#in like.. a different way too. he didn't do any of the grounding nonsense or whatever he just explained that because like i said | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beejunos · 26 days

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Can you do alastor x fem!reader where she gets injured, so she tries to hide it (cuz he's a bit overprotective), and by hiding it, I mean basically ignoring him but he finds out anyways and he's more mad that she thought she had to hide it or something idk PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I NEED THIS

(Hope this made sense)

Well shit, this one took me some time to write. Sorry about that! Hope you like it! It was very fun to write 🌹

Alastor finds out you have hidden an injury from him

The last extermination battle at the hotel had been brutal. Although you had won, the casualties were enormous. The hotel in ruins with dead bodies, sinners and angels, all around it. It had taken you and your friends days to bury them all on the grounds outside of the city, all while most of you were healing from different injuries. Some more severe than others.

During the battle, you had taken a spear to your shoulder, but it hadn't pierced you deep enough for it to be lethal.

You just needed to ensure you didn't move your arm too much. Which turned out to not be a too tricky process since you were stabbed in the shoulder of your non-dominant hand.

Only lifting things that you could carry with one hand was, making sure that you didn't move your arm in strange ways; it all became a strange dance you did around the others to make sure no one paid you any mind.

You were the sole healer in the hotel, and therefore, it was essential that you remained at your best. You had only suffered an injury to the shoulder; you weren't dying, so you couldn't let that affect your work. After all, Charlie and the others relied on you to provide medical assistance, and any delay or absence from your side could prove to be disastrous. You had lost count of how many times you had scolded Vaggie or Husk for ignoring their injuries or not treating them with the needed care. However, you were keeping count of how many times you had smacked Husk in the back of the head to stop him from licking his wounds. As of right now, you have hit him five times. You knew that you needed to prioritize the needs of the hotel, and so you decided to put aside your own health concerns for the time being. You trusted that you would be able to care for your injury later when your work was done, but right now, your friend's well-being was the most important priority.

There was just one person who you feared would put a stop to your work. Alastor, although absent during the hotel's rebuilding as he had suffered a significant injury to his chest that he had, thankfully, let you treat, was probably suspecting that something was wrong with you. But since he hadn't been there during the rebuilding, he hadn't seen you at your worst, and you wouldn't let him see it either. He was caring but could be overprotecting when it came to you, which could be cute if it didn't hinder your work.

While your partner admired your work ethic, he didn't quite understand why you needed to put everyone else before yourself to the point of ruination. Seeing others as more important than oneself was nonsense to him, especially if one's health was at risk, but you didn't share his worldview. To you, it was important to care for others, to care and shield them, for that is what you were raised to do. To care for those who needed your help, to shield the ones who needed your shelter, and to protect the ones weaker than you. You alone needed to carry that burden; if you didn't, who would?

The new hotel was magnificent, more stable, and much bigger than before, which worked to your advantage since you avoided the other residents of the hotel. Your injury had gotten worse, making it almost impossible to move your arm without winching. If the wound had been in any other position on your body, you would have cared for it a long time ago, but since it was in such an awkward position that was hard to reach, you had a hard time properly caring for the wound.

And here you were now, standing in front of the mirror of your bathroom, trying to clean the infected wound. Bloody pieces of paper laid spread out on the bathroom vanity as you dried to reach the infected stab wound on your shoulder. It proved to be quite difficult because no matter how you tried to contort yourself to reach the injury, the infection made it difficult for you to move your upper body without significant pain.

A small part of you begged you to call for help, saying that you couldn't do this alone, but you refused to be a burden. You could care for yourself.

You didn't want to trouble the other with something that you should be able to fix yourself.

You felt a chill running down your spine as beads of cold sweat trickled down the small of your back. Your breathing was laboured, punctuated by ragged gasps as you tried to cope with the excruciating pain that was coursing through your body. You attempted to raise your dominant hand to clean the wound, but the throbbing ache in your arm made it almost impossible. It was then that you heard a soft knocking at your bedroom door, which came as a surprise, as you had been so focused on dealing with the pain that you had lost track of time. The ringing in your ears made it difficult to discern who could be knocking, but you knew that you had to muster all your strength to answer it.

"Yes?" you called out, leaving the bathroom by leaning your hand against the wall.

"My dear, are you alright?" came Alastor's ever-chipper reply, and you silently swore to yourself, wishing that he would just leave.

"Yes, I'm fine!" you tried to sound confident and happy, but the pain made your voice waver in a way it never did.

"You haven't left your room all day. I must say, I'm getting quite concerned. Is it alright if I come in?"

"No! Please, go away-"

"I'm coming in!" Alastor called out louder than before, and you wondered if he deliberately ignored your answer. Panic pooled in your chest, cold and numbing, as you pushed yourself away from the wall to lock the door before Alastor could get in. However, you had overestimated how much weight your legs could bear in your weakened state. Halfway to the door, your knees collapsed under you, and you fell down to the floor. Your injured shoulder taking the fall.

Red, hot pain ripped through you like a tsunami, taking all your senses with you, and for a moment, you were blinded by the pain. When you came to it, you saw Alastor kneeling beside you, his hand hovering hesitantly over your shoulder.

"My dear, what have you done?" Alastor said, his voice but a whisper.

With a surprising amount of strength, Alastor lifts you up from the floor without putting too much pressure on your wound and walks into the bathroom, where he places you on the toilet seat. He looks around at the bloody mess that was your bathroom vanity with an emotionless expression, and hadn't you been so experienced with reading his body language, you would have missed the flexing of his hand that he only did when he was frustrated or angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" A shill travelled up your spine when he said that, for there was barely any radio overlay on his voice. Refusing to look at you, Alastor picked up one of the pieces of paper you had used to try to clean your wound.

"I didn't want to be a burden," you mumbled, looking down at your feet. Shame swam around in your hollowed stomach, making you feel sick and empty.

"A burden?" You could hear the disbelief in his voice, "Have I made you feel like that?"

"No!" You hastily say, "No, never."

"Then you don't trust me." He's still not looking at you.

"No, I trust you," you plead.

"Then why did you not tell me that you were hurt?!" You can hear the anger and hurt in his voice, but worst of all, you can see it in his eyes. A swirling storm, contained chaos, rages within him, dribbling out within the bathroom walls as it licks against your skin. You're sure that your shame radiates from your body as tears form in the corners of your eyes, and you look down again, unable to meet Alastors anger, his anguish.

"I... I don't know," you whisper, and you genuinely don't know. What you once believed and told yourself was so important now felt so small and stupid. To forego your lover's caring hand for a duty you had put on yourself.

Your vision fills with red as Alastor goes down on one knee before you. He takes your shaking hands within his.

"My love, please, come to me whenever you need help. I couldn't bear to see you destroy yourself; you are too important to me for that." He lifts one of his hands and gently caresses your cheek. Closing your eyes, you lean down and press your forehead against his.

"I'm sorry," you say and genuinely mean it. After all, you would have been angry and hurt if Alastor had done something like this to you.

He sighs before he closes his eyes and says, "Don't apologise, my love. Only promise me that you will come to me whenever you need it."

"I promise," you say and kiss him on his cheeks and forehead before you finally kiss his lips. Featherlight and sweet, a seal to your promise.

"Let me help you with your injury," he sighs and stands up again as you turn around, showing him your shoulder.

Alastor helps you with your wound for the rest of the evening, and never have you felt so cared for. Even if the situation was laced with a bittersweet pledge.

#alastor x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fanfiction #alastor x you #x reader #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x you #alastor x reader angst #hazbin hotel alastor x reador angst #hazbin hotel angst

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muddyorbsblr · 4 months

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a helping hand

See my full list of works here!

Summary: When Loki enters the office and sees you visibly shaken with your eyes swollen, he takes it upon himself to find out what's wrong and how he could help

Friendship: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: talks of divorce and infidelity; mentions of a shitty ex husband; shitty coworkers that like to kick people when they're down; language [let me know if I missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: not a romantic story; just the slightest hints that this Loki is the head of a company that has some shady dealings (crime boss…he's kinda a crime boss)

The frantic scurrying of the ladies on the office floor had you furiously wiping away at the tears that hadn't stopped falling since last night. You pressed the cold metal tip of your under eye cream to the swollen parts of your eyes in hopes of making it a little less obvious that your heart was so ruthlessly stomped into the ground last night.

She's everything you're not, your soon to be ex husband's words taunted at you, his smug voice getting louder with every attempt to block it out and paint a smile on your face. Young, pretty, and fuck me she's hot. Looks like she actually puts an effort into her appearance.

You did your best to focus on evening out your breathing, trying not to think about working out the logistics now that you were facing a divorce. If you weren't smart about this and you agreed to all his terms you might just be getting out of this without a penny to your fucking name.

"Pfft, you're gonna need the entire fucking tube if you want to even make a dent of a difference. Might as well not even bother trying, Y/N," one of the women in the research department, Tammy, sneered. Even going so far as to stop her scurrying just to spew her irrational hatred toward you.

"Can you just…not for today, Tammy? I'm having a shitty week." You didn't even have it in you to sound remotely as pissed as you were at her. The words just came out of you with barely a whisper, like you'd already thrown in the towel before the first round even started.

"Hmm, a shitty week to go with your shitty face. Sounds like the world's finally healing," she spat, immediately straightening her stance and shutting up when the ding of the elevator practically echoed across the entire floor.

Everyone had to be in their best behavior now. Mr Laufeyson had arrived, and your boss wasn't too keen to hear any "banal gossiping drivel" while he was breathing the same air as his employees. Something about how this type of nonsensical talk consistently lowered the average IQ of the entire country with every passing day and he refused to cultivate a workplace that contributed to that atrocity.

Which suited you just fine; you rather enjoyed the quiet. And when spiteful gossips were no longer allowed to do the very thing that seemed to serve as their lifeblood, the floor tended to be so silent you could hear exactly whose heartbeat sped up whenever Loki started nearing your desks.

"Cease your blathering, everyone. I wish not to hear a single word unless it pertains to oppositional research that could increase our advantage to securing future dealings with the Mancini family. By the end of the day I want to know exactly how to woo every deciding member and--" He stopped in his tracks the second he was in front of your desk, eyes scrupulously scanning your features before clearing his throat and addressing the floor again. "And planning out the most efficient way to influence their decision to lean toward us."

He walked toward the door to his office, your cue to send him his itinerary for the day before you aided where you could in the Mancini research. But before he stepped through the door, he spoke again. Significantly softer this time. Gentler, even.

"Y/L/N, may I speak with you a moment in my office?"

A barely-contained snort was heard from Tammy's desk, a smug look on her face as she drew a line across her neck while keeping direct eye contact with you. "You're fucking done," she mouthed toward you, only returning to work with back ramrod straight when your boss turned to glare daggers at her.

"Of--Of course, Sir." You picked up your tablet, pulling up his calendar and readying the words you were going to say as you walked into his office.

"Please, darling, have a seat." You knew better than to protest against quite anything he said. Even with the change in his tone and his wording, you knew it was an order more than a request, so you followed. "Now tell me what happened."

"P-Pardon?" you sputtered, wincing when you let out the most unladylike sniffle to try breathing a bit better.

