixed unerringly on Nezumi’s own.

“Home through the thick and thin he sped:”

The trees parted to reveal the tiny hospital, a white and pure beacon of hope in the dark. Nezumi’s heart skipped a beat at the sight, but any and all hope that still lingered was crushed immediately after; wrapped in his arms, Shion took a ragged breath, spasmed once, twice, then fell limp, his blank eyes still staring up at Nezumi. Gravel sprayed under the wheels as the car swerved erratically into the parking lot and jerked into an abrupt halt. Seconds later the doors were yanked open and Nezumi heard someone yell something, but it didn’t register. He couldn’t move, frozen and staring unseeing at the boy in his arms, unable, unwilling to believe what his eyes and ears were telling him. A tear dripped down his cheek, followed by another, and another, falling like rain against Shion’s lifeless form. Nezumi’s mouth moved silently, voice trapped behind the gasping sobs threatening to choke him, leaving the last line to hang unsung, oppressive in the heavy air:  

(Locked in his arms, the child was dead.) 

@joannabethharvelle

continued from [x] and [x]

hlhlghlghl i put both continues cause imma get lost later rip. also hi i love youuuyshygkhu im screaming [x]

Hands raise against his chest, grasping and pressing- searching. For how relentless he can be he does recognize her genuine and unadulterated confusion and he remains silent on it, uncomfortable as it makes him. Being shoved, however, does glean a reaction and he grins out a three note laugh, “Smart girl.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” With the project and his plans in mind he clarifies, “Don’t you ever apologize to me, Deputy.” Staring at her in what most would consider an extremely uncomfortable way he debates; would she remember these events? “That remains to be seen,” His gaze doesn’t waver, trying for sincerity but more than likely veering directly into disturbed territory.

She says something that makes him frown, genuinely, brow creasing along. He isn’t sure why but it makes him feel pinned - as if he’s been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar and heat rises in his cheeks, freckles prominent behind a scarlet flush. Jacob moves away, embarrassed and ready to busy himself packing up the nearby supplies.

“Sounds like them people of yourn really care about you,” He is careful to angle his headlamp in a way that shadows his face but illuminates the area. Without asking he repacks her pack, tucking her pistol away on his person. Unfortunately he can relate to her in this instance and he needs a few, precious seconds to tuck memories of his time in the shelters of Rome, Georgia away.

He isn’t even sure how long he’d roamed nameless and destitute.

Idly he takes inventory of her other weapons and he wonders if she’s met the Whitetail yet. Had Eli’s little lackeys managed to worm their way in? Jacob knows she has been in contact with Dutch and other prominent Resistance members, but he is surprised none of them had taken the time to ask something so simple.

Did she know the story of Judas' betrayal? For three, long beats his heart aches, expression creasing before he can pack it away.

It seemed something so natural to bring up, he hadn’t thought to second guess his query. Sure they had a few radio calls but up until now he’d never received a direct response. In no way would the temperature of any of thus far lead to such aspects of conversation, but? Maybe.

Returning he swings the light up and away from her direct line of view. He doesn’t resume his position at her side but he does rest on his haunches, head angling into a shake as she changes her answer, “No?”

Whatever the answer she runs through a range of expressions, plainly displaying her level of discomfort and he bites down, jaw flexing. Her distress is less pleasing than he had imagined it would be. Sighing through his nose he struggles to digest what he is hearing.

“Don’t do that to yourself, darlin’,” Jacob Seed isn’t generally known for his kindness but given certain circumstances he does dabble, “Plenty of people gonna’ try and take you down in these parts,” His head shakes in the negative trying to emphasize his point, “Don’t do it for them- don’t let that kind of weakness grow.”

“My brother?” He picks up the threads a bit too late, needing to backtrack himself. Brows line up, nearly coming together as he works on it, “What?” As he doubts her name is anything close to John he queries, fingers twisting up strands of his beard mindlessly, “Your name Josephine or somethin’?”

“Noticed your line over yonder,” Entering the mine with the intention of walling up this Angel-overrun vein he calculates, “What happened- you wake the locals up?” In the time she had been out he’d taken care to singe the frayed ends and tie a careful, securing knot as a backup plan during their egress. “Ran into quite the herd on the way in.”

“You know,” It had been tedious dispatching thrones that had lingered- fun, too, “You leave them damn vents alone, they'll stay asleep just as long as you want.” Jacob hadn’t visited the upper control room before rappelling down, but given the volume of them he felt safe hazarding a guess. “Nasty little buzzards, huh?”

“Weapons are mine,” He offers the spoils he has been holding onto. Despite his need for self preservation until his personal project reaches culmination he is aware that she will need her stash to survive the wilds, “For now.”

Not wanting to elaborate he presses on, changing the subject, “Getting out of here ain’t gonna be easy,” Given the way her belongings had been moved around he guesses, “But you already realized that.”

Though he isn’t happy about it he is willing to use his powers to their advantage, “You manage to remember what’s about to happen, you keep your lips zipped about it.” Motioning in the direction of the precipice below he explains without divulging entirely, “There’s water needs crossin’ below- a damn fuck of a lake,” He estimates, “Fifty or so meters down from here.”

Sighing he continues, “Up is. . . too many Angels- too many soldiers,” Jacob grumbles, unhappy with the prospect, “Come on.” Offering assistance both hands extend, palms up.

“Saw your canteen,” He makes small talk through the inconvenience of unfettered help, “Lake feeds a natural spring at the bottom of the cliffs, if you’re interested in getting it filled.” He doesn’t offer directly, but he does realize that she will need to rely on him heavily until they part ways; even for something so simple.

“Much as I know you’d like to get even closer,” He jabs for both of their sake eyeing the nearby drop-off, “Doubt you can take the impact.” When she makes no move he elaborates, “No way that anchor's gonna hold us both.”

Though he has had his powers for quite some time now he doesn’t have the vocabulary or the patience to try to explain further. Instead, wordlessly, crimson mist gathers, fettering tainted green away. “It won't hurt you,” He admires her readiness to be wary of things, even in such a state, “Not unless I want it to.” The expression she wears is telling of the ordeal she has been through and he sympathizes, remaining quiet amidst the swirling fog.

He takes the mute tick-tocking seconds to run his plan over again. Jacob can not count the times he has used Bliss propulsion to act as a double jump or to cushion his landing and he is more than positive he can make it work on this kind of level. Even for another person.

