#I drew this in a haze at 11 pm

[dogwaterdish]

He's sick :/

#mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #toshinori yagi #yagi toshinori #all might #comic art #mini comic #mha toshinori #mha all might #dadmight #mha izuku #mha midoriya #mha deku #mha yagi #bnha midoriya izuku #dogwaterdraws #I drew this in a haze at 11 pm

[heartbreakgrill]

Love Song; Corbyn Besson

description: yeah just some good ol’ friends to lovers 😋

Your face clenched up as the nurse swabbed your nose. The urge to sneeze came over when she tugged it out, and you quickly pulled up your mask. After a round of watery eyes and the oddest facial expression, the sneeze subsided.

“Thank you,” you told her, a laugh dancing at the edge of you tone.

Her eyes crinkled, showing the smile beneath her mask. “You’re welcome. It’ll just be a minute.”

You stood from the chair, plopping down beside Zach on the couch. He was playing on his phone, but looked up when he noticed your presence.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” He watched your hand rub at your nose over the mask.

“Uh, yeah,” you chuckled.

Zach went back to his phone and you unlocked your own, crossing a leg over the other. Soon, his name was called and he snapped off his mask. Negative.

Daniel replaced Zach in the seat beside you. You bid him hello and he said, “Hey. How are you today?”

“Was doing fine before I had to have a stick in my nose,” you giggled.

Daniel laughed as well. “Yeah, but whatever we have to do to get to celebrate.”

“New normal,” you nodded.

“Y/N!” The other nurse called out from her clipboard.

You flashed your eyebrows at Daniel and stood from the couch. Slipping your phone into your butt pocket, you walked over to the table.

“You are negative, my dear. We’re having everyone who has already been tested to stay in the kitchen.”

You took the packet of your information from the nurse, thanked them again, and joined Zach, Corbyn, and Christian in the kitchen. You slipped the pink mask in your jean jacket pocket as you took the empty bar stool next to Christian.

“Hey, guys,” you greeted.

Corbyn perked up at the sound of your voice, peaking up from his phone. He was directly across from you, leaning his chin against the ball of his palm. You glanced around at the boys, meeting his eyes over the top of his phone.

“Hey, Y/N, when did you get here?” Christian spoke, drawing your eyes away from Corbyn.

You cleared your throat and folded your hands in your lap. They were clammy now, budding heat throughout your face. His eyes.

“Like ten minutes ago. I said I was here in the group chat,” you reminded Christian.

He shrugged, “I don’t really pay attention.”

“Rip,” you laughed.

Zach and Christian went back to their conversation about the album, the only valid topic of interest for the night ahead.

You glanced back over at Corbyn, who had shifted so he could pretend like he hadn’t blushed at your presence. You sat there for a moment, contemplating saying anything at all. Ultimately you settled on tugging out your phone again.

You leaned on the counter, scrolling through people’s Instagram stories. You swiped past Why Don’t We’s shared page and fell on Corbyn’s. It was a selfie, one he took mere moments before you sat down. You flushed red, eyes gently lifting to take in how he looked right now.

His eyes.

You forced an awkward smile at the awkward eye contact, feeling...awkward.

You looked back down at your phone. It seems everyone of the boy’s friends and family members had posted about the album. Except you. You felt slightly guilty, voicing your concerns to the boys before you. Jonah and Daniel had since joined you guys in the kitchen, talking with Christian and Zach.

“No worries, Y/N. I mean, you’re here,” Jonah shrugged it off.

Zach added, “Yeah, but if you wanna post something go ahead.

“Why don’t we just take a selfie or something?” Daniel suggested, tipping his water bottle towards the phone in your hand.

“Oh, yeah. That’s good. I know it doesn’t matter, but I really want you guys to get number 1 on the charts,” you grinned sheepishly.

Jack appeared beside you, slinging on arm around your shoulder. You noticed Corbyn shift again, gulping and eyeing Jack’s arm.

“Oh, we will, Y/N, we will,” he winked at you.

You laughed loudly at his expression. “I believe in you, Jack Avery.”

He squeezed your shoulder. Everybody moved to stand around you, Corbyn ending up too far away. You tried to see where it was he was standing, just because you felt comfortable being able to see him, seeing you. But you couldn’t.

You were attempting to hold the phone out far enough to get everyone in frame, but your arm wasn’t long enough. Everybody laughed at your struggle. Jonah took the phone from you and angled it at the group. He snapped the photo and everyone dispersed.

Jonah ended up in the seat across from you, Zach next to him where he had been. Daniel, Jack, and Christian decided to start pouring drinks, since it was nearing 11 pm. Corbyn stood there for a minute, contemplating running off the edge of the world.

He settled in the seat beside you which drew your attention from your phone. You had been captioning the Instagram post, struggling to come up with something interesting.

“Hey, Corbyn,” you weakly smiled.

He smiled. “Hey.” His voice made your knees weak.

You flashed the screen at him, pushing down the red blush willing itself to paint your face. “What do you think I should caption it?”

“I don’t know,” he let out a breathy laugh, “uh, maybe a joke. Like, track 4 was written about me.”

You shared a laugh with him, happy nothing felt stuffed of weird energy for even a mere few minutes of conversation.

“That would be really funny, but probably cause some drama. How about, like, ‘dibs on Love Song?’ Because I genuinely feel like that ones gonna be so good.”

Corbyn gulped, “I wrote that one with Daniel.”

“Oh,” you breathed. “Then, I call it.”

Red cheeks all around.

You quickly posted it. Soon, the room was engulfed with music, the 3 singles the boys had released filling the air. There was a single camera on the band, standing around the kitchen island you had once been sitting at.

You stood to the side with Anna and Kay, a glass of champagne in your hand. You had since abandoned your Jean jacket, revealing the flowery, thin strapped corset that left your midrif out in the open. You felt really hot, be it because of the outfit, your sparse interactions with Corbyn, or the alcohol beginning to take hold of your bones.

See, there was something there with Corbyn, something nobody really even knew about. In fact, you didn’t even know if Corbyn himself remembered.

You had been good friends with the entire band since they moved to LA, attending concerts when you weren’t in school and hanging out constantly. Of course, as any pathetic pining story went, you’d been in love with Corbyn since you’d met him, but his heart had always belonged to Christina.

When you discovered they broke up, you felt elated for half a second. Then, he called you in tears.

“I know we’re not expectionally close, but I need somebody. The guys, they just don’t understand.l

Since that moment, you guys had been attached at the hip. Quarantine had been boring at first, terrifying, even. But, then you’d begun to spend every waking moment with Corbyn. You were the one who suggested he dye his hair black, had helped him do it. you’d gone with him when the tattoo shops opened again and helped him pick which one looked best. You’d helped them move into their new house, helped Corbyn decorate his new space. Hell, you’d even suggested a song lyric or two when laying on Corbyn’s bed, listening to him across the room on his guitar.

And then, on your birthday a few months ago, you had gotten exceptionally drunk to drown the sorrows of lusting after your best friend. When the clock struck midnight, Corbyn had already hauled down a taxi from the bar, slung your arm around his neck, cradling your waist as he tried to get you inside.

Out of nowhere, the sky began pouring buckets of rain. You fell against his chest, laughing hysterically at the ironically cliche moment. Corbyn somehow nuzzled his nose into your neck, giggling along with your drunken haze.

You pulled back gently, the closeness emitting a fierce confidence in your gut which enabled you to lean up and kiss him. He kissed you back, but when he remembered how drunk you were, he tugged away.

“I can’t do this,” he urged, but you mistook his respect for consent as rejection.

You mumbled, “But I’m in love with you.”

You didn’t remember for a few days after, what had happened that night. All you knew was you had woken up in Corbyn’s bed, his clothes on you, a headache in your head, and your dress soaking wet over the bathtub.

Then, a few days later, when you were perched on Corbyn’s bed, watching an episode of Big Mouth, he made a joke about how, “in love you are with,” him. Your eyes widened, breath hitched, and a memory pulled itself from your brain. You suddenly stood up, his arm dropping to the comforter since it had been around your shoulders.

You made some excuse about homework, though you both knew you had finished your finals the night prior. Since then, neither of you had really spoken at all.

You clenched the champagne glass between your fingers, turning them white from frustration. You felt a hand on your shoulder, turning towards Anna.

“Everything okay?” She glanced between your eyes, noticing the tears welled up there.

You sniffled and blinked the tears away. One dribbled down your cheek. You quickly wiped it away. Anna’s bottom lip jutted out in a pitiful expression and she pulled you into a hug. You wanted to collapse into her, sobbing your way through the album’s release. But, you squeezed your face shut and grabbed the composure that was running away from you.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” you tugged back and set your glass on the table beside you. You quickly strode to the bathroom, shutting it behind you.

You wiped under your eyes with a wet cloth, salvaging your eye makeup. Your eyes were still red, though, red and pupils blown up in a sad countenance.

There was a knock on the door and you tensed up. Daniel’s voice came from the other side of the door, soft and sweet.

“Y/N? Can I come in?”

You already knew he had seen you crying on Anna, and probably watched you storm away as quietly as one could when they were this upset. You were taking him away from his night and that made you feel just horrible.

“Yeah,” your voice was weak.

Daniel gently opened the door. He didn’t try to hug you or tell it was going to be okay. Instead, he cradled your face in his head, pushing the hair back from your cheeks.

“I know. You don’t have to explain or try to push me away. I just know. All I can give is the fact that we wrote these songs about our lives. These songs are personal.”

You met his eyes, swimming in the undemanding answers he was laying in front of you. “What do you mean?”

He gave a warm smile, “Corbyn got really good at songwriting. Just listen.”

You hugged Daniel quickly before shutting off the light. He slung his arm around your shoulders, guiding you back to the kitchen. Everyone counted down for midnight and soon enough, the new songs were blasting through the kitchen.

You anticipated Love Song through the entirety of Be Myself, barely paying any attention to the song that you knew Daniel wrote exclusively by himself. Soon, Daniel’s voice was dancing through the speakers in an upbeat rhythm, singing the literal love song.

Right after, Corbyn’s voice came again.

“You came out of nowhere like a hurricane.”

You perked up, holding yourself together with your arms. Daniel caught your eyes and nodded firmly. Your eyes flickered across the room and met Corbyn‘s. He’d been watching you for a while, you settled. Though his band mates and friends were dancing around the kitchen, he was solemnly drinking his own champagne. His hair was damp from the bottle Jonah had cracked open at midnight.

“Pulled me in and kissed me in the rain. And I fell for you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. You found his eyes again, your face bright red. An overwhelming grin came over you. Corbyn smiled in response, a dry chuckle shaking his shoulders. He shook his head, finally relieved.

You set down your glass again, tapping Anna on the shoulder. “I’ll be back, k?”

She squeezed your shoulder again, still feeling sympathetic. You looked to Corbyn and nodded towards the back door.

You slipped outside, taking a seat on one of the pool chairs. It was dark outside, only the light from the kitchen washing through the glass sliding doors.

You heard the doors open and close again, looking up from your shoes. You stood up, breathing in deeply. Corbyn stopped in front of you, fingers squeezing each other.

You nervously smiled up at him. “So...” you ached, “so, um, I guess I really did call track 4.”

Corbyn laughed, his hands coming around to your back. He pushed you into his chest, yours going up around his neck.

“Yeah,” his face drew back, “and it was about you.”

You grinned, pursing your lips to try and push it down. But, you were tired of pushing it all down, so you let your lips widen before landing themselves on Corbyn’s.

“You could be the one, girl you’re driving me crazy.”

#corbyn besson #corbyn besson x reader #corbyn besson imagine #Corbyn besson x y/n #Corbyn Besson imagines #why don’t we fluff #why don’t we x reader #why don’t we imagine #why don’t we #why don’t we x y/n

[hi-hey-haechan]

yangyang + #86 #99

Thank you for requesting! After writing this, I can say that I’m being actively bias wrecked by Yangyang.

86: “I don’t care what you do; just fuck me”

99: “I know they’re just stuffed animals, but doesn’t it feel weird? It’s like they’re watching us.”

Warnings: horrible writing, unprotected sex, and cheesiness to the max

As soon as he’d got home, he collapsed on the bed, utterly exhausted. For two weeks, Yangyang had been practicing non-stop, preparing for their comeback (I swear to god, I need a WayV comeback). It had been like this every single night for a fortnight: He came home, collapsed on the bed, before begrudgingly showering and changing, half-asleep. He woke up at 4:30 AM and returned home at 11:00 PM (if he was lucky).

That torture was over now, at least. Seeing him so tired and so overworked broke your heart. He’d sometimes fall asleep before you could crawl into his embrace, too. You really hadn’t talked to him much for two whole weeks, since his actions were done in a sleepy haze.