"Your eyes are red. Swollen red," he stated, briefing pointing a finger to his own face. "And you're one of the most unshakable persons I've had the privilege of knowing. You've stared down with ruthless individuals with records so colored it made my brother take a step back sometimes, and you wouldn't even break a single sweat. You've even dealt with that gossiping nuisance Tabitha Stevenson on a near hourly basis more gracefully than she deserves. And yet here you are. With eyes that could only have gotten in this state if you'd been crying for hours, or even the entire night. Something happened to you since you left the office last night that caused this."

"Sir really it's--It's nothing you should concern yourself with it's…" You couldn't find it in you to say that it was banal. It wasn't to you. But it would be to him, without a doubt.

"Whatever has you shaken enough to cry through the night and arrive at the office so visibly distressed is not nothing, Y/N," he insisted, still keeping with his gentler tone as if he was concerned that even the slightest raising of his voice would bring forth more tears. "Is it something at home? A family concern? Do you need a few days to spend at home and--"

"Home is the last place I want to be right now," you blurted out, nearly hissing the words and clearly taking your boss aback at how you were practically tripping over your words. You sighed, doing your best to take a deep, shaky breath before finally answering him. "Rupert served me with divorce papers last night, and the son of a bitch is practically evicting me from the house. I have until Friday's end to 'clear my useless shit out', his words not mine. Says he met someone new and he can't wait to start his new life with her."

"Y/N, it's Thursday," he grumbled, his eyes darkening as he processed your words. "This miscreant expects you to have your entire life in less than 36 hours?"

"Oh no, even less," you clarified, Loki's nostrils flaring at your answer. "He doesn't want to even see me clearing them out so I have to work around his schedule. Then comes the entire journey of finding somewhere to stay on such short notice. I have half a mind to just get a room at a cheap ass motel--"

"Surely I've compensated you more than enough these last few years that you can afford accommodations far nicer than a dingy motel." He grimaced at the mere thought.

"You have, Sir, really. But I've been…stupid. Have been my entire marriage, if I'm being honest now that I don't have any rose-tinted glasses on. Our accounts are joint. And I have to think about retaining a divorce lawyer just so I can even think about getting out of this with at least some of the things I came to have since we got married, so I have to be a bit frugal where I can--"

"Alright, this is what you're going to do," he cut you off, suddenly taking on the more authoritative tone that you were used to. "Provide my men with the alarm codes for the house and they will see to removing your belongings by tonight."

"Sir, really there's no need for--"

"They will be transported to my home where you will stay to regain your bearings, and find a new home at your own pace. Not at the pace your former husband demands." Your breath caught in an ugly sound in your throat at the plans he just so casually dropped. Living with him? Was he insane? "As for a lawyer, I shall confer with my own slew of attorneys who they can recommend that specializes in divorce settlements. He won't get away with the money you worked hard for if I have anything to say about it."

"Why?" you blurted out a bit louder than you intended to. He raised an eyebrow at you, questioning your reaction. "Why would you wanna get involved in this, I mean you don't have any stakes in this, I just work for you I'm replaceable I'm--"

"No you're not," he cut you off, taking your hands in his. "Your presence has given this place a warmth, a comfort. You have a sharp wit that makes conversations less droning, a kindness that soothes me when I have to find myself here in the office. I may value your contributions both tangible and intangible when it comes to our various business dealings, but I also value your company. Perhaps I am simply an employer to you, but you are a friend to me. And I've not many of those in my life, so I tend to ensure that I do what I can to keep them safe. And as far away from struggle as my means can manage."

His words left you completely speechless, only managing to utter a simple sentiment in return. "Thank you, my friend."

A/N: Made this for @alexakeyloveloki. Bestie if I could reach across the screen and give you a big hug and a blankie I would, but also the sight of me crawling out of a screen might just be some horror movie levels of nightmare fuel, so maybe it's best that I can't 😅

Lemme just leave this lil gif of Tomathy giving a hug and a head kith instead 💖

everything taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemis @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog @peaky-marvel @lokiified @tom-hlover

#loki hurt/comfort #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki laufeyson fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #muddyorbs writes

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mafuluzx · 5 months

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Can I have a Lloyd x m!reader⁉️ basically reader is a villian and is almost like himiko toga. reader basically asks Lloyd for his blood so Lloyd is obviously confused so one of readers teammates r like " reader ain't no way ur in love with the person we've been fighting" and the ninjas find out that to reader blood = love or sum like that⁉️( ik its silly request but😭)

It's not silly at all, don't worry!!! And I'm sorry this took so long! My motivation has just been kinda down for a while. I'm not sure if this is good enough, but I tried my best.

WARNING! Needles, for those who cannot handle them.

Lloyd x male reader oneshot!

Takes place in the start of season 12, Prime Empire

Love it?

"We're almost there, come on!" Lloyd quietly lead the team towards one of the many warehouses in Ninjago city. Apparently the mechanic, as he calls himself, was apparently in there right now, ready to steal a motherboard to some old video game that was only available in arcades, and even those had been shut down for reasons unknown.

Soon enough, the ninja got to the ware house as they heard speech from inside. They couldn't hear everything clearly, but the sentences "Find it!" and "The motherboard is all we need!"

Lloyd placed a finger on his lips and motioned for the ninja to keep quiet as they moved right next to the main doors.

The ninja hesitated to enter as they heard someone, someone else, laugh manically inside the ware house. Lloyd ignored it, and instead motioned for the others to go in, before he counted to three.

And on three, they burst into the building, the mechanic and his goons stiffening up as they got on guard. Everyone wore stiff and worried expressions... except one.

"Sorry to crash the party boys!" Nya let out the mechanic growled, before Jay joined in.

"Guess our invitations got lost in the mail, huh?" The blue ninja spoke before reaching out to pull out his weapon, but Lloyd quickly placed a hand in front of Jay, stopping him.

"No weapons, guys. These are just low level thugs." He spoke as Cole smirked.

"My fists are my weapons!" He le out as he punched the air.

"I would not classify the Mechanic as low-level. He's suspected in thirty-six unsolved criminal cases, not mentioning the unnamed accomplice." Zane commented as the mechanic smirked, before clearing his throat.

"Thirty-seven." He simply stated before his robotic arm extended, hitting Zane and sending him flying to the other side of the room. Without a second to waste, the ninja split up to fight the mechanic and his goons.

Lloyd didn't let his guard down for a second, even when he noticed one of the goons, dressed a little differently than most, storing at him with wide eyes. The boy's eyes glimmered like crystals as they stared straight at Lloyd mid fight.

Although the boy himself was currently fighting Zane, it was like the white ninja wasn't even there. Although it made Lloyd somewhat nervous, he ignored it as he knocked down one of the mechanic's goons, before kicking another out of the warehouse with a powerful kick.

But suddenly Lloyd felt someone shove him to the ground from behind. He and the person rolled into a corner, away from the fight, before Lloyd finally saw the person. It was the boy who had been staring at him earlier.

"Hey, Lloyd Garmadon, right?! My name is (y/n), (y/n) (l/n), just so you know. Ah, I can call you Lloyd, right? Or is Green Ninja better? Kyaahh! I can't believe I'm speaking to the Green Ninja! Oh, what if he thinks I'm annoying... Doesn't matter!" The boy blabbered on and on as Lloyd tried to punch and kick him away, and failed, every time. The boy was on all fours on top of Lloyd and kept him pinned to the ground as he talked.

"Ahhhh! I don't know what to do! Hehehee..." The boy named (y/n) spoke a bunch of nonsense before suddenly pulling out a knife and pressing it gently against Lloyd's face.

The boy muttered something, but it was too quiet for Lloyd to hear. Knowing he might me killed at any moment, Lloyd stopped struggling, and instead grabbed the hand that was holding the knif. He needed to act fast.

"Lloyd, Lloyd, I wont kill you~! Just-" Before (y/n) could say anything else, Lloyd twisted his wrist so that he dropped the knife. In a few swift movements, Lloyd finally kicked off the other boy, before running back into the fight and after the mechanic, who had just called out.

"(l/n)! Stop fooling around!" The mechanic called the boy his last name, as the boy's twisted smile turned into a childish pout.

"But, but, but, buuuuuuut! It's the Lloyd Garmadon!" The boy called back, but the mechanic only scoffed.

"Then stay if you'd like, return to base once you've held this guys off long enough." The mechanic said before pulling one of his goons up, and running to an open window.

"Aye, aye, mech-man!" The boy called after him as the mechanic jumped out of the window with one last shout.

"It's boss to you, blood sucker!" The mechanic then disappeared out of sight, before Lloyd called out.

"Zane, Cole, Nya! Go after him! We'll hold the rest of them back." Lloyd instructed as Zane, Cole and Nya charged out of the same window, leaving Jay, Kai, and Lloyd to fight inside the warehouse.

"Blood sucker? Hey, are you vampire?" Jay was the first one to do anything. No one was attacking the opposing side yet. The goons had all been knocked out, leaving only the boy named (y/n) (l/n) to smile at the three ninja. Well, just mainly the green ninja, but whatever.

"Jay, vampires aren't real." Kai stated as Jay turned ´his head to the red ninja.

"How would you know? Have you ever seen one?" Jay asked before Lloyd sighed, and spoke up.

"Jay, concentrate. Now, sorry to say, but we'll have to take you down!" Lloyd said the last part to (y/n), who weirdly looked nothing but happy with the statement.

"Oh, the Lloyd Garmadon is talking to me! Kyahh!! What an honor, what an honor! Oh, quick question, may I have a blood sample from you?" (y/n)'s tone suddenly changed as he pulled out a syringe from behind his back.

"No way! I hate needles!" Jay spoke before (y/n) turned his head towards the blue ninja.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you." (y/n) scoffed before turning back to Lloyd with a beaming smile.

"So what do you say? It'll hurt just a bit!" Lloyd watched as (y/n) waved the syringe around like a nurse gone mad.

"No thanks." Lloyd simply answered as Kai spoke up.

"Um, this is getting weird, so how about we fight this out instead?" (y/n) looked taken back for a second, but in the end lowered the syringe and pulled out a knife with his other hand.

"Sure!" He beamed before charging towards the ninja without warning. Before the could as much as dodge, (y/n) had already slashed past Lloyd, making a deep cut in his leg.

"Don't worry, the knife is fully sanitized!" (y/n) spoke leisurely as Kai and Jay ran towards him. But (y/n) knocked the two away easily, making it look like he was fighting a bunch of toddler instead of the all-powerful ninja.

Lloyd pressed on his bleeding leg before trying to get some space between himself and (y/n), but the latter was much faster, charging and pressing the syringe behind Lloyd's knee.

Quick as lightning, he drew in some blood before ripping the syringe away.

"Don't worry, it's fully sanitized too!" (y/n) spoke again, of course talking about the now filled syringe.

"Oh this is perfect! Ah, I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do!" (y/n) spun around with the syringe in hand, ignoring the three ninja approaching him slowly.

"Oh, wait, I was supposed to go back. I completely forgot!" (y/n) suddenly let out in realization, before whipping around to face Lloyd, who had gotten up even with his bleeding leg, fists drawn and ready to punch (y/n).

"It was so nice to meet you, Green Ninja!" (y/n) beamed before throwing himself onto Lloyd, giving the Green Ninja a hug before kissing Lloyd on the cheek.

"I gotta go now! I'll miss you!" (y/n) jumped away without a warning to the entrance of the warehouse, before turning back one last time and waved to Lloyd with a smile.

