#my mother walks outside near my window or near my bedroom door.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

the girl next door 8

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as age gap, manipulation, chronic illness, noncon/dubcon, coercion, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: A new neighbour moves in and upends your already disarrayed life.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself.

This lewk but silverfox

Your head is throbbing. The hangover of your night of crying greets you like a drumbeat. You cradle your skull and shudder, roused only by a clink from the kitchen. You grumble and sit up, blearily checking the clock beside your bed. The digital numbers stamp your vision. It’s too early for your mom to be up. You can’t even remember the last time she was awake before you. 

You know she won’t be happy about having to make her own coffee. You get up, clumsy steps carrying you to the door as you rub your temples. You go out into the hall, your tee shirt caught in the top of your striped linen sleep shorts.  

You squeak as you stop in the doorway of the kitchen. It’s not your mom. You’re so surprised, you can’t move. You drop your hands, hugging yourself as you stare at Steve’s back, his broad shoulders stretching the leopard print of your mother’s robe. The insinuation of the piece of clothing, makes you choke. 

He glances over his shoulder before you can flee. His gray hair is slightly mussed and you can see his boxers poking out past the short hem of the robe. You sway on your feet. 

“Good morning, sweetie. Want some coffee?” He asks, sleep dragging in his voice, “pot just finished brewing.” 

“Oh, um... I’ll make my own.” 

“More than enough,” he insists as he takes out another mug from the cupboard. His familiarity with the place makes you squirm. 

“Erm,” you bite your lip. 

“Here,” he turns to you with a mug. “You like sugar? Milk?” 

“Black,” you answer as he nears. 

You accept the cup as he holds it out. His lack of shame makes you even more uncomfortable. You are an adult. It isn’t that absurd that your mom would have... needs. It’s just not something you know much about. Nor had you ever really thought about her finding someone like this. She only ever griped about your father and every other man she knew. 

“Wow, I would’ve thought you had a sweet tooth,” he remarks. 

You shake your head, “thanks.” 

You turn to escape with the comfort of the coffee. He hums as if disappointed but you let the sound fade behind you. You close your bedroom door and quickly cross the room, as if to get as far from him as possible. 

You just weren’t prepared. You’re still reeling from the night before and your bout of tears. Ugh. You’re just stupid. You get so swept up in stupid emotions and then you mope around. You sip the coffee and set the cup down. 

You look down at your bare legs and cross them, pulling subconsciously on your tee shirt. Oh gosh. You’d been walking around in front of him like this. 

You grab the cup again. You focus on finishing it, on letting the temperature sooth you. You hear your mother’s voice but it’s distant and indiscernible. When you empty the mug, you go to your bed and sprawl out. You’ll probably just stay in here all day; out of the way, alone. Not much you can do with a headache. 

You close your eyes and drift into a shallow half-sleep. You can feel the day brighten outside the window and hear the chirping birds but your room is shrouded in fog. A knock breaks through your stupour. You groan and roll onto your side. 

The door opens and you lift your head to look at your mom. 

“You’re not staying in your bed all day,” she stomps into the room, “get up. Go for a walk or something.” 

“A walk?” You sit up, head wobbly. 

“I don’t care where but you need to get out of this house,” she snarls, her lip quivering. You won’t ask if she’s used her inhaler, she’s already worked up, “get out of my way.” 

You blink and nod. You stand up and go to your dresser. She huffs, “and don’t make a whole thing when you leave. Just go.” 

You pull out a pair of thin pants as she slams the door behind her. You frown and change, quickly making yourself tolerably presentable. You don’t know that even if your clothes were nicer or your face prettier, that you would ever feel acceptable. 

You take a book and go into the hallway as quietly as you can. The smell of maple makes your stomach growl. You glance down toward the kitchen and stay close to the wall. You creep down to the entryway and slip your feet into your shoes. 

“Hey, off to somewhere?” Steve startles you as he peeks out of the kitchen, a spatula in hand. 

“Um,” you look back and forth. 

“She’s just going for her morning walk,” your mother chirps as she appears from behind him, “aren’t you, honey?” 

You nod stiffly. Morning walk? You can’t remember the last time you walked past the end of the avenue. 

“Oh, I wish I’d known. I’d love to come with. Maybe explore the neighbourhood,” Steve says, “what about breakfast? You wanna eat first?” 

You look at your mom. She grimaces. You shake your head. 

“Not hungry. Thanks.” 

“Hm, alright,” he frowns, disappointed, “I’ll put some aside for you. Maybe another day.” 

He goes back into the kitchen and your mom mouth’s one word, ‘go’. 

You do as she says and you leave. You clutch your book tightly as you come down the front steps and try to figure out what to do. There’s a bench near the park you can sit on and read. A chapter will take a while and you should try to spend more time outside. 

Your eyes narrow against the sunshine. Your head still hurts and your now your stomach is clenching violently. Just the smell of food had you ravenous. Well, there’s be cold pancakes waiting for your return at least. 

You find the bench. It’s not where you remembered. It wasn’t by the entrance but further inside. Still, it’s early and there’s no one there. 

You sit and watch the birds for a while before you open the book. A few squirrels skitter by, chasing each other’s tails, and you smile. You like being outside. You just don’t enjoy the people outside. 

You put your head down and start the chapter. You can’t really remember what happened in the last one. It’s been a while since you were able to focus enough to read a book cover to cover. 

As the morning light shifts, a woman and two children appear at the park entrance. The follow the path to the play place and you watch from afar. Soon, several other kids arrive to join the fun. Their parents stand around the parameter in pairs and clusters, chatting as they watch the younger crowd. You should find somewhere else. 

You stand and notice someone walking toward you. You watch Marge as she approaches, and another woman, you think her name is Callie. You smile at them nervously. Are they mad? You don’t have kids, why are you sitting there? 

“Good morning,” Marge chimes in a sing song voice, “you’re up bright and early.” 

“Morning,” you murmur and peer between the blondes. 

“And how’s your mother?” Callie asks with an edge. 

“Okay,” you swallow dryly, hugging the book to your chest. 

“Mm, great, that’s great. Your lawn looks much better,” Marge praises. 

You nod and slant your mouth. 

“You’re so lucky to have such a helpful new neighbour,” Marge smirks, “he seems so nice.” 

You just stare back at her. You don’t know what she wants you to say. Sorry? Should you have done it yourself? You were going to but the mower broke. 

“What’s his name?” Callie asks. 

You frown. 

“You can tell us,” Marge steps closer, “really? We’re just curious. We want to welcome him to the neighbourhood. I made him lasagna and I wanna know what to call him when I show up.” 

You feel your chest locking up. They remind you of the girls in highschool who would take your lunch tray. You chew your lip until it’s raw. 

“We know he’s been talking to your mother. And you. It’s a small neighbourhood, hon,” Callie chirps, “just tell us his name.” 

You push your shoulders up and sidestep away from them. The bench presses to your knees as you retreat. They turn on you, following with hands on their hips. 

“Don’t run away, hon. We’re neighbours--” 

“I don’t know,” you say. “I gotta go home.” 

Marge sighs and Callie blows a raspberry, “boo,” the former says, “fine, run home to mommy.” 

You turn away and barely keep from doing just that. You don’t know why they care but you wouldn’t guess anything good. They have wanted you and your mom out of the suburb for as long as you’ve been through. Maybe they think Steve would be a perfect ally in their crusade. 

#steve rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #drabble #series #au #silverfox au #the girl next door #mcu #marvel #captain america

[milo-is-rambling]

Nothing like some light substance abuse to really make you feel like a child again

#me sitting in my room shaking in silence after turning all my lights off quickly and locking my bedroom door and holding my breath as my #mother turns the light on outside to let the dog out and the light between the blinds comes pouring into my rook #on the carpet I see her shadow as she walks past #minutes feel like hours as I wait for her to sulk away back to her cave. I open my bedroom door to sneak away to the bathroom and the light #from the kitchen is visible in the hallway. this feels like a personal attack when you’re a child sneaking around in the late hours. it #feels like we’re two mountain lions claiming territory in this house and you are cornering me in my bedroom just like when I was a child #I am typing this from under three blankets layered over each other to hide the light from my screen (with reduced white point) just in case #my mother walks outside near my window or near my bedroom door. #I feel so connected to my childhood self right now. sitting in the dark room with the only light coming from one window with the blinds draw #n. just the outline of each individual blind. and the light pouring in from under a locked bedroom door. if she knocks you have to answer. #if you don’t answer she will unlock it herself. locks never meant privacy in my home. I remember that clearly. #there was a lock on my childhood bedroom in my house in Maine. locked from the outside not the inside. they could lock me in but I couldn’t #lock anyone out. to be fair I had a habit of getting up in the middle of the night sneaking to the kitchen and eating slices of processed #individually wrapped cheese slices while watching horrifying shows like oobi and the fucking one with the band of four ppl they were all a #different colored instrument #idk anyways. there was a lock on my bedroom on the outside and I remember waking up in the morning before anyone else and playing in my room #and reading and waiting for like a half an hour every morning for someone to wake up and decide they had the energy to come deal with me #so that’s fun. undiagnosed adhd core. #coming out of whatever high trance I just had where I was connected to all of that childhood terror of being seen by my mother. I was afraid #of being caught even though I was doing nothing wrong. I was constantly afraid of something I did not have any reason to be afraid of. #it felt like at any moment I could be wrong place wrong timed with my mother and suddenly feel like the worst person ever. and I’m sure that #demanded a lot of attention and made her pull away from dealing with me I mean she had just lost her job and was running her own business #now and she was stressed and broke and trying to keep it together and I’m sure I was running around under her feet or my brother and I were #arguing but idk I just feel like I don’t remember anything from my childhood and what I do remember is being afraid of everything and is #that some emotional thing or is that just I have been anxious my entire life and no one cared until I was literally trying to kill my sled #self fucking autocorrect #anyways. #I think my mother has gone to bed so I’m going to slink into my own bathroom and maybe throw up a little 👍 I am excited to see what the fuck #I wrote here when I reread it tomorrow

[elliesmainhoe]

Happy Mothers Day!!

HBO!Ellie Williams X MotherFigure!Reader

THIS CHARACTER IS UNDER 18 SO THIS FIC IS STRICTLY PLATONIC!!!!!!!

Summary: The first mothers day Ellie has ever celebrated and she's going to make sure that it's amazing.

Contents: tooth rotting fluff, happiness, extreme cuteness

Pancakes were supposed to be simple. Key word supposed.

Ellie woke up at the ass crack of dawn that morning, she had set her alarm clock for 6m and had switched yours off- discreetly forcing you into sleeping over time. She'd gathered all the ingredients the recipe had told her. Said recipe having been ripped out of the book they were originally in and found laying near a library a little outside of Jackson.

Ellie had squeezed fresh apple juice as she waited for the first pancake to cook through. A bad habit of Ellie's was losing track of time, she got carried away, squeezing the apple juice lead to her finding cutlery which lead to her cleaning said cutlery which lead to finding the right tray to put the silverware on. Ending up with the smell of burning flooding the kitchen.

She slammed the kitchens door, attempting to stop the smoke from wafting through the house alerting you of her antics and waking you up. She opened the window, the chilly air ventilating out the smell of smoke before she turned off the stove.

To say the pancake was a little crisp would be a bit of an understatement.

Shit. She only had enough for two, one for you, one for her. Oh well... She'll have the burnt one, today's about you anyways.

Take two was a little more successful a bit crisp on the edges but it'll do. She flopped them onto the two blue and white china plates- covering yours in fruit and hers in chocolate, balancing them on a wooden tray with the two glasses of juice before she took to the stairs.

She nudged open the door with her foot as she walked into the dark room, curtains closed and blocking out the ever insistent sunrise from seeping into your bedroom.

Cautiously, she placed the tray on your bedside table quietly before tiptoeing over to you window and drawing the curtains apart- the warm glow of the morning lightening the space.

Ellie watched as your eyes fluttered open. "Fuck kiddo. What time is it?" You grunted rolling over to look at your alarm clock 7:45am. 1 hour and 30 minutes late for patrol. Before you opened your mouth the soft voice of your daughter interrupted you.

"Don't worry Mom... I talked to Maria and she cancelled your patrol today" her hand gestured towards the tray of overlooked pancakes, before she whispered a shy "Happy mothers day mama..."

"Oh sweet girl come here" you opened your eyes as a blur of brown hair launched itself at you, her arms wrapping around you and giggling when you pecked her forehead lovingly.

"I tried to make you breakfast. It's not the best but-"

"It looks amazing kiddo. Thank you so much_ you smiled into her hair, before scooching up the bed- your back meeting the headboard as you move the tray onto your lap.

