#I've been the first one here I've turned on lights I've unlocked doors I've checked the book drop I've sat at the front desk | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

my-own-walker · 10 months

Note

please do a smut where y/n is like an innocent catholic girl who has recently arrived at the cortez and has already caught the attention of james, one evening he invites her to his room for a dinner together and she ends up doing it for the first time with james who convinces her (ps i love your writing sm)

Eros

note: you are too kind for tacking on that compliment there ☺️ don't give me a big head nowwwww 🥰

warnings: anti-catholic stuff, sm*t, some pretty strange dirty talk, light bondage, corruption k!nk, reader not being entirely sober during s3x...

+++

James' POV

Dirty streets, these days, are graced by angels of white and gold. Pure, uncorrupted souls with soft skin and far-fetched dreams. I hadn't been able to see that until she arrived.

I used to think Los Angeles was teeming with dirty cretins and disgusting ne'er-do-wells. When Y/N checked into the Hotel Cortez, my worldview shifted.

A Los Angeles local, she found herself in my grasp after unknown circumstances left her 'stranded' in the city for the night. At least, that's what she told reception. Her silken hair reflected the dim light of the halls so beautifully as she walked to her room. She almost glowed in her white lace dress, made fairer with her gold jewelry.

I watched as she unlocked the door to suite 61. I was left entirely shocked when her body made a quarter turn, making clear the rosary hanging from her neck. The white beads hung so hauntingly from her fair neck. She wore no makeup. Her nails were bare. She was so clearly Catholic.

Oh, how I had such contempt for her god.

It should have been no surprise to me that the purest being I had ever seen was some religious zealot. But, nonetheless, I found myself utterly speechless, albeit all too tempted to aid her in straying from her 'god's' light.

I approached her as she sat at the bar in the lobby later on. She twisted strands of her hair in her fingers, nervously sipping some water out of a crystal glass.

'Why come to a bar to drink water?' I asked.

'Oh,' she spun around, startled by my sudden appearance. 'Hello, uh?'

'James Patrick March,' I announced, bowing slightly. 'And you are?'

'Uh, Y/N, Y/N Y/L/N. And, um, I don't imbibe.'

'Ah, I see,' I replied. 'Well, you'll have no fun in this lobby then. Spirits are about the only thing worth seeing down here.' I looked around, feigning disgust.

'I just, uh, wanted some time away from the room...is all,' she stammered.

'Come to my suite, then, darling,' I purred, extending a hand. She thought for a moment, staring into my eyes with her big, petrified, innocent gaze. Instead of responding, she took my hand and hopped down from the bar stool.

'Oh my, what a wonderful suite you have,' she gasped, gaping at the luxury my space offered. 'I've never seen anything this nice.'

'Oh? And how's that?' I inquired, walking over to the bar to fix us both drinks. She sat down on one of the couches in the front room, feeling the velvet texture with both of her hands. When she placed her hands back in her lap, her lace dress rode up deliciously, exposing a great portion of her thighs. She worked quickly to smooth the fabric back over her soft skin.

'This is embarrassing, but in all honesty, I grew up pretty poor,' she explained. 'I just trust in God, though. I don't need much. I never have. Because all I need is God's love. And I know I have it.' I watched her face light up, smiling widely as she spoke nonsense. She twirled that blasted rosary in her dainty fingers.

'Do you wish god would bring you a life like mine?' I couldn't help but toy with her in this way. Her face shifted expressions so quickly, I almost didn't catch the desperation and angst in her eyes before she replaced it with a grin.

'No, sir,' she smiled. 'I trust in the plan He's laid out for me. I just do what I feel called to do.'

'So, god told you to come up here?' I countered. She cast her gaze down, not replying. I glided across the room to where she sat and handed her the drink I prepared.

'I-I don't imbib-'

'This drink is not alcohol, dearie. It's sweet,' I smirked, sipping from my own glass. She looked down into the glass of green-hued liquid and shifted it in her hands. 'I promise.' She brought the glass up to her lips and took a small taste.

'Ooh,' she hummed, 'it's like licorice.'

'I knew you'd like it, sweet girl,' I murmured.

Her next sip was much larger. We conversed until I was sure the absinthe had taken effect. I idly rubbed her back, my arm around her shoulders as we spoke. She relaxed into my touch in no time. Before long, I was caressing her thighs and making her purr like a kitten. I would have her in my grip in no time.

'Precious girl, what really brought you to the Hotel Cortez, hm?' I asked, breaking contact for just a moment.

'You want the real truth?' she slurred.

'Nothing but, dearest.'

'I ran away from home,' she explained. 'More like...I was cast out. My parents...they caught me with a boy from church this past spring.'

'Ah, I see,' I replied, trying to encourage her to go on.

'We were in my bedroom...I promise we weren't doing anything...just kissing...' she continued to slur. 'I wanted more...he was taking so long...but Dad opened the door before anything happened.'

'That's just too bad,' I cooed, stroking her silken hair. Her scent was intoxicating. Sugary sweet.

'I loved him...Dad said he would kill him if he saw him again,' she whispered. 'It hasn't been the same since...so I ran away...they weren't talking to me anymore. I-I sinned.'

'Ah, see, that is where you are wrong. Sin is not real,' I tutted. 'What you need to understand is that religion is a phase. It is not based in reality.'

'No, Mr. March-'

'Please, love, call me James,' I smirked. 'Your god is not watching you. He does not care about you. If he did, he would allow you the simple pleasures in life. Like spirits...'

I gestured to her glass.

'Sex...' I began peppering kisses on her neck. She shivered and moaned lightly.

'And freedom. You see, your belief in him is a passing phase. Passing phases wear you thin. You can only believe for so long...'

'I don't, I don't think that's right,' she breathed as my hand ran up her thigh.

'It is quite right, dear. I am nothing like the boy you loved in spring. I am nothing like your god,' I growled. 'I will let you have pleasure.'

'I want that,' she whined, my hand continuing to creep up to her soft, pure, untouched center.

'Yes, you do.' I took her relaxed body in my arms and carried her to the bedroom. Her white dress made her look so untainted against my dark silk sheets. It almost made me sad to remove it.

Once her dress was off, I twisted her rosary in my hand and pulled. The string popped. A couple of beads clattered to the ground. I used what was left of the necklace to tie her right hand to the bedpost. A leather strap from the drawer in the bedside table bound her left hand. She was so vulnerable. So willing.

'James,' she whined. 'Are you really real?'

I ran my hand from her calf all the way up to her soft tummy, watching the goosebumps rise on her skin. 'Very real,' I answered.

I removed my own clothing in a flash and crawled onto the bed, stooping my face down to meet hers. Her doe eyes looked up at me so beautifully. She was almost too delicious to drink in.

I entered her forcefully. She yelped loudly, her eyes widening at the feeling. Her walls tightened around me. I couldn't help but groan.

I kissed her as I pumped in and out of her. She didn't kiss back. Instead, she panted and whimpered into my mouth. I moved my attention to her breasts, peppering kisses all over. I took my time taking each of them in my mouth, swirling my tongue and making her back arch.

'Does this feel good?' I asked, still thrusting in and out of her warm cunt.

'Y-yes,' she panted.

'Nothing like what your god has made you feel, yes?'

'No, no, never,' she whimpered, her hips bucking.

'You were surrounded by insolent fools. Those Catholics. Jokers, happy-go xenophobe locals,' I growled. 'The men that wrung us all dry, the boys that poked your eye, the common fools. Your people.' I thrust harder and harder. She tried to move her arms but to no avail.

'James,' she moaned.

'Y/N,' I replied. 'Don’t you think we make a good pair?' Sweat began forming on my brow. My breathing became ragged. ' We could join forces like carousels and their horses, forever spinning 'round.'

'Yes!' she howled. I felt her hot fluids rush out of her. She was experiencing pure bliss. Her eyes screwed shut and her mouth hung open. I had no choice but to finish as well. I groaned lightly and removed myself from her. She lay there, breathing heavily.

'Come out of your shell and join us honey, we will sort you out,' I breathed, running my fingers through her hair. 'You belong here.'

+++

AHH sorry if this was too much for some of y'all, I really had to restrain myself. My OG ending had him killing her (as most of my JPM pics end hehehehehe). Thank u again for the request!

#evan peters x female reader #evan peters #evan peters fic #evan peters x reader #ahs #james patrick march #evan peters oneshot #james patrick march x you #james patrick march x reader #jpm #jpm x reader #ahs hotel

147 notes · View notes

howlingtides · 5 months

Text

A concerned Chuuya finds a drunk Dazai in the bath (Chuuya's POV) - Part 1/2

tw: scars, suicidal ideation, implied self-harm, drinking

tags: hurt/comfort, soukoku's version of fluff, drunk Dazai

Part 1 / Part 2

"Oi, Dazai." Chuuya pounded on the door.

It was nearly 3 am and Chuuya should be in bed sleeping - it was his day off - but instead he was here, standing outside of shitty Dazai's apartment, waiting for that histrionic mummy to open the goddamn door.

Dazai had called him.

Dazai never calls him.

And at this hour?

Chuuya had woken up to the sound of his phone ringing, had just missed the call. He'd be lying if he said his stomach hadn't dropped when he checked the caller ID. He'd also be lying if he said his heart hadn't begun to race when he'd tried calling back multiple times to no avail.

If it had been anyone else, he would've gone back to bed and tried again in the morning. Whatever it was, they could figure it out.

But this was Dazai.

And that's what scared him.

"Dazai," he called again, jiggling the door handle, "if this is some sort of elaborate prank, I'm gonna throw your phone into the river and strangle you with your own-"

The door opened as Chuuya pushed. Oh. It was unlocked. "-bandages," he finished to himself.

It was dark as he stepped inside, all the lights were off save for a light that was coming from around the corner.

Coming from the bathroom.

"Dazai?" Chuuya's voice softened as he walked towards the light, stopping in the bathroom doorway.

Dazai was in the tub. It was filled to the brim with water, and he was naked, arm draped over the side, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. A bottle of whiskey sat on the tile floor next to him, about half empty.

And he wasn't wearing his bandages.

Chuuya's breath caught.

Scars littered his arms, his neck, his chest, some deeper than others, some larger, some smaller. Chuuya knew they were there, had seen one or two of them before at the slip of a bandage from time to time, but seeing them all at once like this?

His chest tightened.

Dazai lifted his head from where it was propped against the tile wall. His hair was wet, pushed off of his face, showing off yet another scar on his forehead, just beneath his hairline, that was typically hidden beneath dark bangs.

He brought the glass to his lips and spoke as if he was speaking to no one in particular, though Chuuya was pretty sure he knew he was there, had to have heard him, had to have known by now that he wasn't alone.

"Do you think this is what Oda meant?" he asked before taking a sip. He swallowed, licking his lips. "To be on the side that saves people."

It ended as more of a statement than a question, and Chuuya wasn't sure what to say.

Dazai continued, keeping his eyes forward. "I might have fucked up, Chuuya."

The use of his name caught Chuuya off guard. So Dazai was talking to him.

He stepped into the bathroom, pulling off his hat and setting it on the counter. "You only just realizing that now?"

The sound of Chuuya's voice made Dazai jump a little as he turned, looking at Chuuya for the first time since he'd been there.

His eyes were red.

"I've been fucking up my whole life," he said with so much sincerity that Chuuya couldn't help but believe him. "It's no secret. A scar for every fuck-up. For every time I couldn't..." His words trailed off as he took another sip of whiskey.

Chuuya slipped out of his jacket, hanging it on the corner of the door. "If you're looking for pity, you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."

The corner of Dazai's lip curled upward ever so slightly as he turned to face forward again.

Chuuya considered it a win.

"Why did you call me out here?" Chuuya said, crossing his arms.

"I didn't call you out here," Dazai said, because he had to correct Chuuya, because he always had to be right no matter what kind of self-destructive mindset he was in.

Chuuya sighed. "Why did you call me?"

Dazai thought about it for a moment, staring down into his glass. "You're the only one who understands," he said so matter-of-factly that it hurt before he downed the rest of his whiskey.

Shit.

What the fuck was Chuuya supposed to say to that?

He stood there for a moment, trying to decide how he was supposed to feel or what he was supposed to think or what he was supposed to do. His brain was fried and his soul was tired and he didn't have the energy to feel right now.

He'd been asleep a half an hour ago.

Fuck it.

He moved forward, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig, the whiskey burning his throat as he sat on the floor next to Dazai. He was suddenly bothered by the fact that he hadn't taken his boots off, and he handed the bottle to Dazai as he unzipped them, kicking them off.

Dazai refilled his glass. "So disrespectful," he said.

"Sorry I didn't think to take off my shoes when I came over to make sure you weren't dead," Chuuya spat, immediately regretting it.

He grabbed the bottle from Dazai and took another drink.

Dazai's eyes widened. "You thought I was gonna kill myself?"

"I didn't know what to think," he said, raising his voice. "What kind of asshole calls someone at 3 am and doesn't leave a message or text and doesn't answer when they try to call him back or-" He caught his breath, running his fingers through his hair. "That was such a shitty fucking thing to do, you suicidal prick."

The room went quiet for a moment as Dazai thought again, and Chuuya took another drink.

"You're right," Dazai said eventually. "That was a shitty thing to do." His eyes met Chuuya's. "I'm sorry."

They stayed like that for a minute, eyes locked onto each other until Dazai moved, turned his body in the tub, water sloshing as he raised his other hand and brought it to the side of Chuuya's face, holding his cheek.

Chuuya froze as Dazai leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "You don't deserve that, Chuuya," he whispered into his hair. "I don't deserve you."

Anger boiled in the bottom of Chuuya's stomach as he covered Dazai's hand on his cheek with his own, squeezing it tight. He pulled back, just enough to look Dazai in the eyes.

"Don't," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you say shit like that to me."

To be continued...

#soukoku #skk #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu #tw: scars #tw: suicidal ideation #tw: drinking #hurt/comfort #soukoku's version of fluff #drunk Dazai #kris drabbles #to be continued #tw: implied self-harm

44 notes · View notes

john-kramers-left-sock · 7 months

Text

Inktober Day 7: Drip

Pairing: John Kramer x Reader

SFW

(This is the edited version because I changed the direction of my story)

"Come on, there's no one here. Let's just take a quick look," your boyfriend of six months, Sam, encouraged you and your friends to step through the gap in the chain-link fence. The abandoned warehouse towers over your entire group, covering the moon and casting a dark shadow on the land around you.