Barely seeing him meant no sex, either. So seeing him coming out of the shower, just in a pair of boxers, with his skin flushed and hair wet, had you feeling some type of way, and it affected you more than it often would. When he looked at you, your eyes darted away immediately. But you couldn’t forget the look of his toned stomach, or the way his boxers hugged his thighs…

When he went to bed that night, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His hair was damp, and it was a mess. He looked so peaceful while asleep, finally at rest after a hard day. His shoulders and chest were exposed, and the moonlight cast a pale glow on the expanse of skin. Yangyang was beautiful.

I miss you, you wanted to say. You missed his arms around you while you slept, and you missed his bright smile, the most beautiful thing in your life. You missed his voice, and how warm and sweet it was. You missed your crackheaded, sweet, savage boyfriend.

You paid attention to every detail of him. His eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheekbones, due to the moonlight pouring in from the window. His plump lips were slightly parted, and quiet, deep inhales and exhales escaped them as he slept soundly. His chest rose and fell as he breathed. His shoulders and chest weren’t extremely muscular; he had this lean, lithe build that was absolutely stunning for him. You focused on the rising and falling of his chest, and the sharpness of his jaw. His hair was tousled and wild against the pillow, but he looked perfect.

You became more and more aroused, just watching him sleep. You’d wanted him for so long, and you hadn’t been touched for two weeks, that with your core dripping right now, aching for friction, for release, you were unable to ignore it.

With a breath, you removed the blanket that covered the majority of his torso. You straddled his hips, with both of your knees on either side of him. Slowly, you lowered yourself onto his hips, grinding down on him.

You whimpered, finding that you were so sensitive, due to not being touched in two weeks. You’d abstained from touching yourself, knowing that this moment would feel all the much better if you didn’t. But now, seeing him look like this, his entire toned torso exposed to you, you wanted the moment where he finally touched you to be right then. You couldn’t wait any longer. He was sound asleep, though. Maybe, if you could grind slowly enough, he wouldn’t be awakened.

“Y/n,” Yangyang mumbled in a sleepy haze, “I’m tired.”

“Yangyang,” you whimpered, “it hurts. I need you so bad that it physically hurts.”

His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the look on your face, pouting, but also kind of pained. He grabbed your hips and grinded you down on him, just to see your reaction. When a whine left your lips, he realized how needy you really were, if just a bit of friction had that effect on you. He was truly awake now, wanting to do anything to help you release.

He moved your hips against him, again, and you said, after letting out a small moan, “I don’t care what you do; just fuck me.” It was a plead, a beg, and Yangyang couldn’t help but become a bit turned on by your desperation.

“Okay,” he said quietly. He was tired, but you needed him, and it had been two weeks -- he missed you in this way, too. He wasn’t going to tease you like he usually did; he was impatient, and clearly, so were you.

He drew the t-shirt you’d stolen from him over your head, leaving you in nothing but your underwear. Yangyang just stared at your figure that was straddling his hips, eyes wide and lust-filled. His hands ran over your body, delicately mapping out any curve with the light touch of his palms. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “God, I missed you.”

You repositioned yourself so you could kiss him, the glancing touch of his mouth soft and sweet. You melted into him, his light touches and lips driving you insane. The kiss started off as gentle as moonlight, but behind your eyes, the moonlight became starlight, everywhere he touched igniting an even bigger fire in your core. It was a symphony of lips, teeth, and tongue. His lips spoke of lust and desperation, but also so much sincerity and love.

After minutes of this, you couldn’t hold back anymore. You needed him inside of you, right then, right there. You broke the kiss, both of you trying to catch your breath.

To your left, there was a large stuffed teddy bear and a smaller one, sitting on your room’s window sill. Yangyang had bought them for you a few weeks ago, due to it being your anniversary. Their overly large, plastic eyes stared at you two, as though they were watching and judging each sensual move and sound you made.

Noticing your hesitation, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

You gestured over towards the window sill. “I know they’re just stuffed animals, but doesn’t it feel weird? It’s like they’re watching us.”

“Now, Y/n, do you seriously want to deprive them the pleasure of seeing us fuck?”

His sudden joke caught you off guard, but then again, it was Yangyang: what else could you expect?

Without being able to wait another second, you stripped yourself of your panties, leaving you completely bare to him. He still had his boxers on, but his erection bulged in the front part of the crotch, especially now that he was seeing your naked form after so long.

Eagerly, you pulled off the final piece of clothing separating you two. He looked god-like in the dim light from the evening, but his eyes were hooded and darkened. Yangyang was so tired, but he wanted to make you feel good.

Before he tried to roll you two over, you stopped him, considering how to word your next sentence. “Go slow,” you said, “I want to feel everything.”

You were on your back, and he was hovering above you. “I guess there’s no need for foreplay?” he smirked at how wet you were. You’d gotten so aroused just by thinking about him, to the point where you were more than ready to take him.

He slowly pushed inside of you, grabbing your hands in the process, only adding to the intimacy. The initial push inside of you was always painful, a bit of a sensation you’d never really gotten used to. However, you loved it all: the way his cock stretched out your walls, the way he threw his head back and groaned when he was fully sheathed inside of you, feeling him entirely for the first time in forever. You let out a few whines, unsure if they were from pain or pleasure. Being out of this for two weeks, you hadn’t felt the feeling of his member inside of you. It was a surprise. He was big, and he filled you up incredibly, his member already hitting and making contact with spots that made you see stars.

His thrusts were slow and deep, making sure you could feel every inch of him. Quiet moans filled the room, the two of you lost within each other, and the pleasure you gave each other. Your wet walls were so tight around him, and whenever you clenched, he’d squeeze your hands and let out a small moan in the process.

His entire length was sheathed within you, making you feel so full. His tip was pressing against your g-spot, and when he’d thrust extra hard, you’d cry out a bit, unable to prevent the noise falling from your mouth. His own sounds added to your pleasure, and you loved the fact that he was holding your hands. It made the experience that much more intimate.

Yangyang loved the intimacy aspect, and you did, as well. However, due to his schedule, you weren’t able to have intimate sex. The fact that for once, you two were this close in every aspect of the word, it made this all the more special. The only thing you were conscious of was Yangyang, and the way he squeezed your hands, or the way he moved slowly yet deeply inside of you, or the way his warm breaths fanned against your neck.

“I love you,” you whispered, closing your eyes as he hit somewhere particularly deep inside of you, leaving you breathless. Those words were all you could speak, but they were all you needed to say. Every action and sound you were making reflected that, and your entire being meant those three words with all of your heart.

“I love you, too,” he managed to say, his lips barely grazing the skin of your neck as he continued to move his hips. He looked straight at you, seeing how your eyes were shining with love. Unable to help himself, smiled, showing you the grin that lit up your entire life.

“I’m close,” you whimpered, pleasure increasing by the second. Heat pooled in the bottom of your stomach, and you needed release.

“Me, too,” he groaned, his hips stuttering as the pleasure began to overtake him. All he knew in the world was your name, and the way you felt around him. He repeated your name into the crook of your neck, his voice lacking the softness it had possessed that night, growing louder as his seed painted your walls. He squeezed your hands one final time, and you fell over the edge.

Pleasure consumed your entire being, and your back arched off the bed, head falling back into the pillow. You couldn’t remain quiet, and moans escaped your mouth, you not even trying to control them. Yangyang held your hands through your orgasm, allowing you to ride it out.

The two of you lay in silence for a minute, catching your breath.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your sleep,” you said as Yangyang rolled off of you, flopping back onto the bed.

He smiled in response, “this was better. I missed you, but I’m here now, and I will be for like two days! And then our schedule won’t be as grueling. But let’s sleep now. I’m exhausted.”

When you fell asleep, his arms were around you, holding you close to him as your both drifted into your slumber

#nct smut #wayv smut #00 line smut #yangyang smut #nct imagines #wayv imagines #00 line imagines #yangyang #yangyang imagines #liu yangyang #nct 00 line #nct #wayv #wayv yangyang #00 line #we will winwin

[fragilevixenfic]

Please do 46 on the second list "Your lips are so kissable!"

Lets see how this one goes! It gave me a real battle!

Title: I’d rather be oblivious

Category: Humor/Angst/UST/RST/Canon-Divergent/Post Dreamland II

Summary: Scully indulged in a little too much wine and chased her final drink with a shot of whiskey during dinner with her mother—but her mind was on anything but the meal, or the alcohol, as she shows up to Apartment 42.

Prompt: 46. “Your lips are so kissable!”

  I just pretend that I'm in the dark I don't regret 'cause my heart can't take a loss I'd rather be so oblivious I'd rather be with you

-Abel Tesfaye/Ahmad Balshe/Max Martin/Oscar Thomas Holter (The Weeknd)

 11:00 PM

2630 Hegal Place

Alexandria, VA

                 “Shouldn’t have worn the heels,” Scully muttered after running both hands through her hair, smoothing it away from her flushed face as she groped for the right button inside of the elevator. “Shouldn’t have had that shot, either but here I am…talking to myself in the elevator.”

               Tipsy might’ve been a bit of a reach but she was certainly feeling the alcohol and appreciated the cool breeze against her skin after getting out of the cab. Leaving her mother’s company had been awkward as Scully slid into the back of a cab instead of riding back to the apartment with her. Scully knew that she shouldn’t have indulged beyond the first glass but there was something compelling in it as she nodded at the offering over and over until she was listening to her mother’s weak attempt at naming at least five different eligible bachelors that she wanted to introduce her to. Scully had an entirely different man running through her mind, though, and the wine did little to assist in hiding it.

               “Why am I here?” Scully was face-to-face with his apartment door, the metal finish of the numbers staring at her as she fidgeted in her unusually uncomfortable heels, wincing. “Really shouldn’t have worn the heels.”

               Scully bit down on her lip and knocked, the echo filling the hall as she attracted the attention of the nosey neighbor across the hall. She glanced over in their direction only to catch an up-and-down stare, judging the length of her skirt as though it were that far off from anything else she’d ever worn before. Scully’s weak smile was met with an icy stare before they retreated into their own premises with the slamming of their front door. Scully sighed silently as she heard the string of profanities from inside of Mulder’s place as he maneuvered around after a resounding thud. Her eyes widened as she heard him cuss about a waterbed before flinging the door open as though he had been expecting anyone but her.

               “Oh, hey Scully, I thought you’d be at home watching a movie after having dinner with your mother?” Mulder’s questioning tone matched the wandering eye as he couldn’t help but dip his field of vision to the blush-kissed cleavage peeking out from the top of a tight, teal blouse. “Everything okay?”

               “That depends on your definition of the word okay,” Scully moved past him and inhaled a considerable whiff of his body wash as she saw the little droplets still collecting on his neck from wet hair. “Am I interrupting your night? I’m interrupting your night, aren’t I?”

               “Scully, how glasses of wine did you drink tonight?” Mulder recognized that intoxicated gaze as one he had caught in his own mirror a time or three as he watched her lean against the counter.

               “I had a couple,” Scully furrowed her brows and watched his hand as he pushed the door back into place, listening to the pronounced click of the pin as it gripped before meeting his gaze. “It was the shot of whiskey that might’ve been a bit…much.”

               “At least you didn’t say tequila, because, that’s my MO,” Mulder smirked and went to the cupboard, retrieving a glass to fill with water as he watched her lashes flutter just a little bit while she licked her lips. “Am I in trouble or—”

               “Did you think I wouldn’t find out about Kersh’s secretary?” Scully cut him off, brazenly squaring him up as she found the gumption to ask him for the first time.

               “That was right out of left field,” Mulder’s eyebrows elevated as he took a step back while her gaze narrowed into a glare, the intent building with every breath. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, Scully, and I don’t know what Kersh’s secretary has to do with anything. That woman is a gossip and irritates the ever-loving hell out of me.”

               “I’m sure she’s irritating, Mulder, but not enough to persuade you to keep your tongue out of her mouth, right?” Scully lit him up and pushed another button as she narrowed the gap between them, seething with frustration as she pushed a finger to his chest. “Did you hope that I wouldn’t find out or was that something you wanted?”

The glass met the countertop and left Mulder’s grip as he raised a single brow while scrutinizing Scully. Her actions couldn’t have been more perplexing. Her face couldn’t have been more alluring and it was driving him a little crazy as he listened to the interrogation as it poured from her mouth. Scully truly had become an enigma and Mulder had spent far too many nights trying to unfurl the mysteries of her heart without saying a single word or even glancing at her once. It was as though fate had given him a swift slap as the impromptu confrontation was a little more than he’d anticipated at this hour.