Lloyd noticed something had changed about the boy in the midst of the fight, strangely. A ring had appeared on his ring finger, as if out of thin air.

It made Lloyd wonder, and look down at his own hands too. What left Lloyd even more puzzled was the ring that had appeared on himself, and it definitely matched with (y/n)'s. Jay and Kai saw that too.

"Uh, did you get engaged to a stranger?" Jay questioned as a half joke, before Kai spoke up.

"Shouldn't we go after him?"

....!

#x male reader #x male y/n #ninjago #ninjago x reader #lloyd garmadon #lego ninjago #ninjago lloyd #lloyd x reader

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ruewrote · 1 year

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𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙.

PAIRING: jake seresin x fem!reader WARNINGS: strong language GENRE: fluff SONG INSPIRATION: nonsense by sabrina carpenter WORD COUNT: 912

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this was now the fifth or sixth time that jake had tried to flirt with you, the previous attempts failing since you had shot him down.

you knew of his reputation and you weren't going to be another notch under his belt.

he probably thought you were just playing hard to get, but he got a little more frustrated every single time he got turned down, but was never forceful, he just didn't think he could like someone this much.

you didn't know what he was trying to prove or who he was trying to prove it to.

you already had enough on your plate, making drinks, wiping tables down. it was far from the first time an aviator tried flirting with you either for free drinks or for your number, of course you never gave it out because they all gave up quite easily or never put enough effort in.

not him though.

man was he persistent, it was nice just knowing that someone was thinking of you. yes he might think there's a possibility that he might be able to get into your pants, but a little flirting never hurt anybody, right?

fluttered eyelashes and small gestures like opening the door for you, him letting you walk in first not before sending you a winning smile.

tonight was no different then the others - well that was until a drunken dickhead decided to think it was a good idea to grab your ass.

as soon as it happened you turned around, fist meeting his nose knocking him onto his butt. shaking your hand a little whilst you kept staring at the creep on the floor.

grabbing his nose, he stood as the blood gushed out of his nose. his face full of rage, you soon regretted your punch when he towered over you, backing away he soon stopped when hangman slid in between the two of you, shielding you away from the guy.

"im gonna have to ask you to leave dude, you've crossed the line, the lady was lucky that she let you get away with just a bloody nose. i would've beaten you black and blue for that."

this just made the guy square up to jake, he stood a couple of inches shorted than the aviator, all jake did was firmly planted his feet where he stood, chest puffed out.

the coward ran out of the bar, seresin stood his ground making sure the guy was gone for good before turning to make sure that you were alright.

the whole bar went back to doing what they were doing previous to when the incident started, you didn't even realise that most people had stopped to watch what was happening - some of them ready to intervene if it had come down to it.

once he had scanned your body for any injuries his eyes landed on your hand, the one that had taken a blow not too long ago.

he lightly ran his thumb over your bruised knuckles as he held your hand, you slightly flinched trying to downplay the pain that you feel.

that led him guiding you to the backroom, penny smirking whilst giving you a nod which made you roll your eyes.

once you got there, he sat you down on a unopened keg, opening the freezer door finding an icepack.

you admired him as long as you could before he turned to make his way back over to you, gently placing the ice on your knuckles cradling your hand.

a sharp hiss left your mouth, which made him apologise profusely.

"ive never had anyone defend my honour before, honestly thought he was gonna lay me out flat after he stood up." that just made him shake his head with a small smile, keeping his eyes on your hand in his.

"you know i would never let anything happen as long as i was there."

you had never been this close to him before, so close that you could see the flecks of brown in his green eyes. feel his breath fanning your face, his eyes flickering down to your lips waiting for a response.

"i know. i believe that..." you both leant closer to each other, you were sure he could hear how fast and strong your heart was beating as your lips met his.

it was everything you dreamt of and more.

it felt right. you felt safe with him.

you pulled away with a wide grin on your face, a nervous giggle falling out of your mouth.

"worth the wait, now you stubborn woman will you please let me take you out on a goddamn date?" he playfully slumped himself against you, head on your shoulder.

of course your answer was yes, how could you say no to him?

after you walked out of the break room it must of been obvious that something happened from the hand holding, payback and fanboy started making kissing noises and rubbing there arms up and down their sides pretending to make out with someone.

everyone else in the bar started cheering which made you rest your head on jake's shoulder as a deep blush spread across your cheeks, all he did was shake his head and snaked his arm around your waist pulling you closer to him kissing your cheek.

"it's about damn time." looking over to see it was penny and pete smirking at you both.

the teasing was never ending of course.

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marlynnofmany · 3 months

Text

Things to Do on Ice

I adjusted the heat shawl against my neck, tugging my collar over it to keep out the chill breeze. Heatseekers sure knew what they were doing when it came to warming devices. A regular scarf had nothing on this. It was almost enough to let me forget the snowy temperatures on this alien planet.

Not that I could fully forget, with the snow drifting down into the streets anywhere there wasn't a storefront with a heat-field umbrella. The city-goers were from a range of species, and anyone who didn't have heavy fur was bundled up against the cold in some way.

Even Zhee, who objected to coats on the grounds that they covered up his glorious purple exoskeleton, was sporting a range of scarves and bracelets that radiated heat. It seemed like an inefficient way to keep warm to me, but that was his business.

Speaking of business, there were hours left before our ship was due to leave, and everyone was taking the chance to see the sights. Zhee and I had volunteered to scout out the tourism hub. Several others would be joining us shortly.

“Is that the sports arena?” I asked when a wide building loomed ahead.

“Yes.” Zhee pointed out a sign with his pincher arm. I'd missed it because of all the burly, yeti-like locals milling around in front of it. “One building, many sports, all open to anyone.”

I was more than a little curious to see what sort of sports were played here. “Let's take a look! Paint and Eggskin will probably come here first anyway; it's bound to be warmer in there.”

“A valid point,” Zhee agreed, stepping quickly. His clicky bug feet had the most adorable little booties on, for all the world like something a toddler would wear to keep from slipping on the kitchen floor. The sparkly thread woven through the rim probably meant they were high fashion where Mesmers were concerned. I hoped they were waterproof.

I tromped through the slush in my normal human boots, and soon enough we entered the arena doorway to a much more comfortable temperature. I found the control tab for the heat shawl and turned it off, though I left it draped under my shirt.

Zhee deactivated several bracelets. “A respectable range of sports,” he observed.

I scanned the signs. “I don’t recognize the names of any of these.”

“The viewing areas are this way,” Zhee said, padding off down the main hallway. “Perhaps you will recognize one if you see it in action.”

Surprisingly enough, I did.

“Is that hockey?” I asked a moment later, staring through the big window at the ice rink where two mixed teams of local yetis and offworld Smashers careened around in chase of something small. The full-body thumps vibrated through the floor.

“They’re calling it ‘puck chase,’ Zhee said, reading a sign.

“That’s amazing. We have this exact sport where I’m from.” I looked for differences. The puck looked bigger and heavier, and the sticks were a different shape. Judging by the amount of violence going on, the rules were probably different too. But it was very much the same on the surface, with goalies in front of nets and everything. “I suppose it’s an obvious sort of game to think up when there’s a lot of ice around, but still. I know a few people who would have loved to see this.”

Zhee sniffed. “It’s a bit pedestrian.”

“I suppose,” I said with a smile. “Not your style?”

“I’ve never been one for the more feminine sports,” Zhee said with a flick of his antennae.

“Feminine?” I asked.

He pointed with a pincher arm, keeping it carefully folded. “All this ‘protect the nest; steal the enemy’s egg’ nonsense.”

I blinked. “I guess that’s one way to think of it.”

“Judging by that sign though, there promises to be something more masculine down this way,” Zhee said. He headed off down the hallway.

I hurried to follow. The sign in question had another name I didn’t recognize, though I could guess. I dodged around a trio of yetis — which smelled like cinnamon and herbal tea, with none of the wet-dog scent I’d been subconsciously expecting. I reminded myself not to make unflattering assumptions, and caught up with Zhee just as he turned the corner.

“There we are!” he said in satisfaction. “Now that’s a sport. Even Trrili would have to appreciate this one.”

Figure skating. Aliens of a variety of body types and clothing styles glided around on the ice, leaping and spinning and generally being as flashy as they could. Somebody with wings was even doing a high-speed series of flips that were almost certainly a mating dance. Every skater moved past the others with elegance and grace, a far cry from the violence in the other room.

“I’ll be here for a while,” said Zhee’s voice, already farther away.

I turned to see him gliding toward the entrance to the arena, reactivating his heat bracelets and pulling a currency card from a belt pouch. A vending machine just inside the door looked like it sold force-field ice skates to fit any foot.

“All right, I’ll keep an eye out for the others,” I called after him, though I doubt he was listening. He disappeared through the door in a gust of cold air.

I looked around at the passersby, some of whom were watching the action with recording devices. I quietly got out my phone. I had a suspicion that seeing a praying-mantis-shaped alien strut his stuff in the manly art of ice dancing was about to be very memorable.