You took a bite of the fruit covered pancake, and honestly you couldn't tell whether or not Ellie was a culinary genius or you were just a smitten mother. Because fuck it tasted good.

Ellie's doe eyes looked up at you expectantly and with worry and anticipation. "Well done Ellie. This tastes so so so so good. You gotta cook for me more often now kid." You hummed, she seemed content with your answer.

"oh wait I got you something else" the girl said darting off your bed and out of the room before swiftly returning with what looked like... A sketch book? "I uh didn't really know what to get you and I thought you would enjoy something personal... So..." She shoved the sketch book into your hands "here."

You set your food aside, opting to open up the leather bound pad of paper instead. The first page read.

To Mom.

I know how much you like my drawings so I decided to put something together for you. Happy Mothers day.

Love Ellie.

You flipped to the next page and there was a beautiful sketch of you, sitting a the barstool of your kitchen island, glasses resting on the bridge of your nose as you read a new recipe

The next one was of you and Ellie. She had sketched out and traced the photo you both took in the malls arcade.

The next one was of a cartoon giraffe wearing a space suit on the moon.

It went on and on and on for 80 pages, sketches of you, her favourite things, her favourite hobbies, her favourite people it was so so so beautiful.

A single tear dripped down your cheek, "come over here baby" you sniffles hugging your girl tightly "my baby's so talented..." You hummed hands playing with her hair as she smiled joyfully.

"Thank you so much kiddo.."

---------------

I actually celebrated mothers day 2 months ago! But I have baby fever rn so here I am again, healing Ellie Williams mommy issues.

Taglist:@aunslie @lonelyfooryouonly @eywaskisses @daryldixonh0e @kittynnie @lovelyyevelyn @randomhoex @moonlightdivine @haerinwho @mufflaa @mial1l @sarahsmileslikesarahd0esntcare @moonlighting87 @escaping-reality8 @magicalfreakcowboylawyer @hejdevkdbdjsd @dergy @half-of-a-gay @ellieismami @cyberlainn @gollumsmygel @sseorii @kyleeservopoulos @taloulalila @ellieluhme @kiiyoooo @delusionalvioleht @joelscharm @hi2647 @gumdropkoo @coffeeandbookskeepmealive @womaniza @namgification @kimiisims-blog @tayyyystan @abigaillovestoread @whoreshores @kylieeluvstlou @knowitsforthebetterr @endureher @erikaar @lanasluverr @sayah13 @ilovebufflesbians @srryhoneyy @222fine444u

NOT PROOFREAD

#ellie williams #the last of us #ellie williams fic #ellie williams x reader #mom!reader #mother!reader #mother figure #ellie williams x platonic!reader #ellie x reader #ellie williams x fem!reader #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams headcanons #ellie the last of us #ellie x fem reader #ellie x platonic!reader #mothers day #tlou fic #the last of us fic #tlou #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams x reader fluff #mothers day fic #hbo tlou #fluff #tlou but make it happy #bella ramsey #bella ramsey tlou #ellie hbo #ellie williams hbo

[m0nsterqzzz]

What Did I Say about the Arrows?

pairing: katniss everdeen x reader

summary: your girlfriends hands are like sandpaper, so you decide to fix that.

warnings: none just pure flufffff, wait, one tiny little mention of the bomb dropper katniss kissed like 10 times throughout the movies

a/n: thank you @drima for the request i literally had so much fun writing this. hope i fulfilled your vision dear :)

( not me not knowing how to summarize it and putting whatever that is T-T )

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Humming along to the quiet jazz music playing from the small radio on the shelf, you stir the garlic sauce in the pan. The chicken sizzles in the one next to it, heat radiating off the stove and onto your face and you're suddenly thankful it’s cold outside as you open a window. This also makes it easier to watch the area outside your house, waiting for any sign that your girlfriend is home.

She’s been gone since seven am, out hunting like she does almost everyday. She’s always home in the evenings, usually bringing enough food to sell in the Hob and still have enough to feed you, her, and her younger sister, Prim. You cook while Prim does school work and a few chores, not trusting Katniss anywhere near a kitchen after the time she burned mac and cheese and almost caught fire to your two bedroom house. The instructions are literally on the box.

You met Katniss in school a few years before she volunteered for her sister in the games, and what started as you nervously asking her to be your partner in a school project turned into you guys hanging out everyday while she ate the soup you sell at the Hob in exchange for a few pieces of whatever she hunted that day. You always gave the meat to those in the town who needed it more, but she didn’t know that. She begged you to take of her sister and mother when you visited her in the Justice Hall before she was dragged to the capitol on reaping day, as if you weren't already planning on it. Then she kissed you when she arrived home, mumbling something like, “it’s always been you” as she hugged you tightly.

The sound of the front door opening brings you out of your memories, and you let out a small squeal when Katniss calls out, “Honey I’m home!” She uses the same line every single day, but you’ll never get tired of hearing it.

“Kat!” You run to the living room, practically jumping into her arms before she even finishes taking off her scarf. Her shoes are already off, as she knows the rule about not dragging snow into the house you and Prim clean everyday. The brunette easily catches you, letting you wrap your limbs around her like a koala bear as you guys stand there in the entryway, just basking in the bliss of being with her.

Suddenly somebody gags behind you, and you giggle as Katniss gently drops you on the ground. You land on your feet, turning to face the noise and laughing when you see Prim staring at you two with a disgusted face. “Can you guys like….not do that here? You’ve only been apart for like half a day.” You and Katniss share a glance before you both burst out laughing.

“Can we like, not kiss in our home?” “Exactly! You guys do get it! Thanks for understanding.” With that she walks away, and yours and your girlfriend's laughter slowly dies down as you stare into each others eyes. Her hand reaches up to gently caress your cheek, but you gently push it away.

She sighs, placing her hands into her pockets as she nervously looks down. “Katniss….I love you but I don’t want to rub sandpaper on my face. I thought I told you to start caring about your hands.” The archer sighs, placing her bow and arrows on the counter as she follows you into the bathroom. You always get on her about the damage she's doing to her hands, and she seems to care until the next day comes around.

The two bedroom house you bought a little closer to town than your girlfriend's original home wasn’t originally meant for you and her, but it just slowly happened over time that the two girls moved their stuff into your house. Now Prim's room is covered in all her old stuff, and you even bought a cat bed for Buttercup, her cat. You didn’t have much of a family growing up, so you didn’t exactly mind being surrounded by your favorite girls all day everyday.

You force her to sit down on the toilet lid that now always stays closed unless someone is using it after the time Buttercup fell in, and then grab a tug big enough for her hands and fill it with warm water from the sink. She lets you take her hands in yours, placing them in the warm water and beginning to gently rub the calluses. Eventually, they will soften and it will be easier to rub them off. Obviously they won't all come off, but her hands will feel a bit softer than they do right now.

“You told me you would start watching out for your hands Katniss.” “Oh….no nickname? You're mad.” You chuckle, leaning over to kiss her cheek before going back to the task at hand. “I'm not mad I just worry about you okay? I know it may not seem that important to you but it is to me alright? You need to start wearing gloves while you're hunting. Something to protect your fingers.”

She playfully scoffs, sending you a small smile as she asks, “And who is going to buy these luxury items?” She's not wrong. Prim asked for a new dress to wear to a school event a few months ago, and you and Katniss had to spend extra hours hunting or collecting things to sell at the Hob so there would still be enough money to survive and buy a dress. That was made of cotton and didn't cost too much but something like leather? Well that would cost a lot here.

Prim walks by the door at the moment with a cookie in hand, looking through the open door and making sure her family is okay before she says with a mouth full of the baked goods Peeta brought over, “Can you guys stop acting like an old married couple for like two seconds?” You both laugh, but she just playfully rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at her sister. You swat her hand gently with a chuckle. “Stop acting like a child, Katniss.” She huffs, narrowing her eyes at you. “She started it! She acted childish!” “Maybe that's because she's a child!”

Your laughter eventually fades and then it’s peaceful silence. “We'll figure something out okay? We always do.” You mumble, gently patting her hands dry and instructing her to try and remove the top layer of the calluses.

The girl nods, quietly sitting there as you take care of her before she begins to hum, “in the meadow” you hum along, and giggles are shared when the song ends.

The next day, she leaves around the same time she did yesterday, but today it’s heavily raining and you're worried. You know she's careful and wouldn’t do anything too risky, but sometimes Katniss gets caught up in providing for her family that she doesn’t exactly think about her own safety. But I guess you only have to fall in a ditch while it’s raining and wait for townspeople to help you once to learn to watch where you're stepping. At least you hope so.

While she's off doing that and Prim is at school, you spend the day lounging around the house reading books or drawing. You can’t stop thinking about what Katniss said though.

“And who’s going to buy these luxury items?”

Money has never really been an issue when it came to living with the two girls unless you wanted someone extra. You guys have enough of it to survive, to live off of, but you don't have enough to constantly go spend it on things like dresses and leather gloves.

Your mother taught you how to sew when you were a teenager, but you never used it because there wasn’t exactly a need to. She was well known and liked in this town for her clothes that she sold in the Hob, and everyone was a bit disappointed when she died and you didn’t carry on that business. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to, but you had never had much interest in it. She’d always told you that it was an art, and one that also payed well.

If you could make Katniss some clothes with the leather that your friend sells in the Hob, then use your mothers sewing machine that was given to you by her right before she died to sew some gloves for your girlfriend, her hands wouldn't take as much damage while she's hunting. 

Now with an idea in your head, you bring the latter leading to the attic down from the ceiling and search through a few boxes. You come to one labeled with your name, opening it to see your mothers sewing machine. “You’re lucky mom. I’m finally trying your hobby again.” You mumble, grabbing it out of the box and taking it back downstairs. 

You hide the machine under your side of the bed so Katniss won’t question why it’s out, then put on your coat and boats. Grabbing the woven basket that always sits next to the door after it’s been emptied out, you make your way to the edge of the forest. You stay by the edge and use tall bushes as your cover, praying Katniss won’t see you as you make your way to the garden she made for you. It’s got flowers, plants, and food. When your girlfriend realized how much you love cooking and finding different plants in the forest, she made you a garden about 130 years into the forest. It was originally a spot of land surrounded by trees, and you and Katniss would have picnics or hang out there when you were bored. You guys still do, but now you enjoy the sight of your beautiful flowers and plants while doing that.

Katniss is definitely deeper into the forest, but you’re still cautious about making too much noise so she doesn’t hear you as you pick some flowers and vegetables. Your friend sells a square of leather (about 7 inches wide and 11 inches long) for 3.30$ a piece. It would take a few of those to make the gloves, so as long as you pick enough good vegetables, flowers, and herbs from the forest, you should make enough to buy the amount of material needed.

You put a ton of stuff in the basket, leaving enough room for some herbs around the edge of the forest to sell to the doctors and give to Prim. Then it’s time to go to the Hob, looking around before sneaking back into town as if you were never gone.

The trade goes quickly. Money from the first few stands in exchange for the vegetables, then to the sweet old woman who always buys your flowers to give to her children or plant in front of her house, and then the herbs to some doctor who keeps his booth open at the market walkway. You don’t know his name, and you're not sure he knows yours, but you see him almost everyday and both hold a certain understanding of each other. You sell him the herbs to help save lives, and he doesn’t ask where you get them.

Lastly, you make your way to one of the last booths in the market, greeting your friend with a small smile. He has a few pieces of leather left, just the right amount for your project that he gives to you without hesitation. He offers a discount, but you know his kids need school uniforms after Prim asked you for some money for said outfit.

Then it’s finally time to go home, and it’s like four pm when you get home. Katniss will be back soon, so you decide to hide the materials next to the sewing machine and just make dinner with Primrose.

You spend the next few weeks sketching up ideas for the gloves, then making said gloves, also spending some evenings helping your girlfriend sooth away even more calluses. She doesn’t suspect a thing, and you're suddenly thankful that Prim is so good at keeping secrets when she comes home early from school one day and catches you sewing the left glove. 

So, about four weeks later, you have a decent pair of leather gloves for your girlfriend. Thick enough to keep her warm and protect from the harsh string on her bow but still not be a bother to her while she's hunting. You’ve seen other gloves like the ones you were making at the market, so you copied them down to the last stitch. Their three fingered gloves, the pointer, middle, and ring finger being the ones with fingers as those are the three fingers Katniss holds the string of her bow with.

You're nervous to show them to her, but you’ve spent enough time with Katniss to know that she’d never make fun of you for giving her a gift. In fact, when you took up painting and made a horrendous picture of Buttercup, she hung it on the wall near her side of the bed without hesitation. She will never let you take it down.