"I don't know about this, guys. What if we get caught? There have to be cameras or something around the property. I mean, it's not like we're the first ones to try this," Emma, your best friend raised her concern to the group. It was mainly met with eye rolls and a couple of groans.

"You gotta be kidding me. It's just an old warehouse. Wait, are you scared that it's haunted or something?" The bad boy of the group, Eric, snickered slightly. He wrapped an arm around Emma, mocking a ghostly moan. "Woooo I'm the ghost of of a warehouse worker named Bob! I'm going to bore you to death by talking about my kids and my erectile disfunction!"

"Knock it off, Eric. It's fine for people to be freaked out with this kind of thing. I mean, it's pretty dark out," Ben gently pulled Eric away from Emma, his brows slightly furrowed in concern.

"It's Halloween night! What's better than going to a creepy, abandoned building? Who knows, we coulf find a body or something," Sam replied with a smirk. He looked at you, a grin on his freckled face. "Besides, (Y/n) is pretty good at this urban exploring stuff, right?"

"Well, I've only done it once before. It's not like I'm an expert," you awkwardly attempt to explain to your friends, rubbing the chills from your arms. "We should just be careful. If it seems dangerous, we'll just leave. Besides, I'm sure an old building like this has interesting history."

"Yeah yeah, we don't need a history lesson. Let's just get inside. It's gonna start raining soon," Eric pushed his way past you and Sam, crawling under the gap in the fence. One by one each person slipped through, making it to the imposing warehouse before them.

"Wait, there's no lock?" Emma said in a surprised tone as the group gathered in front of the large doors. It was clear that it had been chained up before, but not right now. "We should head back, someone might be in there."

"No chance. There's not a single car around and the front gate is still chained up. Maybe the last people who snuck in left it unlocked. Let's go," Sam pulled the door open without questioning, waiting for everyone to enter the warehouse.

As you enter, you catch the sign nailed to the outside wall. DO NOT ENTER is printed out on the metal shape, years of wear leaving it covered in rust. Your instincts tell you one thing, but your curiosity wins out in the end. You enter the warehouse, watching Sam shut the door behind you.

'Damn, it's dark in here. Stick close, guys," Ben pulled out his phone, turning on the flashlight and shining it across the room. It doesn't look very special, with worn furniture scattered across the room and rusted tools on the floor. The rafters creek on their own and a dripping sound can be heard in the distance. "I was expecting it to be more... Terrifying."

"Well, maybe this is just a front. Who knows, there might still be some stuff hidden around here. Let's look around," you suggest, looking over every detail. The group stays close together, checking each room. Most of it was empty, having been cleared out when the warehouse was shut down. As you continued, the dripping noise got louder and louder.

"Woah, look at this," Ben speaks up after shining his flashlight to the right. The light hits a large metal door. It was solid and heavy, almost like the entrance to a vault. Ben approached it first, pressing his ear to the metal. "I think I hear that dripping coming from in here."

"Now you're talking. Move, I'll get it open," Eric rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the handle. He pulled with all of his strength, expecting it to be locked. However, the door swings open, sending him to the ground with a thud.

"Are you ok?" Emma rushes to Eric's side, kneeling to check him over. Her lips purse in concern when she sees a scratch on his arm. "That looked like it hurt. Hold still, I have a bandaid."

While Emma tended to Eric, you, Sam, and Ben approached the large door. Glancing inside, the room was empty, but far cleaner than any of the place in the warehouse. You step inside, hearing the dripping coming from the ceiling. Liquid would form on the surface before dripping down to the floor below.

"That's weird, this is too dark to be water," you mumble to yourself as you step inside the room, holding out your hand. After catching a drop, you gaze down at the substance. It looks to be red, and a strong smell of iron hits your senses.

Suddenly, the metal door slams shut, locking behind you. You whirl around, panicking as you bang your fists on the door. "Guys?! This isn't funny! Let me out!" You yelled, trying to twist the handle. From the other side, you can hear small dull thuds and yelps, before an overwhelming silence hits. "Guys...?"

No one responds to the sound of your voice. You stand there in silence, thoughts racing. Just when you think that this is some messed up dream, you hear a voice from the corner of the room. A speaker sits on the ground, a raspy voice muttering through it.

"Hello (Y/n), I want to play a game."

33 notes · View notes

crystalninjaphoenix · 5 months

Text

Puppeteer and Timekeeper

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 25

First Part | Previous Part

GUYS I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS PART :D It's really long, about 7600 words, but so much is revealed that it makes sense. I want to get right to it so I'll keep this author's note short. Jackie and the guys check out Jameson's apartment, hoping to find out more about the Puppeteer. They do... and learn more about the city's hero before Jackie, too. :3c I've been waiting for this since the beginning. And now... it's time >:Dc

===============

Contrary to yesterday, today was nice and sunny. Too bad they would probably be spending most of it inside, looking through Jameson’s apartment.

Jackie and Chase headed out shortly after Chase got home from work. He looked tired, but he insisted on leaving right away. “We don’t want to keep Schneep or Marvin waiting,” he’d said, so they hopped on the first available train.

Schneep was already at Jackson Legacy Crafts by the time they arrived. He leaned against the nearby wall, looking casual except for the repeated tapping of his foot. “There you two are,” he said upon seeing him. “You’ve taken long enough. What happened? Was there a delay?”

“Hey, we’re right on time,” Jackie said defensively. “Sp—Marvin is the one who’s late.”

“You didn’t go in when you got here, doc?” Chase asked. “Do you still have the key? I mean, I guess that wouldn’t really matter for you, but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I still have the spare key,” Schneep said. “But I...” He glanced back through the plate glass windows into the store beyond. The lights were off, but Jackie could still see the dust gathering on the displays and items. “I-I thought we should all go in at once. Seemed... fitting.”

Chase nodded. Next to him, Frosty walked over to Schneep and nudged his head with his leg. Schneep glanced down at him. He didn’t pet the dog but he didn’t push him away either.

They waited in silence for a few minutes. Watching the pedestrians walking by. There was always a lot of foot traffic in this area, but most of the passers-by didn’t glance at the closed shop. Until, finally, a familiar face peeled away from the rest of the crowd. “You’re all early,” Marvin muttered.

“Early?! No, you’re late!” Schneep snapped.

“I-I am not!” Marvin said defensively, a bit surprised that Schneep was the one getting on his case instead of Jackie.

“Well you’re here now, so let’s go!” Chase said, quickly changing the subject. “Schneep, the key?”

Schneep nodded curtly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the key. He quickly unlocked the door and headed in. Jackie, Chase, and Marvin followed him.

The shop was just how it looked from the outside: dark and dusty. It was actually amazing how much dust could gather in just a few days. Jackie glanced at the clocks on the wall, wondering if they were still chiming every hour. It was strange to think about the shop with no one inside to hear their ticking. But this wasn’t the time for this. “You guys think there’s anything down here?” he asked quietly. “I know JJ said his apartment specifically, but...”

“I’m surprised nobody’s robbed this place yet,” Marvin said, looking around. “Some of this stuff would sell for a lot, and there’s probably still cash in the register.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Jackie said, more out of habit than anything.

“I’m not stooping so low as to steal from a guy in jail,” Marvin responded, also out of habit.

“I do not think there would be anything down here,” Schneep said.

“Yeah, if JJ had some sort of secret... which, I mean, he did,” Chase said, “he wouldn’t want to keep stuff relating to it out where anyone could see it.”

“Alright, we’ll just head on up, then,” Jackie said, leading the way.

They passed by the counter—Schneep stopping for a moment to look at the family pictures hanging on the wall behind it—and opened the door to the upstairs. Jackie turned on the lights, and they all went up, pushing open the trapdoor at the top and finding themselves in Jameson’s apartment.

It looked exactly the same as it had the last time they’d all been there. Had it really been the same day JJ was arrested? The same day they found out who the Puppeteer was? Or... at least who one of the people behind the Puppeteer was. Jackie had told Chase about the Puppeteer’s mask yesterday, about the cameras and microphones and the LEDs being controlled externally. And then Schneep had called, and Jackie told him, too. They all knew that Jameson hadn’t become the Puppeteer because he wanted to. That there was someone else working with him, maybe controlling him somehow. And that had made them just as determined as Jackie was to find out what was going on up here.

“Where do we check, then?” Marvin asked.

“Schneep, you’re related to him, do you know anything about where JJ would hide stuff?” Chase asked.

Schneep hummed. “Not in the main area. It might be in the workspace, but last I checked, it had not been used in a while.”

“Workspace?” Jackie asked.

“Here.” Schneep walked over to a door and pulled it open, reaching inside to turn the lights on. The small space had been adapted from a closet. It was barely big enough for a desk and chair, but it was crowded with all sorts of projects as well, tools shoved under the desk, bits of wood pushed up against the walls. Much like the shop downstairs, it was covered in dust, though there was much more here than there was down there. Jackie could even see a cobweb in the corner.

“Yeah, I don’t think he’s touched that in like the past... six months,” Chase said. “I guess we can always check it later if we don’t find anything anywhere else. So... where else could we check?”

“Upstairs,” Schneep said, closing the door. “We should start in Jamie’s bedroom.”

“Oh, duh,” Marvin muttered.

Jackie walked over to the spiral staircase in the corner of the room and peered up. “Y’know, I haven’t been up there,” he admitted.

“Yeah, me neither,” Chase said.

“Well, I have, so you all follow me, then,” Schneep said. He walked past Jackie and started up the stairs. The others followed.

The second floor of the apartment—technically the third floor, counting the shop downstairs—was much smaller than the one below it. There was just a single hallway. Windows on the left side looked out the back of the building. On the right side were two doors. At the end of the hallway was a small table with a pale green cloth and some dusty picture frames. Curious, Jackie immediately walked down to that table. Now he could see the photos in the frames. “Oh... are these JJ’s parents?” he asked quietly.

“Most of them,” Schneep said, striding down the hall to join Jackie. “I think there is one of my parents there, and there are a few of Jameson and—”

“Is this a flower?” Marvin asked.

Jackie looked back at the others. Marvin and Chase had gathered around the first door in the hall, which he and Schneep had gone right past. Confused, Jackie turned and went right back, passing Schneep. Sure enough, there was a framed photograph of a red flower with lots of petals. “Yeah, that’s a dahlia flower,” he said.

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “You can recognize flowers on sight?”

“Some of them. Dahlias are pretty distinctive, they look like a puffball, see?” Jackie gestured at the picture.

“Why’s this on this door?” Chase asked. “I don’t think JJ liked flowers that much.”

“No, that’s not for him,” Schneep said, not moving from where he was halfway down the hall. “That is Dahlia’s room.”

The other three all looked at him in confusion. “Uh... who?” Chase asked.

Schneep stared at them. “Dahlia.” When they didn’t respond, he looked just as confused as they were. “You... do know about her, yes?”

“Did... JJ have a... have a roommate this whole time?” Jackie asked. “H-how did he not tell us? How did we never meet this, uh, Dahlia?”

“...Are you fucking kidding me.” Schneep was shocked. It was like the three of them had just told him they thought the moon was made of cheese. “Marvin, I understand, Jamie was only just getting close to him, but—but Chase?! Jackie?! Did he never tell you about Dahlia? His fucking sister?”

“Sister?!” Jackie repeated, gaping. Chase’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “Jameson has a sister?!”

“Mein verdammter Gott!” Schneep facepalmed. “You actually had no idea?!”

“H-he didn’t tell us,” Chase stammered. “I would’ve—I-I would’ve written it down, if he had, I don’t... think I did?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jackie demanded. “If Jameson has a sister, she’s your cousin, too!”

“Well I thought Jameson would say something!” Schneep shouted. “She is not here, as you can tell by never meeting her! So why would I bring up personal information like that?! I-it’s not... relevant, and it is not exactly pleasant to talk about!”

Marvin narrowed his eyes. “Why.”

“H-huh?”

“Why isn’t it ‘pleasant’ to talk about her?” Marvin asked. “That’s what you just said, right? Is she a dick or something?”

Schneep bristled, then calmed down and sighed. “No. Dahlia was—Dahlia is very nice. But she... sh-she is in the hospital. She has been for nearly three years.”

“...oh.” Marvin shrank a little, his suspicions disappearing. “I’m... sorry.”

Schneep laughed darkly. “Yes, I was too, when Jameson told me. I... Chase, you are very familiar with the collapse of the East SepTech building.” Chase shifted slightly, clutching Frosty’s lead close to him. “Dahlia was caught up in that, too. It injured her. She... she went into a coma. I-I had not... hadn’t yet reconnected with Jameson, o-or I would have known, I would have... asked to be assigned to her case.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “It was only after that I realized how close I was to her. Had been in the same building as her for so long, until she was transferred to another hospital out of the city, one that would help her more.”

“I... I’m so sorry, Schneep,” Jackie said quietly.

“It... is fine,” Schneep said haltingly. “It is really terrible for Jameson, though. H-he was so much closer with her. I thought that her... absence was really getting to him in the recent months. I thought that was why he was falling apart...” His voice trailed off.

They all stood there for a moment, until the silence grew from solemn to simply awkward. “So... we shouldn’t go in that room, then,” Chase said, stepping away from the door.

Schneep took another deep breath. “Maybe. Th-there is a chance that... that Jameson asked us to check his apartment because of her. Perhaps he left her medical information in there. But we should check everywhere else, first.”

“Agreed,” Jackie said. “Let’s start with JJ’s room, then.”

“Yeah,” Chase said.

“Lead the way,” Marvin added.

Jameson’s room was both exactly what Jackie expected and not at all what he expected. The walls were painted blue, and the clothes in the closet were neat and nice. The bed, dresser, and desk with its table were all made of old, looking fairly old. No doubt a set that Jameson had inherited. But... the room was a mess. Any clothes not in the closet were piled on the ground, and the blanket and pillows were twisted out of shape. Half-carved projects were piled in a box next to the desk—they all seemed to be dolls or marionettes of some kind. Some of them were even scattered across the desk’s surface, around an old desktop computer and monitor. Jackie picked up a couple of these, looking them over. “Puppets,” he said, and laughed even though it wasn’t that funny.

“Where do we check, then?” Chase asked. “I don’t wanna tear up JJ’s stuff if we don’t need to.”

Schneep looked unsure. “Just... around. There is sure to be something.”