               “Scully, you can’t be serious with this,” Mulder rolled his eyes, caught somewhere between confusion and irritation at the idea of that particular creature telling people she had been intimate with him in any way, shape, or form. “Why would I do that? Answer me that.”

               “I don’t think like you so I couldn’t wager a guess but I do know that it’s absolutely mortifying hearing that your lips are so kissable from a group of women that didn’t realize I was walking through the room,” Scully pressed her lips together and held back the urge to slap him as her comment only earned the rubbing of the bridge of his nose while he chuckled into his palm. “It isn’t funny.”

               “I really am in the Twilight Zone and this shit just keeps getting weirder,” Mulder rubbed his eyes and looked at her as she backed up to lean against the archway upright between the dining area and the living room. “Scully, I would hope I’d remember playing tonsil hockey with a blonde if I did something like that but I really don’t. What I’m wondering is why this upset you so much?”

               “I’m not upset, Mulder. I just don’t want to be the last one to know that you’re acting like a complete moron with a co-worker who might decide to run around bragging about her exploits,” Scully knew she was lying through her teeth as she stared at the floor, refusing to look at him as he approached. “I don’t want to be known as the partner of the sloppy moron.”

               “You’re a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them,” Mulder tilted her chin up with his index and heard her inhale sharply as he made eye contact with her. “You can’t just show up here smelling like your mother’s choice in wine and really cheap whiskey and expect me to believe that you’re not upset with the idea that a woman was bragging about me.”

               “Mulder, don’t,” Scully swallowed hard and pushed his hand away from her face, lingering a little too long against his wrist as a final wave of intoxication surged through her veins. “It was a mistake coming here.”

               Mulder was, undeniably, deflated as his shoulders slumped and his gaze wavered, moving to the spot just above her head on the wall as the air left his lungs. “You put forth all of this energy to come here, read me the riot act about something that I didn’t even do, and now you won’t even say, or do, what you actually want. Cards on the table, Scully.”

               “What do you want me to say to you?” Scully’s eyes could’ve pierced a hole through the soul that had already been to hell and back as she studied his face, fixating on those hazel eyes. “That it should’ve been me that could have ample water cooler material over whether or not your bottom lip quivers when you kiss? Or if you’re a little handsier than the average male? Or that the shucking of sunflower seeds with your teeth and tongue definitely paid off?”

               Mulder could’ve let her go on but the way her mouth moved and her bottom swelled was driving him mad as he leaned in close and drew a breath from hers as his teeth slid along the center of her bottom lip. The unintended moan that left her lips was sublime and well-earned as heat met an alcohol-laced tongue that was already yearning for him. Mulder guided her to her toes and slipped his hands around her waist as friction met fluidity, haze met clarity, and passion met electricity. He’d memorized the shape of her mouth and imagined his own perched perfectly against it; exploring the curvature until the breaths between them were synchronized and matched. It was everything that he’d ever dreamed of, right down to the feel of her fingers across the back of his neck and into his hair.

               “Your lips really are so kissable,” Scully’s breathy utterance invited a grin across his face as his fingers played against the small of her back.

               “I was really thinking the combination of wine and whiskey was going to be a turn-off but…I could go for that again,” Mulder licked his lips, tasting her kiss as a laugh reluctantly reverberated from her belly.

               “I could say the same for you,” Scully leaned her head back, the tip of her tongue perched between her teeth. “Tequila breath.”

               “Guilty as charged.”

Tagging @suitablyaggrieved @thejimmyjabs @rationalcashew @frangipanidownunder @monikafilefan @msrheadcanon @kyouryokusenshi @wtfmulder for the loves

[midnightartemis]

Chapter Two

Rated M - SFW - Read on AO3 - Chapter One - Chapter Three - Masterlist

It had been long said that the Fourth Year was the hardest year at Hogwarts. Ben learned quickly the truth of this statement. His professors dumped assignment after assignment in his lap as if they had realized how little they had taught him over the past three years. Hardly a class went by without a professor mentioning O.W.L.s, still over a year and a half away.

Ben had no time to contemplate anything outside of his studies and soon all thoughts of Vader and darkness were in the back of his mind. While his dreams were dark, he never remembered them after what little sleep he managed.

When he was not in class, he was studying. When he was not studying, he was sleeping. The weekends proved no better and he found himself quite alone on Sunday nights, trying not to think of Rey and the way her nose scrunched up as she tried to jinx him. He missed their time in the Room of Requirement. He missed having a true friend.

Ben shook his head to clear his thoughts and brought his focus back to his half-finished parchment on cursed object detection. While he loved to dive into the theoretical when it came to magic, Luke had the annoying habit of keeping Defense Against the Dark Arts as hands-off as possible. It was highly unlikely his uncle would bring in any cursed objects for the class to view, even though Ben knew for a fact his uncle owned several. This only brought up memories of India that Ben wished to forget and he scowled at his parchment.

“Forget how to read, Solo?” Hux’s voice came from across the common room. This time of night it was filled with students, some studying, some talking quietly around one of the many fires that warmed the perpetually chilly dorms. Hux sat on a plush emerald chair across from his usual cohorts, Phasma and Mitaka, who were giving him questioning looks. Despite being two years younger, Hux was one of the few Slytherins who had never been afraid of Ben or smart enough to leave him alone. Their parents were rivals; that was all the cause Hux needed.

“Forget your place, Huxley?” Ben muttered, not lifting his eyes from his parchment.

Hux frowned. He pushed himself from his chair and sauntered over to the empty table where Ben was working. With one hand, he slammed Ben’s D.A.D.A. book shut. Ben stopped his writing and sat back. Like this, they were the same height. Hux sneered, “Think you’re better than me, half-blood?”

Ben itched to turn Hux’s legs to jelly. Hux was only trying to get a rise out of him, to give his mother ammunition for her articles again. He was saved by a steady voice over his shoulder.

“Watch your tongue, Hux. I seem to remember a muggle-born putting you on your arse last year. Or did you forget? Blood isn’t everything.” Voe Elphrona raised her brow, amused. Her Head Girl badge flashed in the firelight on her robes. A talented witch and a fierce opponent both on and off the Quidditch pitch, Voe was widely respected, even by the likes of Armitage Hux.

Hux’s face turned bright red and he stiffly walked back to his chair. He snapped at Phasma and Mitaka who quickly found something else to look at.

Ben put his head back down though he could still feel Voe and her friends standing behind him. Only a moment passed before Voe took a seat across from him. Her friends - namely, the other Prefects - Tai, Hennix, Bazine, and Grummgar, made for the largest, most central couch in the common room, scaring off a flock of First Years.  

What did she want?

“Mind if I join you?” Voe’s silvery eyes flashed. It wasn’t a question. “We’ve just gotten back from our meeting with Professor Tarkin. Seems you’ve made the shortlist for Prefect next year. Maybe even Head Boy, one day.”

Ben sat up a little straighter. Head Boy. He’d dreamed of it even as a child. If they made him Head Boy, maybe then they would see him as something other than an enemy. “And?”

“I agree.” Voe tilted her head toward the rest of the group. “We think you’re really the only Fourth Year qualified enough. Best if we mentor you properly.”

“Why?” Everyone wanted something from him. Slytherins rarely ever did anything from the goodness of their hearts. Not when there was something to be gained. It was a fact of life now. Even Rey had wanted things from him. Knowledge. Training. He had gladly given it, even for just a sliver of her friendship. “What do you want?”

Voe grinned, revealing sharp incisors as white and luminous as her hair. Every year to scare the first years, there was a rumor spread that Voe’s grandmother was part vampire. How someone could only be part vampire, Ben had no clue. “Your mother will not be Minister of Magic forever. All I ask is your support for when I take her place.”

A political move then. “I’m not exactly a person you want on your side.”

The young witch only shrugged. “We will see.”

Ben glanced at the cohort sitting around the fireplace. Tai and Hennix sat across from each other in high-backed chairs, each carefully studying a game of Wizard’s Chess. Beside them on the couch, Grummgar sat like he owned the common room with Bazine lounging at his side. She flicked through radio stations with her wand, a bored look on her face. He’d be hard-pressed to call them friends, but what Voe was offering wasn’t friendship.

“They will make you stronger. And one day, they will bow before you.” The voice in his mind whispered.

“Doubts?”

“No.” Ben met her eye. “I fail to see how this is worth my time. Support for Minister of Magic comes at a high cost.”

There was no doubt in Ben’s mind that Voe could take that position if she wanted to. The Elphronas were an old pureblood family, powerful and wealthy. They had long held seats in the ministry, both before and after the war. Her father was currently Ambassador to the United States.

“I can offer you mentorship, a favor, and access.” Voe’s steady eyes studied him as if she had come to realize that Ben would not be anyone’s prey. This fact only drew her in more.

“Access to what?”

Voe leaned across the table and took Ben’s quill from his inkwell. On a scratch piece of parchment, she wrote out something in thin, spidery letters. Once she was finished, she drew her aspen wand and tapped the parchment. Her charm work settled over the parchment in a silver haze. She stood and offered it to him. Her fingers brushed against his as he took it. “Midnight. Don’t be late. Or don’t come at all.”

Ben looked down at the blank piece of parchment.

☽◯☾

It had taken him longer than he would like to admit to deconstruct Voe’s spell work. The most basic charm to reveal hidden things, Revelio, had no effect on the parchment whatsoever except to make a mark on the corner like a small tally. An attempt at Aparecium, a similar but far more powerful charm made to reveal hidden text, produced nothing but a second tally.

Voe had revealed nothing, so Ben erred on the side of caution and worked with the idea that he had one attempt remaining to reveal the text. His next attempt had to be the right one. One hour 'til midnight, Ben hadn't moved from the common room table. The enchanted parchment and textbooks floated in front of him at eye level. The common room had cleared of First through Third Years for their 11 pm curfew. All who remained were upperclassmen studying, playing wizard’s chess, or quietly speaking to one another.

At eleven, the Prefects sitting at the couch stood to start their nightly rounds. Voe winked at him as she passed with Bazine, Grummgar, Tai and Hennix trailing behind her. Ben stared hard at his books as they passed. He only looked up when Tai paused by the table. The sixth-year stood at an average height and looked skinny in his robes, but Ben knew better. The wizard had a controlled and dexterous strength that made him an excellent Seeker. His mind was just as sharp when it came to potions. His dark hair was closely shaven, nearly bald.

“Don’t overthink it, Solo.”

Ben gave him a short nod and the boy walked off.

Don’t overthink it. Voe Elphrona was not one to play tricks. She could be devious, yes, but she never hid what she truly desired. Power. Prestige. Voe had dealt him a secret and this was her test. Though Voe excelled in all areas of magic she put her talent, it was not Charms but Transfiguration she excelled at. Revealing charms would not work to reveal the text on the parchment because she had transfigured the marked parchment to a blank one.

Ben swept the tip of his wand across the parchment. “Reparifage.”

The untransfiguration spell took effect immediately as Voe’s script reappeared on the page. Any elation at solving Voe’s puzzle vanished as Ben looked down at the runes.

ᛁᚳ ᛒᚢᛖ ᛒᛖᚾᛁᛞᚻᚪᚾ ᛋᛖ ᛚᛁᚠᛏ, ᛋᛖ ᛖᚩᚱᚦᛖ, ᛋᛖ ᛚ, ᚷᛖᚾ,

ᛁᚳ ᛒᚢᛖ ᚩᚠᛖᚱ ᛋᛖ ᚪᛚ

ᛘᛁᚾ ᚷᛖᛋᛏᛠᛚ ᚪᚾᚻᛠᛚᛞᛖ ᚻᚹᛁᛚᚳ ᛚᛖᚩᚱᚾᛖᛋᛏᚱᚪᚾ ᚪᛋᛖᚳᛖᛋᛏ

ᛋᚳᚩᛚᛞᛖ ᚦᚢ ᚪᚾᚻᛁᛖᛚᛋᛏ ᛖᚠᛖᚾᛘᛖᛞᚢᛘᛘᛖ, ᚪᛋᚳᚪ, ᛁᚳ ᚪᚳᚹᛇᚦ

“Accio rune book.” The book flew from his book bag and floated in front of him. He worked quickly as there was less than an hour to translate and solve the message. It was easy enough to translate the Anglo-Saxon Runes to their Latin counterparts. From there, however, things grew more tedious. Words varied from region to region. There were a few words he recognized, however. Lyft often referred to air. Eorthe to earth, as in soil or ground.

Quarter to midnight, Ben grabbed his cloak of Invisibility from his bag and hurried out the common room door.

I live beneath the air, the earth, the water...