I was right.

~~~

Shamelessly inspired by this post.

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

#my writing #humans are weird #and so are the aliens #hfy #haso #eiad #humans are space orcs #science fiction #writeblr #writblr #culture clash #sports #gender #in spaaace

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oneatlatime · 3 months

Text

The Headband

I don't care how dormant a volcano supposedly is. Living in the maw of one would absolutely freak me out.

Zuko out for his nightly constitutional lurking practice.

I want this snuggy cape.

No better disguise than a cloud 1.2 metres from the ground. That's where all clouds hand out. Cool puffins though.

Enemy puffins approve of new fluffy Sokka.

Did Sokka just dive headfirst into rock?

I do not like this angle. Looks like his head's on backwards.

This episode is three minutes in and already I'm loving the comic tone.

Wow Katara, with the enthusiasm you're showing for stealing those clothes, they must belong to pirates.

These are some top tier nonsense sound effects. Far too few of those in recent episodes.

Beat up Sokka quota fulfilled!

Toph has by far the best outfit. Love the gold accents.

We've had two seasons of blatantly blue Katara not being identified by the Fire Nation as a Water Tribe person. I think the necklace can stay.

His headband is an airbender arrow. So much for disguising himself.

I would love it if linguistic drift meant that Aang was going around tossing out slurs completely unaware.

WHAT is this face

"Just slob is fine." I ADORE characters that are so secure in themselves and in their belief in the decency of others that all attempts at ridicule slide off like water off a duck's back.

He does it again! "Wow. Are you a bully? This is so exciting! I've always wanted to meet a bully!"

Onji - get better taste in men. Why are you even dating this prick? Did you have any say in becoming his girlfriend? Blink twice if you need help.

These Fire Nation kids are all so mild. Contrast them with Zuko and they might as well be a different species.

What is Hide and Explode?

Sokka is showing a mastery of slapstick that I haven't seen since The Fortune Teller. Glad to have it back.

Is this the first time someone has recognised Zuko by his scar? About time.

Was it really necessary to beat up the guard? Seems a bit much. Zuko could have just asked nicely. That usually works for Iroh.

Speaking of: Iroh! Hi Iroh! Didn't think you'd still be alive.

Noodle Ozai. Did Aang get put in preschool by accident?

Those hippies should do a song about Secret Rivers.

Tired of spending three years talking to Zuko without making any progress, Iroh decides to attempt a new technique and deploys the silent treatment. It works just as well as three years of talking.

Colour me completely unsurprised that the Fire Nation has a pledge of Allegiance.

This school must have some gnarly punishments if questioning the teacher garners this reaction.

This man's head is alarming.

This man is also surprisingly nice for a fascist agent of the state bent on suppressing personal expression.

Movements? Aang you were showing her MOVEMENTS! GASP! FILTHY!

I love this fight. It's been a while (maybe back to season 1) since Aang's preferred fighting style was 'Nope'.

They haven't committed to the bit this hard since Bonzu Pippinpadalopsicopoulous, the Third!

It's funny how we spent two whole seasons haunted by nothing but threatening shadows of the Fire Lord, and then an episode after his face is finally revealed they turn him into part of the decor. He even gets a noodle version.

Play Spot the Firelord with this episode. I count four.

Sokka is having way too much fun with this.

Just going to sneak a reference to child labour in there. Gnarly punishments indeed.

Local Emos Experience Happiness for the First Time; Immediately Implode.

I'm sorry but Mai's cloak has such Santa vibes.

That is some serious side eye.

"You get to be normal all the time." Aang is pulling no punches today.

Where did they get this many candles? Actually, where did they get that many matches? They don't even have a Firebender on staff.

Poor kid is objectively correct. I guarantee your parents don't want you dancing in a cave. It will be good for you though! just don't lick the walls.

No wonder the Fire Nation got rid of dancing. Those moves are awful.

Zuko! "I brought you this food that I know you don't like because I need your help." Buddy. Why.

I could do without the heavy-handed Katara and Aang romance. Also, when exactly did Katara learn advanced gymnastics and choreograph a whole routine with Aang?

I hate this twerp so much!

That song the band is playing right as the adults bust in is better than the songs featured earlier in the dance montage.

I love this guy.

i know that the soundtrack probably went from diegetic to non-diegetic as soon as the chase started, but I love the idea that the school band provided theme music for searching for Aang.

Delightfully eerie. and also very Spartacus.

Actually with the guards starting to dance, it WAS the school band providing a soundtrack for the Aang hunt.

Is Momo at the reins?

How is this assassin good at keeping secrets and not being followed? He creaks and clanks.

Final Thoughts

I loved this. This type of episode is when Avatar is at its best: heaps of goof, a side helping of heart, subtle and not-so-subtle critiques organically incorporated, tonally contrasting storylines that combine to form a whole greater than its parts, and even one-note characters who are given depth.

Aang was in his element as a normal kid; Sokka was having a great time being super agent / team dad; poor Katara and Toph got like two lines each but still had fun with what they did get. Even Momo got some sight gags.

Aang is so personable. I think it's the combination of great social skills from a good peripatetic upbringing and being a peacetime child.

I think Zuko experienced every possible human emotion this episode. I loved seeing him snark with Mai (those two are way too good together), but his scenes with/revolving around Iroh were confusing and intense. Which is probably how Zuko would describe them too. Seems he's speedrunning his season 1 bad decisions arc.

I'm not fond of this new silent treatment approach from Iroh, but I have to admit that talking to Zuko didn't work for years, so what else is there to try?

I wasn't expecting a Footloose homage and a Spartacus reference in Avatar of all places. But it works. And it works if you don't catch the references too.

I am severely disappointed in Fire Nation fashion. I was expecting gloriously eye-searing red/gold/yellow outfits. I got black/tan/brown with dull red edging. It's probably a visual commentary on what imperialism does to its own people. And the price of dyes. But I was really looking forward to reds and golds! At least I have Toph's outfit.

I loved the liberal use of sound effects in the Gaang's plot. I love comic sound effects on their own, but they really enhanced the contast between Zuko and the Gaang's plots.

There was lots of heavy stuff under the surface this episode, what with the squashing of the self and the discrimination against colonials and the propaganda and the revisionist history and the assassin. But I feel like being silly today, so I'm not going to dig into it. That's one of the great things about this show. Not all, but many episodes are structured so that you can choose your level of engagement and consequent angst.

This episode was funny, and fun. A much-needed palette cleanser after the drudge of the season opener. The last time there was an episode this unapologetically silly was probably Avatar Day. In other words, it's been far too long. Definitely going on my rewatch list.

I really want Zuko's snuggy cape.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #the headband #all hail silly #long live silly

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thestarfishinjootsoffice · 1 year

Note

This is-A random request really,you can write these any way you want with different slashers too,Just include Bubba and Thomas please(ówò) Slashers x child reader who's parents,while being chased like-while hiding with the reader just shoves them out of the hiding place to save themself before fleeing,Maybe the reader is like 5 or 7,just smol and the reader just lays down and cries so the slasher just goes after the mom/or dad then comes back and takes the kid in?-

I was writing another request but Tumblr's hangry ass decided to eat it 🙄

ALSO YASS I LOVE THIS REQUESTS, AND I LOVE DIRTY DEED BEING DONE DIRT CHEAP <333.

Slashers x sacrificed! Child! Reader.

Bubba 🩸⛓️

Bubba didn't really wanna kill you, one of those reasons being you were a child and he likes children! And you didn't deserve this. :(

Didn't really wanna kill your parents either because oh how lonely and sad you must feel after seeing your mother and father get cut in half by a chainsaw!!.... Buutt he could always convince his brothers to let you stay in the family for 'extra' help. (he just wants a friend and a kid)

But he had to do what he had to do other wise his whole family will die and it'll all be his fault.

But all of the guilt he felt for your parents after they had pushed you out of their hiding spot after Bubba had found you had disappeared. And instead been replaced with anger and betrayal. Why did they do that? Family is supposed to be everything!

He felt sad looking at you crying on the ground after your brain processed wtf just happened.

He ignored you and instead went dashing towards your parents who were screaming and crying and confused why the killer had gone after them instead.

Earlier he was holding back but now he wasted no time, these people didn't deserve to be called parents.

Few minutes later he went back to you with no weapons on him, finding you still on the ground letting small tears go down and he just had the perfect idea and was dead set on it.

He timidly walked over to you babbling random nonsense but none of them sounded ill willed.

It took a lot of whining and persistence for his brother to finally allow to take you in but he was cautious as hell but everything still worked out really well.

Of course his oldest sibling, Drayton was harsh on you but because he was worried to hell if you were going to snitch on them and ruin his reputation but considering what happened a while back its safe to say you won't. (hopefully?)

And you'll be forced to get involved in the whole killing thing. If you start crying or get sad Bubba will do his best to get more victims so Drayton stops complaining and then you won't have to do it.

Thomas 🩸⛓️

Now Thomas and bubba are very similar although distant cousins.

He holds the same kind of guilt when he sees a family but he loves his own family more. He'll make sure to give yours a quick death.

Same thing, he's a family guy and a big family he can watch spend time together as they get older. <333

He was thinking of taking you in but he's not sure if you would comply because of your current status him basically chasing down you and your family.

But he became less shy of those thoughts as he watched your own parents forcefully make you show yourself to the killer after their tail to save their own skin (no pun intended) and he was now disgusted with your parents at how easily they gave you in.

He was always told the most important thing in this world was family and if your parents couldn't understand that then they shouldn't be parents at all.

He was a bit startled but was quickly catching up to them.

They were disgusting useless people who idiotically pondered why he wasn't taking his time killing off their own child they selfishly offered.

After being done with them he slowly walked over to you without his chainsaw and his hands slightly up.

Showing his best his intention was not to harm you. It didn't take that long or hard to convince his family to add you as a member but they were wary.

And another terrible thing was you HAVE to help with capturing the victims. If it's too much of a toll you Thomas will put on his headphones on you and make you go rest. This can only go so long, it depends on your age and personality.

Soon some guilt tripping form some of his family members and hoyt if it goes on too long. Thomas can only do so much against them.

After a while you'll slowly start to gain their trust and all of you will become a happy odd but cute family. (except for cannibalism stuff, murder and all)

I realised how different the energy and vibes are between bubba snd Thomas wtff

#bubba sawyer #bubba sawyer x reader #bubba saywer x reader #thomas hewitt my beloved #thomas hewitt x reader #thomas hewitt #texas chainsaw the beginning #texas chainsaw massacre #tcm the beginning #tcm 2003 #tcm thomas #tcm bubba #slashers x you #x child reader #child!reader #child reader #x daughter!reader #x son reader #platonic

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paperstarwriters · 1 year

Text

A Little Game of Tag

Shy!Muriel x Shy!Reader

Warnings: lots of kisses, extreme fluff, a few hickies and shyness to a frankly ridiculous extent. It's kinda silly but I think its cute :3

Summary: You want to kiss Muriel, but you're too embarrassed to do it normally. Unfortunately (Fortunately?) he is too. In an attempt to get used to giving and receiving kisses, it all blooms into a silly little game between the two of you.

Inspired by @vivifromnowhere in their post asking for a shy MC to go with Muriel

[A/N]: Look, look. I intended to post this a lot sooner but I struggled a lot with the ending lol Idk. I might go back in and change it? Or maybe I'll just write a different version for the ending or something Idk... Anyways, as mentioned in the Warnings, the fic is kinda silly, but I think it's cute lol.

Masterlist | The Arcana Masterlist

Word count: 8,277

─────・✿・─────

It didn't start out this way.

In the beginning of your relationship when Lucio was just recently defeated, it had taken a lot of courage for you to manage pressing a kiss against his skin. You did so once when you first celebrated the battle, and he kissed you back with enough longing in his touch that you could have sworn that the people around you could feel the heat radiating from your face. Luckily for the both of you the crowd and the chaos of their celebration quickly tore your attention away, but you couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to kiss him.

You just really, really, really wanted to kiss him again. Only, you weren't sure if you would be able to manage walking again if he kissed you back the way he did then.