But there was nothing. They even looked under the mattress and in the pockets of the clothes—well, Marvin did those, as the others were reluctant. There was nothing to find. Nothing that even hinted to JJ’s supervillain activities. Upon Marvin’s insistence, Jackie tried to get into the computer a couple times, but couldn’t guess the password. Schneep said he was pretty sure that the computer was just for work and listening to podcasts, anyway, and Jackie was inclined to agree.

So they moved back downstairs. They checked the living room, the kitchenette and dining area, the bathroom, the workspace. Nothing. Though... Jackie did notice that Marvin was tearing up the place a bit more than the rest of them. Rummaging through drawers and cabinets and not putting things back where they’d been before. The others all made sure to keep things in order.

“Guess that’s it, then,” Marvin said, closing the door to the workspace after everyone else had finished cleaning it up. “Whatever we’re looking for has to be in Dahlia’s room.”

Schneep nodded slowly. He looked up at the ceiling, as if he could see through it. “Let’s... go back up, then.”

As he and Chase led the way, Jackie hung back, pulling Marvin aside. “Hey,” he said. “You, uh... I don’t know how to say this. But... you’re being a bit... You’re being very thorough.”

“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be?” Marvin pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but...” Jackie paused. “Are you being this way... because you don’t... I-I remember how the Puppeteer controlled you for a time.” He noticed Marvin stiffen, but continued anyway. “You’re not... looking for evidence against him or something, are you? I mean, I know you’re not, stupid question. You were there when Gwen took the mask apart. But... maybe unconsciously, you don’t... like Jameson that much? And are being... not as careful as you could be... with his stuff?”

Marvin sighed. “I want to snap at you for assuming the worst in me, but I guess it’s valid in this case,” he muttered. “Look, I... It’s complicated. I didn’t know him as well as you guys did, so I don’t think I’m taking the ‘he’s the Puppeteer and now he’s in jail’ stuff as hard as the rest of you. But he was... nice. I-I still... like him?”

“Why’d you phrase that like a question?”

“Don’t fucking interrogate me, I—” Marvin shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not good with... feelings. Especially feelings towards other people. I... I feel the same as you do, I think. Just... simplified.” He paused. “I think... Jameson tried to apologize to me once.”

Jackie blinked. “Really? When?”

“Not too long before the arrest. A few days, maybe. He said he was really sorry, a-and he claimed it was because the shop was closed the other day, but...” Marvin trailed off. “I don’t... hate Jameson, if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t want to be careless with his stuff, and especially not the stuff of his sister who’s in the fucking hospital. I-I find it hard to hate the guy. It’s like hating a kicked puppy.”

Jackie laughed. “That’s—that’s not funny. But... god, it kind of is what he looks like when he’s sad, doesn’t it?”

Marvin gave him a small smile. “It really is.” The smile faded. “But... It’s still true, what he did. To me, to all those people.” He locked eyes with Jackie. “I want to know why.”

A second passed. Jackie nodded silently. He understood. How could he not? It’s all he wanted to know ever since he saw who was behind the mask. “Let’s see if the ‘why’ is in Dahlia’s room, then. I have a feeling... And it’s not a good one.”

Chase and Schneep were waiting for them by Dahlia’s door. In fact, Schneep had been walking for the stairs, like he was about to come down and ask what was taking them so long. “Ah, you’re here,” he said upon seeing Marvin and Jackie. “So glad you could join us. Not like this is important.”

“Hey, we had shit to talk about,” Jackie said. “Let’s just... Let’s do this.”

“Yeah,” Chase said quietly. “Um... the door is locked, but...”

“I was about to do that, yes,” Schneep said. As soon as Jackie and Marvin had joined Chase by the door, Schneep turned and walked through the wall. A second later, there was the loud clunk of a rarely-used lock turning, and he opened the door from the inside.

“How’d it get locked, anyway?” Marvin asked.

“This, I think.” Schneep reached to the side, grabbing something and holding it up. A small wooden doll with jointed limbs, easily held in one hand. One of the doll’s own hands had a stick with a key duct-taped to it. “Jameson used this to lock it from within.”

Chase blinked. “Right. His powers aren’t just for people, also people-shaped things.”

“Yes, exactly.” Schneep stepped to the side. “Well... come in. A-and do be careful.”

The curtains were drawn in here, so as soon as everyone had filed in, Chase turned on the overhead light. The room was bigger than Jameson’s though only by a little. The floor was wooden but covered with a large circular rug with a pattern of white and purple concentric rings. A black metal bed with blue blankets sat pushed up next to the window, neatly made. There was a white desk with a closed laptop, a stack of notebooks, and pencils in a cup. And the walls were covered in two types of posters: vintage movie posters advertising the great films of the past, or superhero posters showing Heroes and villains duking it out. Jackie’s eyes were also drawn to one thing on the wall in particular: a flag with blue, pink, and white stripes.

Schneep noticed where Jackie was looking. “Ah. Yes, Dahlia was—Dahlia is the same,” he said. “But in the other direction. She and Jameson are twins. Identical in theory, fraternal in practice, as they said.” He chuckled.

“O-oh.” Jackie laughed a little. “That’s... that’s funny to think about.”

“This isn’t as dusty as the workspace,” Chase muttered, running a hand along the top of a nearby white dresser.

“I guess JJ took care of it... for a while,” Marvin said. He picked up something from the dresser Chase had touched: a wooden clock carved to look like a rabbit. “Heh. Cute.”

“Well... let’s look around, then,” Schneep said. “Ah, I will get the drawers, Jackie, you look around the bed, Marvin you search the desk, and Chase, check the closet.”

They all mumbled agreements and split up. Jackie stopped next to the bed, looking it over. It didn’t feel right to take apart someone’s bed, much less while they were in the hospital. But it was probably fine to check underneath. He got close to the floor and peered into the dark gap. He could see boxes and folded blankets. But in front of those was... something else. Something curved, with a fluffy bit sticking out. Jackie reached in and grabbed the item, pulling it out. A hat. A black hat with a blue feather, sort of Three Musketeers style.

...No way. This... had to be part of a costume or something.

Jackie set the hat on the bed and kept feeling around in the spot where it had been. He found a stack of cloth and what felt like a pair of boots. Quickly, he pulled this all out as well and put it on the bed. He unfolded the clothes, laying them out on top of the blanket. All black and blue, Victorian-inspired clothing with a short cape and a cloth mask meant to cover the lower half of one’s face.

“No...” Jackie whispered. “No fucking way. H-holy shit, this... this... Guys?”

“What is it?” Schneep asked. Marvin and Chase also stopped their searches and looked at Jackie.

“This... Is this what I think it is?” Jackie held up the hat and gestured at the rest of the costume. The suit.

Marvin’s eyes widened. He shut the desk drawer he had open and hurried over. “That’s not—not really it, is it?” he asked, awe in his voice. “That has to be like—like a-a costume or something, maybe she was a fan, I mean, look at all these posters—”

Schneep and Chase joined them, and Schneep picked up the top part of the suit. “I... Dahlia was not the type to wear costumes casually,” he said slowly. “On Halloween, yes, but... I-I do not understand. What is this?”

Jackie laughed. “I think it’s pretty clear what it is. This is Timekeeper’s suit. The coolest superhero this side of France. It’s just—just under her bed.”

Chase reached over and grabbed the hat from Jackie’s hands. Ignoring Jackie’s offended shout, he turned it over in his hands. There was a distant look in his eyes. He raised the hat to his face, then lowered it. “It... smells like dust...” he muttered. “Like... concrete and wood. Disaster.” Tears welled in his eyes.

“Chase, are you okay?” Schneep asked.

“Huh? I-I’m fine.”

“Then... why are you crying?” Jackie asked quietly.

Chase touched his face, catching a tear as it fell. “I-I don’t know. It... it feels like... there’s something... I feel like I’m forgetting something again...”

Marvin looked over the suit. “Hey. There are... rips in the fabric.” He gestured at spots on the pants and cape. Jackie hadn’t noticed it before, but yes, the suit was a bit beat up. And as Schneep put the top back down, he looked down at his hands to see gray dust on them.

Jackie reached out and felt the suit, just as Marvin did the same. “Feels gritty.”

“Yes.” Marvin nodded. “Henrik... you said that... Dahlia was in the same incident Chase was. Where the buildings came down. Wasn’t that... one of the last fights Timekeeper was seen in? Maybe the last fight?”

Silence. Slowly, Schneep nodded, eyes going wide.

“W-well... that would explain why this looks familiar,” Chase said, holding up the hat. He reluctantly put it back down on the bed. “Maybe I saw Timekeeper that day.”

“But I-I don’t understand,” Schneep said. “Timekeeper is a—”

“A guy?” Jackie interrupted. “Yeah. Physically.” He pointed at the flag on the wall.

Marvin laughed. “What a way to hide your identity.”

“Yeah. I guess Dahlia wasn’t concerned with her super identity matching her normal one. Or at least, not as much as I am, hah.”

“B-but I don’t—” Schneep cut himself off and threw his hands in the air. “Verdammt! Why are both my cousins supers?!”

“Oh you’re one to talk, Specter,” Jackie pointed out. “What are the odds of all three of you having powers?”

“Not too low, actually,” Marvin mused. “Research shows that superpowers have a genetic factor—”

“So, we’re all in agreement, then?” Chase asked. “Dahlia is Timekeeper. And she’s also Jameson’s sister—who he didn’t tell any of us about. That’s what’s happening?”

“Yeah, I... I guess.” Jackie ran a hand through his hair. This was all... so much to process. This whole time, his superhero role model was related to one of his friends. And that friend became a supervillain. What the fuck was his life?

“Well, that probably makes this important.” Chase pointed at the closet. “I was about to tell you guys this before Jackie showed us the supersuit, but... there’s a tape in there labeled ‘play if I die.’”

That snapped Jackie back to reality. “What? A tape? Like a video tape?”

“Yeah. There’s also—uh, just come see.” Chase walked back over to the open closet, Frosty by his side. The others followed. He pushed aside some dresses and gestured at the floor.

Jackie crouched down. On the floor of the closet was an old mini TV with a built-in tape player, a heavy-looking old camera, two shoe boxes with writing on the side in permanent marker... and, on top of those shoe boxes, a black videotape. He grabbed it and stood up. “Doesn’t exactly say ‘play if I die,’” he corrected. Schneep and Marvin leaned over each of his shoulders, looking. There was white masking tape across the top of the cassette. Black marker words were squished across the surface. ‘Play if something happens to me,’ it read.

“Oh, right, but it’s the same thing, isn’t it?” Chase said.

“No, it’s really not.” Jackie turned the tape over—and saw more masking tape with words. ‘Or if something happens to me,’ these ones read. They were in different handwriting.

“That is Jameson’s writing.” Schneep tapped the ‘Or if something happens to me’ message. “The other one is Dahlia’s—though I confess I have not seen her writing as much as his.”

“Well, something certainly happened to both of them,” Marvin pointed out.

“Yes, we should watch it,” Schneep said. “Chase, is there anything else in here that would help?”

“Well I haven’t checked the shoeboxes,” Chase said. “I mean... They’re at kind of an awkward angle for me. I only read the writing on the tape cause it was facing up.”

“Right, right.” Schneep nodded. He got down to the ground and pulled the shoeboxes closer. “This one on the bottom is labeled ‘Childhood Videos’ and this one on the top is... and I am reading this directly, ‘Adult Videos (but not like that! I mean we’re grown up in them).’” He chuckled fondly.

“We can leave the childhood videos for now,” Jackie said, not wanting to pry too much into the Jacksons’ lives. “But the, uh, not-childhood videos might be useful.”

“Say what they’re called, coward,” Marvin said jokingly.

“Just cause you asked I won’t,” Jackie said, also jokingly. “Look, let’s just drag all this out. Chase can’t really sit on the floor to watch them.”

A couple minutes later, they’d taken the old TV and the box of ‘not-childhood videos’ and moved them over to the bed. They had to do some moving, taking the stuff off the bedside table and moving that over and plugging the TV in. But once it was done, all four of them were sitting on the side of the bed. It was a bit crowded. But nobody said anything. “Okay... I have rewound the tape to the start,” Schneep said, leaning forward with his hands on the TV’s buttons. “Are we ready?”

Everyone nodded silently.

“Okay.” Schneep took a deep breath, and pressed play, leaning back so the others could see.

The tape stalled for a while, showing just a blue screen, before static gave way to a close-up of a bright blue eye, framed by mascaraed lashes. “Gah! Shit.” a voice said. Then the scene shifted. The camera was now placed on a flat surface—judging by the background, it was the desk in this very room. A woman was standing in frame. The resemblance to JJ and Schneep was clear. She had the same sort of build, if maybe more feminine, and the same brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her hair was done in a curled style reaching down to her shoulder blades. She wore a white tank top with a semi-translucent purple button-up over it. She took a deep breath, then smiled at the camera. “Hi. My name is Dahlia Jackson. But you might know me by another name. I am Timekeeper.”

Jackie inhaled sharply. It was one thing to piece it together from the suit under the bed, it was another to hear it from someone’s mouth—even if it was through a recording. His eyes glanced down at the date in the corner. January 1st, three years ago. Only about a few months before Timekeeper vanished.

“Now I know what you’re thinking,” Dahlia continued on screen. “‘Whaaat? This lady is Timekeeper! But that’s not possible! Timekeeper’s a man!’ Well, you know, you shouldn’t make assumptions about people.” She laughed. “I’m uh...” Hesitation. Jackie recognized it on her face. He knew this sort of pause very well. “I make sure that everyone thinks I’m a man when out taking care of stuff. I figured, the whole point about a secret identity is that it’s secret, and what’s a better way to hide it than make people think you’re another gender?” Another laugh. “But now you’re thinking ‘what proof do you have? This recording could be edited!’ Well, no, it couldn’t be. That’s why it’s on a tape. So that everyone who watches this will know that this isn’t fake.”

Dahlia stepped up to the camera, grabbing something from behind it. A ceramic mug with a Christmas theme. “Observe,” she said. And she raised the cup over her head and dropped it.

It only fell about a foot before its fall visibly slowed, losing momentum until it stopped mid-air. Dahlia stepped to the side and waved her hand above and below the suspended mug. “See? Not edited. And no trick wires or anything. This is my power.”

“Holy shit,” Marvin whispered. Jackie glanced away from the TV for a moment to look at the others. They were all shocked, Schneep the most of all. Although, there was something else in Chase’s face. Something like... concentration. Like he was trying to... remember something.