You and Prim are making dinner when she comes home, and your hand fly's to your back pocket to make sure the gloves are still there. The young girl was off school today, so she helped you with the final details on the gloves and spent the rest of the time talking about a girl in her class as you waited for your girlfriend to come home. “Honey I’m home!” She calls out, and it’s silent for a second other than the sound of her removing her coat and boats before she walks into the kitchen and smiles at you two. “Hey guys.” She smiles, wrapping her arms around your waist and resting her chin on your shoulder.

“Hey Kat.” You mumble, letting your body relax into her arms as you stop stirring the food. You almost forget about the gift for a second, but the way Primrose sighs makes you remember. “I have a present.” “For me?” “No. For Casper the ghost.” “Yes for you Katniss!” She chuckles, removing her arms from around you and leaning against the counter as she waits expectantly. 

You take a deep breath before pulling out the gloves, and then all your worries fade away with the grin that crosses her face. "You said we didn't have the money to buy them and you were right so I sold some flowers and veggies out of my garden and made them." Her smile falters a bit.

“But you love your flowers….why would you sell them?” You smile a bit, moving your hand up to caress her cheek as you say, “Let me ask you, do you like them? Is that why you're smiling?” Your girlfriend nods, the smile slowly coming back to her face as she looks down at the gift in her hand. “Well….yeah. I love them.” “Then it was worth it. And besides, they’ll grow back. Your happiness is much more important to me than some flowers.”

The smile never leaves the archer's face as she puts the gloves on, squeezing her fists closed and then opening them as if testing them out. “What do you think?” You ask and her gaze doesn’t move from her hands until she suddenly sprints out of the kitchen. “Kat?” You run after her, almost bumping into her when you get to the living room where she’s already lining up an arrow with her bow. “Katniss!” She doesn’t listen as she lets the arrow fly through the open window, and it’s silent for a second before Prim begins to laugh behind you.

You sigh, gently swatting the brunette's arm and then you sternly say as if lecturing a child- which isn’t far from the truth, “What did I say about the arrows Katniss Everdeen?” She sheepishly smiles before setting her bow back down on its spot next to the door.

“You said not to shoot them in the house unless there was an intruder or Gale came to visit.” “Exactly. Now go get the arrow.” She playfully sighs, going to put on her boots before she turns back around to place a small kiss on your lips. “Thank you my love. They’re amazing.” This makes your smile grow a bit, and it remains there as she puts on her boots and leaves the house to find her arrow.

“You know, I think she’s gonna marry you.” You practically choke on your spit as Prim speaks, but the girl is already gone by the time you gain your composure and turn around to face her.

#katniss everdeen x you #katniss everdeen x reader #katniss everdeen #the hunger games x reader #the hunger games

[shallyne]

Sunshine and Reunions

"A picnic date with your coworker?" Feyre squeaked through the phone, making Elain wince. "What was his name again?"

"Lucien Vanserra!" Elain replied, picking up another dress and looking im the mirror.

"Hm, the name seems familiar." her sister mused, far in thought. It went quiet on the line as Elain looked at another few dresses, Feyre no doubt trying to figure out where she had heard the name before. Since her sister became pregnant she often lost track of the topic as her mind wandered in all different firections at once but Elain didn't mind. After years of no contact at all she was glad to build a relationship with her youngest sister, finally. "I don't know but I sure heard that last name somewhere."

"His family is very wealthy," Elain replied in thought, finally picking a white dress with a floral corset. "But he's only in contact with his mother, not with the rest of the family."

Feyre hummed, probably nodding on her end as a car door closed outside of Elain’s apartment complex. She hurried to the window, looking outside and finding Lucien walking towards her apartment door. Quickly finishing to tie her corset, Elain rushed to her phone, grabbing a pair of sandals on her way. "I'm so sorry, Feyre, but I have to go. He's here."

"Oh!" Feyre said surprised, "Alright then. Have fun!" she said, sounding genuinely happy, "I'll talk to you later."

"Of course!" Elain picked up her phone, rishing out of her bedroom. "I love you, bye!" she said and hung up, not waiting for a response. Quickly she slipped into her sandals and opened the door, right as Lucien raised his arm to knock.

"First," Elain said, watching as Lucien took her in. "I– I didn't know what you planned so I couldn't plan what to wear, I hope this is alright."

"You're perfect." He replied, awkwardly fidgeting with his hand. "I mean you look perfect– the outfit is perfect for our date. It's great." he shook his head as if waking himself from a trance and stood straighter, a strand of his red hair falling in his face as he smiled at her. "Are you ready?"

"I am!" Elain said, excited for what Lucien had planned. She linked her arm through his, following him to where he lead them. It was a short drive to a near meadow, one that Elain frequently visited when the weather let her. He led her up a small hill, to a big, gnarly tree. Only when they almost reached the top of the hill did Elain see a red and white checkered blanket with a basket waiting for them.

"I thought a picnic would be nice," Lucien said, scratching his head. "The weather is perfect and you once told me how much you like picnic dates."

"You remember that?" Elain asked, her cheeks heating up. "I told you that dueing my first week in the firm!" she looked up at Lucien, his own cheeks turning red. "It's perfect, Lucien. It's a dream." and to both their surprises, Elain stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I smell bread, let's eat!"

"Please!" said Lucien, smiling brightly.

Just a little something for @sjmromanceweek because why not. Enjoy!

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #lucien acotar #elain acotar #acotar fanfiction

[therealmsdelulu]

Imposter

Prince Eric Masterlist

Summary: You run away after a big fight with your mom, having no other way to escape, you decide to sneak onto the Prince's ship. A little angst if you squint but mostly fluff. Prince Eric x F!Reader.

"Mom," you sighed in frusturation as you attempted to make a point to your mother," would you just listen to me for once?"

"Excuse me," she exclaimed, "but I've tried listening to you time after time but here you go doing it again.”

“For God’s sake mom,” you exhaled, “could you just try to understand me for once?”

“What is there to understand,” she shouted. “That my daughter’s a dissapointment,” she asked rhetorically, “ ‘cause I already knew that."

‘Ouch,’ you thought to yourself as you walked to your room.

"I'm not done talking to you," your mom shouted after you.

"Well I’m done listening ," you rolled your eyes and continued to walk to your room as she shouted after you. You slammed your bedroom door behind you and locked it. Your mom came to the door and begin to aggresively knock demanding that you open it immediately.

You shed a hot tear of frustration as you unlocked your window. You packed a few clothes and hygiene products and snuck out of your window. You listened from outside the house as your mom shouted your name and banged her fists on your bedroom door.

You didn't think this through very much so you were coming up with a plan as you go. You walked down to the shore and noticed that the Prince's ship was being prepared for use.  And then it hit you, the best idea you've ever had,"Im going to get on that boat," you thought out loud. 

You hid your bag behind a rock and quickly ran down to the nearby 'Sailors Shop' and bought some clothes that looked similar to those of the crew and a hat you she could use to hide your hair. 

You went into the bathroom, changed, and pulled your hair back into a low bun and covered it up with a hat. You looked into the mirror and examined yourself closely,' do i look like a man?' you thought to yourself, 'if the men find out I can shapeshift they're going to tell the church' You breifly laughed at your own joke and quickly rushed outside the shop before another woman saw you, who appeared to be a man, in the Women's restroom.

TIME SKIP

You came back to your bag and put it on your shoulders. You grabbed the back pack and sneakily walked up to the deck. You watched carefully as the crew turned their backs to the area you were near. 

You took the oppurtunity and snuck onto the boat and tried your best to blend in. "Hey you," a voice called out , you looked in the direction of the voice and saw the prince. “What are you doing over here?” You resisted the urge to tilt your head in confusion, not wanting to out yourself.

“You’re supposed to be on look out,” he pointed at an area of the ship that had a built in set of binoculars.

“Right,” you agreed and pretended to clear your throat.”I knew that,” you said in an overly deep voice.

“Are you feeling alright,” the prince asked genuinely as he furrowed his brows at you. 

“Im feeling great, captain,” you spoke in the same ‘manly’ voice, “why do you ask.”

“You sound a little bit hoarse,” he commented but eventually left it alone and walked away. You sighed and took a deep breath. 

‘That was close,’ you thought to yourself as you walked towards the look out area, ‘I obviously didn’t think this through.’ You sat at the seat and looked out the binoculars ‘looking’ for any future problems.

MINI TIME SKIP

You abruptly woke up to a gentle tap on your shoulder. “Ah, shit,” you exclaimed in shock quickly covering your mouth and apologizing,” sorry, you scared me”

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” the prince whispered softly. “You appeared to have dropped this,” he stated as he picked up the hat that was covering your hair from off the ground.

“Shit,” you whispered to yourself as you realized your cover was blown. “Look, I can explain,” you started as the Prince stared at you expectantly. “Actually theres nothing I can say to validate this,” you said as you realized that you accidentally commited a crime. “I really need to start thinking about the consequences of my actions,” you self evaluated.

“Don’t worry about it,” the Prince assured you as he handed you the hat and your fingers breifly touched as you took the hat and quickly put it back on. “I’ll keep your secret,”

“Thanks,” you sighed in relief, “thats very kind of you”

“I’m sure anyone else would do the same,” he remarked.

“A lot of people aren’t as nice about people trespassing on their property,” you chuckled watching his face in amusement as he realized that you did techincally commit a crime.

“You’re quite the troublemaker, arent you?” he asked rhetorically as he looked at you and laughed with you.

“You’ve caught me,” you sighed sarcastically as you put your hands up as if to surrender.

“So what brings you here,” the prince asked looking at you curiously.

“Uhm,” you hesitated.“How do I word this so that I don’t sound like a total teenage dirtbag,” you thought out loud. "I guess thats inevitable,” you concluded. “I ran away from home,” you whispered embarrassed.

“What was that?” the Prince asked and put his hand up to his ear as if he didn’t hear you.

“I ran away from home,” you spoke up and cleared your throat as the Prince tryed to hold back his laugh. He eventually let it out and covered his mouth to stop it from seeming as if he was making fun of you.

You began to laugh with him as you reflected on your action.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what could have possibly been so horrible back at home that you felt the need to act on your impulsive thoughts?” the Prince asked once he recovered from laughter.

“Don’t even get me started,” you exhaled as you recalled the events of that evening. “My mom is so annoying.”

“Hey, don’t talk about your mom like that,” he teased as he poked you lightly, “I’m sure she cares about you a lot.”

“Well she has a very funny way of showing it,” you whispered but the Prince heard you and raised his brow at you in dissaproval. “Right, sorry” you apoligised. “You know, I never caught your name,” you noted trying to change the subject.

“Eric,” he told you, “What about you?”

“Y/N,” you told him thinking you successfully diverted his attention.

"Nice to meet you Y/N, now back to the story,” he encouraged you to get back to the topic.

“Right,” you muttered as you realised that it wouldn't be that easy, “We got into a little argument, no biggie,” you shrugged it off.

“Well it has to be a bit of a biggie if it motivated you to run away,” he replied and furrowed his brows feeling that you were leaving out a few details.

“Well apparently, I’m a dissapointment,” he frowned as he listened to your explanation, “But you know what they say, it is what it is,” you declared as you shrugged your shoulders

“I don’t think thats what they say,” Eric commented.

“Oh, well thats what I say,” you replied and smiled at him. 

“Well I say you look like you could use a hug,” he commented as he looked at you.

“Nah, I’m not that much of a hugger,” you lied but quickly found yourself in the Prince’s arms. “Okay, never mind,” you muttered as you hugged him back.

“Better?” he asked as he pulled away.

“A little,” you revealed, “but I can think of something that would make me feel a whole lot better.”

“Please, enlighten me Y/N” the Prince smiled and encouraged you to elaborate.

“Hmm, I think a kiss would do the trick,” you hinted as you tapped your chin pretending to think.”I dont know though,” you added just in case your boldness backfired.

“Is that so?” he asked as he glanced at you. You simply shrugged your shoulders in response. “Well I guess you never know until you try right,” he suggested as he gently cupped your face with one hand.

“I guess not,” you whispered as you both slowly leaned in.

“Well, I guess we should give it a try huh,” the prince suggested as he leaned in even closer.

“Yeah that seems like a reasonable approach to me,” you replied quietly before your lips connected in a soft yet passionate kiss.

“Did that work,” he asked as he pulled away and took in your slightly flustered state.

“I’m not sure,” you said, “Let’s try again,” you suggested and he chuckled before kissing you once more, fireworks bursting in the sky.