So, you came up with a simple solution. All you needed to do, was kiss him and scurry away before he could kiss you back. You'd make up some excuse as well. Some reason to leave so that you wouldn't have to linger on the feeling of his lips on yours and so he wouldn't have the chance to chase you down.

...not like that wasn't enticing. But you don't think you'd be able to survive any of that afterwards. If you didn't spontaneously combust from the contact, you'd probably end up as a molten puddle on the ground.

Plus! You didn't want to pressure Muriel or anything either. He blushed with just about as much ferocity and heat as you did. If you couldn't survive this you didn't want to press the burden onto him. That was a valid excuse wasn't it? You were being considerate of Muriel's boundaries too!

Surely over time you'd eventually grow used to it, you'd grow more courageous with your kisses and you'd be comfortable enough to accept kisses from him. ...That's what you told yourself at least.

You followed your initial plan to a tee, pressing a kiss against his cheek and feeling the warmth bloom under the scrutiny of your lips. And then you pulled away and scurried out of reach, mentioning something about leaving to do something. You didn't expect your mind to be so frazzled amidst your escape, and so you weren't sure if you had said that you'd feed the market or go shop at the chickens. Either way it was blatant nonsense, and—even worse—as time went on you were getting no more used to these kisses.

Every time you pulled away, Muriel fixed you with the most agonized expression he could manage amidst the red of his face, futilely reaching to grab you before you slipped away. More than once you've considered lingering by his side in order to appease his desperate longing. More than once did the burn of embarrassment, and the sudden agonizing ache in your chest drive you away from his reach.

Since your attempts to cool that burn of embarrassment had since failed, you considered whether or not you wanted to continue for a while. It was something you had been pondering as you sat with Muriel by the fireplace. He was carving something out of wood, and you were... Well, you were trying to read over some magic text Nadia had lent you from her expansive library, but you were too stuck in your head to really focus on any of the words. Apparently he had been pondering over something as well.

"Do... Do you not like it when I kiss you?" he asked, tearing you away from your thoughts.

And just like that, your fluttering heart dropped from your chest. "I—what? No! No, no. I just—I wanted to practice kissing and all because the last time we kissed I swear I was about to pass out and—not in a bad way though, I just felt really inexperienced and you know that I struggle a bit sometimes and it's in the kind of same way that you do, I swear but I just— I didn't mean—"

Muriel leans towards you as you ramble, and just as you're about to apologize he presses the most tender fluttering kiss against your forehead, evaporating any and all thoughts with the heat he ignited on your face. Something was pressed into your hand as he did but you were too busy trying to keep your brain from evaporating that you couldn't tell what it was or why he gave it to you.

Far too soon, he pulled away. His face seemed as bright as yours was warm, the pink reaching all the way up from the tips of his ears and down to his neck and chest. Instinctively you reached out towards him, but he slipped away from your reach and scrambled for the door, just barely managing to toss an excuse before he left.

"I'm— I'm going to go get more wood!"

And just like that you were alone by the crackling fire. You wanted to raise your hand, cover your face to hide the shock and embarrassment, hide the warmth that radiated off of you, and just hide in general, but his carving sat heavily in your hand and although you still felt dizzy, you chanced a glance down at it.

A tiny little bear statue holding a tiny little heart. It looked like he was going to carve something into the heart, some words or something, but it remained unfinished.

If you had to guess, you'd imagine the word was "sorry"

You're glad he didn't finish that. You didn't want him to be sorry for kissing you.

Kissing you... He had kissed you....

The idea was still settling into your mind, and after you carefully dropped the carving somewhere in your lap and away from the fire, you hid yourself behind your hands and died. Soul withering away from the heat of your blush.

And that was how it all started.

You'd be passing by and you'd give Muriel a quick kiss to his cheek or to his forehead if you could reach it, and you'd scamper away before he was able to grab you.

And of course, Muriel would do the same to you.

You don't know why, nor do you know how, but your little method to train yourself to give and receive kisses quickly bloomed into a little game of tag filled with furious blushing, tampered down with soft giggles and featherlight chuckles. And sometimes if you were particularly surprised or surprising, or if you had just narrowly escaped, there would be loud laughter, and a race to the door. It became the sign of your escape. If you managed to get out the door you were free, left alone as the other glared on, sometimes pouting, or sometimes looking starved. In the forest, rules were a little more lax. Usually you'd let each other scurry off until they were out of sight, but sometimes if a chase ensued and getting out of Muriel's sight seemed nigh impossible you'd have to be the one to reach the hut first.

It was silly and fun, and it made the game comfortable to play.

It didn't stop you from blushing though. It didn't seem to stop him either, his cheeks still tinted pink with every kiss you pressed against his skin.

And then months into your little game, when you had once managed to kiss him twice before your great escape, Muriel had mentioned how unfair it had been when at the start of your game, you had kissed him so many times and how he never really got the chance to get you back for that.

At the time you had laughed and insisted that he was kissing you more than you did to him, but Muriel didn't seem to agree.

"What, do you want me to just sit here and take it?" you had so foolishly asked.

Comparable to the look of longing Muriel had given you so long ago, a dark look of temptation crossed his reddening face. If he wanted you to sit stock still for him to kiss you all over he had successfully already frozen you in place.

Instead he coughs a little and looks away his lips wobbling around his words, but taking no heat away from their meaning.

"No... I... I had something else in mind...."

He pressed a kiss to the shell of your ear, his lips just barely fluttering against the warming flesh.

Your brain was roasting over the fire of your face, and you were certain your heart had just beat free from your chest. By pure habit alone you reached out to grab him, but with a red face and an alarmed but gleeful look in his eye, Muriel escaped your grasp and ran outside, something about watering the firewood only barely thrown over his shoulder.

Left on the floor of the hut you once again curled up and died.

You weren't exactly sure what you'd call it after that point. Better? Or Worse? On the one hand, these kisses felt fantastic. Pressed up against sensitive skin and always followed by a look so tender and sweet that you were pinned in place an left unable to even move. Save, of course, for your arm feebly reaching out with no true ability to grab him. On the other hand you were struggling to press even a few kisses into those very same spots.

Needless to say Muriel had quickly made up whatever amount he was missing and more, over the next few weeks with every kiss he'd press against your shoulder or neck, or once even on the inside of your wrist. And with each kiss, you had been left stunned and frozen in place, only ever able to stare him down longingly as you reached to grab him, your legs too liquefied to try to chase after him. Even the memory of those kisses alone had hurt you so horribly that it took you far longer to plot how to kiss him back before you could actually work up the nerve to do so, and by then he'd have already attacked a new spot against your skin and unleashed a new fog upon your mind.

Muriel had begun to enjoy his newfound power and he grew bolder with his kisses, satisfied with the look you'd give him and how you'd weaken at the feel of it. He blushed back brightly in turn, but you could see the look of delight on his face as he watched the effect he had on you take hold.

You were half driven by spite when you went to get him back.

Waiting and watching, you sat with a keen attention on Muriel even if you never directly looked his way. Silently, pretending to be immersed and slightly frustrated (so that you wouldn't seem suspicious for not moving much) with a passage in your book and you awaited for a golden opportunity.

Muriel was working on some small project using plants to colour the wood of his carvings. He had explained it in depth before, but he had done so after coming back inside, from kissing you along your neck. From the pleased look he gave you as he explained, you knew that he knew you picked up none of it. Whether it was because he wanted to watch your reactions, or because he wanted you to ask him about it again or something, you'd never really know. All you knew was that you had an excuse to talk to him about it now.

So you did. You asked what he was working on, and though he teased you a little for not remembering what he told you before, he was quick and eager to explain the project to you, and in reply you gave your own ideas. He was aiming to replicate some of the painted carvings he saw from some other scattered members of the Kokhuri that you met in your travels. Many had mentioned how they used newer or different herbs than what was traditional due to the new lands that they wandered along, and many others mentioned how technically it was traditional to use what was available. Swept up in his excitement, you mentioned herbs you had read about recently that might be useful not only in colour, but also for their magic content, and you offered to go to the market to fetch some herbs that might not currently available in the forest, but were familiar to Vesuvia.

And little by little Muriel's attention was torn between you and his project. Which, admittedly, was not what you were planning. You thought he would have focused a bit more on the project because you were mentioning it, you hoped he would have looked to that more, but instead he was turning to you, eager to hear of your contributions and things you had researched before.

So when the opportunity finally arose, when he finally lingered looking at the herbal concoctions he was working on more than he was looking at you, even for a few moments, you seized the opportunity.

It was a kiss to the column of his neck. Just like what he had given you plenty of times in the past... Only.... In your haste, your kiss had been a little sloppier than you had intended. Your teeth had brushed against his sensitive skin, and your tongue had gotten a taste of his skin. You practically bit him, and in reply, Muriel made a sound, torn between a moan and a whimper.

Shocked, you pulled away prepared to apologize for your roughness while also ready to scramble away from him. Torn between the two you froze, no words coming from your mouth as you stared at him, just as frozen in place as you were, staring at you with a beet red face, wearing an expression that you could call awe or horror. You would have liked to say it silent between you, but between the rapid beating of your heart in your ears, and your heavy breaths matched by his own, it felt much to loud instead.

He made no attempt to grab you as you fled.

No, his attempt was far more comparable to a bear hug. One you only barely dodged as you fell back onto your butt and scrambled away, faced with that intoxicating look of desire the entire way of your graceful exit out. You didn't manage to make any excuse as you slipped past the door, and hid against the outside wall. There was no way you were going to do anything anyways with the way your heart was still beating furiously or by the way your legs had refused to work for you again.

Hell, all you wanted to do in that moment was walk back in and see what'd happen if you pressed a kiss back onto the spot that you had bit, like an apology, or maybe even somewhere else along his neck, like along his collarbones or at the swell of his throat, or maybe to the his ear where he had kissed you before. Maybe that sort of tender spot, right behind his ear. You've heard some stories talk about kissing people there. Wasn't that a vulnerable part? How would it feel.... Your own fingers trail up to brush against the soft skin imagining the feel of his lips brushing against your skin.

...You could understand how he had gotten so swept up in kissing you again and again in these tender spots. It was addicting. Even just thinking about it. Where you wanted to press your next kiss, where you wanted to target him again, you couldn't stop thinking about it.

Even now you were tempted to slip back in and give him another kiss.

Gods, you really wanted to though. You wanted to kiss him again and again and again and again. You wanted to kiss him with those chaste tender kisses pressed against his cheeks and forehead again, you wanted to kiss up and down his throat, along the line of his collarbones, on his shoulders. Everywhere. You wanted to kiss him everywhere.

But your heart was still racing and your legs were far too shaky to walk with, so at the most, all you managed was a feeble glance around the corner of the door, looking back inside.

Muriel sat with his face buried in his hands. What little patches of skin were visible, namely his ears and his neck, were coloured a red so bright he nearly looked like he was glowing. Inanna sat nearby, nearly rolling her eyes as she watched him, clearly already long used to the both of your shenanigans. She didn't look concerned at the very least so you were certain Muriel's reaction wasn't anything bad.

Inanna saw you first, and you were certain she had mentioned something through her familial bond with Muriel, because he splayed his fingers and glanced your way, and fixed you once more with the most starved look you have ever seen on his face. It didn't last long though. The look of hunger was quickly overpowered by embarrassment and back he buried himself into his hands his face somehow becoming an even brighter red.

The embarrassment felt contagious and you quickly yanked yourself back behind the corner. Inanna's unimpressed "whuff" was loud enough even from where you sat.

You wanted to kiss him more. To go back in and kiss him again, and again, and again, and yet you sat outside trying to shoo the warmth from your face and fight the urge to bang your head against the wall.