On screen, Dahlia grabbed the mug out of midair and set it back on the desk. “I’m making this video because...” She paused, several emotions struggling on her face. “Well, I-I realized that... that if something happens to me, no one will know. If Dahlia Jackson gets in an accident or something, the public will wonder about Timekeeper. And if Timekeeper gets... hurt... in battle, my friends won’t know why Dahlia suddenly disappeared. This is for that. I’m trusting this to my—to a family member of mine.” She froze. “Maybe I shouldn’t’ve—Should I start ov—No, no, i-it’s fine. Probably.”

“She means Jameson,” Schneep whispered.

“If something happens to me as Timekeeper, he’ll play this for the people who know Dahlia,” she continued. “And if something happens to Dahlia, I’ve asked him to give it to... some authority figure. The media. Maybe the police. Not the League, please.” She laughed. Maybe that was a nervous habit of hers. “But... yeah. I’m Dahlia Jackson, and I’m Timekeeper.” She tossed the mug in the air. Its flight stopped suddenly, shortly before it reached its apex.

“People are always curious about our origins.” She kept going with the mug hanging there. “Mine is... unusual. In a way. Um... nobody knows this, not even most of my family, but my mother had superpowers. Not much, really. She could conjure these strings out of thin air. They didn’t really do anything but glow slightly, so she just used them to sew stuff up. Special stuff. Like my first dress. Or a plush animal she and Dad sent to relatives living out of country—”

Schneep inhaled sharply.

“—or like, good luck socks.” Dahlia grinned, but there was some sadness to it. “She was born with it. Said it came from her father, whose guitar was stringed with superpowers. And, ah...” She looked unsure for the first time. “I have... another close family member... with powers like Mum’s. He can make strings like her, but um... Anyway, I grew up knowing two people who could do these amazing things, but I was just not all that special. My dad wasn’t super, but he was very smart and talented. Felt kind of... strange, just being there. I wanted to do something great. But, uh, I-I didn’t get my wish the way I wanted to.”

Dahlia took a deep breath. “When I was about ten years old, some burglars broke into my family’s shop. We lived in a flat right above it, so the burglars came right upstairs. They ordered my parents to open the safe down in the shop. Mum and Dad didn’t want to, of course, so there was a bit of a scuffle. One of them threatened me and my... my brother. He tried to protect me, using—he tried to protect me, but one of them had a knife. He turned and whirled on my brother... and...” Her eyes went distant. “...the burglar tried to kill him. I-it was bad. I screamed, knowing, even as a kid, that the chance of coming back from that was rare, needing to stop it, to stop everything—and so, everything did stop. It all froze. The living room of our flat caught in a single moment of time, with just me.” She forced a smile on her face. “A-and ever since then, I’ve had some control over the flow of time.”

Behind her, the mug paused in midair suddenly fell with a loud clatter. She jumped a little, turning to look at it. “Shit,” she whispered. Then turned back. “W-well, I might have to clean something up, so I’ll hurry. Why did I decide to become Timekeeper? It’s... quite simple, really. Because it’s hard for a ten-year-old b—girl to forget the sight of a man trying to kill her brother. I never wanted anyone else to have to go through that. No other kid has to live through something so harrowing. So, as soon as I left uni, I began preparing. And not long after that, when I was sure that I could support a secret identity and a hero identity... I went out into the world.” Her eyes flashed with determination. “If I could save just one person, it would be worth it. But I wasn’t going to stop at one. I-I know it’s probably impossible for one person to save everyone from everything... but I can save a lot. And I’m going to. I promise, as long as I am Timekeeper, I will not quit.” A wan smile crossed her face. “Hopefully this tape will never be shared. But if it is, I want anyone watching to know that, okay? This is what I wanted to do. And I will have no regrets.”

Dahlia let out a long breath, then stepped up to the camera, picking it up. She fiddled with it a bit, then the scene suddenly switched—

Schneep leaned forward and paused the tape. “I-I am sorry, I—I need a minute.” There were tears in his eyes behind his glasses.

“Y-yeah, of course.” Chase nodded. “Take as much time as you need, doc.”

“Yes.” Schneep pulled his glasses off and stood up, walking out of the room’s open door and turning out of sight.

Jackie leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Oh. There were glow-in-the-dark stars above the bed. He stared at them, finding patterns in the random design. So. That was Timekeeper. That was Jameson’s sister. He understood why Jameson wouldn’t tell any of them about her. Was Jameson proud of his sister? He had to be. Jackie would be. But why hadn’t he shared the tape like Dahlia wanted? People had been wondering about Timekeeper ever since he—she—disappeared. Maybe... maybe Jameson thought she would pull through. Even after all this time. Maybe he just believed in his sister that much.

A couple minutes later, Schneep walked back in. His eyes were red. He sat down again, put his glasses back on, and asked, “So, are we ready to continue?”

“If you are,” Marvin said in an unusually gentle tone.

“Y-yes, I am.” And before they could say anything more, Schneep reached forward and pressed play again.

The date in the corner read August 23 of this year. The camera was moving so much that it was hard to tell what was happening. Until, eventually, it settled. It was placed on a wooden surface—the coffee table in the living area downstairs. The camera was pointed at the TV, filming nothing of significance. Until a hand came into view. A hand holding a phone with tape over the camera.

“JJ,” Jackie realized, recognizing his phone. “Wait, he doesn’t usually have his camera taped up, does he?”

“I do not think so,” Schneep muttered.

The phone and the camera were tilted this way and that until the camera could see what was on the phone without the light from the screen blinding it. This was a text message conversation between JJ and a number labeled Unknown. Quickly, Marvin reached over and paused the tape. “Let’s look at that,” he said, and started reading out loud.

I have another special target for you.

Is it less dangerous than the last one?

About the same. Just expect to get burned instead of frozen. He will be in the Impressionist Exhibit at the Daindover Fine Arts Museum, at 1:15 AM exactly this coming Saturday night.

Marvin stopped reading, going pale. “That’s—that’s me. Th-they’re talking about me.”

“Are you okay?” Jackie asked.

“I’m fine,” Marvin said hurriedly. He played the tape again.

Jameson’s phone disappeared from the screen for a moment. Then it reappeared with a new message on screen, sent from him. Almost immediately, the Unknown number sent a reply. Marvin paused to read aloud some more.

What if I can’t do this? This is a lot to ask.

You know what will happen if you can’t. Don’t you need her? Don’t you care about her? Or have you grown callous? After only twenty days? I thought you were a kinder man than that, Mr. Jackson.

“...no,” Schneep whispered, shocked. “This can’t be—” His fists clenched. “Keep going.”

Marvin played it again. Once more, the phone disappeared and then came into view with new messages. Pause, read out loud.

I’ll do it. But I want you to know you are a plague on this city.

I prefer to think of myself as the opposite. An Anti-Virus, if you will. Ha ha ha. But if you are concerned about a plague of puppets now, you should save that worry for later.

As soon as Marvin played the tape again, a new message appeared, making him pause it immediately.

Why is your phone camera covered?

Jackie shivered. “This person can see through JJ’s phone camera?” His tone was hushed, as if scared this mystery person could see them right now. “Keep going!”

Marvin nodded, pressing play again. Instantly, things changed. The camera view flew backwards, the screen becoming a blur of colors and then going dark, a bit of reddish light along one edge. Jameson had just thrown the camera onto the sofa. Silence followed for a while. The group of four waited with baited breath. Until, finally, they heard footsteps. The camera view shifted, brightening again. It was pointed at the ground. Jameson’s shoes came in and out of frame as he walked across the floor. The creak of a door. The floor changed from wood planks to tiles. And then the camera lifted upright again.

Jameson was in the apartment’s bathroom. The camera was pointed at the mirror, showing both it and Jameson in the reflection. He looked... scared. His eyes darted back to the door, then back to the mirror again. He picked something up off the counter and held it up. A notepad. A notepad with writing on it. Instantly, Marvin paused the video again and read what was written.

About one month ago I got a mysterious phone call. The robotic voice on the other end said it had kidnapped my sister Dahlia from the hospital where she was resting in a coma.

Play. Jameson put down the notebook, camera jostling, and turned the page. He held it up again. Pause.

When I checked with the hospital Dahlia was not there. Their records showed that she had been transferred but the doctor in charge was not notified. I sent an email to the new hospital. It never made it. I was instead emailed by this stranger again.

Play. Jameson turned the page again. Pause.

They refused to identify themselves, but sent a picture of Dahlia. There was a newspaper with that day’s date. They said they knew about my powers. And that if I wanted Dahlia to live, I would do what they said.

Play. Another page turn. Pause.

I cannot let anything happen to Dahlia. If you watched the first part of this tape, you know why. She is not just my sister. She is a hero. People need her. So I agreed. If you’re watching this, I have probably been arrested. Know it was not my idea.

Play. Another page turn. Pause.

I think this stranger is a super with technopathy. They can see me through any modern camera and monitor my activity online. But I don’t think they can access this old videotape model. So I record it here. Find them. Stop them. They have a plan and will not stop if something happens to me.

Play. One last page.

I have to continue to play along. They will get rid of me if I become reluctant. But I might break one day. I’m sorry, Dahlia. I’m sorry, my friends. I’m sorry, everyone.

With tears in his eyes, Jameson lowered the camera and the notebook. The tape abruptly stopped and the TV returned to its blank blue screen.

The four of them sat there, faces bathed in the blue light, all absolutely shocked. “Holy shit,” Chase whispered.

“I’m going to kill them,” Schneep whispered. His voice strengthened. “I am going to find that motherfucker and I am going to kill them for what they’ve done to my cousins. I am going to strangle them with my bare hands and watch the light leave their fucking eyes—”

“But how are you going to do that?” Marvin asked, looking at him. “They only contacted JJ through electronics.”

“Messages can be traced!” Schneep shouted, standing up.

“Yeah, but I don’t think they’d let that happen.” Marvin stood as well. “This super is probably whoever was remotely accessing the Puppeteer mask. The one actually doing the talking.” Marvin looked at Jackie. “The same person who edited my warning email to you. If they can do that, they can probably make sure their communications are untraceable.”

“What’s technopathy, by the way?” Chase asked.

“Oh. It means they can control technology in some way,” Marvin explained. “Either the physical machinery or the programming and stuff. Hardware or software. Sounds like this guy is software-based.”

Jackie shook his head and got to his feet. “This is it!” he said excitedly. “This is what we came here for! I-it’s the evidence that’ll prove JJ was innocent in all this! Or, more innocent, at least. If he was being blackmailed his ass is covered under the law! Not even the Super Laws, just the law. I don’t know if he can get free entirely but he’ll at least be going somewhere other than the Vault, a-and for much shorter, too!” He ejected the tape and grabbed it. “I-I gotta take this to the League—”

“Um—” Marvin coughed. “You probably shouldn’t do that. And I’m not just saying that cause I hate the League. Don’t you remember what Dahlia said?”

“Yeah, even I remember,” Chase said. “She definitely said she didn’t want JJ to take the tape to the League if she disappeared.”

“I—Okay, well, the regular police, then,” Jackie said.

“Are you sure?” Schneep asked. “This is the only tape we have. Do we want to hand it over to anyone? What if something happens to it? Is there—is there a way to copy video tapes? There must be, yes?”

Jackie frowned. “That’s a good point... But what about this mystery super? The real Puppeteer. This... Anti-Virus, they called themself that in the message. If JJ’s right and they can watch through cameras, we don’t want to leave the tape anywhere they can see it.”

“I have people I can ask about this stuff,” Marvin volunteered. “The Dismantler and her family are really good with tech.”

“Okay, you ask them, then.” Jackie looked at the TV and the shoebox of other video tapes. “What do we do with all this stuff? Should one of us take it home?”

“I dunno if there’s room for it in our place,” Chase muttered.

“I can store it somewhere,” Schneep said. “I can take the tapes now then come back for the television and camera later.”

Jackie nodded. “Okay. That works out.” He paused. “Can I at least tell the League I have evidence that JJ is innocent? Do you think I can do that?” A nervous breeze ruffled the curtains. He really, really wanted to get started on this process as soon as possible. The less time JJ spent in prison, the better.

Marvin sighed. “I don’t know, Windstorm. Use your best judgment. Do you think it’ll help? Really?”

“I...” Jackie swallowed nervously. “I have to try. For JJ. For both of them.”

“Course you do.” A smile flickered around Marvin’s face. “Well. I guess I’ll be leaving, then. Seems like we’ve found what we needed.”

“Yeah, Jackie, it’s getting late.” Chase pointed out the window. The sky was the orange of sunset. “We should get home.”

Jackie nodded. “You’re right. I-I need the Red Line to contact the League anyway, and I left that in my room.”

Schneep bent over and picked up the box of tapes. “So... we will all be leaving, then.”

“Mm-hmm.” Jackie paused. “Uh, Schneep. If you need anything... you can ask me anytime.”

Schneep locked eyes with him. “What I need most is my family home safe. But I think you are already working on that, yes?”

“...yeah,” Jackie whispered.

“Keep in contact with me. If there is any news with the tape, or the League, or the police, you call me first.”

“Don’t give too much away in texts or phone calls,” Marvin said. “I don’t... I don’t think they’re secure.”

Once upon a time, Jackie would’ve called him paranoid. But now he nodded, thinking about this other super who’d watched and controlled JJ for so long. Anti-Virus. That’s what they’d call them. “We’ll talk about big stuff in person.”

“Well... great, then.” Chase, with Frosty’s help, stood up. “Let’s get out of here. It feels... wrong to be in this room. Maybe even in this building.”

Jackie had to agree. Somehow, it felt disrespectful.

The group quickly dispersed, going their separate ways. Jackie remained quiet on the train ride home. His head was still spinning with everything that happened. The videotape was in his hoodie pocket, a square shape against the fabric. He kept one hand on it at all times. This was the key. The Jacksons wanted their story known. Some way or another, he would make sure it was shared.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #jackieboy man #chase brody #dr schneeplestein #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #antisepticeye #brigid writes fanfiction #septicheroesau

15 notes · View notes

grabyoursaintsandpray · 7 months

Text

Crack fic - Too many beds

This isn't the strangest thing I've ever written but it's definitely up there.

The blame for this is because of a ruined trope prompt of 'Too many beds' and being egged on by @bluemoonperegrine who suggested what if they were trapped in a haunted IKEA, it made me laugh and while not haunted I absolutely ran with the IKEA prompt.

This was entirely written on the notes in my phone (which has no spell check) while in the back of someone's car over the course of an hour because I couldn't shake the idea. So excuse any typos or grammar.