Assuming the entrance was in the castle, only a few dungeon halls that ran beneath the lake. The first, of course, being the common room and dormitory halls. The halls beneath the lake were some of the oldest in the castle and rumored to have been there before even the four founders arrived. They were dimly lit by the same green light found in the potions classroom and Slytherin house.

Yet, I live above the fire…

My frame holds what all students seek…

He had never seen a fireplace or torch in the halls beneath the lake. Not in all his time at Hogwarts. Nor did he recollect any paintings. Most paintings preferred to be in the warmer, dryer halls. Ones where they could be seen.  In truth, he had never paid much attention. Ben hurried, not bothering to stick to the shadows. The halls were empty this time of night. Not a witch or wizard in sight. Most students and staff avoided this part of the castle.

The air grew colder and colder as he walked deeper and deeper into mostly forgotten halls beneath the lake. He came to a staircase that took him further still. The cold, musty smell in the air was the only sign of how far beneath the lake he was now. It was nearing midnight now, any minute.

“Further still, young Skywalker,”  The voice whispered.

Up ahead, came a soft glow of firelight, one he had never noticed before.

He hurried towards it and found that it came from a short hall - really it was more of a small chamber - with no doors, no windows. Just dark stone that curved into an arched ceiling. Five brightly burning flames sat in low stone pillars near the walls. Two on each side and one at the head of the chamber. Above them hung five large paintings, taller than he was.

If ye be worthy, ask, and I shall answer.

None of the paintings were the same but for the fact that they all depicted different items held in ghostly hands. To his left, a sword and a wand. To his right, a key and a book. And in the fifth frame at the head of the room, the ghostly hands stirred a bubbling cauldron.

Sword. Wand. Key. Book. Cauldron.

A sword could represent power- same as a wand. Sought by students, yes. Voe certainly would be one of them. Yet, this was no longer Voe’s puzzle. This was something older.

A bubbling cauldron lived above flame, but did students seek it? What did it represent?

A key. Access. A way to open locked and forbidden items. Doors.

Knowledge.

The book.

Students sought knowledge held within the frame of a book. One could ask and a book would answer.

In the distance, the midnight bells rang throughout Hogwarts’ halls. He was out of time.

If ye be worthy, ask, and I shall answer.

Ben turned to the painting of the book. The ghostly hands held it closed in their grasp. Ben took a deep breath. “What knowledge do you hide?”

For a moment, nothing happened. Ben held his breath. The final toll of the midnight bells rang out. Had he failed? Was he too late?

Before his eyes, the hands parted, letting the book fall open in their palms. The painting began to shimmer as if it were a pool of rippling water. A portal.

Ben stepped through to the other side.

☽◯☾

A curtain of warmth passed over him as he stepped through the portal. The feeling of this magic was not unlike the entrance to Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station. Though, t his portal did not lead to a train platform on the other side.

Ben found himself standing on the top step of an amphitheater made of stone similar to the halls he had come from. Four sets of stairs descended towards the arena floor, sectioning off low stone seating. There was no portal behind him, only stone and an arch marked with runes. The arches surrounded the amphitheater and gave support to the room’s domed roof. At first, Ben thought the ceiling was made of obsidian, but a closer look revealed that he was still beneath the Black Lake. Deep beneath. Strange shadowy shapes rippled through the water behind the glass.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.” Voe’s voice echoed through the amphitheater. She stood on the other side of the pit beneath a similarly marked arch. She glanced up at the arch above him and made an amused sound. The corners of her lips curled up in a smile. “Interesting choice.”

“Choice?”

Voe stepped away from her arch and down the stairs into the pit. The low heels of her shoes clicked with every step. Ben stayed at his arch, though there was no longer a portal there. No way to get out.

“Everyone must solve the riddle to pass through a portal. How you solve the riddle… That is the choice. Any of the paintings will reveal a portal if you ask it to.”

He’d chosen the book. Knowledge. Why?

“I’d say you have questions unanswered. Hidden from you. Knowledge you desire to obtain. Yet, everyone is a closed book to you.” Voe stepped onto the floor of the arena. She looked around the arena before turning her gaze back to Ben. “Am I correct?”

Ben said nothing.

Voe took his silence as answer enough. She drew her wand and turned around the firelit arena. “Have you figured it out yet?”

He looked at the stone closer, seeing the cracks and burns that covered the dark stone. The floor where Voe stood, the center of the arena, was painted in fading golden runes and protective sacred geometry.

“Dueling.” Ben stepped away from the arch and started down the stairs into the pit. “Who knows about this?”

“A select few. Those who aren’t given the secret cannot find this place.”

“A Fidelius Charm?” Ben had only read of the charm. It was an incredibly difficult spell that only very powerful witches and wizards could manage. The spell concealed a secret in a primary keeper’s very soul. A place protected by the Fidelius Charm was completely hidden from the world. Unplottable. Not even the most powerful revealing magic could make the place known. The only way for someone to find a hidden place was for the primary keeper to reveal the information of their own will. Whoever gained that information would then be able to find the hidden place. But they had no power to reveal the secret themselves. Now that Ben knew, he would not be able to tell of this place to another soul, even if he wished to.

Voe nodded. “Some of the greatest duels in history were fought in this very room. When dueling was banned, this place was forgotten by almost everyone, except for two Prefects. They created the riddle and hid it all with the Fidelius charm. It’s been passed down ever since to those who… Craved knowledge as you do. Now more than ever, knowledge is power. And if Professor Skywalker refuses to teach us properly...”

“We have to teach ourselves.” Ben finished.

Voe grinned. “Precisely.”

“Where are the others?”

“They’ll be here any moment.” Voe flicked her wand and the amphitheater chamber filled with blue light. The markings beneath Ben’s feet began to glow. Voe stepped out of the circle formed by the runes and flicked her wand once more. From the circle, a wall of blue light formed, cracking with protective blue energy.

Ben bared his wand. It seemed as the new initiate, he would be going first tonight. Soft wooshes filled the room as students appeared in the arches. Tai and Hennix came first. Followed closely by Bazine and Grummgar. Grummgar immediately placed a galleon in Bazine’s hand at the sight of Ben. Next came Cal Kestis, Gryffindor Head Boy, and Merrin Nightsister, Head Girl. Jyn Erso, a Fourth Year Hufflepuff, stumbled in from the opposite portal. Not long after her came the only other one from Hufflepuff, Dorra, a Prefect, through the same portal. From Ravenclaw, Tam Ryvora, Pammich Goode, Mira Syntel.

The ten students filed in quietly. Tense anticipation hung in the air. Ben paced the edge of the ring, heart pounding. No one had yet approached the ring. Each house took a seat in their own quarter of the arena, though there was nothing to designate who sat where. Voe stood on the steps between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, arms crossed. She tapped her wand impatiently against her arm.

“Is he coming or not, Kestis?” Voe turned her steely eyes to Cal.

“Give him a minute.” The redheaded seventh year looked unbothered as he lounged next to Merrin. “He’s got time.”

One last whoosh echoed in the amphitheater announcing the arrival of the final participant. Poe Dameron stepped through the arch. Ben felt his blood heat. Dameron looked around the amphitheater with a smirk.

“Waiting for me?”

“The first and the last.” Voe gestured to the ring. Dameron’s eyes landed on Ben and Ben fought back a small smile as Dameron hesitated. “Unless you’d like to leave?”

Dameron swallowed and descended the steps. He stepped through the ring of blue energy, wand drawn.

“Let the rules be known.” Voe raised her wand to the arena. “No contact. No unforgivable curses. No magic which will cause permanent harm. The duel will begin with a bow and end when one duelist is rendered incapacitated or house heads call for a cease fire. I wish you both best of luck. You may begin.”

Cheers rang from the dozen and a half students filling the stone seats of the amphitheater. From the Gryffindor section came shouts of, “Dam-er-on! Dam-er-on!” Not unlike those chanted on the Quidditch pitch. Dameron ate every ounce of it, lifting his hands to egg it on.

How he’d like to put Dameron on his arse. How he’d like to see the cocky bastard get taken down a peg. Ben raised his wand, pointed to the ceiling as Dameron pulled his redwood wand from his back pocket. Poe bowed first, low and mocking, playing to his crowd of supporters. It seemed that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had taken his side. The Slytherins, on the other hand, seemed somewhat uninterested. Voe watched with a domineering gaze. Ben dipped his head in a shallow bow to Dameron.

“Focus. Feel the anger, the hate inside of you. Let it fuel you. Control it, young Skywalker.”

Ben stepped into his dueling position, breathing deeply. Poe raised his wand, but neither student moved to fire the first shot. Poe grinned, “So, who goes first? You go first? I go fir-”

Ben flicked his wand, shooting off a nonverbal jinx. Poe leaped out of the way, throwing up a weak protego. Shock crossed the boy’s face, but quickly morphed into focused anger. They weren’t required to start nonverbal spells until Sixth Year, a fact that Dameron very well knew.

Ben was not here to go easy on the Gryffindor Fourth Year. He fired off spell after spell, each slamming into Dameron’s shields. A memory of Rey practicing protego, her grin as she managed the smallest shield, popped unbidden into his head. It was enough to throw him off, to give Dameron a chance to hit back.

“Aguamenti!” A jet stream of water barrelled towards Ben from Poe’s wand. The water hit Ben hard in the gut and knocked him to the floor. All the air in his lungs rushed out of him. Whoops and shouts and laughter echoed through the stone room.

Poe looked towards Voe in the stands. The witch shrugged as Ben stood. “He can still cast. He’s not done yet.”

He was soaking wet now, blood pounding in his ears. Poe shot a disarming spell at him and Ben deflected it. The wall crackled with energy. There was nowhere to go. Poe shifted to his left and the dance began. They circled each other, waiting for the right moment. Blood rushing, Ben pounced first. Poe jumped away from the impediment jinx and fired back a red bolt. Ben pointed his wand at the spell, not even thinking. The red beam hung in the air, frozen in time.

A gasp rippled through the amphitheater.  

How?

How was he doing this?

Before he could comprehend, his spell wavered and Poe’s stunning spell hit him square in the chest. Ben flew back and hit the wall of light surrounding them. He fell to the floor, limp. Uproarious cheers of victory filled the arena at the fall of Ben Solo.

He woke as the blue wall surrounding the dueling ring lowered. He pushed himself up off the stone, an ache in his chest. Come morning, he would feel as if he had been hit by one of his father’s muggle cars. Or by the Hogwarts Express.

Poe had already climbed the stairs of the arena to the rest of the Gryffindors, who met him with high fives and congratulations. Ben crossed over to the Slytherin seats, passing Voe as she came down the stairs. She gave him a cold, appraising look.

Ben took his seat near the other Slytherins. Tai was the only one to turn to him. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know.” Ben shrugged and winced. “It just happened.”

“It couldn’t have been the Freezing Charm, could it? Something similar. Perhaps the Slowing Charm. But you didn’t slow it, not really. I didn’t even know you could slow or stop spells, not like that. Are you sure you didn’t use a spell?”

“I’m sure.” Ben couldn’t help but glare at Poe. From the dueling ring, Voe announced the next contenders- the new initiates from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. There was no doubt in his mind that Rey would be chosen to join the club in her Fourth Year. Would he still be here? He wasn’t sure. He hadn’t been for a while. It wasn’t a future he could imagine. He hoped that he would be, just to see the poor sod who had to face her. He hoped it would be Hux.

“-could try a prior incantation charm to take a closer look at it.” Tai hadn’t stopped talking. “Surely, Professor Kuiil would know something about it.”

“No.” The last thing he needed was for word to get back to Luke or Kenobi or his parents of his wand doing strange things.

“Right. Can’t talk about this outside of this room. Still, very interesting.” Tai noted.

“Very impressive.” Bazine eyed Ben. Her gaze desired to devour him. “Most entertaining initiation duel I’ve seen. Usually, everyone is so meek and timid. Voe always tries to pair up rivals, but,” Bazine sighed, “once they step into the ring… poof. Scared little kittens.”

Grummgar grunted in agreement.

Below them in the dueling circle, Jyn Erso faced off against Myra Syntel. It lasted all of two seconds as Jyn hit Myra with a perfect Full Body-Bind Curse. The young Ravenclaw, who had been trying to perfect her attack stance, fell face first on the stone with legs glued together and arms stuck to her sides. Jyn ran over to her and quickly undid the curse, helping Myra sit up. Blood from a broken nose ran down the girl’s face. A simple utterance of ‘ Episkey’ had her back on her feet.

Memories of the Trophy Room were quick to resurface. He’d been sitting in the common room late that night studying for a test in A History of Magic when Hux barged through the common room door, loudly bragging to anyone who would listen of how he ‘showed that mudblood a lesson’ and left her in the trophy room. Ben had gone to help her without a second thought.