“Hm?” Lost briefly he returns, “Sorry.” He flushes again with no place to hide. Embarrassed to release an apology to someone he is supposed to be so? Pitted against, “Wasn’t listening.” He clarifies brutishly, “Not interested.”

“We don’t start moving and that infection has time to spread . . .” Very keen on mystery being the bigger part of genuine horror he leaves the statement open-ended and allows time for it to settle. “You, uh-” Throat an annoyed, drying grumble he adjusts, “Gonna have to get a heck of a lot closer than that, honey.”

The Coffee Roasters - Chapter three

a/n: i know i know.... this took a long time IM SORRY... anyway lots of fluff and love heheh hope you guys are enjoying Sophie and Niall atm!

Irish coffee - coffee with Irish whiskey, sugar and a thick layer of cream; what can i say? it’s probably the best combination.

2 weeks before tour

"g'morning my love" Niall sneaked a kiss on Sophie's cheek. He was shirtless, only a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips as he wrapped his arms around Sophie. He loved mornings like this, when she decided to stay the night and make him breakfast in the morning. of course, a part of him felt bad that she was sacrificing her time for him, skipping out on her morning shift at the cafe; but he couldn't help but feel as if everything was in the right place. that was until one of his idiot cousins would ruin the moment.

"oi, y'all stuck together at the hips or what?" Willie groaned at the sight of Niall wrapped around Sophie. Niall rolled his eyes, throwing a bar of chocolate at him.

"remind me again why i haven't thrown you out of the house?"

"because your girlfriend likes me as much as she likes you. maybe even more" Willie grinned at Sophie, causing her to shake her head as she flipped a couple more of the pancakes on a plate for the boys. Niall faked a hurt look, smacking Willie on the back of his head as he followed Sophie to the dining room. She enjoyed these banters between the boys, reminding her of her own brothers back home. truth be told, as tour drew closer Sophie and Niall were basically merged into one person. He would drive her to the cafe when she stayed over in London, and would basically spend the day watching her work while writing music (mostly about her), occasionally stepping into help serve customers when it got overwhelming.  He didn't mind though, getting to watch her focused and in her element. She didn't mind having him around either, other than the occasional glares from her father when Niall got too touchy while he helped her put on the cover of a cup of coffee to-go.

"Pa, I can practically see you sending daggers at Niall" Harvey joked, earning a slap on the back of his head. this made Sophie giggle in embarrassment and Niall's face turned a bright shade of pink.

"M'sorry Mr Hoang, hands to myself" Niall raised his hands up in surrender while Alex shook his head at the pair. of course it was tough to watch his only daughter fall in love with a man right in front of him, but he knew Sophie was more than happy with Niall. He couldn't ignore the glow radiating from his little girl and he prayed to god Niall would never ever hurt her.

-

one day before tour

two weeks flew by way too quickly, and they were now standing in Heathrow airport, hands intertwined with each other. both of them wearing a hoodie, and without question as they arrived at his gate they both stripped off the piece of clothing and handed it to the other person. this was their tradition, something that they did when Niall was gone for more than a week. it started off with Niall giving Sophie his hoodies, but as time passed, he wanted something that would remind him of her which led to this arrangement. they'd spend a week in the hoodie, smothering their scent onto it for as long as they could before the exchange. Niall pulled her in his arms as he grasped the hoodie in his hands. he was squeezing her way too tight, but she really didn't mind after all it was going to be a solid three months before she could feel his touch again.

"i'm g'na miss you so much" he left a sloppy, wet kiss on her neck before pulling away. Niall offered for Sophie to join him on tour and as much as the offer was enticing (travelling the world to watch your rockstar boyfriend perform? come on, i bet you would say yes in a heartbeat), Sophie did have a life in Brighton and she couldn't drop everything at the cafe to leave for three months straight. so here they were, saying goodbye once again. this time felt different though, the trust between them bloomed after spending more time together. and the love, it was definitely much stronger than the first time they met. they could feel themselves fall in love with each other every day, butterflies threatening to burst through their hearts.

"me too bubba" Sophie's voice cracked at the end, tears brimming in her eyes. you are not going to cry and make this even harder. She scolded herself internally and she heard Niall chuckle.

"i can hear ya getting angry at yourself inside for wanting to cry" Niall brushed her nose with his. she smiled softly, nose stuffy from holding back her tears.

"m'not going to cry"

"whatever you say, petal"

and that's how they begin the three months apart. no crying, just a tight squeeze, a kiss so passionate they had to stop themselves from swallowing each other whole and of course the hoodie they each scrunched in their hand. this was going to get them through the months.

-

three months into the tour - LA, the Forum

three whole months since she last saw him in person. safe to say Niall and Sophie managed to work things out and survive this leg of the tour. they tried their absolute best to make it work. when Niall had more than three days off, he'd make the effort to fly back to see her for a day. they set up face time dates, where they'd have meals together, and he would sing her to sleep almost every night he could. but now she was here, standing in the middle of the chaos of LAX, looking like a lost sheep. it was the last show of the North American leg of the tour and Sophie couldn't wait any longer. she had to see Niall and having been to one of his shows prior, she thought that seeing him in action on stage would be a bonus for her eyes. so she sealed the deal - a couple of calls to Deo and Niall's manager, and she was on the next flight out to LA.

-

"Soph!" She could barely even register who was yelling her name before Deo came crashing straight into her, pulling her into his arms. She laughed as he squeezed her tight and if the people around her didn’t know better, they'd think this was the reunion of a long-distance couple.

"I guess I was missed huh?" Sophie commented as they pulled away from each other.

"Hell yeah! missed your cooking and coffee the most, catering coffee can suck my dick" he rolled his eyes, taking her luggage from her hand. "y'know you're gonna make him cry tonight, right? the man hasn't seen you in three months and he won't shut up about it." she smiled shyly, nodding her head. the excitement and nerves where bubbling under her skin and she couldn’t help but think about his arms being wrapped around her waist. the blue hoodie enveloped her body in the mean time, warmth radiating around her body as she stepped out into the cool air of Los Angeles.