THE END

A/N: please ignore my terrible sense of humour throughout this lol.

Taglist: @papichulo120627

#jonah hauer king x reader #prince eric x reader #prince eric fanfiction #prince eric fanfic #prince eric #princeeric #prince eric x y/n #prince eric x you #the little mermaid live action #the little mermaid 2023 #the little mermaid #tlm 2023 #tlm live action

[final-girl96]

My Boyfriend's Back Chapter Forty-Three

I walked into the living room and rested my hands on the back of the couch. "Yn!" I sighed, pushed off the couch, and made my way to Sidney. When I walked out the door and down the steps, I stopped. Right across from the set of Stu's house was ours. "What the fuck?" I whispered. Sidney was standing right in front of the house that was made to look exactly like our childhood home.

We walked into the house and looked around. They had a set for Sidney's bedroom and mine. They looked exactly like they did when we were in high school. "This is insane," I said, standing by the windows in Sidney's bedroom. "Yeah, it takes me right back to that week," she said. The next couple seconds happened so fast we had no time to comprehend anything.

We were running through the set of our house until we were back in the room that was burned into our brains forever. Our mothers room looked damn near identical to that very night. They even had a dumb under a white blood-stained sheet on the floor. Then it stood up and started talking, saying our names. We backed up towards the window, and I climbed out with Sidney close behind.

Sidney's foot slipped and she grabbed a hold of me only to make us both fall and tumble off the roof. Voices yelling our names caught our attention. Dewey and Randy came into view along with the detectives and other officers came running towards us. Sidney frantically told them the killer was in the house. But when they checked there was no one there. That wasn't a surprise.

Now Sidney and I were alone in Kindaids office. "So…Kincaid is handsome…" I was walking around the room looking at everything. I stood in front of the whiteboard where they had names and leads written on it. "Yeah, he is." Sidney said in a distracted tone. I turned around to see her looking at something. "What's that?" I asked.

"A file on me. There's one for you too,'she said and handed it to me. I opened it to see police reports from when our mom was murdered, newspaper clippings from after Stu and Billy's killing spree. When I flipped the page there was a paper that had Stu's name with a question mark. His wanted poster was behind it with other clippings. Then I saw something that made my heart stop then speed up.

Is yn Prescott hiding Stu Macher?

Is he the father of her child Resselynn Prescott?

Has she known where he's been since the Woodsboro massacre?

"Are you okay?" Sidney asked. "He thinks I'm hiding Stu," I whispered. "What?" She gently took the file from me and went silent. "Is…is Stu…" I stopped her before she could completely ask me that question. I walked over and closed the door so no one could hear us. "We both know that you all know he is. He was at Windsor. He was behind Windsor actually. And I know I shouldn't have done anything. I should have called the police. It was stupid and now… I love my daughter and I'm glad I have her."

"I know you were seeing him. You're not very good at hiding shit. Just like I knew every time he snuck into your room. Do you know where he is now?" She asked. I gave a look and she sighed. "He just showed up, Sid. Now Reese is attached to him. I couldn't just say no to him, I was afraid he'd do something. And I hate myself because I still love him!"

Before we could get into it more Sidney's cell phone rang. There was no surprise to who it was either. The killer had Gale and Dewey, she said she could hear their muffled screams in the background. Now we were outside a big mansion on top of a hill. There was supposed to be a party for Roman Bridge, the director of Stab 3, here. The mansion belongs to a big time producer or something.

Instead of going for the front door we went around back to where the pool was. Laying on the ground was one of the actors; dead. Sidney's phone rang and she answered. He made us use a metal detector and get rid of the guns we took from Kincade's office. When asked how we knew this wasn't some trap we were told to look inside. Through the window we could see Gale and Dewey tied to chairs with rope.

Nothing made sense when Kincade showed up. At first I thought maybe I was wrong and Stu didn't have anything to do with any of this. But he had admitted to killing Cotton. Kincade being the killer faded just as fast as the thought came when he was shot. Randy was right about this killer being "superhuman". He was shot several times and nothing happened except for him disappearing.

Somehow we all got separated. I was alone, walking the halls slowly, making sure to look around each corner. I yelped when I ended up running into someone. "Shh! It's me. It's just me!" Hands were holding me by the shoulders. I looked up to see Randy. "Randy?" He put his finger to his lips and pulled me into what looked like the study. "What the hell? When did you get here?" I asked. He looked at me like I lost my mind. You called me, yn. You said to meet you here."

It was my turn to look at him like he was crazy. "Umm…no. No, I did not. What the fuck are you talking about?" I never called him. The last time I spoke to him was right before Sidney and I were taken back to the station. "You fucking called me…" he was cut off by someone banging on the door. I looked around the room for any place to hide, even though I knew that was impossible.

Then I saw it; the smallest amount of light coming from under one of the bookcases. "Hey, help me. This has to be one of those secret doors or something." I checked for a seam that could be pulled but found nothing. Randy started to pull on the books, throwing them on the floor, so I began to help him. My hand landed on one of the books and pulled down. The bookcase swung out towards us, and we rushed into a small hallway. Randy pulled the bookcase closed and locked it from our side before we continued on.

#scream #scream fanfiction #stu macher x reader #ghostface x reader #ghostface #scream x you #scream x reader #scream x yn #scream 2 #scream 3 #stu x reader #stu macher fanfiction #stu macher imagine #stu macher smut #stu macher x y/n #stu macher x you #stu macher #ghostface x y/n #ghostface x you #ghostface fanfiction #gale weathers #dewey riley #randy meeks #sidney prescott #roman bridger #mark Kincaid #horror fanfiction #slasher fanfiction #rating: nc17 #nc 17

[rebelliousstories]

Kentucky Rain

Relationship: Elvis Presley x Kentuckan OC

Fandom: Elvis Presley, Elvis (2022)

Request: No

Warnings: Some strong language, allusions to abuse

Word Count: 2,709

Main Masterlist: Here

Elvis/Austin Butler Masterlist: Here

Part 2: Searching For You

Summary: Elvis wakes up in the middle of the night to a cold, empty bed and no note.

Rain drizzled down outside the room, right against the window. But that’s not what woke the man up. Elvis reached over to the side of their bed, where she should’ve been, but there was nothing there. The bed was still a little warm, but no body there to warm it. He groggily sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Baby?” He called out. No response.

“Baby?” He called a little louder.

He swung his feet over the side of the bed and grabbed his robe before making his way out of their bedroom. The lights were off everywhere except in the closet that joined their room. He walked in and saw some of her clothing gone. Confusion bathed in and overtook some of the sleepiness that still had a hold of him. He rushed down the stairs, barely registering that the keys are gone. Elvis realized that her car was gone.

She was gone.

He threw on some clothes as fast as he could, and packed a quick bag. Gladys came down the stairs to her son about to leave the front door when she called out for him.

“Elvis! Where you goin’? It’s three in the damn morning baby.” She came closer as her son was caught with a deer in headlights look. He set his bag down and came over to her. Son embraced mother and he took a moment to calm down. He let out a big sigh and relaxed in his mother’s embrace. Elvis put his head on her shoulder before he explained.

“She’s gone mama. I need t’ go find 'er. If I leave now, I may be able to catch ‘er before she gets too far.” Elvis pulled back from his mother. He looked her dead in the eye and gave her a promise he’d be beck soon. With a kiss to her head, he left trying to find her. The only place he could think of her leaving was her home town in Kentucky. So off to Kentucky he went.

Is she safe? Why the hell had she come all the way out here? That was all that was running through Elvis’ mind as he strolled down the deserted Kentuckian street. His old truck had gotten stuck in some mud a few miles back and he was hoping that anyone near her small town could tow it for him. It had been seven days. Seven days on the road. 168 hours since her presence was felt in Memphis. 10,080 seconds since he last held her. And it didn’t help that this marked the twelfth town on his road to find her. But he was in the last little town before he got to hers. If she really wasn’t here, then she was definitely in her home town. Elvis couldn’t bring himself to call that place her home. There was a reason she lived in Memphis with his and his folks. There was a reason she asked Elvis to take her away from the house she lived in with the people she was related to. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she would go back.

In the distance, the boy saw a general store. The sun was starting to set so he wouldn’t be able to talk to no one except the motel owner for much longer. He picked up his pace and made his way into town. One of the first few buildings was a general store. It was an unassuming building with some men with long, grey beards sitting on the front porch in some rockers. Elvis walked over to them and offered them a kind smile.

“Afternoon gentlemen,” he said, turning on his charm to hopefully get some answers.

“Ah how do you do young man? Store is almost closed for the night but I’m sure my wife will help ya out if you go on in real quick. Tell her Kenny says it’s okay now.” One of the men spoke up. He assumed his name was Kenny, but the rest of the men just looked at the younger one with smiles on their faces.

“Actually sirs, I was wonderin’ if ya might help me out a touch.” He fumbled for his wallet before he pulled her photo from it and let the men pass it around.

“Ya see, I’m lookin’ for ma girl. Now I haven’t seen her in ‘bouta week and I really need t’ take her home. She used to live near these parts. I was jus’ wonderin’ if any y’all seen her?” They paused and looked the young man up and down. Elvis got a little self conscious with their staring but didn’t let it show. He was hoping for some good news that they knew where she went but he quickly learned in the last few days to to get his hopes up. The old men were sizing him up, trying to determine if he really did know this girl as well as he claimed to. Kenny turned from Elvis to the picture. It was a glamour shot, like a movie girl would get. The hair cascading down the smooth skin, complemented her features even in the black and white. Kenny stared at the photo for a minute more before he turned back to Elvis. The boy appeared hopeful for any news it seemed. Kenny turned to his friends.

“Now, Bobby, when was the last time we done saw Snowy round here?” His question made Elvis perk up.

“Snowy? No her name is-”

“Ah yeah. Ya see boy, that girl used to come to town all the time to escape her folks but they done kept her on a short leash they did. Now her daddy was a saint, God rest his soul. But her momma was a mean straight razored woman. She done make them turkey birds look like baby chicks compared to her. And we could never find out her name cause her momma wouldn’t let her speak nothing to nobody when they came in. So we took to callin’ the little lady Snowy cause she looked paler than fresh snow when she was her with her momma. But I think we saw Snowy last week didn’t we before she went home?” Kenny continued talking like Elvis wasn’t trying to say something. But the news that the group of old men had seen her recently sent sparks of hope down him. Bobby contemplated for a second before he spoke up.

“Nah. We saw her just yesterday Kenny. She didn’t look to happy. Looked like how she was when her momma kept her under lock and key.” Bobby added. But Elvis wasn’t shocked at everything he heard about her family. He was shocked that they had seen her recently. He broke out into a smile before thanking the gentlemen and walking to the nearest motel to get a room for the night. He asked the nice lady at the counter for a tow truck for his car and a phone to call back home.

Elvis strolled along some lonely, back country road keeping an eye out for any car that might be coming his way. But no such car came. At least not right now. So he kept walking. But not everything can go to plan. The sky opened up and started to rain on Elvis. He wasn’t near any civilization, nor any shelters that he could seek relief from the rain. So he kept walking. Rain was in his shoes by this point but he was so close, he couldn’t give up now. He heard it in the distance. A truck was coming down the road towards him. He quickly stuck his thumb out as he saw it come up the hill. The truck slowed down and the door was opened before Elvis could ask for a ride.

He sat in the lobby and talked with his folks back home. He told them he’d be coming home soon with her in tow. That it shouldn’t be but a couple more days now. Elvis feel energized and ready for the day to come the next morning. Despite not getting a full nights rest, he was determined to bring her home. Home in Memphis. But the car wouldn’t start. No matter what he did, the truck wouldn’t come to life. He left it with the mechanic to see if he could get her working by the time he came back through before he packed his bags again and left in the direction his her hometown.

“Get in son! You’re gonna catch a cold that way.” The kind man said. His hair grey and receding but the white collar he wore made him feel a lot better.

“Apologizes. Thanks for stoppin’.” The young boy said. His hair clung to his face, his clothes sticking to his skin. But the car provided much needed relief for his aching legs and feet.

“Now, why in all of God’s beautiful creations, are you out here on an afternoon like this huh? It’s cold and dark boy.” The preacher man spoke. He had a gentle way of speaking that brought Elvis some peace. Elvis was silent before he started to explain his situation. As the car kept driving, the young man explained, and the older man listened. It must have been about 20 minutes later when he finished his tale. And all the while the preacher was silent.