Ben pushed the memory deeper into the dark recesses of his mind. She had been his one and only friend and now he wishes they had never met. She was a distraction now. One that could prove destructive. He wished he could bottle up all the memories of her and toss them away. He wished he could forget.

Rated M - SFW - Read on AO3 - Chapter One - Chapter Three - Masterlist

#reylo #reylo au #ben x rey #reylo fanfic #reylo fanfiction #reylo fandom

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Lessons In Love [Part Seven]

Fandom: American Actor, RPF, Marvel Actor,

Pairing: Chris Evans x Original Female Character, Tom Hiddleston x Origininal Female Character

Characters: Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Original Female Characters, Erin O’Connell, Maria Vega,

Word Count: 41,176  // Rating:Mature

Warnings: AU, Chris isn’t famous, Friendship, friends to lovers, violence, guns, stalking, jealousy, featuring bad tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, OC, OFCs, Erin O’Connell, Maria Vega, Friendship, Friends, Friends to lovers, Blossoming Friendship, Violence Stalking, AU, Kidnapping, Angst, Fluff ANger BFFS, Guns Gun Violence, Flirting, Established relationship Sebastian Stan, Trust Issues, Lawyers, Slow Burn, Romance, Cuddling

Summary: She’s never been lucky in love and it’s about to get even worse.

Note: Completed Series. Updated 11/2022

Tags: @isaxhorror @patzammit @lilypalmer1987​

ALL PARTS // AO3 LINK // PINTEREST LINK

After a two-week stint of night shifts, my regular routine was in sight and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. The trouble was getting my sleep pattern to fall back into a regular schedule. It had been proving difficult so I had spent my days off pottering around the house and doing the chores I had neglected whilst at work and in all honesty napping. As the weekend drew nearer my return to my normal schedule was looming, a fact that I was not prepared for, this was reiterated by the fact I was currently falling asleep in front of the TV at 6 pm on a Saturday night. I lay stretched out on my couch with my cat, Tony, snuggled down beside me. The warmth of him against my side and the gentle rumble of his purrs were soothing and caused my eyes to droop and sleep to claim me. Unsure of how long I’d been out I was woken suddenly by a knock at the door. So, I sat up and stretched nudging Tony off the couch, much to his irritation, as I moved. Getting up I shuffled out into the small hallway and to the front door before I pulled it open.

In front of me stood Chris. He was more casual than any other time I had seen him, most if not all the times we had met he had been decked out in a suit whereas now he wore jeans and a t-shirt covered by a light jacket. He smiled as I opened the door though it dimmed slightly as he took in my, what I can only assume to be a bedraggled, appearance and said, ‘hey......we still on for tonight?’

I looked at him blankly for a second as I allowed my brain to run back through every conversation I’d ever had with him in an attempt to determine what the hell was going on. Before I could answer Chris continued, with a smile but his tone sounded dismayed, as he said, ‘the game?’

Like stars aligning my night-shift-nap-hazed brain clicked into place and remembered a text chain from about a week ago where we arrange to go to a Bruins game together.

‘Definitely,’ I lied, ‘come in I’ll not be a second.’

Chris moved into the house behind me and I ushered him into the living room quickly. He sat on the couch whilst I made a hurried excuse and fled to the safety of my bedroom. Stripping the yoga pants and t-shirt I had been wearing off I threw on some jeans and my old Bruins jersey before brushing my hair and teeth quickly. Where I would generally have done my makeup I figured that time was of the essence and making Chris wait even further would be downright rude. With my shoes and bag in hand, I ran back downstairs in record time to find Chris with Tony on his knee purring happily.

‘I’m ready,’ I said grabbing my keys off the hall table and stuffing them in my bag before I threw my shoes on the ground and slipped into them as I looked into the living room. Begrudgingly, after a dirty look at me, Tony moved off of Chris’ lap sensing he was ready to move. He trotted off past me and headed upstairs as Chris moved out of the living room. I moved ahead of him and out of the front door waiting for him to step through so I could lock it. The two of us walked in relative silence, Chris started a conversation though it was caught short as the two of us had to move away from each other to get into either side of the car and the fact that I was still half asleep.

As Chris climbed into the driver’s side I got in beside him as he started the engine. He paid attention to the road as he manoeuvred out of my street and I remained quiet as I came around to the waking world with a loud yawn. ‘Tired huh?’ he said as he noted my yawn and looked over at me with a smirk. ‘Yeah,’ I said though it was punctuated with another yawn, ‘just a bit.’ ‘Forgot I was coming huh?’ he said. ‘Of course not, I just-’ I started to think of an excuse but my mind was fogged and I couldn’t say anything yet I could feel a blush creep up my neck. ‘It’s okay,’ he said noting my embarrassment, ‘I should have reminded you we made this plan a week ago. You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want you know, I wouldn’t have minded if you had changed your mind.’

Embarrassed even further at Chris thinking I didn’t want to spend time with him I reached across the small gap between our seats and placed my hand on his bicep. He looked at me for a fraction of a second as I started to explain myself. ‘It’s not you honestly. I’ve been on night shifts for the past few weeks and my body clock is all out of whack. I feel inhuman at times. I get up to go to work for 14 hours then climb into bed ready to do it all again the next evening. I’ve not seen anyone in the past week so when I agreed to come with you I was really excited about it. If only for the fact I’m totally going to prove you wrong about hockey,’ I smirked. ‘Not true,’ Chris chortled, ‘but go on.’ ‘I’ve been off work for like three days and I’ve done nothing but eat and sleep so I totally forgot about the game, even more so when I fell asleep like an hour ago,’ I laughed. ‘I suppose I’ll not take it to heart then.’ ‘Nah no need to. I love going to a game even if it’s with a hockey heathen like you.’ ‘Oh, you’re going to go there are you,’ he said beaming, ‘I’ll have you know that you can’t be a heathen if the games not worth idolising.’ ‘Oh, and football is? Pffft.’ ‘You know nothing.’ ‘We’ll see when you have the time of your life tonight.’ ‘Oh sure,’ he said rolling his eyes.

The car pulled off the small side streets and onto the I-90 I grabbed the bag I brought with me and rifled through it looking for my purse, ‘how much do I owe you for tickets?’ ‘My treat,’ Chris said waving me off. ‘Come on let me pay my way,’ I replied. ‘Nah, honestly don’t worry about it. You can get the next one.’

I was about to respond sarcastically, but I cut myself short and decided not to. My stomach did a small flip-flop as I thought back to the first time I had ever met. It had been a setup and though I was sure Chris was on the same wavelength as me I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a different element to our relationship that I had been oblivious to. I decided to shake the thought from my head and decided that I was reading too much into it. Friends did stuff like this all the time. I was being ridiculous.

‘You know that’s going to be hard, right? Football season doesn’t start until like September.’ ‘You can hit me back then don’t worry about it. And if you’re such a football hater how come you know when the season starts?’ he said trying to trip me up. ‘Like you said it’s the American sport, well the wrong and poorly chosen American pastime it’s kind of hard to ignore. Besides my dad loved football. He played in college and high school so we used to watch every game when I was little. It was only when my brothers took an interest in hockey he sort of chose to watch that more.’ ‘Yeah, my dad and my brother and I used to watch a game every Sunday after church.’ ‘You went to church?’ ‘Yeah, it was my mom’s thing. We all used to go when we were little and then it was our choice later in life.’ ‘You still go?’ I asked he wasn’t looking at me. His face was focused on the road as he weaved seamlessly in and out of traffic though I did notice the smile that crept onto his face as he spoke about his family, I found it truly endearing. ‘Nah, only on occasion. I’m always so busy at work and on the weekends, I just want to chill out. Besides I live in the city now so I don’t really like going.’ ‘I know what you mean, I only like going to my hometown parish.’ ‘Me too. I only go when I visit my folks, sometimes if I’m visiting my sister and her kids I’ll make sure to go extra early so I can join them and we can get food later but other than that not really.’ ‘Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m more of a seasonal catholic.’ ‘Hmm?’ ‘As in I only go when it’s the season. Christmas and Easter the guilt practically forces me to go otherwise I can’t deal with myself. Or my mom or Maria lectures me until I feel like I have to.’ ‘Then you’re going for all the wrong reasons don’t you think?’ ‘I suppose so,’ I mumbled. As Chris pulled off the freeway we moved into a long line of traffic which all seemed to be heading towards the stadium. We chatted some more about tonight’s prospects of winning and the team's overall season so far. Chris was somewhat aware of how things were going, I had a sneaking suspicion he had read up on his Bruin’s history before tonight but still needed a recap from time to time.

Though the crowds were dense and large, Chris’ 6-foot frame had no trouble navigating through the thousands of people with ease. I, on the other hand, was struggling not to disappear. My small stature and little legs were moving at twice the speed in an attempt to follow Chris through the crowd. As he made it to the doors, some way ahead of me, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet in what I could only assume was looking for our tickets. He seemed surprised to find me more than ten feet away when he turned around to announce my presence to the steward who would be admitting us to the ground. He chuckled as I approached them and then the two of us were admitted into the ground.

‘Having some trouble huh?’ he said with a smile. I scowled at him and rolled my eyes before saying, ‘hey! It’s not as easy for us shorter people. Some of us can’t sprint the length of a football field in like four strides you know.’ ‘Woah, woah, woah,’ he said raising his hands up in defeat, ‘don’t worry about it. I can slow down. I’ll even give you a piggyback ride if you ask nicely.’

I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless, ‘just tell me we're not in the back part of the stadium. Those stairs are a killer.’ ‘Nah I think our seats are fairly decent,' he smirked. Decent was not the word. The seats Chris had managed to get were almost rink side, centre ice. I was floored. We moved down the steps and into our seats awaiting the start of the game. ‘Chris these seats are amazing. How did you get tickets like this?’ ‘One of the owners has an account with the firm so I asked Seb and he managed to get me some good tickets. It was no bother really.’ ‘That’s why you offered to pay huh?’ I said teasingly. ‘What can I say you’re a cheap date.’ ‘Now I don’t feel bad about not paying.’ ‘You can still get the next one if you feel like it,’ he teased. I laughed though I was sure the sound was unable to be heard for at that moment my stomach decided to do the loudest rumble it had ever done. ‘How about I get some food? And we split the next one?’ ‘Sounds good.’

Chris tried to come with me but I waved him off and insisted I could take care of it myself and after I listened to what he wanted I was off to the refreshment stand. By the time I got back, the game was almost starting and our conversation slowed a little bit the two of us becoming enthralled by the game. We chatted about the score in the break in play and the game in general. Halfway through the second third, I got a text from Maria.

‘Sorry,’ I said placing my phone back in my bag. Chris had busied himself looking at the big screen but smiled when I apologised.

‘No problem.’ ‘It was Maria. She’s freaking out because of a missing bikini.’ ‘Oh yeah they’re going to France next week, right?’ he said sipping his beer ‘Yeah, she’s left packing to the last minute and she’s scrabbling around to get everything now. She always does it.’ ‘Think that’s bad I’ve lost my gym buddy for a week,’ he said with a laugh as he dramatically put his hand on his heart in despair. ‘Poor you,’ I sniggered. ‘Yeah, whilst Seb is sunning himself half a world away I’m working out all on my lonesome.’ ‘You could always not go to the gym?’ I posed the suggestion with a quirked eyebrow. Chris vehemently shook his head. ‘Can’t do that. It’s my stress buster.’ ‘Hmm, you could always recruit someone else to come with you?’ ‘Yeah, I suppose. It’s only a week after all….say you wouldn’t-’ ‘Nope. I’m only good for sport-based activities that do not require participation,’ I replied gesturing my hand towards the men who were skating around the rink in front of us. ‘Come on you might enjoy yourself. You’re not even taking me to a football game for tonight.’ ‘Because there isn’t one! Don’t try and lawyer me into this Evans’

He looked at me knowingly and I could truly see how he could be a lawyer. The looks and the persuasion in his arguments could sell ice to an Inuit. Even though I detested working out in public places preferring to exercise on my terms i.e. running I could feel myself yielding to his convincing arguments and alluring voice.

‘How many days?’ ‘I go every day before work with Seb-’ ‘Woah there. There is no way you’re getting me anywhere near a gym 5 times a week.’ ‘Just try it, I’ll even treat you to breakfast.’ ‘One workout and breakfast every weekday.’ ‘Work out every weekday and breakfast after, even on a weekend with no workout.’ ‘Two workouts. Not before I go to work and breakfast every day.’ ‘Workout every other day. Breakfast is a given.’ ‘You’re a total sneak, Evans.’ ‘Is that a deal?’ ‘Fine.’