Read on for an accurate layout of IKEA (I feel like I lived in there a few years ago when I moved house, this brought back bad memories honestly)

Did I mention crack fic? 1600 words of crack. This isn't making it onto AO3 😅

🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️

It seemed easy and that should have been the first clue really she thought. Her and Jack had been chasing a witch and they had tailed them to IKEA of all places.

It was closed for the night but the witch had unlocked the doors and turned the lights on so they followed her in.

"Why would she come here?" Elsa questioned to herself but she saw Jack shrug beside her.

She'd definitely chased bad guys through scarier places than this, it would be a walk in the park and maybe she'd get some ideas for her bedroom while she was at it.

They prowled through the living room layouts but the witch was nowhere to be seen.

Strange she thought to herself as she crouched to look underneath a fake mahogany table just in case.

"Elsa!" Jack called excitedly and she turned to see him holding up a purple throw pillow "This would really set off the colour of the walls"

She blinked blankly at him, had he been reading housekeeping magazines without her noticing?

She checked under more tables and behind sofa's to no avail all the while Jack kept up a constant stream of chatter about things he liked.

"This rug would look great in the hall" He called as she angrily slammed a drawer shut in frustration.

Nothing in the workspace area, though there was a desk she thought she might come back for at a later date and Jack helpfully span around on a multitude of computer chairs.

By the time they'd made it into the kitchen setups she'd kind of forgotten why they were even here. That was soon brought to the forefront of her mind as she narrowly avoided a chopping board to the head.

"Shit!" She yelled as she ducked just in time, the wooden board slamming into a row of taps behind her.

"You'll never take me alive!" The witch screamed popping up from behind a marble counter, cutlery floating around her head.

Jack was busy opening and closing a cabinet door so didn't spot the danger, she grabbed his arm and yanked him to safety just as knives and forks clattered around them.

There was one last smash of glass before Elsa deemed it safe to stand back up, Jack was looking forlornly at the shards on the floor and didn't join her.

"I really liked that caffetier" he told her dejected before he too stood.

The witch was standing in the arch leading to the next area cackling wildly "I'm more powerful than you can even imagine" she pointed at them menacingly then fled.

Weird but what about this wasn't honestly.

Elsa made to follow with Jack trailing behind when she heard rattling and then a horrid scraping sound. Almost in slow motion she turned in time to see a kitchen drawer squealing along the linoleum towards them.

"What the" but she didn't get time to finish her sentence as it leaped towards her head like a cat.

She yelped in surprise as she weaved and it clattered to the ground in front before scuffing it's way in a circle almost like it had turned to look at her, before it moved with shocking speed towards her ankles.

"Jack little help?" she asked wondering if he could see what was happening while she kicked the sentient wood away from her.

"Busy!" He called back and she glanced at him to see he was holding a toaster at arms length while the power cord attempted to wrap around his neck like a python. Alright then, he really was busy.

In her distraction the drawer had gotten closer and she felt it ram into her kneecap "Son of a bitch!" Right that was it, now she was pissed.

With a shout of fury, she jumped landing inside the drawer and causing the flimsy chipboard to crack beneath her weight. Wasting no time she began stomping the stupid thing to death, until it was just chunks of material and dust.

She heard Jack yell in pain and had no time to revel in besting kitchen furniture as she ran over to help him. She swiped a thankfully inanimate frying pan from a display and like a cricketer going up to bat, took an almighty swing and sent the toaster flying across the room.

"Thanks" Jack croaked, rubbing at his reddened neck.

She nodded before sprinting to the next room, dreading what new horror awaited her.

She let out a sigh of relief as she realised they'd made it to the bedroom section, beds were far less scary than knives.

The witch was easy to spot on account of her still cackling manically but on seeing them she waved her arms around and Elsa heard more ominous banging and scraping.

"Oh give me a break" she grumbled as the witch darted away and her path was blocked by an angry bunk bed. Elsa had no idea how she knew it was angry, it was more of a feeling.

It moved with a grace that belied it's sheer size and she was struck with the realisation that this hitting them would hurt a hell of a lot more than a toaster.

She made a mad dash towards it and climbed onto the bottom bunk, trying to scramble through the gap and to the other side. She hadn't thought about sentient mattresses but soon did as she felt it moving below her, the side tilting up to stop her escape.

She managed to get through even as she felt it enclose around her ankle but with a swift tug she pulled it free landing onto the floor with a thump.

She sprang to her feet, looking around wildly for Jack.

"Up here" he called to her and she found him holding to the top of a sturdy oak wardrobe for dear life, two single beds banging into either side.

There wasn't much time to stare as she felt something collide with the back of her knees causing her to fall backwards onto something soft. Silk sheets soon started to try and mummify her body as the mattress undulated beneath her.

She tipped herself forward, taking joy in ripping the silk that gripped her. She'd never understood the urge to use it, it was so slippery to try and sleep on.

It was a short-lived victory as she eyed more beds and loose mattresses getting closer. Outrunning the one on her heels she quickly scrambled up to join Jack using a doorknob as a foothold, thankful that this bit of furniture wasn't currently alive.

She watched heart sinking as more and more beds came from all around the room, circling their lone wardrobe like a pack of wolves. The ones closest banging into it and causing it to rock, it would tip over sooner rather than later and she dreaded to think what would happen when it did.

"There's too many beds!" Jack yelled voice tinged with terror.

He was right, she knew it but she couldn't face this being their last stand. Maybe she could buy him some time so at least one of them could make it out of here alive.

"Jack you have to run, I'll distract them"

"What? No, we go together or not at all" he told her shaking his head in denial.

"We'll never make it, this way you have a chance" When he looked about to object again, she shoved him backwards with a palm on his chest "Go Jack!" She told him firmly as she leapt down from the wardrobe they were clinging to before he could change her mind.

A queen size bed was there to catch her fall and the others quickly gathered around her like hungry lions.

She watched as the corners of the fitted sheet started to curl in towards her and Jack looked down at her sadly before she saw him leap to freedom behind the distracted beds "I love you" she muttered while tears tracked down her face.

As the mattress folded over like a clam trapping her within its depths, she screamed and flailed her arms in sheer fright.

Suddenly she was awake, in the dark and on her back looking at the bed that she had just flung herself out of. Her throat hurt so she must have been screaming in her sleep.

"Elsa?" Jack queried sleepily before his head appeared over her side of the mattress "Are you okay? Why are you on the floor?"

She stood up and god her arse ached so she'd most likely landed funny and no doubt it would be bruised in the morning, there was something to look forward to.

"I'm fine, just a bad dream" She told him before sliding back into bed, his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I'll keep hold so you don't fall out again" He mumbled already starting to fall back to sleep. She smiled a tiny heartfelt grin, he was such a sap.

As she settled down heart slowing back to normal, her dream came back to her in flashes. A strange consequence of spending so many weekends furniture shopping in between monster hunting as they redecorated the manor together.

"Jack?" She began softly and he hmmed quietly "I don't think we should buy any more furniture from IKEA"

"M'okay" He agreed easily and she knew she'd have more of a fight on her hands tomorrow when she'd have to explain further because for some reason Jack loved the place, her dream self hadn't imagined his enthusiasm but for now it was enough to put her mind at ease.

She still eyed the mattress with a touch of suspicion before sleep claimed her once more.

#werewolf by night #werewolf by night fanfiction #fanfic #tropes #crack fic #writing #jack x elsa #elsa x jack

10 notes · View notes

m0ssybricks · 1 year

Text

Proposal and Promises

Word Count: 1838

Life could not have become better for Corey Cunnigham. He had finally left the town that caused him so much suffering. Your relationship has been incredibly healing to him and yourself.

The two of you have been a couple for over three years by now and both of you are so happy together. Growing together, exploring each other emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Being able to show each other the love you both deserve. Showering with all sorts of affection. Everyday you both grew closer together.

Lately Corey has been acting somewhat jittery, not completely anxious or excited but more in an anticipatory manner. You chalked it up to problems at work and took a mental note to talk to him about it.

During your lunch break at work your usual scrolling through your phone while eating lunch (today was a strawberry salad and a chocolate milk you stole from Corey) was interrupted by the notification of Corey texting you

sweet boy <3 : Hi love, are you having a good day? Did Jessi steal your lunch again ? I wanted to ask if we could go out tonight to this nice restaurant I've been wanting to try out. It recently opened and looks good.

sweet boy <3 : We could give it a try. I looked at the menu and everything looked good. I'm thinking we could walk around the city after.

You smiled at the sweet message your boy sent you

Me: absolutely that sounds wonderful love. I get out around 4 so schedule reservations about 6 ?

sweet boy <3 : Sounds perfect love, i miss you

Me: Miss you too baby see you tonight

The day seemed to move at a snail's pace as you kept anxiously looking at the clock waiting until you finished your shift so you could just go home and be with your sweet boyfriend. As soon as the wooden electronic clock on your desk flashed 4:00 p.m. you bolted out, nearly knocking a Dollar Tree pen cup over. Swiftly grabbing the black coat from your door hook and locking your office door.

“Why are you in such a rush today? '' Your coworker Jessie asked, her voice was rich with suspicion and humor.

“Going out with Corey at 6!” You called out.

Driving through Chicago's rush hour traffic has never been easy but today it seemed crappier. Despite staying in a stalemate for over half an hour the traffic wouldn't even budge so the first

place for half an hour. 4:56 . Checking the time won't make it go faster. You kept reminding yourself. The second traffic started moving, you exited and took the streets praying for a lack of red lights. The universe worked in your favor and you made it to yours and Corey’s shared apartment. The soft glow of the string light on your balcony shone bright as the sun came down and the sky turned into an orange hue.

Rapidly you climbed up the iron stairs to enter the apartment via the balcony because you needed a quicker way in aka avoiding conversations with neighbors. Finally, after making it up three flights of stairs, you unlock the sliding glass door, careful not to knock over the several plants and Corey’s red bicycle.

When you got inside Corey was in the kitchen, his work clothes still on

“Hey” he said pressing a kiss on your cheek

“Hi hon”

“I just got here a second ago traffic is horrible”

“I know right! I had to take the streets which weren't too bad but the freeway was horrendous!”

“Okay I've got to shower, I smell awful, we were out on a construction site all day” Smiling at Corey's comment you were overwhelmed with a sense of pride in your boyfriend. He had finally become a civil engineer and was in a job he loved.

“Alright baby go do that I'm showering too I smell awful”

He planted a small, chaste kiss on your head and went into one bathroom while you went into the other

While Corey and you were showering the both of you kept anticipating the evening and what you would wear. Corey knew that he would be loved even if he was wearing a potato sack but he wanted to look extra nice today. He felt very indecisive on what to wear- a problem he normally did not face but tonight felt stressed in doing so.

“Hey” a voice interrupted his thoughts. His sweet partner

“Do you need help picking something out?”

Their voice was so soft and caring Corey felt tears almost well into his eyes.

“Uhm yeah I actually do.”

“How about your brown coat, white button up, black slacks, and the navy tie.

He nodded and swallowed thickly. His lover pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I'm going to get dressed okay?” You said

A few minutes passed and you both trotted to the living room revealing your outfits to each other.

“Shit you look beautiful…” Corey mustered out looking very flustered. Some things never change. He was flustered when he first met you and you will always make him soft.

“You look perfect.” That's all you could get out. He looked handsome, radiant, beautiful. Perfect.

Corey broke the silence. “Hey we should get going, we don't want to be late.”

Huffing out a laugh you replied “Yeah lets get going baby.” The entire car trip Corey had one hand on your left thigh, your hand over his. By the time the two of you arrived it was 6:03 and were immediately seated. The restaurant was beautiful, it looked like it came straight out of a European resort. The walls were beige and had a gold trim, the floor was checkered pattern, and the tables had ivory table cloths and maroon chairs. For the rest of the time at the restaurant the both of you talked about the smallest things, Mr. Logan's new cats making a home on your balcony, old memories, shared funny stories from your day, caught up on work disscusions, the sci fi movie you watched last night, and an upcoming vacation to Canada. The entire time Corey was smiling bigger than he had before. Whenever he smiled his hazel eyes would crinkle.

“Alright that was one of the greatest meals I have ever had” Corey told you as he finished up his food.

“Absolutely we have to go again, everything about this night is so perfect.”

At that comment Corey sweetly and nervously smiled and fiddled with the ring box in his pocket. The two of you have had several discussions about spending your lives together, how you two would work out together, your values and beliefs, what your experiences with families are, etc. But Corey is quite timid and passive and you never thought that you two would actually get married.

The waiter came to place the bill at your table as soon as she placed it down, in typical Corey fashion he rapidly pulled out his wallet.

“Hey I’ll pay! You invited me out!”

“Of course I did you are the best partner, now let me pay so we could get out and walk around before it gets too late”

“Core that's so sweet but-”

Your speech was interpreted by Corey handing his card to the waitress and tossing you a little mint that came with the check. He gave you a toothy grin opening his mouth which revealed the small, green candy.

“I'm covering tips.”

“Okay that will be our deal from now. I pay you cover tip”

“Deal”

As the two of you were packing up you couldn't help but notice Coreys fingers jittering -something he does when he is nervous but you were confused as to why that is.

“Now come on, let's go.”

Chicago nights were beautiful. The city lights and moonlight reflected upon the Chicago River and the night life was somewhat minimal. A street musician playing jazz could be heard in the distance. The two of you lovers walked hand in hand chit chatting softly about how nice the night was and how much you both love each other. All of a sudden Corey stopped walking, letting go of your hand.

“What's the matter babe?”

“ I want to tell you something.” Corey replied, anxiety wavered his voice. He grabbed your hands, you felt his slightly calloused palms rub against your own. You saw tears well up in his eyes

“I have never, ever been happier with a person and in life than right now and every moment I am with you. You saved me. I never thought I would be alive today but when you came into my life I made the choice to live. I felt like a monster, an outcast ever since the accident. I got used to the feeling of being unloved until you came into my life.”

At this point tears were freely falling down his face.

“Honey, you are so incredibly beautiful. I remember our first meeting at the gas station. How you helped defend me, comfort me at the clinic and it wasn't a one time thing. You have always been so caring with me and everyone you encounter. You have a zest for life and are beautiful inside and out. We have grown so much together in all ways: emotionally, intellectually, and socially. I never envisioned leaving that town and going to college, becoming an engineer, making an apartment our home, loving someone, and being at peace. I feel so happy and safe with you and all I want to do is to make sure you feel the same way. I wanna live my life with you. Kiss you, sit on the balcony watching the sunset, read comics, share chocolate milk, vacation with you, cuddle and watch movies every Friday. These past three years have been the highlight of my life.” His voice wavered from the tears.