It took almost an entire day before the game started up again.

Although you still felt wobbly from the memory of your little nibble, you still managed to press a simple kiss against Muriel's cheek. Though it made him jolt a little from the contact and blush furiously, Muriel was more than coherent enough to attempt to grab you. And though your legs still trembled a little, you were more than capable enough of dodging. You wouldn't exactly say you were 'coherent' though.

Filled with the need to just smother him in kisses you had every chance to just stand still and let yourself be caught by Muriel. Find out what he'd do to you if he caught you. Find out what you'd do to him if you stayed.

And yet you still dodged and evaded. You still ran. Why? You didn't know. Out of habit perhaps, or out of a desire not to loose this endless game, or maybe out of a still lingering feeling of embarrassment. Which is right? You don't think you'd be able to tell, but as you slip once more out of the hut, you find the urge to change the game somehow. You wanted to, but you weren't exactly sure how you'd do so.

Over the next few days, the game went on without any change. Besides, perhaps, the combination of those sweet kisses along your cheek or forehead as well as a few along your neck or against your ear. It had you absolutely spinning with every kiss and telling by the way Muriel looked at you, it did for him too.

Sometimes, there would be simple mundane moments where he'd lean in for a kiss and suddenly he'd press one against some sensitive patch of skin slipping away as you'd squawk at him and flailed around with no real attempt to grab him. Other times there would be moments that had the both of you blushing so hard the heat rivalled that of the fireplace, and you'd lean in for a kiss almost aiming for the neck or some other sensitive spot, only to press one quickly to his cheek and pull away before he realized what you had done. Muriel tended to pout for a while after that, which only made you quicker to land another kiss onto his skin.

Eventually, of course, Muriel had kissed you back. Just before bed when he was preparing to get some more firewood, he pressed a kiss against your neck and with more purpose than you had when you kissed him, he grazed his teeth ever so slightly against the tender flesh—and even went so far as to give you a little bite, pulling away before coherent thought could re-enter your mind. Left alone in the bed, you sat there blushing for what felt like several hours, and when Muriel eventually returned to the hut, and returned to your side, all you could do was bury your face in his chest.

It felt both safe and exposing, but above all else it felt warm, growing even warmer still from Muriel's own rising blush.

Even after all this time, it was a little embarrassing to share a bed, but more than anything else, it was familiar. It reminded you of when the both of you were first struggling to open up to each other, of days in frost laden forests when sleeping together was needed to keep yourselves alive in the night while you slept.

Familiarity and warmth were plenty enough to help you relax, easily luring you to sleep.

Though, just before you slipped away into unconscious, Muriel planted another kiss to your forehead. In the sleepy state you were in, you couldn't even manage to reach for him.

In the sleepy state you were in you didn't even realize you were already holding him.

On and on and on the game went.

Even if you'd never know where his next kiss would land, you couldn't help but feel like your little game had reached a stalling point. It wasn't necessarily as a bad thing, but you could feel your hesitation in moving forward seem to permeate your every kiss. In a way you supposed that it did, because your eyes had such a nasty habit of straying.

You wanted to kiss him.

Your lips pressed against his, you wanted the world-ending kiss he gave you those many weeks ago. A kiss that could drown the noise from the crowd, and bring the world to a halt. The kiss that had asked for so much while giving with equal measure.

The kiss you had started this entire game for.

You wanted to kiss him.

If your urges were obvious Muriel made no indication of knowing, so you sat and stewed in your feelings for as long as you could manage. Muriel kissed you many times in the span of your thoughts tearing every thought in your mind to shreds each time, but you couldn't bring yourself to kiss him back when all you wanted to do was to kiss him and feel just how soft his lips were against your own.

You... You could now though, couldn't you?

You've kissed him so many times and he's kissed you so many more times back. Sure, you've always needed to back away for some space but you could do that now too right? You could just kiss him like it was a part of the game, and then eventually you'd work up the courage to linger to maybe give you a kiss in return, or to allow you to kiss him over and over and over again. Or even for longer.

And you'd be able to do it without being so... Embarrassed.... Without feeling the need to escape or hide.

...Right?

A sudden weight beside you on the bed tore you away from your thoughts. Although he had sat down slowly, the shift in the weight and how close he was sitting still managed to make you nearly tip over onto his lap. You had just barely managed to adjust and lean away but it still had you a little flustered regardless.

Muriel on the other hand didn't seem to notice. He didn't look your way, as he sat, instead staring off into the distance before his eyes eventually sank onto the floor. Though you could only see his profile you could tell he was worried, brows drawn and furrowing together, and his lips torn between slipping beneath his teeth and curling into a pout.

When he finally did look at you, it was with that same anguished look he made when you first started your little game.

"Are you okay?"

Although confused you nodded. Did you not seem okay? Did something happen? Were you supposed to not be okay?

Muriel continued, "it's just.... It's been a while... Since...." You were going to scramble for all the things you hadn't done in a while, but the redness in his cheeks and his hesitance already made you suspect— "You haven't really... Kissed... me for awhile. Even if I've been.... Kissing.... you..... Are you.... Is everything okay?"

Had it really been so long?

"I'm fine! I'm—I've just been thinking a lot about... Some things." An understatement perhaps, but even as you said it, your eyes betrayed you, wandering and flickering to his lips, half chewed in worry and half twisted into a worried pout. They looked tender and sore, wouldn't a nice little kiss make them feel a bit better...?

"Are you....... Is there something wrong...?" he continued to press. "If there's a problem I could try and help."

Again he bit his lip and you watched half entranced as his teeth sank into the plushness of his lower lip. It truly looked so soft. You just wanted to...

Your eyes snapped back up to his, meeting the full force of his worry and concern.

If you could just muster up the courage, you could wipe that look clean off of his face, you could press your lips against his and ease any worries he had had. Make up for all the lost time that you had spent not kissing him. And maybe you'd stay too.

Of course, kissing away problems didn't really fix them.

You stood from the bed, and Muriel watched you go, the concern in his eyes deepening until you smiled.

"I'm fine. Really Muriel I was just... I was kinda caught up in thinking about.... In, uh, thinking about your... Kisses."

Once again, his concern grew stronger.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No! No, I don't— I mean, not really. But that's not in a bad sense of any sort or anything I just—I mean—! You know how we run away......? Ah, no but that isn't the point, I don't want to stop kissing you and I don't want you to stop kissing me I swear I really—"

You could see it this time. Watching him so closely as you rambled you saw how he leaned in, prepared to kiss your throat or your cheek or something in the vicinity.

But you also saw his smile. Small and tiny, you wondered just how many times a kiss against your skin had included his smile pressed against you.

Kissing you made him happy. He loved you. He loved kissing you.

In a burst of confidence, you beat him to the punch, and kissed him before he could kiss you. Your lips pressed against his, the world-ending kiss you had so desired.

There was the smallest little gasp against your lips before he relaxed a little, and if you lingered any longer maybe he would have leaned in and returned the kiss to you. But your face was growing hot and you were getting dizzy, and whether by habit, by embarrassment, or by a need to stick to your original plan, your legs itched with the urge to run. So you pulled back, and you skittered away once more.

It wasn't a far distance between the bed and the door and in any other circumstance you might have been able to make it in only a few steps.

But he called you, and you hesitated.

“No, no please. Don’t leave.”

The sound of his voice was so nearly a whine, practically begging you to return to his side, killing the urge to run before you could make even a full step away. It was just a moment's hesitation, just a second, but that's all he needed.

And for the first time since the start of your little game, you were caught.

His hand caged your wrist first, keeping you from moving any further. Then, with his free hand as quick as the first, he grabbed you just above your elbow and pulled. With two hands it made it easier to hold you down, prevent any chance of escape. With two hands it made it easier for him to yank you back towards the bed, back to his embrace, and most importantly, back to his lips on yours.

It was your turn to gasp at the contact. Your turn to melt as his arms snaked around you, one around your waist, and another cradling your head, caging you against him as if to keep you from escaping again.

As if you could escape, with the feeling of his lips on yours making you melt against him.

As if you wanted to escape.

Trapped against his chest, with no ability nor will to escape, you could do nothing but reciprocate everything he was giving you even amidst the dizzying feeling of warmth that permeated your face and chest.

It was strange; even though you were still blushing madly, even though your mind was melting in your skull, you couldn't help but feel calm and relaxed under the scrutiny of Muriel's lips against yours.

There was no panic, no concern worry or fear. There was just you and Muriel kissing each other, and relishing in the feelings that such a tender kiss could bring. He loved you, and you loved him. So, so much. And with the gentle caress of his lips against yours, you could feel it. You could feel how hungry he was for your affection, and you could feel how much he was trying to give in turn. Hopefully he could feel you too. How much you wanted this, how much you loved him, how much you adored every moment you spent with him and every kiss you had pressed against his skin.

So caught up in the kiss, you had almost forgotten to breathe. Thankfully Muriel didn't, and when he pulled away, you managed to gasp as he pressed his lips back down against your skin.

His hands slipped from their hold on you to wrap around your waist burying you in a hug as he spattered kisses against your cheek, trailing down towards your neck. With every kiss you could feel his certainty, retracing every kiss he’s lovingly planted on you before with the added calm and languid motions that more time allowed. He nibbles along your neck even more, toeing the line of biting you as his teeth sank almost teasingly into your skin. Not enough to hurt or even make a mark, just enough to know it was there. It made you whine, just a little, and that made him do it even more.

And amidst it all, he watched you. With eyes wide open, only fluttering closed to savour your reactions or the taste of your skin, all with a small giddy smile slowly growing wider and wider on his lips.

It didn’t take long before you were cupping his cheek and trying to guide him away from you, eager to have a taste of your own. At first he pouted, not wanting to be separated from your skin, but the pout quickly vanished as you leaned in and pressed your own kisses against his neck and chest.

It was easier than you expected, although… perhaps you had just been over-thinking things, or perhaps you truly had been able to get used to his kisses at least on some level…

Or perhaps it was just him. Muriel, the very same cause of your rapid heartbeat, was also what made kissing him and sticking around to kiss him more easy.

You knew Muriel. And even more than that, you knew that he loved you, and you knew that you loved him.

This… this was just another way to show that wasn’t it? Gently biting at his neck enough to make him whine, and then kissing over the tiny injury as if apologizing for hurting him, even if he loved the feeling. Spattering kisses over his chest, tracing scars big and small with the faintest brush of your lips against his skin, kissing his shoulders, broad and scarred, and kissing the tips of his ears as if trying to encourage the red of his blush to spread all the way there. Spattering kisses all over his face again, atop his eyelids and on his nose, around his lips, teasing him with the offer of another chance for him to kiss you…. That was all just a form of showing love, wasn’t it?

And when Muriel pulled you back him, cupped your cheek with the calloused pads of his fingers and palm, so gently pulling you in to slot his lips against yours and kiss you with the agonizing hunger of a man who’s been teased and deprived of this for months—that was just a means of showing love as well, wasn’t it?

It was... Just an expression of love and you didn't need to be overthinking or—

Muriel pulled away from you, and despite everything, you pouted at the loss of contact, digging your fingers into whatever fabric or flesh you could get a hold of, fully expecting him to try and run away. In reply, Muriel held you just as tight, pressing his forehead against yours as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're shaking," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Oh.

... Were you okay? You felt dizzy and you didn't think you'd be able to stand after this, just collapse into a pile of very warm goo. Yet, even despite that you could still feel the overwhelming urge to pull him back in and answer with another kiss. Could you actually survive that if you did? All those other kisses had felt so good... If you kissed him again would you have the same clarity he had to eventually pull away?