Deo quickly whisked Sophie to the hotel they were staying at. He passed her the extra key card, assuring her for the thousandth time that Niall was at the arena preparing for the show and he wasn’t in the room. She entered the hotel room slowly, her senses already being overwhelmed by the all too familiar sights - luggage laying on the ground, his cologne lingering in the air and the numerous amounts of clothes thrown across the room. it made it feel slightly more real when she picked up her hoodie, her scent long lost and replaced with Niall's. this is it, she was home.

After settling in and changing, Sophie met Deo in the lobby, and off they were to the arena.

"okay so here's the plan - he's currently finishing up soundcheck, then we'll send him for meet and greet and you can wait in his dressing room ya? once he's back from it, which will be bout an hour or so, he'll be all yours." Sophie nodded, her hands trembling a little. Deo could see the look on her face and he squeezed her shoulders.

"its going to be fine, Soph. you're finally going to see each other again"

and so far it was fine. when Sophie arrived at the arena, she was greeted warmly by Niall's team and they led her to his dressing room while Deo went off to watch Niall at his meet and greet. she sat on the plush couch, taking a swig of water so often that she thought she was going to pee herself when Deo walked into the room and gave her the look. She could hear Niall's distinct laughter travel down the hall, talking about something with the band.

"dude it was so funny man! wish Soph was here to see it, she would've loved every moment of it" oh if only he knew. once he was at the door of the room, whoever he was talking to shut up, and Niall looked up to see Sophie standing in the middle of the room.

"holy fucking shit" is all he could manage before the both of them were wrapped up in each other's arms, Sophie's legs wrapped around Niall's waist.

"you're real, oh my fucking god. you're here." Niall let out in disbelief, which set the crew laughing and Sophie pressed her lips against his. her hands cupped his face as Niall deepened the kiss, hands squeezing her tight to his body. she pulled away first, breathless and cheeks tinted pink when she realised they had an audience.

"there are people watching, Ni" she let out a whisper and Niall could only roll his eyes. he turned to his crew, some of them with their phones out as they whistled and cheered.

"alright, enough teasing for the day boys. i'll see y'all when the show's about to start" Niall ushered them out, closing and locking the door behind him. there was this happiness in his eyes that Sophie had never seen before, and she swore in that moment she fell in love with him all over again.

karaoke bar - request

@glimmersinner​ said:

i have a reddie fic idea, dont know if youre taking requests, but im thinking of after the battle of it (eddie survives bc its canon) they go out for kareoke and stan can live or die its up 2 u :) but they do kareoke at this bar and like richie sings “eddie,baby” to come out w his feelings and i need that in my life thank u

I am, indeed, taking requests! And this is such a lovely one, thank you for sending it to me. Hope you like what I’ve cooked up for you!  read here on ao3

Raucous laughter rolled over the table full of drinks and snacks that the Losers occupied. After all the “you’re a fucking clown” were said and all the sinister interdimensional entities were done with, everyone went to settle their own affairs, but agreed to reconvene in New York. Which was currently taking the form of getting together in a karaoke bar, an occasion full of drinking and revelry, finally not bearing the shadow of responsibility for defeating an ancient evil. The laughter erupted after Richie’s quip about Ben and Beverly’s over-the-top cheesy rendition of (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, all in good fun, of course. A “happy for you, but keep all the straight details to yourself” was a drunken comment of him trying to read the room, with no malice behind it. He had come out via his twitter earlier in the week, with all the Losers sending him messages of love and support afterwards, and it took no time at all for jokes about being gay to become his go-to response to many things, despite the lingering internal problems. Humor was always his coping mechanism, after all, and it helped that he was surrounded by supportive friends. The main problem he was actually struggling with was his less-than-friendly feelings for none other than Eddie Kaspbrak, currently sitting across from him and sipping a Strawberry Daiquiri through a bright green straw. His jokes were decidedly not helping with that, especially not when Eddie let go of the straw to laugh so hard Richie could hear his snorts above the general rowdiness of the bar, but that was not going to stop him from making everyone laugh.