As I yielded there was a claxon. Bruins lost 4-1 and I couldn’t help feeling the same way.

Texts Unformatted

Message from Maria Do you have my blue bathing suit?? Message to Maria Ermm I don’t think so The little one with the criss-cross back? Message from Maria That’s the one Have you got it? I’m sure you had it when we went to Cabo last year Message to Maria Maybe? In the back of my closet somewhere. Why do you need it? Message from Maria It’s for France. I’m packing Message to Maria Like a week early? What’s the matter with you ahaha Message from Maria It’s next week! Message to Maria Whoops really? Night shift got me mixed up good and proper. I’ll have a look when I get home Thought it wasn’t like you to be organised Message from Maria You know me And okay Please message me so I can come get it. It makes me look stunning Message to Maria Modest as ever

#chris evans x reader #chris evans x oc #chris evans x ofc #chris evans #chris evans fic #my writing #maria vega #Erin O'Connell #Lessons in Love #series #actors #actor fic #american actor #flirting #friends #blossoming friendship #texts #fake texts #boston bruins #my fic #sport #play arguing #football #catholics #catholic guilt #best friends

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

*Halloween* Champion. (Patrick Stump x Reader)

Request: a user on Wattpad: ‘Patrick stump prompt 11 please and thank you!’

Prompt 11: Trick or Treat

Note: This is probably my favorite Halloween imagine I’ve written… I got a little bit carried away. 😬

Gazing narrow-eyed at the orange, red and black haze outside your window, you took a deep breath. It was that time of the year again.

Halloween.

Turning sharply on your heel, you stomped off towards your living room, where your girls were gathered. A hush fell over them when they saw you enter and all three of them cleared their throats as they got comfortable on the sofa, knowing full well that things were about to get serious.

Swiftly, you walked over to the three presentation boards and lifted the cover off of the first one, unveiling a picture of none other than Patrick Stump – whose face you had drawn a huge ‘X’ over with a red Sharpie.

You weren’t entirely sure how, when, or why this rivalry had started. All you knew was that this year, it would come to an end once and for all.

“Patrick Stump must die,” you said, loud and clearly.

There was a snigger from the three girls, but a death glare from you was enough to stop it.

“For the past five years,” you continued, pacing up and down in front of the boards, “Patrick has tormented me. Gone out of his way and done everything in his power to stop me from taking what is rightfully mine. Well, this year,” you walked up to the second board, “I will reign supreme.”

You exposed the second poster, and the girls gasped.

“Last year, I hectically underestimated his ability to produce high-quality booby traps. This year, I’ll be more than prepared.”

“I’m actually getting really worried about her,” Emma murmured, and Avery and (Y/B/F) nodded in agreement.

“The first one will be set up here,” you drew a line from the sketch of the first booby trap to the corresponding location on the neighbourhood map. “And then the next one here, then here, then here.”

“Can I ask something?” (Y/B/F) quipped.

“Of course, my love.”

“What if Patrick decides to follow a different route than the ones the traps are set up on?”

“Simple,” you shrugged. “You guys will move the location of the trap so that he’s inevitably going to encounter it. Everyone got that?”

The three girls shared an uneasy glance before reluctantly nodding.

“Perfect. Now, let’s discuss costumes.”

~

“This has gone on for far too long,” Patrick announced, moving away from the portrait of you that he’d drawn demon eyes and devil horns on, “and it’s time for it to stop.”

“You’re telling us,” Joe scoffed from his place on the armchair next to Joe and Pete on the sofa.

Patrick clicked his tongue and Joe chuckled an apology.

“As I was saaaying,” Patrick continued, frowning at his band mates, “this year, it’ll all come to an apex. I will emerge victorious.”

He moved to the second poster he had stuck to the wall, and began talking the guys through his method. The poster was a map of the neighbourhood, and all the houses were marked with different symbols in different colored Sharpies, which indicated which houses give out the most candy and which houses give out the best candy.

“My God,” Andy whispered, leaning into Pete. “He’s finally lost it.” Pete nodded in agreement as all three of them watched their friend with a look of worry and concern.

“Alright,” Patrick clasped his hands together before pointing at a house on the map. “Our first stop will be here. And then,” he trailed his finger down a zigzag route on the poster, “we’ll follow this route and finish here,” he pointed out the biggest, fanciest house, “the Holy Grail of the trick-or-treating world. They give out the most and the best.”

“Uh, question?” Pete raised his hand.

“Yes, Pete?”

“Why don’t we just follow a normal route? Like, travel in a somewhat straight line instead of a zigzag.”

Patrick chuckled as he approached his friend. “'Why don’t we travel in a straight line?’ Oh, Pete,” he tsked walking forward with a smile on his face until he stood right in front of Pete. Then, he leaned down and smacked him. “TRAVEL IN A STRAIGHT LINE? THAT’S WHAT SHE WANTS! GODDAMNIT PETE ARE YOU TRYING TO SABOTAGE ME?”

Joe and Andy gawked on with wide-eyes as Pete rubbed his stinging cheek. “N-no,” Pete stammered. “I was just-”

“Asking a stupid question,” Patrick finished for him, shaking his head and moving back to the posters. “Any more questions?” Everyone violently shook their head no. “Excellent. Now, let’s talk costumes.”

~

“We’re telling you,” Pete shook his head as the waitress brought the hot beverages to the table, “he’s gone all bat-shit crazy. I mean, he slapped me across the face just because I asked a simple question!”

Avery grimaced as she cupped her hands around her coffee. “Okay, well, at least (Y/N) hasn’t resorted to physical violence,” she lifted the cup to her lips. “Not yet anyway,” she muttered before taking a sip.

“But she has been talking non-stop about how 'Patrick must die!’” (Y/B/F) mocked you, waving her hands dramatically.

“This needs to stop. Honestly,” Joe said. “I mean, it was cute for the first two years, but now it’s just ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Emma added. “But the fact that the entire neighbourhood is eagerly awaiting their clash doesn’t help us at all. Everyone I’ve spoken to is buzzing about 'the clash of the Trick or Treating Legends’. The local paper even did a feature about it!”

“We’ve gotta do something,” Andy spoke, setting down his drink. “But not something as big as screw up their strategy completely; they’d never forgive us.”

“You’re right,” (Y/B/F) remarked. “We can’t ruin their plans… but we can alter them a little bit.”

Intrigued glances were shared around the table and everyone leaned in to listen to (Y/B/F).

“What do you have in mind?” Pete asked.

“Lots. But let’s start with the costumes…”

~

Patrick turned the engine off, doing a quick once-over of the surrounding, pitch-black area before getting out of his car and walking towards the shadowy figure waiting in the alley.

“Mr Stump,” the figure addressed Patrick, nodding slightly in respect.

“Carter,” Patrick greeted, moving to stand right in front of the man and cocking his head to the briefcase he had in his hand. “That the stuff?”

Carter nodded, moving to open the clasp, but Patrick caught his hand, stopping him.

“No, not here. It’s not safe; I’ll open it at home.”

Carter narrowed his eyes in confusion, and Patrick sighed.

“She could have spies watching us.”

Carter nodded, not quite understanding why the business of handing over a costume had to be so undercover, but not saying anything – Patrick was one of the two Legendary Trick or Treaters after all.

Patrick took the briefcase and thanked him.

“I’m rooting for you,” Carter said, giving a two-fingered wave as Patrick got into the car.

“You should be. I’m gonna win.”

~

The automatic doors at the front entrance of Target opened with a swoosh, and you strode inside, stealthily yet confidently. Even though you were wearing a black hoodie and sunglasses, the employees knew exactly who you were, and every single one of them stopped what they were doing and held their breath as one of them who was standing in the back stumbled forward.

“Miss (Y/L/N),” he panted, out of breath from dashing to you. “We have your supplies. Follow me please.”

Wordlessly, you followed the jittery employee to the stock room, where he used the key on his necklace to unlock a door in the corner.

You entered through the newly opened door and waited patiently as the guy moved to the deepest, darkest corner, emerging a few seconds later with a large, sealed cardboard box.

“Is everything in there?” you questioned.

“The manager triple-checked it himself, ma'am.”

“Wonderful,” you smiled, taking the box from him. “Can you show me where the back entrance is? I have a car waiting.”

~

Halloween Night

6pm

The lively chattering and giggles of children sounded up and down every street in the neighbourhood, and there was an undeniable aura of excitement and nervousness in the air. Everyone was waiting to see which one of The Legendary Trick or Treaters – who were currently stationed at their respective houses on opposite ends of town, prepping their team – would take home the crown.

“Okay,” you addressed your girls, who were standing in a line in front of you. “We all know the plan. Are we ready to win this?”

They all cheered, hooting and clapping and you smiled.

“Stump’s gonna get his ass handed to him tonight.”

~

Patrick adjusted his costume for the last time before slipping into a black trench coat (it was customary for the two of you to wear one of those to hide your outfits until the end of the night) and turning to his band mates. “You guys know what you need to do. Are we ready to go?”

“I’m ready to gooooooo,” Pete started singing, but stopped when Patrick shot him a no-nonsense look, slinking away and clearing his throat.

“Let’s do this!” Joe yelled, and the guys began hooting and hollering.

6:07 pm

“Thank you! I’ll be sure to remember you once I become King of the Trick or Treaters!” Patrick called over his shoulder as he bounded down the pathway of the first house, sack already significantly heavier despite it only being the first house he’d visited.

“Good luck!” the owner called out with a wave before disappearing back into their house.

“How’re we doing for time?” Patrick asked as he approached Andy, who glanced at his watch.

“It’s 6:07,” Andy answered.

“Gah,” Patrick growled, “We need to move faster! We’ve wasted too much time already!”

“What are you talking about?” Andy scrunched up his face. “We only started at 6:04-”

“Exactly! Which means that I spent 3 minutes at one house! I’ll never win at this rate,” Patrick yelped, scurrying off down the street, an amused Andy not far behind him.

~

“You’re wonderful people! Absolutely incredible! When I become Queen of the Trick or Treaters, I’ll bring you guys enough candy to last you a year!” you beamed at the family standing in the doorway of brick house, and the two little ones cheered happily.

“Time,” you said as you jogged up to Emma.

“6:07. Two houses in under three minutes. Not bad.”

The two of you high-fived before running off to the next house.

6:57pm

“(Y/B/F)?”

“Here,” she spoke into the phone.

“How’s things?”

“Uh…” she grimaced and peeked out into the street from her hiding place behind a tree, watching as Patrick tossed his third sack full of candy into the car Joe was driving before Pete handed him another empty one and he continued sprinting down the street. “He just started with his fourth sack.”

“What?” you shrieked into the phone, so loudly that (Y/B/F) had to hold the device away from her ear before she went deaf. “I’m only a quarter way through my third! Okay, (Y/B/F), it’s time. Commence 'Stump Obstacle Number 1’.”

“Roger that,” she answered, hanging up and stealthily manoeuvring through the shadows towards the street.

She trailed quietly behind Patrick for a little while, being sure to stay out of sight as much as possible. They got to the street where a group of teenage girls – dressed head to toe in Fall Out Boy merch – were standing huddled together, and (Y/B/F) came out of the shadows, running into the middle of the street and using her hands as a makeshift megaphone.

“Hey, girls!” she yelled. Patrick’s head whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice, and his eyes widened in fear. “There he is!”

“Oh no,” Patrick squeaked, as a screaming stampede of teenage girls commenced.

(Y/B/F) contorted in horror at the sight of Patrick being essentially swallowed by the girls, and she shot him a quick apology before rushing off into the shadows once again.

7:15pm

“Pete!” Patrick barked into his cellphone, trying his hardest to dust himself off and straighten out his hair and clothes.

“Dude, what happened?”

“I got ambushed, that’s what!” he snarled, kicking at a rock on the ground and chuckling darkly. “Oh, she’s good. But two can play at this game. It’s time for 'Distraction Number 1’.”

You giggled gleefully as you frolicked down the street, swinging your sack next to you. You were almost onto your fifth sack, your rival was down and life was good.

Until you rounded the corner, that is.

The minute you spotted Pete, you knew that you were in trouble. But you hadn’t realised exactly how much trouble until he turned around, revealing a second person.

“Please, God, no,” you whined, closing your eyes.

“Oh, look!” Pete said loudly, pointing at you. “There she is!”

The second man beamed, breaking into a run as he advanced on you. You shot Pete the filthiest glare you could muster, and he blew you a kiss before taking off, leaving you with the second man, aka the bane of your existence.

“(Y/N)!”