“Angel, I always tell you are that you are the best person everyday and the reason for that is because you are my person.”

By now you were crying, allowing the tears to fall freely since both hands were holding your boyfriends’.

Corey got down on one knee, pulling a ring box out which revealed a gold band with a small diamond. Your heart just about exploded out of excitement and admiration.

“Would you marry me?” Corey asked, passion dripping from his voice. The world fell quiet.

“Yes” you answered quietly, still in shock.

“Yes?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes” nodding rapidly

Corey placed the ring on your finger and bolted up to hug you. Tears spilled on each other's jackets-but nobody cared, you two were going to spend the rest of your lives together and that is the only thing that mattered at that moment.

Later that night when you two were in bed, legs and arms tangled. Corey was running his fingers on the small of you back. He looked at you, his hazel eyes illuminated by the blurred glow of the string lights hung on your window, filled with love.

“Thank you.” Those two words came out as a breathy whisper.

“For what?”

“For being you, for accepting my proposal, for everything. You are the most beautiful, intelligent, kindest person I have ever met and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with you.”

#corey cunningham #corey cunningham x you #halloween ends #corey cunningham x reader #fic request #i wrote this half asleep #this is so fluffy #I’ve never been proposed to so I hope it’s accurate #I’m pining lol #i loved making this

52 notes · View notes

iridescent-petrichor · 11 months

Text

i love you, i mean it, chapter nine

Pairing: Peter Maximoff x Stark!Reader

Warnings: none

Words: 900

A/N: i've finished it! i wanted to post the last two chapters at the same time so u wouldn't have to wait for what is essentially an epilogue, but i hope u enjoy !!

Previous Chapter

A couple of months had passed since Peter made the decision to stay, and the two of you found comfort in your routines. He joined you to visit your family, watching you slowly open back up to Pepper, and spend more time around Morgan.

Today, Peter had been alone all day, lounging around while you went out grocery shopping. He offered to join you, but you insisted on going alone to avoid dealing with his sticky fingers.

A knock at the door surprised Peter, and he frowned, checking the time while he walked towards the front door. He knew you weren’t home yet, and you would’ve let him know if Happy or Rhodey were gonna drop by.

When he opened the door, he froze.

Before him stood the X-Men, with Professor X at the head of the group. He looked over the team, seeing Scott, Jean, Hank, and Ororo standing behind Charles.

“Oh.” He muttered, opening the door wider to let them in. “Uh, hi?”

Peter ushered them inside, sitting in the living room on the couch opposite them, unsure of what to say or do. He’d never considered the possibility of his friends finding him.

Scott was the first to speak up.

“So, how did you manage to stay at this place? Last I checked you haven’t paid for a damn thing in your life.” He looked around, visibly impressed by the apartment.

“Oh, you know…” Peter shrugs, giving them an awkward smile.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter.” Hank cuts in. “You can come home now, we spent forever figuring out a way to travel between dimensions. It’s a one-way trip, and we’re kinda on a time limit, so we gotta get going.”

Everyone turns to Peter, looking at him expectantly. He stands slowly, the dread building in his chest nearly becoming unbearable.

“What’s wrong?” Ororo asked, her brows furrowing while Jean and Charles exchanged a look.

“I’m… good, actually.” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked at them.

“Peter, we’re gonna bring you home…” Hank said, confused.

“Yeah, I kinda prefer it here, actually,” Peter muttered, shrugging. He glanced at the clock again, knowing you’re gonna be home any minute.

Charles, who had been silent the entire time, didn’t take his eyes off Jean. He gave her a long look as if the two were having a silent conversation.

“So, wait, why aren’t you coming back?” Scott’s tone was incredulous, earning him a light slap on the shoulder from Jean.

“I, uh, kinda found a good thing here. Something I don’t plan on letting go anytime soon.”

Scott rolls his eyes, though it wasn’t visible with the glasses he had on. “Oh please, what could possibly be keeping you from going home?”

As if on cue, everyone hears the unlocking and opening of the front door. Immediately, Peter straightens, and the X-Men were quick to notice how fast his attention was captured by the noise. Scott opens his mouth to make a smartass comment before a voice rings out into the apartment.

“Hey, Pete!” You call out, struggling to hold all the grocery bags in your hands as you make your way further into the room, kicking the door shut behind you. “The store was out of Twinkies, so we might have to run out to the store across town later if we get low-”

By the time you round the corner, you freeze. Five strangers stared back at you with an expression that surely matched your own.

“Of course it was for a girl,” Scott said under his breath, making you frown.

“Hey!” Peter finally snaps out of his daze, speeding over to you to take the bags from your hands, having the groceries put away before you could blink.

You don’t react to his speed, still staring at the people crowded in your living room.

Peter walked up beside you, gesturing to the group.

“These are… The X-Men. My old team.”

It’s only then that you turn away from the group, giving Peter a confused look. Quickly, he points out who’s who, and you can finally put names to faces.

“It’s lovely to meet you.” One of them, Charles, says. “But we should get going if we want to make it back to our own dimension. I’m sure you’re already aware we’re not from here.”

You frown at him, then your eyes widen, a flash of fear making its way onto your face as you look at Peter. There’s a moment where you’re sure he would leave with them.

And yet, he looks at you with a calm smile, and your fears dissolved instantly.

Without looking away from you, Peter spoke again. “Hey, Hank?”

Hank turned, the X-Men already on their way to the exit, and looked to Peter expectantly.

“Let me know if you ever figure out a way to hop between dimensions. I might consider visiting then.”

Hank grins, nodding before going back to the group.

You stand, still shocked while Peter speeds after them, wishing them a quick goodbye and hugging each of them before shutting the door behind them. The second the door shuts, he’s standing in front of you again, a gust of wind left in his wake.

“They seemed nice.” You say quietly, reaching forward and fiddling with his fingers absentmindedly.

He nods, looking at you with a soft smile. “Yeah, they’re alright I guess.”

Peter leans forward, pressing a kiss to your cheek with a grin.

“They don’t quite compare to my girl, though.”

#peter maximoff x reader #peter maximoff imagine #quicksilver imagine #quicksilver x reader

12 notes · View notes

thewattpadsmutwriter · 2 years

Text

Full Story is on Wattpad, link at the end. Here is the first chapter for a little sneak peak 👀👀👀 this is a spicy human x werewolf erotic novel.

1:00 AM read the clock on my supervisors desk. I shouldn't stay at work this late, but if needed I can just crash in the breakroom. Only two more Cadavers are left to be processed for the week and not even god himself was gonna get in-between me and my weekend. I picked up the freshly printed forms and walked over to the examination room, turning on lights as I went. I would be lying if I said that I didn't walk at a quicker pace once midnight passed in the dungeon known as my workplace. Fiction or not, I'm not risking a corpse popping up and trying to bite my ankles in the darkness.

"Alright Mrs..." I quickly checked for her name. "Coalmen. I'm gonna try and fix you up as best as possible this evening." Her slashed open chest cavity matched that of the other victims I was in charge of this week. I would curse the State Trooper's Pathologist if she didn't end up in the same position as her cadavers. Apparently when you live on the park grounds you're "more venerable," to animals sneaking into your home and having a midnight snack. An animal so hungry in fact they didn't actually find her body, just blood. Working for the only Coroner in town gives you no other option but to take over the examinations.

"Well Mrs. Coleman, these slashes are a bit big for a mountain lion. Maybe a bear? Most bears don't leave so much behind, so maybe he was just an asshole? Not much fur is on you, but then again they would be growing a winter coat of fur, not shedding..." I pulled up the State's coroner's report and it seemed that all the other bodies were void of fur. No slashes to the face, legs, or back. Just a ripped open chest and small defensive wounds. In this line of work you see a lot of death, but if I had to pick one way to go, this would be at the bottom of the list. All victims, most likely including this one, sustained their injuries pre-mortem.

"No matter how much I'd like to figure out why Yogi became a serial killer, that's not my job. Lets get you cleaned up-" a crash of metal echoed from down the hall. My entire body turned as cold as the corpse next to me. Of course the area it came from was the one I had been avoiding all night. Cold Storage. This also meant all the lights were still turned off from the day. Maybe it's just some pans falling over? I can clean that up in the morning. Let's just get this cadaver ready.

"You'll protect me right Mrs. Coalmen?" I had never hoped so much that a ghost was watching over me. My shaky hands reached for the rib shears, but I was stalled by an unmistakable noise. One of the storage doors unlocked. I could feel that my heart and my asshole had traded places. Looking for a weapon I grabbed a scalpel and pointed the over head light down the dark hallway to my left. Ain't no way in hell I'm letting some Wayne-Gacy-creeper cuddle with the corpses.

"Whoever is there I've already called the cops and have a gun!" Both lies but if I was a criminal I wouldn't take this as my chance to call someone's bluff. The Storage room stayed silent. "Show yourself before I come in there and find you!" Truth of the matter is, if the intruder didn't show themselves I was ready to book it the fuck out of there. Silence again. I took three steps back, not letting my eyes unglue from the abyss. Then three clacking steps walked forward. Heels? A woman? Although now curious, I was still three seconds away from crying. "C-come on! Show yourself!"

The clacking steps went from a gently walk to a prance to a run. My soul left my body but my legs didn't let me down. I booked it out of the exam room and ran up the basement steps. If I could just get the door locked I would at least be safe enough to call the policy, but half way up my leg was trapped in a searing pain. My hip slammed against the stairs as I screamed bloody murder. If I was going down someone was gonna hear me. Grabbing the scalpel I sliced at whatever was gripping my leg. The cut landed and I finally realized it wasn't a body-building supermodel, but a bear sized wolf. I thought I was afraid before. I screamed so loud my ears rang and slashed again.

"Fire! Fire!" If anybody could hear me maybe they will shoot this thing dead. If it could die. The wolf dropped my leg and avoided the slash. "Get the fuck away from me!" The only thing I remember about wilderness survival was that animals are more afraid of you than you are of it. I started making my frame larger and yelling at it.

"Ah! Ahhh! Get out! Fire!" I kept yelling and slashing at the 8 foot long animal as I desperately tried to hobble up the steps. My leg wasn't exactly gushing blood but it hurt too much to use. Finally getting a good look at the midnight visitor I noticed something that would sear into my brain for the rest of eternity.

Instead of black round it's iris, it was white...

#werewolves #human x werewolf #werewolf smut #smut #smut and fluff #teen wolf #tvd fanfiction

58 notes · View notes

alexandrite-dragoness · 1 year

Text

P3 Gekkoukan!Strega AU: Preventing One's Doom (Part 1 of 2)

Taking place in 2005 in my timeline! (So Takaya is 15, Jin's 13 and Chidori's 11 in this one, more-or-less)

I've been on and off writing this one regarding how Jin would awaken to Moros in my AU :V tho for this one it's gonna be a 'before' sequence, while part 2 (which I haven't written yet) will be an 'after' event, cuz I kindaaaa don't really have a thorough idea how things would turn out, unlike how I had things planned with Takaya's awakening arc. But at the same time?? I think this would explain itself rather well. I'm just glad I'm getting some of this done, honestly. After that I'll get around to working on Chidori's, which would be more thorough than this one for sure.

Fandom: Persona 3 | Characters: Jin, Chidori, Takaya, Ikutsuki | Word Count: 3,658 | Relationships: Jin-Chidori (brother-sister), Jin-Takaya (brothers; brief)

It's late at night, and Ikutsuki is trying to get home as soon as possible as he drives down the road to his house. It's dark out, and as much as he wants to race home and get some sleep, he'd rather be careful at this time of night. He always gets home before the Dark Hour would arise, otherwise he would be stuck in the middle of the road and in potential danger, leaving his children at home worried sick. That's the last thing he would want to be in, situation-wise. With the children at home safe from any potential danger themselves, at least he knows they'll be just fine in case anything happens during that time. Regardless, he always tries whatever possible to get home at a reasonable time after pulling overtime like this.

He finally makes it to his parking garage, turning off the car and getting out to head inside. He's tired, and yet he wastes no time walking to the door and unlocking it before getting inside the house. He hopes to finally relax, get himself some shut eye, but first— check on his sons and daughter to see how they're doing. Of course, he may not want to disturb them if they're already in bed. As they should be.

Today happens to be one of those days that they aren't, however. By the time he comes into the house and ruffles his coat, he can see the kitchen lights are on. Curious, he slowly walks over to see who's occupying the space, hearing two different voices coming from the area.

“C'mon Jin, hurry up already…!” A teenager with an almost-deep voice rushes the younger one as they're trying to get something in the kitchen. His hair is only shoulder-length and yet very messy, like he hasn’t brushed it in days.

“I'm trying, I'm trying!” The younger teen exclaims with a more pitchy voice, showing to be in the midst of puberty as is. His hair displays a side fringe type of style, with somewhat unkempt bangs that are brow-skimming above his eyes. “Ugh, dammit I can't reach it.”

“That's because you're too short. Here, just move out of the way!” He retorts with a tease, angering the younger brother.

“No, you!”

“Just move it already!”

“Stop it!”

The two bicker with hushed voices like if trying not to disturb anyone nearby, unaware that their father came home already. Ikutsuki then manages to peek around the corner to see the commotion going on. He then spots his two sons, one trying to push and climb up on the other, reaching high up with a chair as their stool to get whatever they're looking for in the cabinets. While he gasps at the potential danger they're putting themselves in, he also can't help but be incredibly upset just knowing how late it is. They should be tucked in bed while getting their sleep for school tomorrow. But instead, they're causing mischief as if their father would have no idea.

Ikutsuki however decided to break his silence. “And just what you think you two are doing!?”

The sudden question spooked the two kids as the one on top almost lost his balance. If they were anymore careless he would've landed on the kitchen floor by now. Jin just cursed under his breath. “Shit, you scared us…!”

“Oh, hey pops…!” Takaya awkwardly greeted their father with a forced smile. It quickly fades away, however, given Ikutsuki doesn't look so pleased in return. “I swear, this is not what it looks like.”

The Chairman then slowly crosses his arms in doubt, with a raised brow and a scowl. “Oh sure it isn't. Then what exactly does it look like? Hm? You know it's way past your bedtime.”