"Ah. Uh... It's... Nerves. I'm just... I feel both so excited and so nervous at the same time!" you squeaked out the last bit, biting your lips to try and hide the grin from crawling up your face.

Watching Muriel's face go red, and the corners of his lips wobble you wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to hide the very same thing.

“I...Me too," he confessed, chewing a little at his lip. "I... I've wanted this for so long."

"really?"

You couldn't help it at that point. No matter how much you bit your lips you could already feel the ache in your cheeks at the force of your smile. As his eyes darted up and down, glancing at your lips before darting back up to your eyes, he was quickly succumbing to the same fate.

"Y-yeah. Ever since our kiss in the colosseum... Your idea was better though."

"You had a plan too?"

"... Mhm... I was... I was going to try and practice by kissing you while you were... asleep—or at least really, really busy. Just... Sometime when you wouldn't notice or something." At this point you didn't think Muriel's face could get any redder from his blush, but as his eyes fluttered shut and he began to chew his lip, still smiling a little despite his embarrassment. "I was trying to figure out a different plan though since I wanted to know..." For a moment he faltered, his eyes fluttering open to look at you, his embarrassment growing stronger under your scrutiny. "...I wanted to know if you liked it."

Oh. You doubted that your face could get any warmer either, but you still pulled yourself back a little attempting to shield your face from his scrutiny with your hands. Similarly, Muriel was turning away, and hiding his face behind the crook of his arm, still determined to keep one hand around your waist as if he still worried that you'd still try to run away.

"well..." You peeked out from behind your hands, seeking Muriel's attention to try and gauge his reaction. Feeling you shift in his arms he did the same. "I uh... Feel kind of bad now. I always just assumed but...did you like it?"

Muriel's eyes grew wide.

Suddenly, even if Muriel had given you the most pleading and starved look with every kiss you gave him, even if he reached out to you after every kiss—even if he had returned your kisses after some time, and even if you still had the his gift of a little bear holding a heart in your possession—you couldn't help the instinctual fear that maybe, just maybe—

"I loved it," he whispered. Then softer, pressing himself against your neck instead of his arm, "...I love you."

You squeaked at the feeling quickly sputtering out your reply. "Me too—I mean, I love you too! And it! I loved the kisses— I loved your kisses. I just..."

Muriel pulls back, that wobbly look of worry and concern settling back on his face all over again as if he had felt something amiss in the pulse along your neck. With all the patience you've ever given him and more, Muriel waits for you dragging his hand up to your cheek, and waiting for words to eventually bubble free. He heard that you wanted to say something, now he's just waiting for you to say it. Only, you don't think you have anything to say.

For once, you don't think words can solve your problem.

You lean closer towards Muriel, offering yourself in the silent little way he did just moments ago. Without a single sound, he knows what you're saying loud and clear. His eyes grow wide at the notion, before they settle back into that starved look he had been taunting you with. In the same way you had bridged the gap between you, Muriel now did the same, crowding into you until he was tipping you onto the bed—until the both of you were lying side by side. Though Muriel held you close to keep you from escape, you held him close in hopes that he'd be able to feel what you could not say. That he'd be able to feel the rapid beat of your heart, or the lax nature of your muscles, or how comfortable you feel slotting yourself up against him, or how you can't help your wandering hands or—

Something knocks against your side a few times, hitting your back and ribs hard, before it scrambles on top of you barking all the way. Black fur crowds your space, and as Muriel squawks at the intrusion, you nearly tumble off the bed from your surprise, if not for Muriel's arm still wrapped around you.

Partly fueled by shock, and partly fueled by the strange one sided argument Muriel was having with Inanna as she wormed her way between the both of you, you began to laugh. You could feel Muriel's hold on you tighten just a little at the sound, and as you peered over the mass of black fur that sat between you, you could see the tiniest little smile on his lips, growing wider with every glance your way. Gods this was ridiculous. But...The whole thing was ridiculous, wasn't it?

Eventually Inanna settles herself in the centre of your hug, and though Muriel sighs at the interruption he's still smiling as well. It's an uphill battle to stomp down the corners of his mouth to convey his irritation to his familiar—an animal with an emotional and magical link with him—but he fruitlessly tries regardless, eyes snapping to you every so often, crumbling his attempts each time, while his cheeks grow even pinker with every passing glance.

It takes you a moment, far too distracted by his teeth sinking into his lips and the wonky curve of his lips, but Inanna had been talking to Muriel, and apparently she was mentioning something about you... Or well, the both of you.

"She's...she's telling us to get a room."

As if contagious, your own face picks up warmth, and you promptly find yourself fighting the same battle against your smile. On the one hand, you couldn't help the giddiness of your sucess, of being able to kiss Muriel so much, of that overwhelming sense of love that you could finally convey to not only him, but apparently everyone in the room. On the other hand... Embarrassment burned thickly across your face and shoulders, wedging itself down your throat where it had failed to burn.

Had the both of you been doing too much? Did it seem too... Too much to an outside eye? Was it something you shouldn't have done? Should you have asked Inanna to leave? Your mind spins with possibilities and confusion only adding to the disorienting state that your embarrassment was already granting you, any and all attempts at glancing Muriel's way in an attempt for help failed miserably as the two of you either quickly averted your eyes, or you both lingered on each other, the look of longing and delight somehow making you both feel worse.

Feel worse, and yet embarrassingly hungry to be even closer once more. Muriel still held you, albeit much more loosely with Inanna now between you, but he still held you and didn't seem intent to ever let you go.

Eventually, Muriel clears his throat and refocuses his attention on Inanna, visibly trying and failing to keep his eyes from flickering back to you.

"You could've gone outside yourself you know You don't have to stick around and... And watch."

In the most offended manner you've ever seen from a wolf Inanna whips around to stare you down silently asking with her bright eyes and pointed stare if you agreed as well. Not trusting your own voice, or your control over your lips you nodded furiously, hiding your smile behind your hand. You couldn't help it. Even amidst the embarrassment, Muriel's fingers dug into your hip, a distraction and a reassurance at once.

Inanna stares at the both of you for a moment, before she lets out a grouchy whuff, absolutely glaring the both of you down, before she finally slips from between you. In the same way water fills any given gap, Muriel pulls you back towards him, closing the distance between you, before Inanna promptly begins to separate you once more. Biting at your clothes she tries to drag you out of bed, drag you away from Muriel, though she's quick to rectify her mistake when she jumps back onto the bed and begins to furiously headbutt Muriel from behind.

In that manner, silent even to Muriel, save for her grunts and whuffs, Inanna herds the both of you towards the door, and proceeds to headbutt the door open when she decides that the two of you take far too long to open it yourself.

Ah..... When had it started raining?

Thick as a curtain, the downpour looks as if the hut had suddenly been relocated beneath a waterfall. And it's noisy too. Even if you had closed the door, the thud of rain against the stone and wood and the trees all created a cacophony of noise near impossible to ignore. And yet, so...preoccupied...you managed just that.

Your blush returns with a vengeance, though you aren't even sure if it had ever left in the first place, and in an attempt to maybe escape the heat, you step out into the coldness, reaching out into the rain. It's as heavy as it looks, only a hint lighter than the force of a waterfall. Despite that, standing beneath the tree, you remain protected from the downpour. A tree alone wouldn't have been able to protect you, but one enchanted, with carvings around it's trunk and charms dangling from its branches, it's doing it's best. Still, it's a pretty feeble protection, perhaps you could improve it somehow. You let your mind wander for a few minutes thinking of improvements you could add to the enchantments. Things that you've learned about that could be used next time downpour this heavy occurred, however rare it may be.

Just about to share your plans with Muriel, when the door slammed behind you. Both of you you spun around in horror mind racing between confusion and fear. Was that the wind or did—

You catch sight of him before you can even make your assumption.

Staring at the very same door as you Muriel looks far more betrayed than you had felt, his cheeks still pink tinted despite it. On the other side, Inanna barks loudly. In reply Muriel groans, and though he has no one to hide from Muriel covers his blush with a hand.

"She says she'd let us back in when we cool off."

....Oh.

Whatever progress you had made at cooling yourself off dissipates at Muriel's—or well, Inanna's—words. Even if it was true, even if the heat between the both of you had been.... Well..... Even then.... Your mind flooded once more. What had it looked like? Did you really seem so ravenous? You felt so but did it really look that much like...? Or did Inanna just have enough of the both of your nonsense? No, no surely it couldn't have been that... Right? She wouldn't just kick you out of the hut and lock the door without....? Speaking of, did Inanna even lock the door? Sure it was magic activated and she could have, but you didn't see the glow or—

"Are you okay? You're shivering."

Warm arms pull you into an even warmer chest, once more holding you tight against him, resting his face on the top of your head. Pressing a kiss into your hair.

Another kiss...

One you could return.

Or well, try to at least. When you tried to turn in his arms shuffling a little to try not to step on his toes in the process, Muriel only held you tighter against his chest still expecting you to try and run away. You couldn't exactly blame him for that though. If it were you, you'd probably do the same.

Instead, you revel a little in the warmth and the possessive little squeeze he gives you when you finally settle down, the second kiss he gives you, this time pressed to the very tip of your ear, taking the chance to enjoy it while he can't see your face, and the odd expression you surely have there. And yet you still itch to return his kisses in some way. With no other area of his body easy to access for you, you slip your hands up to one of his own, trying to coax it from it's grip around you and into your own hand, where you could raise it up to your lips, and press a kiss to his pulse, or his palm, or his calloused fingers or...

You can feel Muriel's grip grow ever so slightly tighter against you, keeping your back flush against his chest and letting you feel how he seems to grow warmer and warmer with every kiss. But with every caress you give him, and every kiss you plant on his arms and hands, Muriel readily gives you another to your ears or the top of your head, or your cheeks or your neck or your shoulders or....

With his arms looser around you now, you took the chance to turn back towards him, immediately burying yourself against his chest and pressing a kiss there, regardless of his shirt. You tried to hide your face for as long as you could, but you were eager to get your lips on his skin once more, and soon you were puling him by his cheeks down for you to reach, and he was holding you up by your waist, eager to reciprocate whatever you'd give.

Regardless of the rain or the wind, it was warm.

It'd probably take a while before you cooled off enough to go back inside...

After all, you wanted to get used to this warmth... Perhaps you should practice a little bit more.

✦✧✦✧ (Bonus!) ✧✦✧✦

Inanna stared at the door for a few minutes from where she laid nice and warm in front of the fireplace, awaiting the return of the both of you. Surely you wouldn't linger out in the rain for too long.... Right? Admittedly the comment she made was really just a joke. Revenge really, since the both of you had thought to kick her out into that rain, but she didn't intend for either of you to linger out there so long. She'd expect at least one of you to come banging on the door begging to be let back in, but the silence was deafening.

She waits for a few more moments, before she gives up and sighs, settling back down onto the floor and absorbing the warmth from the fireplace. It doesn't seem like you'll be back until you're both soaking wet and freezing your butts off and it'll be up to her to warm you both back up again, especially since both of your bodies are severely lacking fur.

She doesn't worry too much about the cold and wet though. You'll return when you grow tired of playing chase like little pups, and when you do, well...She didn't lock the door.

...

Hopefully one of you realizes that eventually.

#the arcana #muriel #muriel x reader #the arcana x reader #muriel x mc #the arcana muriel #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel the arcana #muriel the mountain man #muriel the hermit #muriel x apprentice #muriel x you #muriel x shy reader #x reader #reader insert

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drkmgs · 1 year

Text

Tyler's Sibling

Wednesday Addams x Reader Galpin

Story type: multiple chapters

Warning: Sibling issue, scar arm, trauma, paint blood...

I know it's been a while... I'm sorry...

previous chapter