Just as Richie looked away from Eddie, desperately willing himself not to blush (he was almost forty years old, for fuck’s sakes, he did not blush), Bill called out in a challenging tone: “Beep-beep, trashmouth, either step up and sing something or stop making fun!” Richie put his hand to his chest, as if deeply wounded. “Billiam, making fun of you all is my sacred duty.” “Sing something, Richie,” Beverly joined in. Soon, Bill and Beverly were both chanting “sing,” while Stan sat between them, looking entirely unimpressed if not for a tiny hint of a smile. Ben was mostly interested in looking at Beverly enthusiastically chanting, Mike was grinning a bit, but waited to see the situation develop, and Eddie… Well, Eddie was looking at Richie with an impish expression that the latter was having trouble reading. Finally, after a few seconds of this, he raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine, you vultures. Let me show you how it’s done,” he grinned as Bill and Beverly cheered, and stood up to go to the karaoke machine. He scrolled through the list of songs when one caught his attention. His jokes weren’t helping, but maybe… He didn’t let himself finish the thought before he pressed “play” and the first soft chords poured from the speakers. He lifted the mic just in time for the lyrics to start. The cameras captured all of the glances And all of the chances we’ve missed Everyone at the table cheered supportively, except Eddie, who looked like he recognised the song all too well and was slowly starting to show a very fetching blush. Though there was a small, hopeful smile— except was there? Richie didn’t want to give himself vain hope, and instead sang further, only gaining confidence and enthusiasm with every line. As always, it took little time for his flair for showmanship to show itself, and by the time the first chorus came, he had started moving his hips and his free arm, in a more dramatic than choreographic fashion, but expressive nonetheless. Oh Eddie, baby, won’t you come to my arms tonight? I beg and plead you, please succumb to my charms tonight. He spared a wink at Eddie, who looked progressively more scarlet, before grinning and making a show of holding his palm to his heart. I give my heart But you take it and you break it and you tear it apart Oh Eddie, baby, won’t you come to my arms. Not that he hadn’t heard the song before, but somehow actually singing it out loud was different than listening to the lyrics: they resonated deeper now. He didn’t let himself show that, though. A smirk here and a rakish grin there did the trick, and apart from Stan’s raised eyebrow and knowing smile it seemed like no one had thought too much of it. And I hope one day, dear friend, you will come around. The second Richie thought that maybe choosing a song that showcased his hidden feelings was, in fact, not the best idea he’d ever had, he caught the sight of Eddie biting his lip in a small smile. He reminded himself that Eddie was just embarrassed at being the center of attention (wouldn’t be the first time for that) but in on the joke, yet no matter how he framed it to himself, that little smile was all that it took for his breath to catch. The rest of the performance was likely not his best form, but it mattered little, and when he finished the last line, the Losers’ table erupted in cheers and applause. Even Stan clapped, unable to hold back his smile. Richie made an exaggerated bow and got back to his seat. “Alright,” Bill clapped his hands once more and got up, “I’ll go see if they have Tubthumping,” and with that, everything seemingly got back to normal. Well, everything except the weird, almost-calculating look Eddie was giving Richie that stopped him from joking about how cheesy Bill’s song choice was. The rest of the night was uneventful and full of that special drunken merriment that can only be found in good company. If anyone noticed the looks Richie kept throwing Eddie, no one mentioned anything, and if Eddie had anything to say about Richie’s initial choice of song, he kept it to himself. Eventually, as everything in life, the night had to end, and the Losers started parting ways until the only people left outside the bar were Richie, smoking a cigarette, and Eddie, shuffling his foot on the asphalt and looking anywhere but at his friend. “Fun night, huh?” Eddie wondered, seemingly at no one in particular. “Yeah, but my head’s going to be killing tomorrow,” Richie joked with a puff of smoke. Eddie lifted his head, biting his lip and meeting his eyes for the first time since they said their goodbyes to the rest of the group. It took a lot of Richie not to let that stop his inhale of smoke, but he kept his breathing steady. “Rich,” Eddie started and paused again, unsure. “Yeah, Spaghetti?” Richie was determined to keep it light. “I wish you’d stopped doing things like— like the song,” Eddie rushed out on a single breath, like he was running on a sudden drunken influx of bravery. “If you don’t mean anything by that, it’s just cruel,” he added, quieter and hiding his gaze again. Wait— cruel? If he didn’t mean anything? Within seconds, hope grew in Richie’s chest, one that he’d systematically squashed down, and too soon it became too big to contain. After a short awkward pause, it pushed the words out of him. “I meant it.” Eddie’s eyes shot up as he looked questioningly at Richie. “Whatever you’re thinking of now, I meant it.” “Can you say it? What you meant?” The look in Eddie’s eyes, cautious but on the verge of happy, and the tentative step he took towards Richie, gave him the strength to throw the cigarette on the ground and step on it without taking his eyes off of Eddie. “I’ve been in love with you since I knew what love was,” he knew it was always a risk to be so open with his heart, but the giggle Eddie let out and a smile that lit up his face were the best payoff Richie could ever want. “You’re so cheesy, Tozier. You’re lucky I’m in love with you, too,” Richie barely had the time to make a sound before Eddie moved in and tugged him down into a kiss with a hand in his hair. The kiss was short-lived, though, and soon Eddie was pulling away with a frown, quickly replaced with a laugh. “You reek of smoke, that’s gross.” “I’ll give up smoking for you,” Richie promised dramatically, his ability for coherent thought almost gone with the giddy high of their long-anticipated finally. Eddie chuckled and stood on the balls of his feet as Richie wound his arms around him. “I can get used to it,” he kissed Richie again. The rest of the world melted away when their lips moved against each other, and as he tasted the sugary residue of strawberry concoctions on Eddie’s lips, Richie knew he’d never felt quite as elated before in his life. No, not even when his agent booked his first large venue for his show. When they pulled apart, Eddie looked at him from under his eyelashes. “Want to come over to my place?” “Ouch, Eds, not even gonna buy me dinner first?” Eddie let out a small laugh, but he looked determined, and maybe, just maybe, Richie felt like he would do absolutely anything for him at that moment. “Well?” “I’d love to,” Richie smiled in response. Eddie stepped back to hail a cab, and suddenly there was a slight twinge of doubt in Richie’s gut. “And we don’t have to— do anything you don’t want to do, of course.” The look Eddie gave him in response was best described as amused. “Oh, we don’t have to, but I definitely want to. That is, if you…” he didn’t finish the thought, because Richie interrupted him. “You have no idea how much I want to.” With a grin, Eddie took his hand and waited for a cab to pull up, which it did in just a few seconds. Richie followed him into the car with a blinding grin and put his hand on Eddie’s thigh as he listened to him tell the driver the address. His main takeaway from the whole thing was that sometimes joking about his true feelings paid off big time. Anything else was overshadowed by Eddie’s hand sliding smoothly into his once more and his large eyes staring gently into Richie’s own, but maybe that was just as well.

Back to you [4]

“Thunderstorms in spring„

Pairing: oc x Halstead bothers

Previous: prologue, episode one, episode two

Series summary: an old friend comes back and is need for help from the Halstead brother’s. Will this story end in heartbreak or a win?

Episode summary: Loralai talks to jay about the case and she and will are back to their old ways.

Words: 1745

Warngings: lots of angst this time, angry will

Author’s note: quite ironically this page is only the calm before the real storm. Some big revelations happening in the next chapter woohoo!! Please keep commenting and sending feedback it’s the only way I’m motivated to keep writing and it helps a lot. Thank you!! (+) quick dedication to @peachlle for reading and commenting, you are amazing♥️ I hope you’ll enjoy!!

Jay entered the hospital with a file in his hands. Turns out Ruzek had managed to shoot and kill one of the three guys that had attacked them earlier in the day and that was their only lead. They followed it but nothing good came out except a few random names and a photograph. He was hoping Loralai would have more to tell now that she was awake.

He stopped his pace when he heard loud voices coming from Loralai’s room, he took a peek and saw Will standing next her, shaking his head. His was very familiar with this picture of the two of them.

“This isn’t a joke Loralai!” Shouted Will. Jay felt like he was taken back to Will’s old apartment, listening to them fighting on their bedroom while he was in the living room, trying to ignore them.

“Isn’t it?” She asked, her voice loud and clear “because it feels like we’re back in time! It’s always the same fight with you Will, the same dialogue! You haven’t even changed your lines!”

“My lines? What about your ways Lor? How many times do you have to get hit to realize that you gotta stop—“

“IT’S MY JOB!” She shouted back.

“Your job is to write not to dodge bullets and pray that you’ll survive!”