While the boys try to explain themselves, the father then taps his foot hoping this better be good. Just what were they up to, exactly? Looking for snacks? In the medicine cabinet? Surely they're smarter than that.

“Look, you see father—!” Takaya starts before being cut off by Ikutsuki at the same time.

“Now I don't want any excuses!” The man shook his head before snapping his fingers and pointing towards the staircase. He's really tired right now, and doesn't want to deal with this at the moment. “C'mon, get down from there! We'll discuss this in the morning.”

“But pops—!”

“And no ‘buts’ about it.”

It's back and forth between Takaya and Ikutsuki as it can turn into an argument. Before things can heat up within the conversation, or until they leave the kitchen, Jin comes in to break off that communication to get their real reason in.

“But Chidori’s sick!”

“... Sick?” Ikutsuki surely didn't expect to hear that.

It's hard to tell whether or not he should believe him, given the first thing he sees coming home is them shuffling through the cabinets in search of something. But, he's all ears…

Jin nods, giving his honesty. “She hasn't been feeling too well lately, so we were trying to find some medicine for her. You know the brand of the one we used?”

“I uh…” Ikutsuki ponders on that for a moment. “I think it was something like 'Pine Eve'… but I don't think we have any more. But: There should be some winter radishes in the fridge! We can use that to make our own cold medicine.”

He smiles and therefore opens the fridge to look for it. “Surely I made it for you kids before! Just that with a bit of honey and… oh no...”

Unfortunately he can't find them anywhere, as they were most likely already used up for their meals not too long ago. That or it got spoiled, and therefore thrown out.

He closes the fridge door in disappointment and sighs. He only glances down at his watch to check the time. It's almost a quarter before midnight, which leaves him very little chance to go anywhere far to pick up some meds for his daughter. “Well, shucks. Why didn't you call me about this on my way home? How long did you know about this?”

“Just a couple hours ago, and I tried calling you then!” Jin answered through a sigh as if annoyed. “You just never picked up.”

Their father then checks his flip phone, seeing a short list of missed calls from his son as explained. Even a voicemail. He didn’t recall it going off at all, which is unfortunate. He sighs even louder. “Oh dear. H-How bad is it? Surely if we wait til morning she may get better.”

Jin didn't answer right away, like he's afraid to. He crossed his arms with a sign of concern. “Her temperature was forty degrees celsius last I checked. It's… kind of bad, the first time I checked it was only a little less. I just don't know what to do…”

Ikutsuki takes a sharp breath before making a small sigh in distress. He assumes the worst, as he wouldn't want to risk any of his children if they have a fever that high. The first thing he thought of is taking her to the emergency— but at that point the Dark Hour will emerge, and there'd be no one to help them by then. His next best move would be the most convenient option possible, as he then adjusts his jacket that he hasn't bothered taking off yet. Shortly afterwards he then glances at the clock. “My apologies children, but right now I need to head to the market while I still can. If we don't get anything for her now I'm not sure how much she'll manage during the… y-you know. Uh, anything else we need to get while I'm there?”

He shows this sign of weariness the others are familiar with, or what the children like to call it, 'papa-panic' mode. Of course his reactions are definitely reasonable when it comes to having a sick child in bed that needs to get better, and soon! He doesn't want to risk waiting it out if it means Chidori could be getting worse. He was about to grab his keys he left on the counter when one of his sons called out to his question.

“Oh oh, can I come with you?” Takaya asks eagerly while waving his hand up for attention, like if they are going on a trip together. Jin gives an unamusing reaction to it.

“Takaya, this is serious! I'm not going out to dilly-dally while the Dark Hour is just around the corner.” While Ikutsuki gives his share of an unamusing expression at his careless son, he can’t help but see the excitement in Takaya as he pleads to tag along. Sometimes, he just has a hard time saying no, especially now. “You can come along— but as long as we don't waste any time.”

“Yes!” Regardless of Ikutsuki’s warning, the young Takaya cheered anyway and went upstairs to grab an article of clothing or two to wear. Meanwhile Jin goes to pout since obviously that means he is left alone with his sick sister, while he believes he is better fit to go with their father and make sure they get everything they need in a relative time. He has nothing against staying at home, of course, he just knows how Takaya can be when it comes to wasting time doing duties when necessary. They're on a time-sensitive mission now.

Even the father sees the frustration on Jin’s face, which he finds rather amusing. “Don’t worry Jin. We’ll be back in a moment before you know it. Meanwhile you can keep me up to date on how Chidori is doing…”

Meanwhile Ikutsuki waits for Takaya to come back downstairs and fix up his jacket while heading out the door, turning around slightly to ask his eldest son with a quiet tone. “Do you have your evoker on you, just in case?”

“Well yeah, of course.” As relative the question can be, Takaya just rolls his eyes before smirking and following his lead out the door.

They exchange a few more words between them before the door is entirely shut, the father locking the door before getting to the car. Jin happens to be standing next to the unoccupied furniture before he walks over and sits down. He rubs his eyes and then his head in frustration, still feeling a bit bitter about earlier. It’s quiet in the room, as to be expected. The clock on the wall quietly ticks at every second that passes. The outside world through the windows is still pitch black, the white crescent moon shining modestly in the starry sky. Jin knows they’ll be back soon. From what he can tell they’re just heading down to the gas station that’s a ten minute walk from where they live.

Even knowing that, they’re rather short on time, making their short journey a last-minute mission. Knowing that on top of Takaya’s carefree nature and making things take longer than it needs to be, that puts another layer of nervousness on Jin. “Dammit Takaya. Why did you feel the need to tag along…?”

“Papa…?”

Jin heard a familiar voice and therefore stood up from the couch to look up at the staircase behind him. The young girl took a few mere steps down to see if their father was here, wanting to personally welcome him home knowing how late it is. She must’ve heard him from her bedroom when he got home, but unfortunately she just missed him by a hair, and she hasn’t gotten much sleep lately. Between her words the eleven-year-old makes a cough to her fist, which comes up short yet rough through her throat. Her cheeks are flushed red, and she has been feeling and odd sort of chills lately. Jin only hesitantly takes a step back just to make sure she doesn’t cough his way.

“Chidori!” Jin makes a hushed voice, despite having no reason to do so other than mere politeness. “What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting!”

The girl makes another cough. “But I heard papa. Where is he? Did he come home yet?”

It only took him a moment to notice why she’s been seeking anyone as of now. She’s probably having a hard time being alone while Ikutsuki is away. If he were to be annoyed by this he would wonder why she can’t stay where she’s at and be fine without their dad around. However, being her brother for about five years now; he can’t honestly blame her. She can feel vulnerable when feeling under the weather like this, and this is where he usually steps in.

“They’re out to get some medicine for ya. Here— just lie down.” He pats on the arm of the couch for her to sit in so she can rest while having Jin nearby. She does so without question, as she drags a rather small blanket behind her and uses that to cover herself up. While she is perfectly fine with it, Jin however knows she’ll need more than that if she wants to stay warm. He goes to get a heavy blanket that was in the closet nearby and brings it over to her, throwing it on top of her in one swoop.

Chidori only grumbles under the blanket in annoyance. “Ugh! Jin— why are you giving me this?”

He continues to tuck her in with the blanket regardless, making sure the thick material is nice and tugged from one side to another. He pulls the top part of the blanket down just enough for her head to poke out of, being able to see her surroundings rather than being swamped from the material head-to-toe. As much as Jin despises being near someone who’s sick (and therefore contagious), he still hovers over her, just inches above her face while pushing and folding the edges of the blanket around the sister, like making her into a cocoon. Even after being close to done, Chidori already started showing signs of discomfort by wiggling underneath the thick cloth.

“But Jiiiin. It’s too hot in here!”

“Good.” He exclaims under his breath, not making much eye contact with her as he finishes folding the edges in. “That’s the point. If you want to break your fever you'll have to keep yourself wrapped up and warm. Otherwise you’re just going to get the shivers nonstop.”

He straightens back up just to see if he tucked her in right, seeing she’s comfortable and wrapped up as much as possible. Now hopefully she doesn’t move from that spot…

He goes to the kitchen to grab a glass of water along with a damp cloth for her before making his way back to where she is in the living room. He puts the glass next to her where she’s able to reach it, placing the cloth on her forehead in hopes that’ll do. He paces around slowly, seeing if that is all he could do for the time being. He would rather make himself at least somewhat useful rather than watching his sister suffer and move around the house with aches and pains. He makes a quick trip back to her just to check her forehead with his wrist, finding that to be a more accurate way to feel her temperature.

“Hmm… you’re not feeling too much better either. Just sit tight and they should be back soon.”

Chidori certainly doesn’t have the energy to argue. She glances up at the clock to see the time while wondering when they’ll be back. She surely didn’t realize how late it was… how long she’s been up as she was trying to go to sleep. But this fever has been bothering her for what it feels like so long, yet it only started a couple hours ago. She hates feeling sick, although it’s a good excuse to stay home and draw in her bed when she doesn’t need to go to school. Jin takes the initiative to sit on the edge of the couch close to her feet, glancing over at her before staring down at the floor and tapping his foot on the carpet rug. It was then eleven forty-five when their father left to go to the market. Eleven fifty. Now eleven fifty-five. Just the two kids sitting down quietly and patiently, playing the waiting game of how long they’re going to take to get back home. Maybe Ikutsuki needed to get some gas too while they’re there, or maybe Takaya is trying to pick out a snack at one of the food aisles in the corner market. Whatever the reason, they should be on their way back soon. They’re usually good at getting home and staying home before midnight strikes, but this might be an exceptional case tonight— and that is what makes this so suspenseful and worrisome for them.

Even Chidori is starting to get worried, with her feet shuffling beneath the tucked in blanket. “They’ll be home soon, right?”

Jin doesn’t answer her right away, but he shows his acknowledgement towards her question. “Yeah. They should be…”

The clock continues ticking, and the two would glance up every once in a while with an uneasy feeling of their own. They try not to think too hard on this— as in the ‘what if’ scenarios. It was only a matter of time before Jin stood back up from the couch and made another pace around the carpet, looking up at the clock again. “Ugh, what’s holding them up?”

“Hmm…” Chidori hums in thought while furrowing her eyebrows over the idea. “I hope they’re alright.”

She turns her head towards him, while trying not to sound very self deprecating through her words on the matter. “Do you think it may not be worth it? I don’t want them to go through all the trouble just for me.”

“Hey now, don’t say it like that.” He goes and kneels on one leg to make eye-level contact with the sister, making sure she looks right back at him. “They’ll be just fine, so don’t you worry about it. None of this is on you. You know that.”

“Right… I know,” She figures as much. She slumps farther into the couch to get herself more comfortable, though it may be a matter of time before she would have to go back upstairs into her own room. However, she doesn’t want to move until they both know they get home in time. Jin, with having a similar idea in mind, kneels back up from the floor and checks the clock on the wall again. Eleven fifty-seven. He makes a quick look out of the window in case he would be able to spot their car, however there’s still no sign of them.

He then sighs in distress, scratching the back of his head. “Well shit, now I don’t know. I’ll give him or Takaya a call before the Dark Hour starts, just to see if they’re okay.”

The girl nods in agreement, seeing this as a decent idea. Before he makes the chance when pulling out his flip phone, Chidori goes to ask. “Brother did bring his evoker with him, did he? I hope he came prepared.”

Jin then glances up, recalling the same question that their father asked Takaya before they left the house. “Yeah, he said he has it on him. And you know how Shuji wouldn’t let him keep it in his room anyway, so usually it’s out on the—!”

He takes a look at the table in the middle of the room where he would usually see the evoker, realizing that it’s actually still laying right there; out in the open. “Shit!”

Chidori only manages to pull herself up higher on the couch to see what he’s looking at, noticing the same evoker on the table. “But wait, isn’t that his?”

Eleven fifty-eight. Without another question to spare, the thirteen-year-old went to grab the evoker right away, seeing how careless Takaya can be with his belongings. Especially something so vital. He grips onto it tightly, looking around the room before heading towards the door to open it. Chidori then quickly moves into a sitting position to call out to Jin on what he’s about to do. “Jin, wait! Where do you think you’re going!?”

“Outside, obviously!” Jin quickly unlocks the door and opens it to look outside. He still doesn’t see them or their car at all, which makes it all the more reason to go after them if they’re going to be stuck in the middle of the road. There’s only less than a minute left now, and he can’t say for sure if he should go out there and look for them or wait until he sees them coming back. He can’t think clearly anymore, and he isn’t about to stay at home and do nothing about it. He quickly turns towards the sister. “I’ll be back soon! Just stay inside until any of us comes back!”

“No, Jin!”

By the time she forcefully got up from the couch and undoing the blanket upon herself, he was already out the door, closing it behind him. She runs towards the door, only stopping to cover her brutal cough. Now she’s scared, and alone. Not for herself, but for her brothers and father who may get stranded out there at the worst hour. He should’ve called him first. He should’ve checked up on them to see where they’re at before running off like that! She starts breathing heavily, starting to feel an ominous shiver throughout her body. She gasps, and her stomach feels sick to the core.

“J-Jin!” She coughs again, along with another cough after, taking one step at a time before kneeling down onto the floor. She can’t manage to move much afterwards, mainly out of fear rather than her sickness. Her voice then cracked. “Jin! Wait! Come back! Please!!”

#persona 3 story #strega cast #jin shirato #chidori yoshino #takaya sakaki #shuji ikutsuki #persona 3 fanfiction #more jin-focused really #persona 3 AU

4 notes · View notes

reidsaurora · 2 years

Text

"Favorite T-Shirt" ~ D. Winchester

photos not an accurate description of reader; icon in collage by @ofwilliamandwalter

Summary: When Dean is in town, he invites Y/N for a drive. Little did they know what a cruise down Mulholland Drive had in store for them.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1,170

Content Warning: a very mild sexual reference, a very mild mention of food

Genre: Fluff + Exes with Feelings, y'all know the drill

Extra Notes: i'm so sorry this is late but i hope you guys enjoy it regardless!!

Based On the Song: Favorite T-Shirt by Jake Scott

Originally Written: 05/07/2022

Supernatural masterlist can be found here!

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Knock, knock, knock.

I looked up from my book, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion as I wasn't expecting company. I walked over to the door, taking a quick look through the peephole.

"What are you doing here, Dean?" I asked after unlocking and opening the front door.

He sighed, rubbing his hands against his jeans nervously. "I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see, but I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drive. With me," he asked hesitantly. "You know, since I'm in town and all."