“Well, where are you tryin t’ go? I may not be able to take you into town, but I can get you close and in the right direction.” Elvis pulled his map out before he showed the preacher the town he was trying to reach. The preacher looked at it briefly before he continued down the road. He was so close to having her back in his arms, he could feel it. The trees breezed past him. The rain starting to get lighter till it was just a drizzle. The radio in the truck was on a local country station. Sweet dulcet sounds of the blues, slow jazz, and bluegrass filled the air. It reminded Elvis of Memphis. It reminded him how much he needed her back home with him.

Soon, the pair of men pulled of to the side of the road. Elvis couldn’t see anything human like around, no buildings, or signs. The clouds still hung around but the rain was gone.

“Well this is as far as I can take you tonight son. I’ve gotta be home in time for supper. But if you just keep followin’ this road down about another few minutes you’ll see a little church. Walk about 5 minutes and then you’ll see the main town. I hope you find this lovely lady of yours son. I’ll pray that you find her.” And with a thank you thrown by Elvis, he grabbed his bag and set off for town.

The preacher was right. After just a few minutes of walking again he saw a little church. It was a small and modest building but he knew it was just a few more minutes to town. The ache from his feet and legs crept up to his body. His arms and shoulders slumped with the weight of his bag. His head felt heavy as exhaustion crept into him. But his heart felt light. He felt exciting at the thought of seeing her again. It had been eight days now that he hadn’t seen her, held her. One of the shirts she left had begun to lose her perfume. But he saw the lights of the town up ahead and picked up his pace.

~

“Come on darlin’. We’re gettin’ you out a this mess.” Elvis said, grabbing her gently by the waist and ushered her to the car. It was the dead of night and he knew they needed to get out of there before anyone inside the house woke up.

“Do you really think it’ll work? They’ll find us baby. I know they will. And then they’ll take me away and I can’t do that to you! Not now, not ever!” She said, tears streaming down her face. The Cadillac was packed with everything she couldn’t live without including some clothing, books, and pictures from their relationship. Elvis took her shaking hands in one of his and cupped her cheek with the other. He forced her to look him in the eyes while he spoke.

“Darlin’ I swear t’ ya. I will protect you with everythin’ in me. I swear on my momma that I will keep you safe from anyone and anythin’ that wants to cause you harm.” She looked in his eyes and saw how serious he was. These weren’t some silly promises she had been given by the people meant to protect her. This was an oath. An oath he didn’t intend to break. As she nodded, he pulled her into his embrace and caressed the back of her head. He saw a light flicker on inside the house and made his way to the passenger side of the car. She got in and panicked when she saw all the lights that were now on in the house.

Elvis burned rubber as he tore out her driveway. The dirt road kicking up dust in the winter drought the town had been experiencing. But he didn’t pay the house another glance as he got out of there. He took a left at the big oak tree, kept going past the blue church with the white door, hung a right at the small general store that had a lovely dog to greet him anytime he stopped there. The lake that was frozen over was on his left and he just kept going. Once he made it to the highway back to Tennessee, he reached over and placed a hand on her thigh. She placed her hand right on top of his and she slowly relaxed as he drove both of them home.

~

He must have come in a different way then before because he didn’t see the lake, but he did see the general store. He walked past it, and took a left. He found the blue church with the white door and just kept walking. He was so close. So close to her. He took a right at the big oak tree and saw that house in the distance. That retched house. There was nothing about that place that made it a home. Not for her, not for anybody. But there were no lights on. His watch told him it was 10:00 at night. He set his bag down in the yard of the next house over and stalked over to the house. He hoped she was in the same room as last time, but it had been over a year since she had last been here so it’s entirely possible she wasn’t. He found the old ladder he used to climb when he snuck into her window. As he climbed, he noticed the planks of wood that now almost completely covered her window. There was a small sliver exposed, just enough that she could tell what time of day it was but not enough to actually be affected by the rays of the sun or moon.

But he was determined. Elvis was determined to bring her home. So as he reached the top of her window, he saw the small candle light flicker through the crack in the wood. She was writing something but he couldn’t tell what it was. She looked paler than usual, her hair was lifeless and her skin dull. She looked a lot skinnier than when he saw her last. He braced off the small ledge the wooden planks provided and finally felt relief that he found her again. Through all the many miles he traveled, the rain that threatened him and the people he met along the way. He finally found her.

“Darlin’,” he whispered, “Darlin’!” He said a little louder, trying not to wake the other occupants of the house. Her hand stopped its writing and her head snapped up. He saw the relief flood her at the thought that Elvis was here, that he was actually here.

“Elvis!”

#rebelliousstories #elvis presley imagine #elvis presley #austin butler imagine #austin butler #austin!elvis x reader #elvis x reader #elvis imagine #austin butler x reader #austin elvis x reader #austin elvis imagine #fanfic #writing #fandom writing

[leennaan]

A/N this is not my art I got it from pinterest all cred to the artist

A/N also posted on my Wattpad: @ leennaan

I am sorry but this is not proofread

@curiousgalacticsoul here is your request. Sorry that it took me so long but some stuff happend. But anyways here it is:

Endgame's battle of Earth is done, Nat's alive. Now romanogers can finally retire from superhero life and life a peaceful life, maybe near pepperony's home

Endgame's battle of Earth is done, Nat's alive. Now romanogers can finally retire from superhero life and life a peaceful life, maybe near pepperony's home

Today was the 15th of June 2024.

Almost one year after the war against Thanos.

It was one of the most scary days in Steve’s life and at the same time one of the best.

If somebody had told him a year ago that they would win and get everybody back he wouldn’t have believed it.

But here he was, standing in front of a big window looking over the big garden they shared with Tony and Pepper. A long table was standing in front of the Stark house. He could see Pepper decorating the table. Tony was running around with little Morgan, his arm better but still not fully functional. He smiled while watching the small family outside, preparing for Morgan’s Birthday-Party.

A knock on the bedroom door interrupted his train of thoughts.

“Steve?! Are you ready? Pepper is probably already waiting for us.”

He smiled as soon as he heard the voice. Natasha was standing in the door, arms crossed and a small smile on her lips.

Every time he looked at her, he couldn’t believe that she was really there.

The few hours he believed she was dead, were the worst of his life.

The moment she walked out of one of Stranges portals, with her signature smirk, would be forever burned into his brain. The relief he felt when she hugged him, after they won, when he could feel that she was truly there and not just an imagination of his brain.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Natasha was now standing directly in front of him, her arms wrapped around his shoulder.

“Just how lucky I am to be standing here today, with you by my side. All our friends joining us today to celebrate Morgan’s sixth birthday. I love you, Nat.”

He bent down and connected their lips in a sweet kiss.

“I love you too. Now common, we really need to get going.”

Together they walked outside and then the short path over to Peppers and Tony’s house. They greeted the small family and congratulated the little girl.

“Auntie Nat, Uncle Steve!

Look what Daddy got me! “ Morgan was running up to them with full speed, a little robot similar to Dum-E following her.

Steve and Natasha kneeled down to greet Morgan and to look at her new friend.

“Daddy says he had one just like me now. I named him Griffin, after Harry Potters House! Mommy let me watch the first one together with Peter last time he visited and I want to be in Gryffindor just like Harry.” Rambled Morgan.

She looked cute like that.

“He looks really nice! Griffin is such a good name for your little friend!” Sayed Natasha while she hugged the girl. Griffin standing next to them watching their interaction.

“Uhh I really enjoyed watching Harry Potter when I watched it with Nat. Next time you visited we should watch the second Movie if your Mother allows.”

“Oh yay! Can we? I am going to ask Mummy right away!”

And before either of the two adults could say anything else, Morgan was running away on her search for her Mother.

Steve stood up from his crouching position and held out his hand to help Nat up.

“Come on, let’s great the others.”

While the couple chatted with the birthday girl, some of the others arrived.

Wanda and Vision where standing with Pepper, a big wrapped box in Wandas hands. Morgan was running up to them happy, to see another aunt and kind of uncle of hers.

Clint, Laura and the kids had just arrived and where now walking the path down to them. “Auntie Nat! Uncle Steve! I missed you sooo sooo much!” Nathaniel was the first who spotted them and flung himself into Steve’s arms, who catched him and hoisted him up on his hip.

“We missed you too buddy! How is school? You have to tell me everything!”

While they talked almost everyone else arrived and the birthday party was in full swing.

Around noon it was time for the cake. Everyone was seated around the table, talking and having fun.

Steve had his arm slung around Natasha’s shoulders, while she was talking to Wanda.

He was so happy, that everything turned out like this. That they could be sitting here together as one big family, celebrating Morgan’s Birthday and just enjoying life. But his thoughts were interrupted by a long whistle and Natasha’s head snapped around, whistling back almost immediately. When he looked up to Natasha’s and his house he could make out a small person, who he knew was Yelena, Natasha’s sister.

Natasha had told him about her in the five years of the blip and after they brought everyone back Natasha had tried to contact her for ages, but no luck. Turned out, someone had told Yelena that Natasha had died while fighting against Thanos and she had gone rought. Trying to find the one she thought was responsible for her death. Long story short around the Easter holidays Clint was visiting New York with his kids and Yelena found him, they fought and Clint told her what really happened and afterwards Yelena and Natasha reconnected again.

Natasha had stood up and was now walking towards Yelena, who he now saw wasn’t standing alone. Another woman was standing next to her, taller than Yelena but he couldn’t say who it was.

When they arrived at the table everyone was joyful to see Yelena again. And while everyone greeted the her the other woman was standing next to Clint and his family greeting them and talking to them. “Everyone, may I Introduce you to the new Hawkeye! This is Kate we met while I was in New York, I helped her with some problems and she helped me with Yelena over here!”

“Hey! She did not help you! She was trying to fight me with Hot sauce!”

“Come one Yel. We said we wouldn’t talk about it. Anyways. Hey everyone I am Kate. Kate Bishop. Big fan of you guys. Nice to meet you all.”

It was good to see, that eventho the original Avengers we’re slowly retiring, someone else was brave enough to stand up and do the work.

Steve and Natasha had agreed to stop with the avenging and while he had given Sam the Shield, Natasha had a long talk with Yelena and she agreed to step into her sisters shoes, at least for know.

So now they were sitting all together, new and old generation and just talking about the good things in life.

He jumped a bit when ge heard Nat whispering in his ear. “You are thinking really loud.”

He had to chuckle before he answers her. “ Just thinking about how lucky we are. How lucky I am to have this family. That I have you by my side. I Love you Nat.” The smile that she gave him was a real one. One he saw more and more since they retired. “I love you too, Steve. I am so happy to be here with all of you, and especially you.”

When he leaned in to kiss her. He heard none other than Tony wolf whistle. “Get a room you too.”

Yeah. They were lucky to have this. Family.

All was Well.

#marvel fanfiction #romanogers #request #marvel #family #retirement #the avengers #avengers au #yelena boleva #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes #tony stark #clint barton #pepper potts #morgan stark #peter parker #vision #laura barton #cooper barton #lila barton #nathaniel barton #kate bishop #wanda maximoff #happy birthday #birthday party #fanfiction #after endgame #endgame au

[zimwritez]

summer stars

WC: 2.1 K

Warnings/BYR: nothing!

A/N: hiii! this is my first story on here! i wanted just to test the waters with some pure fluff (plz read it), but there will be a part two with more suggestive/smut parts! let me know how you like it! <3

After coming in from loading up the moving truck, you stand in front of the off-white house, your eyes wandering over its familiar suburban facade. Memories of your younger years come flooding back as you take in the sight before you. It's been years since you last saw this house, before you left for college. As you take in your surroundings, you realize that you had almost forgotten its shape.

Stepping inside, you're greeted by the scent of roses that fills the air. Your mom has always been obsessed with these flowers, ever since you were a little girl. The scent is so familiar that every time you catch a whiff of it outside your house, you're hit with an odd sense of deja vu. But here, inside the house, the fragrance is overwhelming, as if it has been bottled up and released into the air. The living room is cluttered with boxes of all shapes and sizes, piled high in every corner. The cardboard smell of the boxes mingles with the sweet scent of roses, creating a strange, yet comforting aroma. 

You had to come back home, out of the city, because of your dad’s hospitalization. Your mom has to move full time near the hospital because of your dad’s permanent residence there. He’s always had health problems, but they haven’t been this serious until now. You'll be spending the summer here too, in case anything happens. 