“I don’t care wether I’ll survive or not!” She spat “even if I die, at least I’m dying for a reason! People will hear the stories that matter—“

“And what about the people that love you?” He asked, cutting her off before she could say anything else “what about your parents? Your sister? Me? Jay who saw you bleeding out in his hands? You die and then what happens to us? You really think it’s gonna be that easy for us to let go?”

Loralai scoffed “it didn’t seem like it was that hard for you to let me go three years ago.” She looked away “which reminds me. You are not even my boyfriend and I’m not your girlfriend so why the hell are we even fighting about this?”

Will didn’t answer to that, even Jay could feel how much it must have hurt him when she said those words. It was a cruel reminder but the truth. Will didn’t need to listen to anymore if it and as he stepped out of the room and turned the other way he bumped into Jay. He held him still.

“You ok Bud?” He asked but all Will could do was move his head. There was so much anger in his eyes, Jay expected to see smoke coming out of his ears. He looked down, rubbing his face, there were so many things he wanted to say but couldn’t so instead he settled of the typical “I have to go.”

Jay watched him leave without stopping him and then looked at the door to Loralai’s room. He fixed his jacket, like he was about to get in a ring and took a moment from himself to gather all the strength he could before he stepped inside. It was weird to see her again, awake. She was staring at the ceiling, biting her lip and scratching the sheets with her nails like she always did when she was angry. Ah, the details.

“Hello Sherlock.” He said, getting her attention. Her face light up immediately when she saw him, like she had been expecting him. She reached for him with her arms and jay walked quickly to her, wrapping his hands gently around her. He was so happy to see her safe and healthy. “How you feeling?” He asked, pulling away just enough to look at her.

“Better now that I don’t have your brother yelling at me.”

“he’s just worried about you a lot and you don’t make it easy for him—“

“That’s bullshit Jay! How many times a day do you have a gun pointed at your head? Why doesn’t he give you that speech of love and death— he thinks because I’m a woman I can’t take care of myself.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Loralai! He texts me everyday to make sure I’m ok, he’s as worried for me as he is for you the only difference is I’ve been trained to dodge the bullets! You barely know how to hold a gun!”

Loralai didn’t say anything and before she could come up with a smart reply jay left the file he was holding on the bed and pulled out one of the photographs. “Have you ever seen this guy before?”

Loralai accepted the change in subject and took a moment for herself to think. “No.”

“Ruzek shot him while he was running away. He’s the only one we got from the car. We have no other leads so I was hoping you’d tell me more.” He sat down on the chair next to her bed, waiting to hear her story.

She sighed, looking at the ceiling “one month ago there was a fire at the Heathwood’s family house do you remember?”

“Yes it was an accident—

“Except it wasn’t.” She said confidently. “My editor asked me to write a piece on it and Michael Heathwood who had magically survived. It was a Miracle, the kind of shit that people love to read. But when I met with him...”

“You knew there was something wrong” he finished her sentence and bowed his head “why didn’t you go to the police?”

“The police were on it Jay! They porpusly looked the other way. If I went he would find out! So I did it myself. I looked as deep as I could. His wife, Alicia Stewart, died only one month before the explosion from a car accident and When the house exploded his father in law, Stefan Stewart and his mother in law, Carla Stewart were the only ones that died.”

“You saying he wanted to kill that family?”

“im saying there are far too many coincidences Jay!” She cleared her throat “so I might have illegally checked his bank accounts.” Jay raised his eyebrows and stood still across from her. He didn’t approve at all of what she had told him “I didn’t find anything which was even weirder”

“And I don’t suppose you gave up from then on...”

“I spied on him, searched everything I had on him and you wanna know something funny? Michael heathwood didn’t even exist two years ago!”

“Wait wait—“ He raised his hands, signaling her to slow down. “What?”

“His real name is Peter Evans! He’s a con artist! He tricks rich families, kills them, takes their money, saves it under a different name and runs.”

Jay stood up, pacing the room until he balanced himself on the edge of the bed, trying to process everything that she had told him. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you! Make sure that this..” He pointed at her wounds “wouldn’t happen!”

“I had to get enough evidence first. Create the story. If he realized I was on to him he’d disappear in thin air”

He stood straight again, crossing his arms “And Where is your evidence?”

“In the flash drive I gave you!”

Jay didn’t answer, he narrowed his eyes looking at her confused. “What flash drive?”

“In the car!” She insisted “I gave you a USB! Did you lose it?”

Jay hid his face in his palms “it must have fallen on the car.” He said, trying to reassure himself that the information was safe. He looked back at Loralai reaching for her hand and giving it a light squeeze “we’ll find it.” He told her. She held his hand before he could slip it away and he looked in her eyes, his heart beating a little faster. It was the bruise right under her eye that made his body shiver, he couldn’t stand seeing her like this.

“I owe you an apology...” she whispered, completely changing the subject. He tried to fake a smile as if he didn’t understand.

“For getting shot at?”

“Jay—“

“Don’t.” He warned “Not now. We’ll talk when all this is over.” He brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a light kiss before exiting the room. On his way out he caught Will behind the reception, making some notes but he decided not to bother him. Will saw him too from the corner of his eye but he was still angry from before to have any conversation with any body.

When he finished writing his notes he looked towards Loralai’s room. She had her eyes closed and she looked like she was about to fall asleep, god knows she needed that rest. He sat down on a chair, watching her sleep. He couldn’t go home and he couldn’t go in her room after their argument so this was the best way to check up on her and make sure she’d be ok. After a while he started to fall asleep himself. The position of his neck was so uncomfortable that kept waking him up and annoying him. When he opened his eyes again because of the pain he saw Loralai moving nervously on her bed. Turning her head right and left and whimpering. He jumped of his chair and rushed to her side.

First thing he did was check her wounds but he saw nothing alarming. When his hand touched her skin, her eyes shot open and she grabbed for his wrist. She looked so terrified to him, so broken, nothing like the confident girl he was used to having around. All the time he knew her there was always one thing she couldn’t battle and that was her nightmares.

He made sure to look calm and not scare her anymore than she already was. “Hey hey it’s ok. It’s just me. Lor?” He held her hand softly, stroking her fingers until she broke down into tears. This was the first time he had seen her cry today, all it took was a nightmare. He sat next to her on the bed, pulling her swiftly in his arms to warm her. He caressed her back and kissed her forehead, whispering sweet words in her hair, his breath falling on her like a veil of safety. She snuggled closer while he spoke, reassuring her that it would be alright.