I quietly giggled, remembering how awkward he could be around women. "I'll humor you since you're in town," I answered. "Let me grab my bag."

He nodded as I walked away to grab my purse and house keys. I followed closely behind him, locking my door quickly before running off to the Impala and climbing in.

"I've missed you," he said, pulling out of my driveway.

I gave him a small smile before turning back to watch the trees disappear as we sped off in the direction of Mulholland Drive.

☆☆☆

As Dean opened the car door for me, I couldn't help but observe how chivalrous he'd been ever since he picked me up. Checking every few minutes to make sure the temperature on my side of the car was OK, making sure he wasn't driving too fast, asking if the music was too loud.

"Ta-da," he smiled, showing me what he'd done to the trunk of the Impala.

Lights were strung across the lid, a blanket was tacked up to hide the anti-possession symbol, and a blanket and pillows were laid across the bottom, which I assumed were for us to sit on. It was picturesque, in fact, I remembered thinking about how much I wanted to capture it in a photograph.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I shook my head in disbelief. "Dean Winchester, are you trying to butter me up for something?"

"No. But I did feel it necessary to make it up to you, the way I treated you the last time we talked."

I sighed, giving him a kind smile. I ran my hand through his freshly trimmed hair, a feeling I'd missed like no other. "Let's focus on this. The good times, not the bad."

He grinned back before climbing into the trunk. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in as I giggled at his behavior.

I took in the mixed scent of the trees around us and the light aroma of his cologne. I felt a shiver run up my spine as the wind blew.

"You OK?" he asked. I assumed it was in reference to my shivering.

"Yeah, it's just a little chilly out," I answered.

As if on cue, he pulled out his extra duffel bag with what he called his "emergency clothes." He pulled out a long sleeve shirt, one that was baggy enough for me to use as a sweatshirt, before placing it in my hand.

I snuggled into the yellow cotton, wondering why he owned the shirt in the first place. I was convinced it was because of the one time he wore a yellow tie and I told him it looked good with his eyes. I wouldn't have it any other way, though. It was my favorite t-shirt in his whole collection. I was sad he didn't wear it more often.

Speaking of his eyes, I felt them lingering on me as I admired the view of that Mulholland lookout. "What?" I giggled.

"Nothing," he answered, pulling his eyes away from me. "Just thinking."

"About?"

He chuckled. "You'd be embarrassed if I told you."

Immediately, I worried I had something stuck in my teeth or smudged food on my face or something embarrassing wrong with me.

"No, no, it's nothing about you," he reassured me as I tried to sneakily clean out my teeth.

"Well, that's a relief," I said with a light laugh.

As he looked away, I noticed his breathing growing heavier, like he was nervous. Not in a scared nervous way, in an "I can't believe I'm here with you right now" way.

I'd never related to Dean more. I had to give myself an internal pep talk on the way down the highway, reminding myself that this was just a friendly outing between two people who'd decided they were better off as friends.

For the first time in years, I reached my hand underneath his shirt, playfully patting his stomach. "You're breathing like you've seen a ghost," I giggled, brushing my hand against his tummy once more.

"Well, when I'm around a woman as beautiful as you are, it's hard to contain myself," he chuckled.

The two of us turned to look at each other, admiring a view neither of us had had a chance to see in years: the look of love in each other's eyes.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing down at my lips. "Can I kiss you?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

His lips were still as soft as I remembered them, still as gentle, still as sweet. His eyelashes were so long, I could've sworn I felt them brush across my cheeks as he leaned down. His lips had that familiar taste of orange energy drink, something I couldn't believe he still had a habit of drinking after all that time.

As I pulled away, I left a short, loving peck on his jaw, next to his neck. I didn't say it, in fact, I didn't say anything, but the only thought in my mind as I looked back up at him was, "I want him." Not in a sexual way, but in a forever way.

☆☆☆

"Can I kiss you one more time for good measure?" he asked as I walked around to his side of the Impala.

I bent down, leaning my head through the window and kissing him once more. I wasn't sure how, but with every kiss we shared that evening, it was filled with more and more love than the last.

As I pulled away, I remembered the look he gave me earlier. How he couldn't pull his eyes away from me. "Hey," I started.

"Yeah?"

"Earlier, when you were staring at me, what were you thinking about?"

He sighed, almost like he was ready for a confession. "You want the truth?"

I giggled, "That would be nice."

"I was thinking about growing older. With you."

I sighed this time, looking down at my hands as I played with my fingers.

"I know. It's silly, right? To think about a hunter settling down with his brother's best friend from law school? Crazy, right?"

"It is crazy," I told him, facing him again.

He frowned, beginning to reach for the gear shift to back out of my driveway.

"Hey," I stopped him.

"Hmm?" he hummed, turning back to me.

"It's just your luck that I like my men a little on the crazy side."

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

When I tell y'all, this is genuinely one of my favorite things I've ever written 😭

ik, y'all are probably like "Emmy, u say that about all ur imagines 🙄✋🏻" and to that i say "hush ur lemons"

anyway, i absolutely love everything about this imagine. i'm kind of glad i wrote Another Man's Jeans because i feel like ever since then, all i've wanted to write was exes with feelings. anyway, i'm super happy with how this turned out and i appreciate all the patience from my Dean girlies and gays.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

↳ Request an imagine here!

↳ Join my taglist here!

↳ Get to know me here!

↳ TAGLIST: @1234-angelika @ohhmychuck @lowsodiumfreaks67 @drayshadow @alexxavicry @mrspeacem1nusone @kbakery @leigh70 @darkloverfox

☆𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒☆

15 notes · View notes

alondradina · 2 years

Text

Domaystic day 4!

Prompt: First night

Fandom: Dragon Age

Pairing: Solas/Ellana, Solas/Lavellan, Solavallen

Rating G:

Modern day AU

"So you're telling me you want to leave at five am."

Solas sighed at the red light they had been stuck at for two cycles now. "Yes, Ellana. We need to leave then so we can be there by eight."

"Three hours seems like a long time to drive somewhere," she complained, putting her foot up on the dash. She wiggled her toes when he frowned at it.

"I have to get up earlier than you, to be able to pick you up on time," he pointed out calmly. They finally made the turn across traffic and were able to continue their drive to Solas' apartment.

Ellana sighed and put her foot back down, sliding it into her scuffed sneaker. "But why does it take three hours to drive to the park? Izzy said it would take an hour!"

"Isabela doesn't obey traffic laws," he answered, pulling into his garage and shutting the car off, "and she's counting from the edge of the city. We have to get out of downtown and through the suburbs before we can get to that point."

Solas popped the trunk and pulled her duffle bag out. She grabbed the two reusable grocery bags and the jug of milk before he could, smiling at his raised eyebrow. Closing the trunk, he gestured for her to go first.

"So when would we have to leave if we didn't have to go through all that?" Ellana asked, trying to sound casual, "If we were leaving from here maybe?"

There was silence behind her for a moment, long enough that she began to regret her life choices, before Solas finally answered. "Probably six thirty, at the latest."

"That's an improvement, I guess."

"Yes."

They reached his door, and Ellana stepped aside to let him unlock it. He held it open for her, and she went directly to the island to put the bags down before turning back to get hers from him.

"I'm gonna shower, if that's alright?"

Solas waved a hand at her, seemingly already focused on getting dinner ready.

The bathroom was cold, as always, and she sighed as she took her work clothes off and shivered. She pulled one of her towels out of the cabinet and checked to make sure that her shampoo and conditioner were still in there. One time Solas had cleaned the bathroom and forgotten to put them back. He didn't have hair to wash, after all.

Everything in order, she quickly washed and rinsed before getting out and into her comfy clothes. Solas only had the one bathroom, and she didn't want to hog it taking a long shower like she did at her place. She came out, fluffing her still drying hair, to find Solas sitting at the island reading.

"Why do you sit there when you've got that giant couch?"

He looked at her over his reading glasses. "The lighting is better here."

Ellana sighed and went to the closet holding his washer and dryer. Tossing her clothes in, she checked if it was full enough to start. It wasn't, so she closed the door and went back to the kitchen.

"Were you asking to stay the night, earlier?" He asked. She knew he was serious because he'd closed the book and set it down.

Hesitating, Ellana slowly nodded. "It would be easier, yeah? And then we'd get to sleep later too."

"Do you need anything from your apartment?"

"I think I've still got some clothes here?"

"You do, yes."

She shrugged. "Then no, I don't need to get anything else."

He hummed acknowledgement and got up to check on dinner.

Ellana felt weird watching him putt around the kitchen, so she went to the living room to plop on the couch. Still amused that he didn't have any form of streaming, she started flipping through the TV guide to find something to watch.

After a few minutes he joined her, lifting her legs up to sit and then setting them back down on his lap. "What trainwreck are we watching tonight?"

"Don't know yet," she answered with a laugh, determined to find something particularly painful for them to watch now. "Yeah!"

"What?" He asked, looking up from the book he'd brought with him. Sighing when he saw the show she was choosing, he resumed reading.

"Oh come on! Everyone likes Ancient Elvhen!"

"They do not."

"Oh piff. Just because you don't like it-"

"The ratings are terrible-"

Ellana blew a raspberry at him and turned the volume up. He steadfastly pretended to ignore it, but he would let out the occasional scoff whenever the show claimed something particularly egregious. The timer chimed from the kitchen and Solas lifted her legs out of the way to get off the couch again.

It took until they were mostly done with dinner for Ellana to realize that she didn't know where she was going to sleep. This was going to be her first night staying over. She knew normally the visiting partner would just sleep in the other one's bed, but they hadn't really reached that stage in their relationship yet.

Solas must have also been thinking about it, because, as he was standing up to take his plate to the sink, he asked, "Would you prefer I sleep on the couch?"

"What? No! It's your bed?" She exclaimed, getting up from the table and helping to gather dishes."I'll sleep on the couch!"

"There's no reason-"

"Nu uh. Not sleeping in your bed, with or without you."

"I see," he said in such a flat tone that Ellana was certain she'd offended him.

"I don't mean- I'm not trying to be rude, ya know? I just-"

"It's fine."

"It's obviously not fine. I'm sorry. I'm not sure how to explain my feelings on this," she sighed as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to face her, "I'm sure your bed is great. It just feels weird to me. This situation, not your bed, I mean-"

"Ellana." Solas' hands carefully cradled her face. "I want you to be comfortable. If you don't want to sleep in my bed, then don't. I am not offended."

"But Solas-"

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Taking a deep breath, she let him rock them back and forth. Pulling away, she tilted her face up for a kiss. He obliged.

"I'm sorry-"

He kissed her again before letting her go. "What blanket would you like?"

Ellana followed him over to the closet and rifled through his sparse selection. "Solas."

"Yes?"

"These blankets are all terrible. What do you normally do with guests?"

"I typically don't have guests."

"Ah. Well, for future reference, these blankets suck," she laughed.

He took one from her and refolded it. "I don't see what the problem is, they are perfectly serviceable."

"They're thin and scratchy. And ugly. Are your blankets like this?"

"No."

"Let me see."

Solas shrugged, setting the folded blankets back where they belonged, and led her into his room. She stopped at the threshold and looked around. She'd never been in here before, though she'd snuck peeks inside whenever the door was open and he wasn't paying attention. The color scheme was identical to the rest of the apartment, muted earth tones, and the furniture matched what was in his office.

Holding a blanket up towards her, Solas chuckled when he realized what she was doing. "I'm afraid there's nothing of interest here."

Her eyes flickered towards the bed before she took the blanket from him. Blushing, she rubbed it between her fingers. "See, this is much nicer. Do you purposefully have scratchy blankets to dissuade guests?"

"Or perhaps to persuade them to join me?"

"Uhh-"

"I'm joking. Would you like a pillow as well?"

"Yes?"

He snorted and grabbed one of the two on the bed. "I'll change the pillowcase."

She followed him back to the closet and examined the other bedding. "The sheets and stuff are all fine. It's literally just the blankets. What do you have against comfy blankets?"

"Ellana-"

"It's so weird. Everything else around here is nice, but these blankets are shit. Did you get them from someone or something?"

Giving up and ignoring her prattling, Solas closed the door and returned to the couch. He started pulling the throw pillows off. "Perhaps you should get ready now? You can brush your teeth while I get this dealt with."

"I can make my own bed, Solas-"

"I've got it."

Ellana rolled her eyes. "I don't have a toothbrush here."

"There's a spare in the middle drawer."

"Alright," she sighed, knowing that more arguing was futile. By the time she was done with her modified bedtime routine, Solas had finished setting the couch up the way he wanted it and had changed into flannel pants and a soft looking Tshirt.

Ellana wished she had actual PJs, but her leggings and oversized long sleeved shirt were comfortable enough. She would have felt weird lying down while Solas was still up and about, so she tidied up her belongings and laid out her clothes for the morning.

She was standing by the couch when he came out, and they both stood there staring at each other. Eventually she laughed. "We're acting like idiots."

Solas smiled. "Perhaps."

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?" She asked, pretending to be coy.

Chuckling, he came to her side and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Good night, Ellana."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"What are you going to sleep with?" She held a corner of his blanket up. "You gave me yours."

He pointed towards the closet.

"We've already established that those are no good."

"I will be fine."

"Or-" She cut herself off and looked at the floor. "This is going to sound really stupid. But…"

"But?"

"Uh… You could sleep out here, with me?"

Refusing to look up, Ellana mentally called herself every form of idiot that she could think of while the silence stretched on. She knew the difference between sleeping in his bed with him versus sleeping on the couch with him really wasn't that big, but the bed scared her while the couch didn't.

"Alright."

She sighed in relief at his answer, but then looked at the couch to try and figure out the logistics. Solas apparently already had it figured out, though. He pulled the back cushions off, leaving just the bottom ones, and went to get his pillow.

She sat on the middle cushion to wait for his return, and jumped to her feet when he got back. "So who sleeps where?"

"Do you prefer the back or the edge?"

"Uhh… No preference?"

"I'll take the back, then," he said, setting his pillow at the end before laying down facing her.

Ellana blushed again, but lay down next to him. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "Is this alright?"

"Yeah?"

"You are certain?"

"Yes, Solas. I am very comfortable. Go to sleep."

He hummed and pressed his lips to her neck, just below her ear, and chuckled when she shivered. "Good night, Ellana."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38724966/chapters/97018785

#my writing #fanfic #domaystic2022 #dragon age #ficlet #fanfiction #solas x lavellan #solavellan #solas #domestic may #domestic fluff #domaystic

8 notes · View notes