As you move through the house, you notice how much has changed since you left for college. The furniture is different, the wallpaper has been replaced, and there are new curtains hanging in the windows. You step into your childhood bedroom, and even though the rest of the house is changed, this room seems to be stuck in time. The posters are still on the wall, the bed is still perfectly made, and the air seems still. You scan the picture frames on your dresser, each one holding a memory of days gone by. They're snapshots of a time when life was simpler, when your high school friends and you would spend hours laughing and making memories. The faces staring back at you are those of friends you barely even see anymore, people you once considered your closest allies. In the years since you graduated and parted ways for college, time has lapsed and made it difficult to stay in touch. It's a bittersweet feeling, realizing how easily life can pull people apart.

You focus on one particular picture, a small frame holding a picture of you and a boy around the age of six. You squint your eyes and furrow your eyebrows, trying to remember who he is. The picture is a bit faded, the edges of the frame worn and chipped with age.

Suddenly, it all comes back to you. It’s the boy that you live next door to. You were friends up until middle school when he randomly transferred to online school. Somehow, you can’t remember his name. It may have started with a K? A C? You're not too sure. 

You hear your mother calling your name from downstairs. Sluggishly walking down the stairs, you see another slightly older woman standing in the kitchen. She’s wearing a pink, knitted sweater, which is odd because it’s so hot outside. She wears a genuine smile on her face, too.

“Oh, Hello Ma’am.” “Woooow~ You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman!”

You stutter for a moment, trying to remember if you’ve seen this lady before. She barely looks familiar. Thankfully, after almost a full minute of silence, your mom chimes in.

“This is Mrs. Ji, from next door. She’s going to be helping you out if you need anything while I’m gone helping your dad.” 

It all clicks in your head. This must be the mom for the boy from before. You speak, 

“Oh, thank you so much! I doubt I will need much, but it’s nice to know I have someone to lean on!”

“Yes..You must remember my son, right? Changmin? He’s home for the summer too!”

Bingo.

“Oh that’s nice, I’ll have to say hi sometime.”

There’s a silent agreement as your mom whisks you away to continue moving boxes into the U-Haul, you take a moment to look around the house that you once called home. Despite the bittersweet feeling of having to help your mom leave, you push aside your emotions and focus on the task at hand. You diligently continue packing boxes and loading them onto the U-Haul, trying to make the move as smooth as possible. 

Hours pass by as you work tirelessly to finish packing up your belongings. You finally reach the end of the moving process, but you're left with only the bare necessities in your temporary home. The house won't be sold until you go back to college for the next fall semester, so you'll be staying in this old place for the next couple of months.

As you say your last goodbye to your mom and watch her drive away, you take a deep breath and feel a mix of emotions wash over you. Relief that the move is over, sadness that you're leaving your childhood home, and excitement for the new chapter of your life that lies ahead.

After, you decide to take some time for yourself and settle into the new house. You turn on a movie and make some popcorn, enjoying the familiar comfort of an old favorite. As you sit on the couch, you realize that even though this house is new and unfamiliar, it's slowly becoming a home.

When looking at the clock that reads 11:58, you start to drift off, getting sleepier and sleepier as the night goes on. Just then, you hear a quiet knock at your door. Scared and confused, you move towards the blinds to look outside, but you can’t see anything since it’s so dark. You were contemplating opening the door when you hear a whispered voice call out your first name, followed by the words, 

“It’s Changmin! Open the door!”

Even more confused, you gently crack open the door, and finally get a look at the boy that you haven’t seen throughout all of these years…and he’s beautiful! A small tipped nose, cute round eyes and an oddly long neck, you stare in awed silence as you admire who’s in front of you, pushing the confusion aside.

“Uhh…Earth to Y/N?”

You snap back to reality, focusing your eyes on his slightly concerned expression.  You finally speak,

“Sorry. What did you need? Was I being too loud?”

He thinks for a moment, and continues, 

“No, It’s not that. Um..” He stalls. “Do you maybe wanna go somewhere?”

Confused, you ask,

“What do you mean?” “Like right now, we can go somewhere and talk. I know a spot and I’m bored and I really need some fresh air.”

As you hear the poor boy stumble over his words, you can sense his nervousness. Without a second thought, you compassionately say yes and quickly put on your shoes. As you step out of the door, you feel the cold nighttime wind hit your skin, bringing back memories of sneaking out as a freshman in high school. You can't help but feel a sense of childhood mystery in the air that used to be filled with overworked tiredness. Tonight feels different.

You take a look at the tall boy who is kicking rocks with his worn-out Converse as he walks. He seems to be focused on nothing but the ground, lost in thought. You notice his slightly sparkling brown eyes and hair that's tinted differently due to the orange-colored street lights. You feel a sudden urge to know more about him and say, 

“So…”

“Ah, sorry…I don’t talk much”

“Yeah, you aren’t really like the kid I remembered you to be. You used to scream bloody murder all the time, scaring every parent around. You smiled all the time too.”

“Hey! I smile now, you just haven’t made me do that yet”. 

“Oh…I see…That’s my job?”

Flustered, he spurts, “No! I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just trying to show how I’m a positive person”.

You both quietly laugh as you hear cicadas in the background, really exemplifying the mood of summer. It gets quiet again though, between the two of you that is, and after a few minutes, he speaks. 

“I’m sorry about your dad”.

A little stunned with such a dark topic, you continue, “Oh…It’s okay. It’s always been like this”

“Yeah, I remember. It’s just gotten worse, and I feel bad”

“What do you have to feel bad for? You’re the one that got him sick or something?”

He almost gets offended, but laughs again. “No-no, I just want to make sure everyone’s okay”.

As the conversation between you and him continues, you can't help but feel a sweet yet slightly awkward vibe. It's strange to see someone who you haven't seen in years, especially since so much has changed within that time. You find yourself staring at him, trying to see if there's any trace of the person you knew all those years ago.

You remember the last time you saw him, and how different things were back then. The way he spoke, his mannerisms, and his interests all seem different now. However, despite the changes, you're grateful that he's turned out to be a decently good guy. For some reason, it gives you a sense of satisfaction.

“Oh here, this is what I wanted you to see”

He reaches for your hand and pulls you through a small section of woods, where you come out to see an amazing view. You’re at “The Cliffs”, the town's high point. You can see everyone and everything from up here, and the sunsets are beautiful. Right now, though, you see hundreds of lights, some of them shutting off as the people of the town go to sleep. It’s always been a place that’s tender to your heart, because you spent it with…

“Do you remember?”

You stall for a moment, frozen in your tracks. This is the place where you spent many nights with Changmin, sneaking out of your parents house to go watch the sunset. You would talk about childish things, and it always made you two feel closer. 

“Of course I do. Thank you so much for bringing me here, again”.

He smiles shyly, looking out towards the horizon and taking a seat on a rocky edge. You can’t tell if it’s just you, but there’s so much energy to get to know him, or eachother. It’s like you want to make up all the time that you lost.

“So why did you disappear when highschool started?”

He looks up at you with those big brown eyes, that are slightly illuminated by the moonlight. He murmurs around for a minute, and speaks,

“Oh, It’s just because I didn’t really like school. The days started to drag in middle school and you were one of the only reasons why I went everyday. The bullying was bad so I just decided to drop it.”

You had known about the bullying before, and how bad it affected Changmin, but you can’t really change much now so there’s nothing to say. What shocked you was what he said before that. The way he said it so matter of factly was so shocking. He said it as if wanting to see you everyday was a normal thing, which you guess it was. You two were friends, and who wouldn’t want to see their best friend everyday, right?

“That’s nice…I mean! It’s not nice that you were getting bullied, it was nice that you felt comfortable enough to drop school.”

He laughs at your embarrassed expression. “It’s okay. Was it lonely without me?”

Sarcastically, you speak, “Oh my god, it was unbearable. The worst torture I’ve been through in my whole life.” You both laugh.

The silence was back, but it wasn't awkward anymore. It was like a giant wave of calmness washed over us, making everything right. The air was filled with unspoken thoughts and emotions, but it was a peaceful silence that we both welcomed.

Changmin's nervousness melted away and was replaced with a feeling of security and comfort. You could feel the trust he had in you, like he knew that he could open up to you about anything without any fear of judgment. You felt a sense of responsibility, but also gratefulness for having him in your life.

Sitting there under the stars, you both knew that this moment would change everything. It felt like the entire summer was full of new possibilities and a chance for a deeper connection between you two. The future felt uncertain, but there was an unspoken promise that hung in the air, luring you to take a leap into the unknown.

#the boyz #tbz #tbz scenarios #tbz q #tbz changmin #kpop #changmin #q #q tbz #tbz kpop #tbz fluff

[liaromancewriter]

Mothers

Premise: Three mothers, three celebrations, one beautiful memory.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine); Sienna Trinh x M!OC (Max Valentine). Feat. Olivia Valentine and OC children Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,915

A/N: Submission for @choicesmonthlychallenge​ May challenge day 8 prompt “Mothers”

1. Cassie

Cassie Valentine woke to the dark and the quiet, the only sound a curious hum in the air one only noticed in the middle of the night. She glanced over at her husband sleeping beside her, his back to her, chest rising and falling evenly and knew it wasn’t him that had woken her up.

She lay in bed staring unseeing at the ceiling trying to diagnose this strange feeling inside her. It wasn’t anything bad, but it was…different. Like butterflies caught in a net, asking to be let out so they could float from one flower to another and get drunk on the feeling.

She wanted to hold on to this feeling forever, but the diagnostician in her wouldn’t be happy until she’d solved the mystery of why this, why now.

And then she heard it. A sound so soft and still so alien that she’d missed it on the first pass. Some mother she was, she thought, picking up the baby monitor to watch the scene unfolding on the screen.

Pushing the covers aside, she got out of bed and pulled on the silk robe she’d discarded earlier. She gently closed the bedroom behind her and padded towards the nursery down the hall. Her heart beating faster, like fluttering butterfly wings, as every step brought her closer to elixir. 

And then those butterflies took flight as she opened the door to the twinkling sounds of a mobile hanging above the crib, a night light casting shadows on the ceiling and walls. 

Cassie glided towards the crib against the wall. Her twins insisted on sleeping together, restless unless the other was near, and the second crib had ended up as a flotsam of baby paraphernalia. 

Even after four months, she was in awe every time she saw her babies. Their dark hair soft, green eyes so much like all Valentines before them, but the shape of them was their father’s.

Placing her hand on the railing, she watched Sophie and Eloise lying side by side, facing each other, eyes open and their tiny rosebud mouths curled into smiles. Eloise patted her sister on the face and Sophie cooed in response, eyes going wide as if she’d heard a juicy secret.

Cassie silently laughed as she took in the twins’ shenanigans. A feeling like one she’d never known before rose inside her, pushing out everything else.

Once upon a time, there had been love inside her for dance and the delicate movements of ballet. Then she’d fallen in thrall with words in a book, changing her destiny for what they promised, and years later, with the man that wrote them.

Now, standing here in the middle of the night, watching her daughters exchange midnight confessions, their voices a mix of gurgles and tinkling laughter, she knew that she would never love anything more than these two humans right here.

She felt him before she heard him, the man who had captured her heart and one who’d given her this beautiful gift. She glanced back at Ethan Ramsey leaning against the open doorway, arms folded across his chest, and shared a smile with him.

She held her hand out for him and he walked over to take it, entwining their fingers as he was wont to do. Slipping his arm around her waist from behind, he folded her in his embrace, his face resting beside hers as they watched their daughters.

“Happy Mother’s Day, my love,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

Mother, Cassie thought with wonder as she traced the word on her lips. She was finally a mother.

2. Sienna

Sienna Valentine loved this time of day, watching the blue of the horizon outside and the sun’s rays peeking through curtains covering the floor to ceiling windows of their bedroom. Even after all these years, it was a view that she never got tired of.

She absently rubbed her swollen belly, feeling the baby kick as he liked to do in the mornings. All of her children had had different schedules in the womb. Noah enjoyed keeping her up at nights with his somersaults, Isabelle in the afternoons while Amelia had been the quiet one.

She heard loud whispers outside the bedroom door and smiled, sitting up slowly to lean back against the headboard in preparation. That first year after Noah was born her husband had started a tradition of serving her breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day.

Over the years as their family grew, the children joined him, taking great pride in decorating the tray with flowers and making colorful homemade cards. With extra glitter as Belle would say.

When the door swung open, the first person she saw was Max Valentine, the love of her life and the father of her children. He gestured sideways with his head and rolled his eyes in amusement, an ever-present smile on his lips.

All this time together and his smile still made her heart flutter as if filled with butterflies. Back when they were just friends, the thought of him brought her deep bone contentment. Later when things changed, those butterflies took flight, their bright-colored wings lighting up her life with joy.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” Noah and Belle chorused, leaping through doorway to make their grand entrance.

“Oh my gosh,” cried out Sienna, pretending to be surprised.