He always thought of her like a thunderstorm in spring. It didn’t rain a lot but when it did... it was hell.

The tale of flass: this is a story I improvised on the spot when my friend asked me to tell her a story to cheer her up. I'm quite proud of it.

OK, so there's a frog.

And it's just hangin out, doing its thing, as frogs do.

And he decides "yo"

"yo i want to be higher up than I am currently able to access with my mainly aquatic body."

So what he does is he goes and talks to a duck, because he knows that ducks can fly.

And he goes up to a particularly glossy mallard and he's like

"ay bro, can you carry me up to the treetops?"

And the mallard(by the name of craigory) be like

"bruh sorry but idk if I can like carry you that high up I ain't no BOFP, man"

And our boi the frog (by the name of flass)

Be like

"ay bruh what's a BOFP"

And craigory, the sassy cunt that he is, looks him in the eye and says, I shit you not here, he straight up looks our boi flass right in the eye and he says

(Are you ready to hear what this sassy dick waffle says to our boi flass?)

This bitch no cap be like straight up

"bird of fuckin prey"

And see now flass, the tru gangsta that he is takes it on the head cus he ain't finna let this bitch be openly disrespectin him.

So flass says to craigory

"can you tell me where I can find a bird of fuckin prey then so that I can ask them to take me up to the treetops?"

Now craigory (WHAT a cunt this man is) looks at flass, this little frog in front of him and has the unmitigated fucking audacity to say to our boi flass

If a bird of fuckin prey sees you then it will surely eat you instantly. I caution you, sir, do not throw away your life"

And flass, the Absolute Don that he is, turns away from this lil bitch craigory and says "then I will die in the pursuit of fulfillment." and if that ain't the heaviest shit you've ever heard then bruh idek what to say to u, the dudes soul is dressed like an 80s action hero.

So flass hops away in slowmo and eats a fly midair just to flex.

And he hops away to find a lil sparrow. And the sparrow is just vibin and gettin straight blazed and flass hops up, takes a deep sniff and nods in approval for the kush was good and therefore the sparrow was surely a woman of taste and culture. And a sparrow of such taste and culture must surely be a sparrow of some great education.

Now our man Flass hops up to this sparrow and he says

"ay bruh, how's it hangin"

And the sparrow looks at her bead curtain and says "yeah bruh it's hangin good. I only put it up last week and it's already weathering rly nicely" and flass saw that it was so and he nodded in agreement.

Now flass sits his fine froggy ass down in front of this sparrow and he says

"bruh I wanna get up to the treetops bc I feel unfulfilled being confined to ground level. I asked that cunty dick weed craigory to take me up there but the pussy said he couldn't carry me and I'd need like a bird of fuckin prey so I thought of you. Your a bird of fuckin prey right? We eat the same things too so I thought you might be an absolute bro and carry me up to the treetop sometime"

Now this sparrow looks at flass and she sees that he rly means all he's saying and then she looks at herself, about the same size as him and she says to him "bruh sorry but im literally too small to carry your fine ass anywhere. You'd need something bigger than me like a crow"

Yh nah she ain't gonna be able to carry him up there. But what she does is she looks him in the eye and she says

"OK so like I know where you can find a crow who could take you up there but I'm pretty sure he's not gonna do it for free"

And Flass says to this sparrow (by the name of velvet)

"bro if I can pay I will. This is all I need to die happy"

So velvet looks at flass and she sees how his soul is dressed with the leather jacket and the stubble and guns and big sunglasses and she thinks woah this dude is a straight up 80s movie badass ain't nothing gonna change his mind so she says "bro just hang out with me till I'm sober then ill take you to the crow."

And flass says

"nah bruh I gotta get going. Gotta see them treetops"

And velvet says

"bro I have Mario kart"

And flass says

"bro I'm in"

So flass hangs out and chills with velvet and they smoke and play Mariokart and then he sleeps over. Then in the morning when they're both sober again velvets like

"OK bruh lets get you to that crow so we can talk to him"

So velvet takes flass to the recent corpse of a dead buffalo, where there's a crow scoffing down some meat and the crow looks around and sees them and clacks its beak menacingly.

Now both flass and velvet know that this crow with this clackety beak of his could easily kill both of them.

It is a truth of which they are both acutely aware.

So now this crow(by the name of glowstick) looks at these two lil Bois and thinks yo these 2 got something to say. So he says

"yo you 2 got something to say?"

So velvet gives flass a nudge to go talk to this dude so flass hops real cool up to velvet and he says

"OK bro so here's the deaio. Here's the sich. Here's the case file. The writing on the wall. The drink in the cup. The tea. I feel rly unfulfilled at fuckin ground lvl bc I can't get up these fuckin trees. So I went to that cunt graigory who sent me to this glorious bitch velvet who got me high then hung out with me till we were sober and then brought me here so I could talk to you so like could you just fly me up above them there treetops real quick? If I do then Im pretty sure i can die happy"

Right so glowstick looks this absolute Chad up and down and thinks for a moment and says

"OK so ill be willing to fly you up there and carry you around for a bit but it'll cost ya"

And flass takes a step forward, looks glowstick in the eye and says "whatever your price is bro I'll pay it"

Now seeing that flass isn't gonna be shaken easily he sits down on the carcass, fixes this fine-ass froggy fella with one eye, clacks his beak a couple more times and leans forward:

"I'll take you up there and I'll fly you around for a while until sundown. But once night falls I get to eat you"

Now flass obviously isn't too keen on this deal but the way he sees it it's the best deal he's gonna get cus he really needs to get up there into the sky. So he hops back over to velvet and hugs her.

"bro you've been a good friend so far. You wanna come hang out until sunset?"

So velvet hugs him back bc this is her bro and he's gonna go live his dream until he dies so she's like

"yeah bro ill come hang out till sunset but I'm not gonna stick around to watch you get eaten ok?"

And flass is like

"cool, I'm good with that"

So now he hops back over to glowstick who's taking this completely serious. He's gonna hold up his end of the bargain and he's gonna earn that muthafuckin meal. So he holds oup his claws and grabs flass and spreads his wings

And takes flight.