“Hi, Scooter,” you grumbled, sighing.

“Wow, you have no idea how happy I was when I got that text from you.”

“The text, right,” you chuckled nervously, fiddling with your earlobe. “Er, remind me what I said, again?”

“Oh, you said that you were finally ready for that date you promised me in high school, and that you wanted me to meet you here so that we could go Trick or Treating together.”

“Oh, I’m gonna destroy you, Stump.”

7:35pm

Panting, you raced down the street, trying to get as far away from Scooter as possible. Emma had come to your rescue, pretending to be an injured stranger the two of you encountered on your route. You told Scooter to stay with her while you went and got help, but you knew that you only had so much time before he’d realise that you were bullshitting him, and you intended to be as far away as possible when that happened.

“Avery,” you shakily said into the phone. “You’re up. It’s time for 'Stump Obstacle Number 2’.”

“Gotcha,” Avery confirmed, tucking her cell into her back pocket before removing a pair of scissors from her other pocket.

She trailed Patrick for the next block or so, and when he stopped briefly to go over his plan, she advanced on him. Tiptoeing, Avery came up behind him, quickly snipping the bottom of his sack so that all the candy spilled out.

“What the-” he turned around, shocked but got cut off when Avery called out.

“Kids, look! Free candy!”

As if they materialised out of nowhere, a large group of children descended upon poor Patrick, who was desperately trying to salvage his candy. Obviously, he was no match against the twenty little people.

Avery offered Patrick an apologetic smile before taking off, and Patrick let out a desperate cry, which summoned Joe and Andy.

“Joe,” he called out, “'Distraction Number 2’!”

Joe gave a hasty salute before dashing off to do his job.

He searched each of the streets, eventually finding you standing on the porch of a huge house; your current sack of candy was next to you.

As quietly as he could, he walked up to you, careful not to make any noise, and swopped your sack with the one he held in his hand.

“Sorry, (Y/N),” he said, before turning and running away, tossing your sack of candy into the nearby bushes.

“What?” you whipped around. You were confused until you spotted Joe, already halfway down the street. Letting out a groan, you yanked the sack up and looked inside.

Bad idea.

Screaming in sheer terror, you dropped the sack, stomping and jumping on it as hard as you could in an attempt to kill the vile eight legged creatures inside.

“Fucking spiders?! Really, Patrick?!”

7:55pm

With Patrick being swallowed by children, and you being attacked by spiders, the rest of your guys’ friends all met at the four way stop in the middle of the neighbourhood, everyone coming from different directions.

“Has everyone got the stuff?” Pete asked and everyone nodded.

“And everyone knows the plan?” (Y/B/F) looked around, and again, everyone nodded. “Great. We only have five minutes left. Go team!”

~

Running as fast as your legs could carry you, you darted towards the town centre, where the ceremony was being held. Patrick was doing the same, coming from the opposite direction. You both reached the stage at the same time, and hurried onto it, stopping a few feet away from one another in an intense stare down.

The both of you dropped the sacks of candy you were holding, and continued glaring daggers at the other.

“Stump.”

“(Y/L/N).”

“Are you ready to be taken down once and for all?”

“That depends. Are you ready to be woken up from the dream world you’re living in?”

You clenched your teeth and narrowed your eyes at him and he did the same as the announcer strode up onto the stage. He tapped the microphone a few times and cleared his throat before he began speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Now that all of the contestants have arrived, we can start the counting.” He gestured to a few helpers on the side, who moved to start counting the candy. “While that’s being done, it’s time that the two of you reveal your costumes.” He stepped out of the way, allowing you and Patrick to take centre stage.

“My costume is way better than yours,” you smirked, starting to remove your coat.

Patrick scoffed. “Yeah righ-”

A collective gasp sounded throughout the park, and both you and your rival gawked at each other. Well, more specifically, each other’s costumes. He was Captain America, and you… well, you were…

“YOU STOLE MY COSTUME!”

“NO! YOU STOLE MINE!”

“OH PLEASE. THE ONLY THING I’M STEALING FROM YOU IS THAT CROWN.”

“HOW THE HELL DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN?”

“HOW SHOULD I KNOW?”

…dressed as Captain America too. If Captain America were female.

“Erm,” the announcer made his way back onto stage while you and Patrick continued bickering in the background. “Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that this year’s outcome is one none of us could’ve expected.”

This caught the both of your attention, and you turned to the announcer with a smile.

“The Trick or Treat champion this year is not (Y/N).”

“HA!” Patrick laughed, pointing in your face. “I told you! I am the King-”

“But it’s not Patrick either.”

“What?” you and Patrick both yelled.

“The winner this year is those six young people standing over there.” The announcer pointed to the side of the crowd.

“No…” you started.

“Fucking…” Patrick said.

“Way.” You finished.

(Y/B/F), Emma, Avery, Pete, Joe and Andy waved happily at you, proudly holding up the sacks of candy that had secured them the victory. The same sacks that you and Patrick had spent the past two hours filling.

“But they cheated!” you said desperately, pointing an accusatory finger at your friends. “That’s our candy! We collected it!”

“Can you prove that?” the announcer asked.

“Well, um, no. But-”

“The rules state that any candy declared by a person or group will be taken into account – the means by which they collect the said candy is none of our concern.”

“That’s not fair!” Patrick protested, moving to stand next to you. “They-”

“Sorry, you two,” the announcer said, holding up a hand. “Rules are rules, and neither of the two of you won. However…” he walked to the edge of the stage and took two medals from one of the helpers. “You did win the prize for 'Best Dressed Couple’. Congratulations.”

“'Best Dressed…’ This means nothing to me!” you said, taking the medal off.

“Or to me,” Patrick concurred, removing his too.

“You have no idea what you’ve just started,” you warned, narrowing your eyes and glaring at your 'friends’ who simply laughed evilly.

“Revenge will be had,” Patrick promised.

~

“I hope you know,” you said, walking along with your group, “that I feel extremely betrayed.”

“Betrayed doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Patrick scoffed.

“Oh, come on,” Joe rolled his eyes. “You two act like maniacs whenever it’s Halloween time, and after five years, we couldn’t take it anymore.”

“And you couldn’t have let us just use this year as a tie-breaker? We were two-for-two!”

“We could’ve,” (Y/B/F) shrugged. “But where’s the fun in that?”

“Just so you know,” you pointed out. “There’s still six months until the wedding. We can replace you guys as bridesmaids and groomsmen no problem.”

The six of them shared a look of fake concern before bursting into laughter.

“Yeah, right,” Avery snorted.

“Good luck trying to find other people who put up with your shit like we do,” Pete placed his arms over your and Patrick’s shoulders.

You looked at your fiancé, and he shrugged. “You’re right. We can’t fire you as our wedding party. But we can still take you down. By this time next year, we’ll be married, and you saw what we were capable of coming up with on our own, imagine what we’ll be like together.”

You and Patrick continued walking away, hand in hand while your friends stopped dead in their tracks.

Andy gulped. “We made a huge mistake, didn’t we?”

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

#halloween #patrick stump #pete wentz #joe trohman #andy hurley #fob #fall out boy #tyler joseph #josh dun #tøp #twenty one pilots #brendon urie #ryan ross #dallon weekes #patd #p!atd #panic at the disco #panic! at the disco #mikey way #gerard way #frank iero #ray toro #mcr #my chemical romance #music #emo #band #bands #emo trinity #emo quartet

[diiagnose]

[10:00:39 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & audrey & arden & if she ever rly loved him [10:01:23 PM] madam mum.: mood [10:01:32 PM] madam mum.: whats the short answer to it [10:01:37 PM] (m)emery lee raye: yeah [10:01:55 PM] (m)emery lee raye: she Did in her own fucked up way & tbh probably still does [10:02:08 PM] (m)emery lee raye: they Both will love each other forever, but they jst clash & bring out the worst in each other [10:03:00 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & audrey somehow managed this ,, constant love / hate ?? where she loved him but also hated him [10:03:38 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc she will always view him as beneath her , & ?? reputation & where u stand in the wrld & ur Success is a big deal to her bc her parents drilled tht into her , [10:04:17 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & so then theres arden who , when they met ?? he was a Nobody, a Loser in school , but ,, there was smth abt him tht drew her to him & she Hated it bc tht wasn't her Type [10:04:38 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but then she started falling for him but in her head She Deserved Better & tht's why she was always cheating [10:05:07 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc while she loved arden , she ,, also felt like she was getting the short end of the deal ?? tht he was getting more out of it than She was getting [10:05:45 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & thts why she treated him so badly bc she viewed His Actions as toxic , as Bad so she jst "if ur not going to treat me like i deserve, why should u get tht luxury??" [10:06:17 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc she feels like everyone has to Earn being treated w respect , & he rarely did anything to make her believe tht he Earned tht [10:07:09 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & then thts why she finally divorced him bc ,, he was getting too much. to add onto what he already had. he now was schizophrenic, even more unstable , & she jst , felt tht he would hold her back, plus she was jst scared of herself sometimes when she was around him ?? idk he brought out this bad abusive side of her more than anyone ever has bt . she lies to herself & says tht Isn’t why she left him bt instead bc of his Failures [10:07:42 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc his grades Dropped a little while she was trying to take care of him & she jst , "i can't do this anymore" bc for her ?? her Success & place in life will Always be more important than arden [10:07:54 PM] (m)emery lee raye: career > love [10:07:57 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & , yeah [10:07:59 PM] (m)emery lee raye: there u go [10:08:02 PM] madam mum.: I LOVE [10:08:29 PM] madam mum.: ok we know that arden is incapable of having a healthy long term committed relationship, but what abt audrey [10:08:32 PM] madam mum.: if it wasnt for arden [10:09:32 PM] (m)emery lee raye: u see thts the thing , these r two v dysfunctional ppl tht are bad enough on their own, but when put together are ,, dysfunctionally imperfect in the Perfect way [10:09:50 PM] (m)emery lee raye: both of them are horrible at long term relationships, but somehow they were together for ten years [10:10:38 PM] (m)emery lee raye: i believe this was only possibly arden rarely felt like audrey was fully w him ?? in the first few years on their relationship, no one knew they were dating it ,, it wasn't Real ?? his mom knew but it was rarely a topic brought up [10:11:30 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & then on audreys side of things ?? she never rly , fully committed herself to him ?? she was always cheating, so there was never tht sense of Commitment ,,,,,,, until [10:11:32 PM] (m)emery lee raye: marriage [10:11:36 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & even before tht [10:11:39 PM] (m)emery lee raye: when they moved in together [10:12:13 PM] (m)emery lee raye: suddenly, out of nowhere, they decided "the second [ arden ] turn eighteen, why dont we move out??" [10:12:15 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & they did , [10:13:09 PM] (m)emery lee raye: audrey was a year Older than him & so she already had a place for them to stay & arden had moved his stuff there asap after his mom died & then , it was after they Truly moved in together tht things became Real [10:13:22 PM] (m)emery lee raye: they had this sort of , honeymoon phase almost ?? bc now they were Openly in a relationship [10:13:40 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & it was all brand new & they were !! young & in love [10:14:10 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & then this was only Further pushed by proposal ( even if audrey Did want a Better One w a Better Ring ) [10:14:58 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & then they got married , & before this ?? audrey never rly got physical w him bc ,, they rarely saw each other for long periods of time alone ?? so there was never rly Time for tht , they'd get in fights & sometimes they'd get Intense but thts the Worst tht it got [10:15:37 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but after they were married ?? they had already been living together for more than a year i think ,, they were going to the same uni , had the same friends ( it was actually mostly jst audreys friends & arden tagged along ) things were , getting Stressful [10:15:58 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & it was on their honeymoon tht audrey hit arden for the first time & they were both , Shocked by it [10:16:54 PM] (m)emery lee raye: tho not Immediately for audrey bc , she had been in this ?? haze ?? & it jst happened & it was a lil while later tht , audrey was Disgusted w herself & arden jst , comforted her & told her tht she didnt mean it , it was Okay, he forgave her [10:16:57 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & then it ,, got worse [10:17:45 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc even Before this incident, ever since they got together almost, audrey had been p controlling ?? & definitely abusive, but Neither of them saw what she did or how she acted as abuse so it never rose any red flags [10:18:05 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but this ?? they both saw this as bad, as abuse, & they jst , decided to forget that it happened & Move On [10:18:14 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but then it happened again , & again,,,,,, & it kept happening [10:18:39 PM] (m)emery lee raye: they both didn't know what to do, bc they Loved each other, but they also wanted to Kill each other almost Constantly, [10:19:00 PM] (m)emery lee raye: it was , one of the most toxic dynamics u can imagine , & it went on for Years before audrey finally put her foot down [10:19:18 PM] (m)emery lee raye: it was then she told him tht she hasnt loved him for a long time ,, & that was untrue [10:19:49 PM] (m)emery lee raye: bc she Did love him, & Still loved him at the time of the divorce, but she knew if he knew tht, he'd try to convicne her to give the whole relationship another chance [10:20:37 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but she didn't want tht bc she has turned into his manipulative, toxic, abusive person & she can't recognize herself anymore & !! she knows she was never a good partner, ( even if she will sometimes convince her tht she Is ,, which reminds me tht i think she has npd but Anyway ) [10:20:46 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & so shes doing it for both of them [10:21:00 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & in canon ?? she gets married again & has kids, [10:21:11 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & it isn't even bc she Wants to , its bc her parents push her into it [10:21:17 PM] (m)emery lee raye: they want grandchildren , they want her to have a Family [10:21:47 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & so she does , she tries Again w someone new & their relationship ,,, she still cheats , but shes not abusive [10:21:57 PM] (m)emery lee raye: save for the , cheating thing which [10:22:01 PM] (m)emery lee raye: ig can be considered abuse [10:22:04 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but u know what i mean [10:22:08 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & yeah , she doesn't love him tho [10:22:13 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but she doesn't hate him [10:22:20 PM] (m)emery lee raye: she jst , thinks hes okay [10:22:48 PM] (m)emery lee raye: he has a respectable place in the world & she decides tht thts Enough [10:22:59 PM] (m)emery lee raye: so the way she moved on was rushing into a relationship ,, [10:23:08 PM] (m)emery lee raye: but arden never moved on ( in canon, at least, ) [10:23:15 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & tbh even in happy au ?? he will always love her [10:23:32 PM] (m)emery lee raye: no matter the au, they will Always love each other, but no matter what, they'll never be happy together, [10:23:39 PM] (m)emery lee raye: & That Is The Tragedy Of Arden & Audrey [10:23:43 PM] (m)emery lee raye: fin