She smiled as the two of them jockeyed for position while pushing a wheeled trolley towards her side of the bed. Three-year old Amelia and their dog Bailey brought up the rear, with the little girl stopping to tuck her hand in her father’s.

Sienna could see eggs, bacon and pancakes, as well as orange juice, coffee and toast in a toast rack. There was enough food for all of them and she shared a secret smile with Max knowing he’d done it on purpose.

When they had been younger, Noah and Belle insisted the food was for mommy only because it was her special day. But Sienna had seen hunger in their eyes and heard their little tummies rumble. So, she had said she couldn’t possibly eat all this and would they help her out? They’d wiped the plate clean. Ever since then, Max made enough breakfast for all of them.

She shifted to make room for the kids to sit next to her on the bed. Max picked up Amelia and set her down beside Sienna while Bailey leaped up to join them, quietly resting her furry head on Sienna’s feet.

While her children snuggled on one side, Sienna reached for Max and tugged him down to plant her lips on his. His hand grasped her chin, holding her still as he deepened the kiss, stopping only when Noah started making gagging noises.

They shared a laugh and then he let her go, his hand coming to rest briefly on her belly and the child growing there.

“Mom, your tummy is moving,” said Noah, eyes wide, voice rising in excitement.

“The baby knows you’re here,” explained Sienna gently.

When Amelia stretched out a hand and then quickly tucked it behind her, she asked, “Sweetie, do you want to say hi to the baby?”

Amelia nodded and Max sat down on the side of the bed, took her small hand in his and placed it on top of Sienna’s bump. The other kids joined in, crowding around her belly and laughing when the baby kicked again.

As her eyes met Max’s across the heads of their children, Sienna smiled softly and mouthed ‘I love you’. She had family. She had love. She was blessed.

3. Olivia

Olivia Valentine stood inside the open French doors, a huge smile on her face as she watched her family in the gardens outside, their excited screams and laughter warming her heart.

She had been missing her children, so Robert arranged for all of them to spend Mother’s Day weekend at Newport. It had been a wonderful surprise and she wished she could capture every moment from these two days.

The weather had cooperated with sunny skies, temperatures in the high sixties. Robert had taken care of everything including a Sunday brunch on the terrace outside. It had been a big, noisy affair with Max and Sienna’s four and Cassie and Ethan’s two; everyone talking over each other and dogs barking so that little Amelia covered her ears with her hands.

At one point, Olivia had caught Isabelle feeding Bailey under the table — which was a big no from Sienna — and winked conspiratorially with her granddaughter before turning away.

Olivia reflected that she had grown up in such different surroundings, in a house that had been a mausoleum than a home. Hushed halls with soaring ceilings that forced one to whisper, and gilded rooms filled with antiques that didn’t encourage lounging.

She remembered being paraded daily, exactly at five o’clock, with her twin sister to the family drawing room where her parents would spend precisely an hour with them asking about their day. Her brothers were already at boarding school by then and in a few years so would she and Elizabeth.

Her parents hadn’t been bad people, thought Olivia, but their lifestyle had been more about glittery parties and balls than noisy family dinners and outdoor picnics. She had sworn she wouldn’t follow their example and, as she looked out at her own family now, she knew she had succeeded.

Sienna was feeding ten-month old Michael under the shade on a lounge chair while Ethan was standing a distance away, holding Amelia in his arm and nodding sagely at whatever story she was telling him.

Her granddaughter had turned four a couple of months ago and was slowly shedding her shyness. Not that she was ever so with her serious-minded uncle, running to him first whenever he was around.

Olivia chuckled when Max brought out water guns, standing straight as a general surveying his troops. His serious expression didn’t bely the grin on his face as he and his sister faced off. God knew her twins were competitive and she wondered how this water battle would play out as neither was the type to give up, even when it came to beating their own children.

She watched them pick teams with Eloise and Belle picking Max while Sophie and Noah paired up with Cassie. The dolphin versus shark rivalry was alive and thriving in the next generation.

“What are you looking at?” asked Robert, coming to stand beside her, hooking one arm around her back.

“Our family,” said Olivia, feeling the flutters in her heart just as she had that first time a lifetime ago

She remembered waiting anxiously for his boat to sail in after the race, pacing up and down the marina, hoping that he wasn’t already taken. There had been no one else for either of them from that moment on.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” said Robert, smiling down at her. “I remember how terrified we were when we found out we were expecting twins. We were barely kids ourselves.”

“I was so sure I was going to be a horrible mother and mess up their lives,” she said, reminiscing.

“Instead, you were a wonderful mother, Livvy,” he countered, kissing the side of her head. “The proof is before you.”

Olivia held her husband’s hand, squeezing it in gratitude, and walked outside with him to soak in every precious minute with her family.

Perma-tags: @jamespotterthefirst  @genevievemd  @forallthatitsworth  @queencarb  @potionsprefect  @quixoticdreamer16  @schnitzelbutterfingers  @mainstreetreader  @bex-la-get  @headoverheelsforramsey  @thegreentwin  @dorisz  @custaroonie  @takemyopenheart  @jerzwriter  @mm2305  @a-crepusculo  @rosebudde  @lucy-268  @crazy-loca-blog  @writer-ish  @wanderingamongthewildflowers  @trappedinfanfiction  @rookiemartin  @anonymousrookie  @natureblooms24  @coffeeheartaddict2 @mysticalgalaxysstuff  @lady-calypso  @sincerelyscarring  @beezybean 

Max & Sienna only: @gryffindordaughterofathena  @utterlyinevitable 

@openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations​

#ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #open heart #sienna trinh #sienna trinh x oc #open heart choices #choices monthly challenge #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #open heart fanfics #playchoices #ethan ramsey x cassie valentine #sienna trinh x max valentine

[justinmitchellfan]

ARIANA GRANDE X TORI KELLY LOVE STORY SMUT WARNING ⚠️ PART 1 of the sweetener sessions love story

Chapter 1

Tori kellys point of view

Tori kelly is wearing a red hoodie with white pants and white shoes and tori is born with 13 inch dick

Oh my God as I screeched down the phone to my online best friend Molly, we both just got invited to the sweetener slumber party "what are we gonna wear says Molly as she panicked on the phone as I frantically searched my room for an outfit ,I only had an hour before the car arrived to pick me up "I don't know, white pants and red hoodie as I suggested and I threw on my favorite pair of white pants and a red hoodie and some shoes "I'm so nervous ,I finally get to meet my baby says tori "tori ,this is actually happening says Molly as she replied and we screamed about how excited we were for a few more minutes before we decided that it was time to go

Mom as I called as I entered the kitchen, fixing my hair and my toothbrush dangling from my mouth "yes sweetheart, what was all that screaming about, you know your father has sensitive ears says toris mom as she scowled, swatting the cloth at tori playfully "I got invited to Arianas slumber party as I jumped up and down excitedly but my heart stopped at my mother's next words "you aren't going as she said firmly and my mouth opened so wide in shock that my toothbrush fell out "what do you mean says tori kelly "I need you to help me prepare for dinner that we are hosting Tomorrow, some of your fathers work associates are coming amd I can't prepare all by myself says toris mom before handing tori a bag of potatoes

"Start peeling as she waved the potato peeler in toris face and tori stood there in silence "I'm Going as I finally said and I saw her shake her head, she wasn't budging "mom, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know how much i love her as tears began to form in my eyes but I blinked them away "I don't care, I let you go to her concert says toris mom as she shrugged her shoulders and tori dropped the bag of potatoes and huffed loudly before storming out of the room "I hate my life as I shouted at the top of my lungs and slammed my bedroom door shut and i heard my phone ringing "the car just picked me up ,it's so big and pretty and I'm so excited, the driver said he will be at your house in ten minutes amd there's a- says Molly

"I'm not going as I cut Molly off as tears streamed down my face "what, why as Molly panicked "my stupid mom won't let me go as I threw myself back on my bed in defeat, the phone held tightly against my ear "sneak out, it will be worth it says Molly as if it was a problem "my mother is a psychopath, if she finds out that I snuck out ,I won't see the light of day until I'm old and gray as I chuckled slightly when I heard Molly laugh but reality soon set in "just come on, I'll call you when we are near and I'll tell the driver to park a bit down from your house so just hop out your window says Molly as she was very convincing and tori agreed eventually "we are five minutes away so hurry says Molly before blowing a kiss into the phone and hanging up

I jumped off the bed and wiped my red eyes, fixing my makeup before my phone rang again "outside says Molly and I hung up the phone, opening my window amd quietly climbing through it amd I ducked underneath my window and sprinted down the garden and out onto the pavement where I spotted a black car with tinted windows and an Ariana sticker on the back window "hey as I said breathless getting into the car amd engulfing Molly in a hug, I haven't seen her In ages but she was my bestest friend "hey I missed you, now let's go meet our baby says tori as Molly squealed and the driver chuckled before pulling out

We picked a few more Arianators and we all excitedly talked in the back of the car before arriving to the venue, we walked inside amd were all handed 'God is a woman' sweatshirts and some refreshments, I was so excited and my emotions were getting the best of me as me and this new girl that I met called Sarah cried on a beanbag "I just love her so much says Sarah as she sniffled and I nodded in agreement before pulling her in for a hug "okay guys, welcome to the sweetener slumber party, we are just waiting on ari ,as you know she likes to be fashionably late so just sit tight says brian and I was just fan girling over Brian, I can't imagine what I'll be like when Ariana arrives

We all took pictures with brian, Scott, Doug amd Courtney before a chorus of screams sounded from people near the door "hey cuties says the most precious voice sounding through the room making my eyes instantly tear up and I looked up to see a literal angel walk into the room ,she was a billion times prettier in person which I didn't think was possible, her eyes had golden specks in them and she was so small, she looked around the room and her eyes locked with mine ,it was only for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity, Molly squeezed my arm tightly after she took notice of our moment and we watched Ariana interact with everyone "did you see the way she looked at you says Molly as she whispered in my ear and I looked at her amd nodded

"Hi as we heard the small perfect voice above us amd I was at a loss for words because her beauty was so overwhelming but that didn't stop Molly who jumped up and engulfed her in a hug making Ariana giggle "I'm Molly as she muffled into her neck as she hugged her tightly but Arianas eyes were on me as she hugged Molly, making my heart beat fast "what's your name says Ariana as she said to tori amd Molly pulled out of her embrace and stepped out of the way so I could talk to her "tori as I stuttered and she smiled widely at me "don't be nervous, it's nice to meet you, you have a beautiful smile says Ariana before pulling Tori into a hug ,tori's face crimson red, I inhaled her scent and sighed in content amd I could hear her heart beating fast in her chest

She stayed In our hug a lot longer than anyone else but eventually she moved on to say hi to everyone else but she kept looking back and we all sat around and talked as Zach set up for the interview, Ariana taking a seat on the beanbag beside me, I didn't know what was happening, why did she take such a liking to me "are you guys ready for sweetener says Ariana and there was a chorus of excited 'yeahs' "well I'm so excited for you guys to hear it says Ariana "hey ari, we're ready for your interview says Zach and all of us sighed in disappointment as she sat up and walked over to the sofa "I'll be back in a minute babies says Ariana as she winked at us and the interview began, I've always had a thing for girls since I can remember, I've had boyfriends but that was just a shield to protect myself

The interview was over in an hour amd Ariana was sitting back beside me which felt wierd because I've idolized her for so long and now she was moving people so she could sit beside me "so what song are you most excited to hear says Ariana turning her full attention to me as the rest of the people talk amongst themselves "goodnight n go I think, is it good as I said, I wouldn't be surprised if you could see my heart because it was beating that fast "is it good says Ariana sarcastically placing a hand on her chest as if she was shocked making tori laugh loudly "well it's obviously gonna be good as I replied while still chuckling "you'll get to hear it tonight says Ariana as she whispered making me raise my eyebrows suspiciously

"Don't tell the others but I'm playing the album says Ariana and I clapped my hands together in excitement, she smiled widely ,her tounge poking through her teeth before she left to go talk to other fans "what the fuck, why are you getting all of her attention says Molly as she asks as soon as Ariana left, jumping on top of me excitedly "i don't know Mol but oh my God as I said falling back onto the beanbag and bringing Molly with me "okay I've got a suprise for yall says Ariana, connecting her phone to the aux cord and grabbing all of our attention "I'm gonna play the album says Ariana as she announced amd everyone lost their shit because they were so excited