Now remember, flass is fully used to jumping high and far but the experience of going up and staying up is completely new to him. Glowstick claws are carefully but firmly holding him so that he doesn't slip or fall and get hurt. He sees the tops of the trees and the blue sky with the sun overhead and he spreads his arms like wings and laughs, pretending he himself is flying.

As the day wears on the joy doesn't lessen until the sun dips to the horizon. Glowstick takes flass to the top of a tree to watch the sunset and velvet lands next to them and they all huddle together in the final moments of daylight.

When the sun is gone velvet turns to flass and bumps his head, tenderly, with hers. He, of course returns the gesture to the truest friend he's known in his short life before she turns and flits away.

Now flass turns to glowstick and says

"bro. Thank you for bringing me up here. I was right, having experienced the freedom and joy of living my dream and flying I can say truthfully that dying now wont be so bad. I've just got one last request bro. Make it quick. I wanna go out on a high note."

Glowstick nods his head at this brave lil frog and says

"lil bruh you've earned my respect with your courage. I'm still gonna eat you because that's nature and also the terms of our deal but I will give you the death you want.

And I will tell your story to everyone I meet who needs to hear it,and I will tell them to pass it on so that, even after you die here, your legacy and your 80s action hero soul will live on forever."

So flass stands proud and strong and closes his eyes and remembers how it felt to fly, to rush through the air and to go up and stay up. He remembers the feeling of watching a sunset with his best friend. He remembers all this and more and he finds that he is smiling. He settles into this warm bliss and breathes in.

In the days, months, weeks and years that follow this day the tale of flass and his courage and dedication to fulfillment even in the face of his death spread through the forest to the rivers, the plains, the seas and all the way to other, much different forests across those seas. Faithfully told by velvet and glowstick and embellished from there with each telling until those who told it and heard it almost felt that warm bliss, that feeling of unbridled joy at finding your dream has become reality. They could swear they see, in the corner of their eye if they have one, a faint smile. Like one you might find on the face of a particularly happy frog who had just watched his first and last sunset with his best friend and the crow who had made this possible. And his legacy inspires hundreds of thousands of creatures to follow their dreams however small.

Somewhere, thanks to the story of flass, a primate is tending to a small piece of burning wood, Feeding it dry leaves and twigs to keep it alight, in hopes of warming a cave so that it and its family may not just survive, but be comfortable through the next winter and many after.

the little dude brought a wave of joy across the world. He triggered the discovery of fire. He taught glowstick about nobility in the face of death. He lives on in the stories told of him and the dreams realised in his memory.

As long as there is someone or something pursuing a dream then flass will never be dead.

Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “Party Scene”

Title: Party Scene Characters: Clementine, Gabe Summary: Post ANF, the Clementine and Gabe go to their first real party to be teens for once. However, they both wind up getting drunk for the first time ever and playing seven minutes in heaven. Author's Note: this came out so GOOD IM SO HAPPY Requested By: Anonymous support me with ko-fi ♡ ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

The teens in New Richmond had underground connections, and being involved with those connections was Clementine’s first real taste of being a rebellious teenager.

There weren’t a lot of teenagers in Richmond, but there were enough that they’d made a pact. Too often, the adults were in charge, stressing about survival. The kids were mindless and innocent, playing and biding their time until they were old enough to assist in Richmond’s success and growth. The teens, more often than not, were the ones doing chores, fetching supplies, and running errands.

“It’ll be fun,” Clementine said, nudging Gabe’s shoulder as they made their way toward the storage room. The building that, in a past life, had been a privately-owned restaurant under a one-person apartment. In its current life, it was one of Richmond’s storage lockers and, beneath it, a secret teenage hide-out.

Gabe shifted uncomfortably as they approached the door. “I don’t know. I’ve never done something like this before.”

Clementine smirked, finding it adorable just how innocent Gabe was. Of course, he’d lived a completely different life than she had. He had parents, guidance, resources, and the occasional place to settle down.

“Come on,” she said, slipping in through the heavy door. “I’ll be there too, it’s not like you’re going alone.” Finding that the statement brought him a taste of comfort, Gabe huffed anxiously through his nose and wandered inside, watching as Clementine gently closed the door behind them.

Clementine made her way to the back room — what had once been the restaurant’s kitchen — where Richmond stored their canned goods. Sliding one of the boxes to the side, the handle of a locked trap door glinted in the moonlight.

Gabe raised a brow, looking at Clementine skeptically before turning his attention back to the floor.

Clementine knocked once. Then, after a pause, knocked 3 times in quick succession. Then, once after a pause. Then, 4 more times. After that, the door clicked and swung open. A dark haired, brown-eyed boy greeted them. “Clementine!” He beamed, eyes wide and bright. “I’m so glad you came!”

“What else was I gonna do?” She said with a snort, making her way down the wooden steps. She gestured behind her. “That’s Gabe. He’s my plus one.”

The stranger smiled stiffly, drinking the teen in, before stepping to the side to let him in. Awkwardly, Gabe closed his eyes and crept past him. After there was shifting behind him — what he assumed was the boy readjusting the box upstairs — the door closed.

The party was nothing like what Gabe had envisioned. The room was littered with candles, illuminating everything with a soft aura of care. There was a table off to the side with wooden crates stacked on top, unopened extras stuffed under it on the floor. Clementine had already made her way there, swiping two bottles and clinking one with yet another teen Gabe didn’t recognize, exchanging pleasantries before she made her way back to him.

“What do you think” Clem asked, sliding a brown bottle into Gabe’s hands. She popped the lid of her own off, taking a sip and scrunching her nose but sighing as it slid down. “Pretty nice, don’t you think?”

“What is this pace?” Gabe asked, nose scrunched himself as he studied their bottles. In the background, he could hear the soft static of a record player, the music just beginning to flow again after a moment silence.

Clem took another sip of her drink. “This building used to be a restaurant, and this used to be its storage room.” She shrugged. “Seth managed to find the key to the trap door months ago. Before we just thought it was an abandoned basement.” She grinned, holding her bottle to her chest. “It’s a secret so the adults don’t try to nab it from us.”

Gabe was busy studying his bottle, vaguely listening. “And this?”

“Beer,” Clem said with a grin. “Tons of it. Clearly, this was also where they stored the alcohol.” Taking initiative, she popped the cap off for him and smirked. “Try some.”