After you lost consciousness at the Weathervane, your father strictly advised you to stay home and not to go to work. You have been resting in your room, thinking about what happened three weeks ago. You had a Zoom meeting with your doctor discussing nonsense theories as to what and why it happened. It was clear that these professionals also don't have the answers.

It would be nice if you had at least one friend, but who would befriend you? You were too normal for an outcast and too weird for a normie. Your brother doesn't care about you. He has his own demons and problems to solve. Your father is far too busy, and if he was home, him and Tyler would just bite each other's heads off.

You sighed as you sat up on your bed and looked out the window. You got startled when a hand knocked on your window. Hesitantly, you opened it and let the hand enter. He signed you a thank you and continued with how different your reaction was compared to your brother. You learned that the hand's name is Thing, and he is one of the Addams.

You talked to him like a person, which Thing actually appreciated. You and Thing were so immersed with your conversation that it was almost time for him to go, and Thing had to return to Nevermore. You let him out the window and asked him if he could come back to keep you company. He did a little nod and crawled away.

Not long after, you saw a figure sneaking around the house. You got up, exited your room, and made your way downstairs. You jumped a little when you hear the back door rattle. You slowly made your way to the door, grabbing a pan on the way. You were ready to hit the intruder when you realized it was just your brother. Sneaking back inside the house.

"Woah! Woah!" He said and took the pan out of your hand. "Where were you, and why are you sneaking into the house? Dad is not home yet." You took a step back, letting him close the door. He passed by you, and that's when you noticed the suit he was holding. Your eyebrows furrowed. "Wednesday asked me to be her date for the Rave'N." He held up the suit and ran upstairs, probably to get ready.

Your head went into spiral. She asked him? So, why did she kiss you? Was it to clear her head? Was she confused? You and Tyler do look similar, but you were certain she said she came for you that night. Thinking too much made you dizzy. With the help of the furniture around you, you got yourself back to your room. You dropped yourself onto the bed, curling inside your warm blanket, which helped you fall into sleep.

You got woken up by an extreme pain. You screamed on top of your lungs. Gripping on your arm. Sheriff Galpin burst into your room, already trying to soothe you. Then his phone rang through the house, and he gently lay you back down on your pillow. By now, you were breathing heavily, trying to calm yourself.

"Y/N. I need you to come with me. Come on." He said as soon as he hung up the phone. He made you sit up and put one of your jackets on you and then warped you with one of your blankets. You're still clinging on to your arm as if it's going to fall off, and it does feel like it. Once he was finished, he gathered everything he needed and guided you towards the truck, and let you sit by the passenger side. He made sure you were wearing your seatbelt and then drove away.

At some point, you did register where you're headed. Once you past the metal gates, you knew you're at the Nevermore grounds. In your dizzy visions, you could see teenagers running out of the building, covered in blood? Your Dad said something, but your brain didn't register any of it. All you could do was watch him exit the vehicle and storms inside the school.

As soon as he was gone inside, you saw Wednesday covered in blood running past the truck into the woods. You looked around for a hot minute to see if your brother was following her, but no sign of him. You unbuckled your seatbealt and jumped out the truck, following Wednesday.

You called after her in between hissing at the pain shooting through your arm. "Would you stop for a minute?!" You shouted, and that made the girl stop. "Care to explain what is happening? and why are you covered in blood?" You exhaled heavily from chasing her. "It's not blood. It's paint, and right now is not the time. We need to find Eugene!" "The bee boy?" With that, both of you continued to run deeper into the woods. "Eugene!" Wednesday called out, and not even a second both of you hear him. "Wednesday!" The closer you get to him, the pain in your arm grows.

You were just a couple of meters away from him when you heard a screeching scream. Wednesday ran towards the direction, you just behind her, for some reason, you keep looking behind you and bumped into Wednesday. As soon as you turned around and saw Eugene's body, you dropped to the ground.

Everything went black.

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday addams #wednesday addams x you #wednesday x reader #wednesday #wednesday x you #jenna ortega #jenna ortega x reader #wednesday series #wednesday netflix

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catasoph · 1 year

Text

Nightmare-Daydream

Newt x gn!reader

Summary: After the gladors survived the maze reader thinks they will never see their beloved Newt again, but fate and a good friend help them to get reunited.

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: Nightmares, mentions of near-death experience, guns, violence

My lungs were on fire. Expanding to the maximum to get enough air. I ran for my life. Crossing and turning. Following the screams of someone I knew better than anyone. But the path never ended, the screams didn't get any closer, instead the walls closed in around me. Until I was in another room. Everything was dark, a single light showed a boy with blood running down his forehead. Behind him stood two men with huge guns. I couldn't see their faces. It was covered in black. They had no real presence. They were demons. They lurked until the inevitable would happen. They took a step, slowly. Desperate, I cried out, pushing myself forward, wanting to run to the boy they were holding hostage. But my feet were sunk into the ground. A black liquid held them in place, leaving me nothing but my voice. Screaming pleas to hurt me, not him. But they took more steps forward, narrowing the distance between them. Why weren't they listening? Why weren't they looking? Why didn't they slow down? They pointed their guns at his head. My scream mingled with the gunshots that bore holes where his eyes once were.

"(Y/N)! (Y/N), wake up!" I startled with a gasp and suddenly found myself in another dark room with two concerned eyes watching me intensely. A sob broke out of my throat, accompanying the tears falling without limit out of my eyes. "It's alright. You're fine. Everything is fine." He slung his strong arms around my trembling body. Telling me he was there, I wasn't alone. He didn't care about my violent crying staining his shirt, that I woke him out of his sleep, or that I babbled nonsense. He was just there. "Do you want to talk about it?" He was still holding me, gently rocking so I calmed down enough until my sobs turned to hiccups and they evened out. "I lost him." I only whispered it, but I knew he heard it with the way his body stiffened and he clung to me tighter. "I lost him again." "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered, afraid if he spoke louder, not only his voice but also the world around him would break again. For too long, those simple words became his mantra. Chanting them at any given time to see if they would let us heal.

"Gally," I said, separating our upper bodies so I could look at him, "It wasn't your fault." He nodded, but couldn't keep his eyes on mine, instead squeezing my arms to signal me, he acknowledged my words, but they brought little comfort. He cupped my cheeks looking in my eyes with seriousness. He seemed different now. As if he had seen a war and was ready to march into another one.

"(Y/N),I promise you, if they are still alive, I will find them and bring him back to you." I tried to smile. My eyes still glistening from too many tears shed for what I had lost, I couldn't see what I still had.

After we escaped the maze, everyone was hopeful. Until Ava Paige told us about the scorch and the flare. What cruel god would do such a thing? Make us prisoners only to let us out to die. Suddenly Gally came in with a gun in his hand, blaming Thomas for everything. Saying we belonged to the maze. And maybe we did. Maybe we still do. For there was no greener place with the warmest sun. There is no place feeling more like home than the grass enclosed by gray walls.

But after I pushed Thomas out of the way and the bullet hit me, I was okay with dying. I was okay with knowing my family and the boy I loved would survive. Because I would still belong to the maze and there would be a time when we would all meet there again.

But I survived and had to live with the knowledge of never seeing the love of my life again.

Even after that night, the sun rose again, as it usually did, and with it a new day. With each passing day, I was able to forgive Gally a bit more for not being a demon, but being hunted by them. And when I woke up the next day from my latest nightmare, I saw Gally and knew I would be standing by his side until the end. Because despite everything, he still cared for me and protected me. He was the only one who kept me sane.

"Wake up already! It's breakfast time!" Came a deep, serious voice from the doorway of my room.

"Five more minutes, Gally."

"Fucking hell. No, stand up." Heavy footsteps walked toward my bed until rough hands slid under my body and lifted me up, only to set me back down on my own feet a second later. Less than five minutes later, were we downstairs sitting at a table and eating our breakfast, while everyone around us chattered.

Occasionally I would be greeted or smiled at, which Gally found bothersome.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?" I mumble with a mouthful of food.

"Gain everybody's attention. First in the Glade and now here. All of them try to get in your pants." He rolled his eyes, taking a huge bite of his bread.

"I don't know. It's not my fault." A snort left the man in front of me while an amused smile crept onto his lips.

"It's definitely your fault, (N/N). Always blinking your eyes seductively while giving some morons attention."

"I don't!" I exclaimed, offended.

He didn't reply, just smirked at me while putting his dishes on his tablet to bring them away.

"Anyway, Casanova, I have to go on patrol. Enjoy your attention."

"I hate you!" I smiled pleased as the conversation ended when he came around to hug me goodbye.

"Don't put yourself in danger, okay?" I asked softly. He didn't answer. He didn't need to. I knew he couldn't promise me but I always hoped it made him realize how desperately I needed him.

After he left for patrol, I got myself ready to look after the injured and sick. It was a tough job, not made for everyone, but what job was easy in the world we lived in. At least I didn't have to fight anymore. I didn't have to kill anyone and look at their eyes turn cold. I remember all the boys we had to bury or the one's we didn't even find anymore. I was not much of a fighter. What was the point if we were all going to die in the end anyway? But I understood that we had to fight. It was our last option, other than letting fate take the wheel.

Weeks passed with the same routine. Gally went on patrol while I tended to the wounded, but we always saw each other and ate together. Sometimes, though, we just sat together in silence. Until one day, the routine broke.

It was lunchtime when shots and screams rang out from the outskirts of the city. Where people fought day and night for their survival, to secure a place in the only city left.

Gunshots and screams were nothing unusual anymore but it was Gally`s time for patrol. This made it more horrifying. My heart sank and every possible scenario raced through my head. I was going to lose him. I was going to lose everything again. If not today with these guns, then tomorrow or the day after. One day he will not be coming back. "Don`t worry, kid. He will be fine." The man with a gray beard smiled at me but his eyes told a different story. These eyes had seen too many disasters. So much hatred. How long has he been saying to himself everything is going to be fine? And how many times did he get disappointed? It felt like ages until the familiar noises from the motor of the van and his voice could be heard through the base. "We`re all on the same side here!" I sprinted down from the hospital wing. I had to see him to be sure he was alive. I had to thank him for coming back to me because I could never survive without him. He pulled his helmet from his head and I crashed into him. "I was worried sick, you shank:" In my voice was nothing angry or intimidating, just pure relief bubbling out of it. "I`m sorry, (N/N). But look who I found." My arms left Gally`s body, to turn around. In front of me was my home. The gladors who escaped with us. Not all of them were there. Winston and Chuck were nowhere to be found. My eyes zeroed in on the only boy who ever had my heart. Newt. Standing there with his eyes open and his mouth unable to form words. "We saw you die. Both of you. He shot you." Those were the first words out of it. Reminding himself this horrible day was not his imagination. "No, you left us to die", Gally spat back. Still hurt about how easily they left us behind. Before someone else could answer I took it upon myself. "They found us before it was too late. They took us in and cared for us. That's the only reason we survived." I gestured lazily toward the other guards who were watching this interaction with curious eyes. Everything stayed silent for a few seconds until Newts eyes which before held confusion, now shone with hope. He took a few slow steps towards me his eyes never leaving mine as if asking permission to come close to me. But my only answer where my own small steps toward him. "I thought I lost you." His voice was a whisper. As if the wind would pick up our secret and bring it right back to WCKED. "Me too." His hands cupped my cheeks. His brown eyes fixated on mine, searching for answers he wouldn't find in them. "Are you two together?" My gaze wanders down, not ready to be seen after a long time. Fearing rejection when everything in me lusted for love. "No, there was only ever one boy I loved." My eyes found him again. His head moved forward, pressing his lips on mine and kissing me again after all our lost time. New life was breathed into me while he held me and everything finally felt perfect. I knew now we would be alright. We would survive.

#newt tmr #maze runner #newt x reader #newt x you #hurt/comfort #light angst #fluff #tmr gally #the scorch trials #newt fluff #newt #newt imagine

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