#okay i have had this in my drafts for so long bc #i wanted to make it all pretty #its two am #im tired #i found this #im sad again so uhhhhhhh #here u go #long post // #abuse // #marriage // #divorce // #cheating // #mental illness // #uhhhhh idk #█ ▌┋ PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM BETTER LOOKING GUYS. ( audrey. ) #█ ▌┋ LIST OF WORDS UNSAID. ( headcanon. ) #█ ▌┋ PRESIDENT OF THE ARDEN GRAY FAN CLUB. ( out. )

[totallytubulargirl]

A night out (💜DONATELLO X READER💜)

Donatello focused on his computer, trying to decode this programming just to recode it. He loved taking things apart and putting them back together again. Although he loved his work, he rubbed his face, desperately in need of a break. Suddenly (Y/N) walked into the room, tipsy. She leaned against the doorway, “Hey don come drink with us.” She slurred, twirling into the room, her dress spinning around her carelessly. Don looked at the time, 11 pm on a Saturday night. He set all his equipment to sleep mode and walked out, leaving his lab behind him in search of relaxation at the bottom of a bottle. 💜💜💜—(timeskip) It was his tenth beer and Donatello was feeling good. The world was a little wobbly, but for someone who was so meticulous and stable, it felt good to be loose. (Y/N) smiled at him from across the kitchen island. “So Donatello,” she garbled, inching closer to him, as his brothers stared in shock. “Do you think you could help me set up a VPN,” she paused. “at my place?” His brothers hooted and hollered as she traced his knuckles with her slender fingers. He stuttered, was she hitting on him? He didn’t really know what to do, but he smiled and slapped his arm around her. “Of course!” He said raising his beer bottle, “To (Y/N)!” His brothers cheered along as donnies heart sped up at the sobering thought of her taking him home. She grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the lair towards her apartment. Neither of them could really figure out how to get there, but after a couple of confusing turns they did. He fell onto the door laughing about nothing and everything. (Y/N) jiggled her key into the lock opening the door, slamming it shut behind them. “I’m going to go change!” She yelled, unraveling her hair behind her, Donnie watching her hair fall down to her back. He looked around her apartment like he had never been there before, he hadn’t, not like this. She came back in pajama shorts and a bra, walking into the kitchen to make a mimosa. “You want some?” She asked. “Sure.” He replied, pulling a glass down from the cabinets. He turned around, as she sauntered up to him. Don backed up instinctually, she leaned on him, running her hands up and down his chest. “Maybe we can do more then just have drinks?” She said in a haze, turning around to press her ass against his groin. Donatello felt his shell tightening, gripping him with excitement, sweat beading down his forehead as he gulped. “Only if you want to.” He leaned against the kitchen counter for support before she looked at him with sexual determination. She drew her fingers to his face, dragging them along his jawline while he stood still, allowing her to feel him. Finally she pulled his purple tails towards her and kissed him, her lips pressed against his, panting with lust as he slithered his tongue into her mouth. She returned the favor, struggling against his tongue to quench her thirst for him, only intensifying her needs, feeling a pulse knocking at her pussy as she kissed him. Donatello felt his groin throbbing, slowly becoming fully erect as she undid his pants. Heat plagued her body, begging for some sort of release. She felt pressure climb up, hardening her nipples. “Oh Don.” Slipped through her lips like faint music on a warm night. He bent over, grabbing her thighs and lifting her up, driving her crazy over his display of strength. “Don I-” he cut her off, kissing away at her neck all the way to the bedroom and abandoning his gear and clothes behind them. He laid her gently on her bed, towering over her before diving to her neck again, sucking on her tender, warm skin. “Oh god don.” She whimpered. Donnies hand found its way to her nipple, tugging and rubbing at it, sending chills down her back, making her pussy quake with anticipation. His cock rubbed against her, her tongue hanging near her chin, drool slipping from her mouth. Donatello held his moans back, trying to focus on (Y/N), failing to ignore how great his dick felt against her soft skin. He continued to praise her body with kisses, so grateful to be there with her, he had an uncontrollable urge to please her. The tip of his cock seemed to have a mind of its own though, finding its way into her moist lips. He thrust into her slowly, watching her bite her lip to keep control of her screams all the while thrusting him deeper into her. Her pussy wrapped around his dick like a velvet glove, wet silk on all sides of him. She clawed at whatever she could touch, her head spinning as she tightened herself around him. He threw his head back, arching his body, straining to not release himself right away. Her fingers fled to his biceps, gripping firmly as her body convulsed uncontrollably. “Oh yes Donnie don’t stop.” She moaned. Donatello’s body betrayed him as he tried to control himself, rhythmically pumping faster into her, his world becoming a blurry mess of euphoria. She wrapped herself around him, bringing his body closer to her. Donnie could feel the sweat beading on her body, meshing them together into a hot mess. He continued to slide his cock in and out of her, ignoring his readiness to cum. “Fuck!” She yelled into the emptiness of her apartment. He nibbled on her ear, sending chills down her shoulder, coercing another moan from her lips. “Oh fuck.” He whispered. “Donnie baby,” she whined. “I’m so close.” Her face flush with desire. He thrust into her one more time before cumming with her, fireworks going off in every part of their bodies. He panted, flopping next to her, trying to catch his breath. She looked over at him, smiling. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk ever again.” He laughed, breathlessly, his head still spinning from the events that had just transpired. He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her one last time before saying goodnight. “Goodnight,” he whispered, even though her eyes were already closed. He fell asleep with, tightly intertwined with her body. 💜💜💜💜

Mehhhhhhhhh I tried more things to make this better I hope it’s not too much. I like it but I know that doesn’t mean you guys will like it. Also idk I think I wrote Donnie a little out of character but idk 😳😳😳 let me know if you have suggestions to make this better. Requests asks and messages are ALWAYS open to you. Thanks for reading!

#tmnt #tmnt donatello #tmnt 2016 #tmnt 2014 #tmnt bayverse #donnie x reader #donatello x reader #tmnt x reader #tmnt smut #original #omg i hope this is okay

[khadorek]

Broken

(WARNING: Representation of moderate to heavy gore)

Thursday, June 1st, 11:29 pm, Location Unknown (or is it?)

Khadorek had once more been teleported back to his cell, body and spirit rent and torn beyond repair, though this time he was alone. He knew why, he was assured this was his last chance, and thankfully, he had failed. His mission failed, it's errant targets lived, and while he knew there was no going back to them now, and despite the sting he felt knowing she'd abandoned him, gone to that other man, he thinks he could find peace in that she at least lived, safe with whoever that man was, he just hoped he could succeed where he failed. Either way, he had to work fast, he had to put the pen and paper he took to good use; the pen was nearly out of ink, though, and it swiftly ran out. For one of the few times in his life, he was thankful for his unique biology, and was able to improvise for more. In a panicked, messy script, he fought through the pain and scrawled out the last words he ever would put to paper, he only prayed they'd find it. "We're not too far from the Wyrmrest Temple, someone will find us eventually, right?" Khad thought as he wrote on. "You think she's safe? You think this is the end? You've only delayed the inevitable." The voice purred as its visage faded into sight, Khad simply brushes it off. "You think we get another chance? I thought I was the deluded one around here. I don't know what's going to happen, but whatever it is, after tonight I can assure you that you'll never hurt anyone again." Khad remarks firmly, working on the last part of the second letter. It laughs, and it seems to form something beside it, Khad looks up, and his breath catches in his throat as he sees the crimson hair and blue/green eyes of the figure it was now doating over. It chuckles. "Loose that brave face, Khad; you have nothing left to cling to, no more hope, no more love, no more her." It mocks, kissing the image on her cheek, before laughing as it's hand forms a claw, which he draws across her throat. Her eyes went wide as she clutched at the wound, dropping to her knees. She gagged as blood spurted from the gash in her neck, whimpering and pleading to him, words garbled and ruined as she forced them out, asking him why. Asking him how he could have let this happen. The figure just laughed, as Khad looked back down at the letter, barely holding back the tears that once  more rushed forth. "No, no, that can't be right, she shouldn't be able to talk, not like that." It remarked in a twisted, mocking tone as it roughly grabbed her; Khad couldn't bring himself to look as it did something to her, causing the image to loose a muffled shriek, and causing burning tears to fill his eyes as he wrote. After a moment, the screaming and gurgling stopped, and Murkey's lifeless body dropped in front of him, jaw pulled sickeningly dislocated and the now dull eyes staring into him, still asking him why. A second later, a wet slap indicated a small, fleshy object had been thrown down next to her head; a length of damaged muscle with a silver stud in the middle of it, not that Khad could see it any more, eyes clouded with tears. He folded both of the now finished letters up quickly, especially the one written for her eyes alone, he didn't want to ruin the messages all because he had no hope left. The entity just laughed. "You can't stop it, Khad, it's only a matter of time." It mocked as the door swung open, laughing as the nightmarish hallucinations faded back into his mind. Thule and Invictus strode in, lead by three armed guards as Khadorek stowed the letters each in one of his lockets. "Hey! What do you have there!?" One of them barked, moving to grab the lockets, Khad wasn't giving up without a fight. Khad thrust his weary fist forward, driving it into his throat with a crunch, sending his sprawling, clutching at his hoplessly flattened windpipe as he wheezed out his last. The other two drew their swords, but Invictus acted first, blasting Khad with lightning and causing him to drop with a moan of agony, muscles too weak to counteract even the damaged braces. Thule approached him, breathing slightly and looking down on him in disapproval. "Let him keep his trinkets, it's not like whatever he's hiding in there will ever see the light of day when we're done with him." Thule stated, voice cold and dry, before he grabbed Khadorek's face and looked into his eyes. "I had such hopes for you, Khadorek, such dreams of conquest and glory. You could have led us to victory, been the hero you always wanted to be, but now I know better. I see now that you were never meant for such a lofty place in history, your father was right in that regard." Khadorek scowled. "So, dispose of me, then." Khad snarled, readying himself for the end. "Kill me." Thule simply shook his head. "No, Khadorek, I'm not going to kill you, you're much to valuable to just cast aside. You merely have a new path of service before you..." He explained, and before Khad could react, Thule produced a syringe, and jabbed it into his neck. Khadorek barely had time to wince before his world spun wildly for a moment before things began to haze over and fade to black. Meanwhile, Thule watched as Khad's face went from one of surprise to one of blank, bovine docility, eyes becoming dull and emotionless. "Such a waste... Start prepping him for surgery, conditioning and treatments; I want him exhibiting Caroline's capabilities by tomorrow night. He shouldn't give you much trouble now." Thule orders, and Khadorek was promptly dragged off.

@murkeyglglgl @azriel-lancaster @sephrick