Gabe did and instantly regretted it. He choked it back. “Ugh! How can you drink this stuff?”

Clem shrugged. “It warms me up and keeps me calm. It’s a nice way to relax.” She smirked, slowly backing away. “But this is the first night I get to spend a decent amount of time down here. So now, I can have as much as I want.”

Gabe raised a brow. “No charge?”

Clem snorted. “That’s an adult thing. We don’t care about that down here.”

The teens in Richmond were lawless, Gabe just hadn’t realized until then. No exchanges, no worries, no stressing about getting caught, just mindless, stupid fun.

Maybe this is what it felt like to be a teenager before the world collapsed.

Clementine was helping him tip back his bottle, poking his side every time he paused his drinking for too long. While the first few sips were bitter, the more he drank, the more he liked it. Clearly, Clementine noticed. Without asking, she was quick to bring him another whenever he finished, matching his alcohol intake herself.

When everyone was a few drinks in — when Gabe was blissfully giggling and when Clementine felt relaxed and zoned out — the tone of the room shifted.

“Let’s play a game,” said one of the teens, rubbing his hands together, hopping into the small social circle Clementine and Gabe had cultivated. “Something fun. Something exciting.”

Gabe, normally, would be hesitant. Something about the way they were talking seemed mischievous and risky. But Gabe was more relaxed now than he was normally — more bubbly and willing — and beamed. “Like what?” He asked, eyes wide and ready for fun.

After all, if it was anything like how the night had been so far, it was bound to be fun.

“7 minutes in heaven!” He said.

It wasn’t like how the night had been so far.

Gabe had no idea what that meant, and was even more confused when he watched Clementine’s brow peak, wobbling to regain balance of her feet. Maybe she wasn’t as sober as he’d originally thought. Was this what it felt like to be drunk? Warm, and tingling, and like you didn’t have a care in the world?

“Seth, are you serious?” Clem asked, smirking mischievously.

“Duh” he scoffed, watching Clementine chuckle and turn away, distracted by a noise elsewhere.

Seth’s eyes trained on the two of them; on the way Clementine was wobbling in place and the soft, curious smile on Gabe as his eyes roamed the circle, silently searching for a gaze to explain what was going on.

Seth watched as Gabe turned to Clementine, and he could feel the warmth radiating from his stare. When Clementine turned to meet him, she smiled. Gabe gave her a confused look and Clementine burst into giggles. From across the circle, Seth could see Gabe’s cheeks go rosy and pink.

Oh yeah. That was happening.

He snapped his fingers, gesturing to the two across the way. It was partially to get their attention, partially as a call to action. “You two are up first.”

Turning from Clem, Gabe blinked. “What?”

Clem chuckled. “Seth, you’re not--” She was silenced as a handful of their friends wandered closer, gently sweeping them closer to the jacket closet on the far side of the room. Gabe’s eyes widened in horror, realizing that the closet had been cleared out. He feared now that he knew why.

Before he had the chance to regain some strength and retaliate, the two were whisked into the closet and the door was shut behind them. Gabe immediately applied pressure, but someone was leaning on the wooden panelled door. Hearing shifting from outside, Gabe knew a box had been pushed in front.

They were stuck. Escape was pointless.

Worst of all, he was horrified as to why Clementine wasn’t fighting back. Her lack of panic amazed him, but now? She barely batted an eye when they were being whisking away to their doom.

“Are we stuck? Can we breathe in here? They will let us out, right?” Gabe smacked on the door twice, huffing when it didn’t budge.

“Gabe?”

“Oh God, this is bad.” He said, adjusting his hat in distress. “This could go very, very wrong.”

“Gabe.”

He turned, and immediately felt a wave of calm. The gentle way the light outside hit Clementine’s cheeks, the way it danced on her eyelashes and hugged the nape of her neck, made Gabe’s heart swell and lump up in his throat.

It jumped altogether when Clementine’s hands dipped forward, brushing at his cheeks. Her smile was so soft and welcoming that he couldn’t look away. Her eyes dipped to his lips, then went back up, and before he could remember how to breathe, her lips were on his.

It took him a moment to regain his footing, and by then Clementine had already begun to pull away. Her hands slid down his neck and shoulders, fading away. He took a breath, and seized his chance. He slipped forward and went in for another before she had a chance to pull away entirely. His arms wrapped around her waist and back, his lips sweetly pressed to hers, her body pressed to his.

It felt as if he was lost in time when her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips dancing across his own, her heart thrumming against his rib cage. Everything he’d ever wanted was coming true with her fingers dancing along the back of his hat, clinging to his jacket, pulling him closer.

He felt alive, and he’d finally realized why they’d called it ‘7 minutes in heaven.’

“Wait,” Clementine said, her lips parting from his, her eyes trained on the door. His voice was hoarse and peeved, her eyes ripping from his and moving elsewhere.

“What?” Gabe asked, his grip on her waist growing tighter, already missing her.

Clementine looked at the door — Gabe could faintly make that out thanks to the light trickling in — and hesitated. Then, her hands detached themselves from him. Immediately, Gabe did the same. He watched as she fixed her shirt and hair, turning to adjust his clothing and hat in the same fashion.

There was shifting outside, murmurs and hushes. When she was done prepping him, she froze, and locked her gaze with his, and smiled. Gabe could swear his heart stopped. Just as her hands were leaving the sweet touch they had on his arms, the door swung open.

The eager expression on the Seth’s face fell as he saw them well-kept and composed. “Did you guys do anything?”

Clem smirked, crossing her arms and shrugging. “None of your business, Seth.”

His lower lip puffed out, his brows pressed, his arms crossing. His stare shifted to Gabe who was following Clem’s lead. He shrugged. “Sorry,” was all he managed.

He didn’t want to need to attribute something that special to Seth. After all, he was the one who’d pushed them in there in the first place.

Gabe approached Clem in the corner of the room, snagging two more beers. “We’re not giving him the credit,” she said, passing him one.

He smirked, popping the cap off. “Good.”

She smiled, and only then did Gabe realize just how pink her lips were. “Good.” She repeated softy.

It was 7 minutes in heaven, alright. But Gabe knew he wanted a lot more than 7 minutes.

Little did he know, as Clementine took sips of her ever-growing nicer beer, she was feeling the same way. ---------♥️♥️♥️----------