"I'm gonna start with goodnight n go says Ariana as she winked at me causing me to blush and she blushed slightly as well, did I have an effect on the Ariana grande ,the song started and it was already amazing, everyone started dancing and Ariana made her way over to me ,pulling me up off the beanbag so I could dance with her "do you like it says Ariana, her hips moving to the beat of the music making me feel all types of ways "i-i love it as I stuttered "don't be so nervous says Ariana taking my hand in hers and rubbing her thumb along it gently and I got lost in her eyes as she stared at my lips suggestively, she must've realized where we were because her hand dropped to her side and mine did too

She smirked slightly at me before walking away to dance with the others, my head was spinning, she played the rest of the album, there were some tears on the songs like get well soon but overall everyone loved it and I looked at my phone to see 24 missed calls from my mom and 6 from my dad, I'm dead and I showed the notifications to Molly and she took my phone out of my hand and tossed it to the side "Enjoy it while you're here says Molly as she was right and after an hour of talking and bonding, it was time to go home amd face the music "tori as I heard someone call behind me as I put my jacket on, I turned around to see Ariana standing there, my phone between her fingers "oh shit yeah, thank you as I said taking it from her hand

"Stay as Ariana Said quietly ,looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was there and I realized that we were the only two left in the room "okay as I said and she lead me over to a beanbag "tell me about yourself says Ariana sitting beside me, her hand resting on my leg unintentionally or was it intentional "well me name is tori kelly amd I'm 19, I love animals and you, I live in LA but I wanna move to New York to pursue dancing as I said to her and she stared at me like she had so much interest in what I was saying "you're a dancer says Ariana as she asks and I nodded proudly, I've been dancing since I was 4 and I was good, I've been to three of Brian and Scott's workshops and I loved working with them

"You may show me your moves sometime says Ariana as she winked and I smiled in agreement "any brothers or sisters says Ariana as she asks "one younger sister, she's three as I replied ,I already knew all the basic stuff about her so thinking of questions was hard "you're really beautiful says Ariana, she was very forward and said whatever she wanted, not caring about the consequences, I blushed furiously and she placed her soft finger on my sharp jawline and traced it softly "you're really beautiful too as I said, my breath hitching as she stared at my lips and moved closer

"Thank you Says Ariana as she smiled and I could feel her hot breath fanning against my lips, I'm about to kiss Ariana grande amd suddenly the door burst open and Ariana sat back startled ,her warm hand leaving the side of my face "tori, there you are says Molly making me shake my head in disappointment as Ariana stood up and held her hand out for me to take "I'll be out in a minute as I said to Molly and she pursed her lips and nodded, closing the door behind her and I stood up and just looked at Ariana as she smiled widely "give me your phone says Ariana holding out her hand and I placed my phone in her hand amd she entered her number and handed it back

"Text me says Ariana before plating a firm kiss on my cheek, gripping my waist firmly and with that she was gone

Chapter 2

Arianas point of veiw

I don't know what it is about her, her smile, her laugh, her eyes, on my fucking God her eyes, she's so captivating and it's like I want to talk to her forever, I want to get lost in her eyes and her voice gives me shivers, I've never felt this way about anyone, ever, I never believed in love at first sight but this time was different, it was like the universe was telling me that we had to be together, the way she looked at me when I first walked in made me heart beat fast and my stomach do flips amd I was sold, she was the one ,I went home that night and my phone never left my side ,I just wanted her to text me

Tori Kelly's point of view

Tori kelly is wearing white shirt with unbuttoned flannel shirt and ripped jeans and shoes

"Do I text her, maybe she did it because it was in the moment and doesn't actually want me to text her as i said to Molly on the phone when we got home that night ,I'm grounded for three months but it was worth it "text her tori, are you stupid says Molly as she basically screamed down the phone making me chuckle "fine but if she ghosts me then you owe me a Gelato says tori and Molly agreed so tori hung up the phone and I opened my contacts and my finger hovered over her name: ari🖤, I couldn't do it, she probably thinks I'm really weird and she's not even into girls so this is a waste of time, I locked my phone and put it under my pillow trying to go to sleep but I just kept seeing her beautiful face and perfect features

Remembering the feeling of her soft hand against my face and her minty breath fanning my lips ,her sweet smell that was addicting, her long eyelashes that are impossible to say no to

Tori kelly: hey, it's me tori

That was so stupid, she's not going to reply and almost immediately she started typing making my heart flutter, ari🖤 is typing....

Ari🖤: hey, I thought you you would never text

Tori kelly: sorry, I was busy helping my mom, how are u

Ari🖤: I'm tired, I need a cuddle :(

Tori kelly: I can't sleep

Ari🖤: come over x

Tori kelly: I can't, I'm grounded for three months

Ari🖤: three months, I'll come to you, where do you live

Was I being catfished, this can't be real

Tori kelly: (address)

Ari🖤: that's not far, I'll be there in 10

Tori kelly: come around the back, I'll let you in through my window

Ari🖤: Okay baby

I blushed at the nickname, I looked around my room and it was super messy so I did a speed clean and sprayed some perfume and got changed into some better clothes "tori, why are you making all that noise as my mom shouted through the door, fuck, she was meant to be going out with my dad "just getting ready for bed, aren't you going out as I asked trying my best to not sound suspicious "yeah we're leaving now, no funny business Young lady or we will take your phone for the full three months says toris mom through the door and with that, she left, slamming the front door behind her

The door opened again and I heard my mom call my name up the stairs and the prettiest giggle followed "yeah as I shouted back, coming out of my room "your friend is here says toris mom and Ariana stood behind her holding a bunch of flowers "oh yeah, I forgot that we had to study as I said thinking of an excuse quickly and my mom shot me a confused look but she bought it "okay, there's money so you guys can order pizza and behave says toris mom pointing her finger at tori "yes mom says tori and I was glad that she didn't recognize Ariana or she would of never let her in and my mom left and I stood there awkwardly on the stairs looking down at the petite brunette

She held out the flowers amd I took them from her gratefully and brought them up to my nose amd smelling them "they're so beautiful, thank you Ariana as I said before embracing her in a hug amd she kissed my cheek softly "beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl says Ariana and tori blushed furiously making Ariana giggle "wanna come up to my room as I asked awkwardly and extended my hand which she took and gave a light squeeze making my heart do the thing "wow your room is big says Ariana letting go of my hand and walking around to admire my room amd she stopped and and looked at a photo of me and my ex boyfriend kissing at his football game, I forgot to throw it away

"Oh that's an ex ,I must've forgot to throw that away as I said taking the picture off the shelf amd turning it upside down "oh, you're not into girls says Ariana, her voice feigning disappointment "oh no I am, I just pretend ya know, my parents don't really support gays so I just keep it a secret but I've always had a thing for girls ,I never liked boys ,sorry I'm rambling, don't you like Boys as I asked, embarrassed of my rambling that only happened when I was nervous "I've always liked girls but like you I pretended but I was hiding from the public says Ariana as she shrugged her shoulders before taking a seat on my bed and I sat down beside her, laying the flowers on my locker

"So we have to study says Ariana as she smirked, her hand resting on mine sending shivers through my body, I took my hand from hers, this was all very sudden and I wasn't sure if I was ready for her life or anything, she frowned slightly when I shuffled away from her but she was quick to be back to her happy Ariana "movie as I asked, switching on my flat-screen TV and she sat back properly on my pillow and I sat beside her, our shoulders touching making my heart beat fast "Bruce almighty as we both said at the same time making us giggle, her eyes lighting up with laughter "I love your laugh says Ariana once we both calmed down

"I love yours too as I replied before turning back to look at the TV but I could feel her stare piercing the side of my head "what as I asked, chuckling before looking at her "you're just really beautiful says Ariana, her hand raised and caressed the side of my cheek, she pulled me in closer and our lips were inches apart and I could hear what she was thinking, it was me, our lips barely touched when I turned amd gave her my cheek to kiss instead and I heard her sigh but I didn't want to look at her "do you not want to kiss me says Ariana, her voice feigning disappointment "I do, I'm just scared says tori "scared of what says Ariana as she paused the movie and took my hand in hers, rubbing her thumb along my knuckles

"What if you just leave me says tori "I obviously like you tori, I can't wait to get to know you and to love you says Ariana so seriously "what if it's just lust says tori "oh believe me, it's not lust says Ariana as she confirmed and Tori nodded shyly "don't be scared, I won't hurt you, I don't know what you're doing to me or how you do it but I need you and I want you ,I've never felt like this before and normally I'm the one being chased so this is wierd for me but I feel like the universe is telling me that you're the one says Ariana all in one breath ,her grip on my hand tightening, that's all it took ,I placed my hand on the back of her neck and connected our lips

The spark, it was there ,the kiss was electric, her hands found my hips and she pulled me on top of her so I was straddling her and her tounge traced the seam of my lip ,begging for entrance which I gladly accepted, my hands ran through her soft hair, her hands roamed my body hungrily and she moved her lips to my neck, a small moan escaped my lips when she found my sweet spot making her smile "Ariana as I moaned quietly as she squeezed my ass roughly and her soft lips sucked slightly on my neck, I was in pure bliss when there was a knock at the door "fuck says tori, sexually frustrated as Ariana sat back but still held tori firmly on her lap

"Don't answer, kiss me says Ariana breathless from the intensity of the kiss, there was a knock again, I slowly got off of her and she unlocked her phone smirking at me as I groaned loudly going to answer the door "tori says Ariana as she called and I looked back at her finger beckoning me back to her "you might wanna cover your neck says Ariana as she giggled and I ran to the mirror looking in it and my neck was covered in purple marks "Ariana as I exclaimed amd she giggled again, she sounded like heaven "sorry, I couldn't resist says Ariana as she shrugged amd I rolled my eyes before throwing on the hoodie and going to answer the door

[juneandnick]

Fanfiction - “Meeting in Toronto” - Part 3 on 4 by me

I hope that despite the errors you enjoy the story.

Two weeks later, Nick wakes up with the smell of pancakes and good coffee. He opens the bedroom door and hears June and Nichole in the kitchen:

- So sweetie, is it okay? Nichole nods. Yes? Do you want another one? - Yes. - Oh look who it is ... It is daddy. - Hi honey, Nick says kissing his daughter. - Daddy! She is all smile. - Hi, he says kissing June. - Coffee? - Gladly. It smells very good. June pours him a cup. - Thanks. - I am going to take a shower.

The little girl looks her mother leaving the room and then her attention is on her daddy. Nick is captivated by her big blue eyes. She plays with her doll (he gave her and she had when they had to run away) and with Flopsy, her rabbit 😉.

(Wink to your fanfiction Arallute1, I loved it. ❤️❤️❤️)

When June comes out of the shower, Nick does the dishes while their daughter draws a picture. I am going to get dressed and do a briefing with the guys outside.

Around thirty minutes later, he is back:

- Sean and Kyle will stay with both of you. I have to go in town to meet Mark. - Do not go alone, June replies immediately. - Everything will be alright. - Nick! - Alright ... Kyle will stay with you.

During his absence and to occupy the time June and Nichole cook a chocolate cake. Then they make a kitten puzzle. Time passes and June begins to worry.

Various demonstrations across Canada take place regularly where supporters of Gilead, using signs, demand the return of Nichole to her native country.

This same day, on TV there is a coverage live from Gilead where some Commanders and their wifes, a row of handmaids and of aunts make a prayer.

At the end of the afternoon, Kyle receives a phone call, Nick was hit in the shoulder. A Gilead sympathizer shot him as he was walking out of his meeting with Mark.

- Oh My God! Is he okay?, June asks in tears. - I do not know. All I can say is you have to be prepare if we have to run away again.

Two days later, three Chevrolet Suburban arrive in the cottage. Behind the window with Nichole in her arms, June holds her breath. Mark gets out of the second vehicle and waits. Kyle opens the house's door and they head to the cars.

- Mrs Osborne, I beg you to follow us. - Where is Nick? - He is fine, given the circumstances. He will probably be there on the next stop.

They drive to an abandoned farmhouse near Vaughan. There are already several cars. June gets out of the vehicle taking Nichole in her arms who is holding her doll.

- Come on my sweetie ... Are you fine? Yeah? My big girl, June says kissing her.

The door opens, Sean appears in the doorway. He greets June. She hears voices inside. She sees Nick sitting with a woman leaning over him who is redoing his bandage. He has dark circles around his eyes. He seems to be in pain from his injury. The woman gives him an injection. June recognizes the woman, it is Iris.

As she is about to join him, she meets a familiar face.

- Darren!, June says while she recognizes her next-door neighbor. - Hi June ... Sorry I was undercover. I could not tell you anything. - Dukie, Nichole says, marveling at the sight of the little dog. - Do not worry, I am watching her, Darren tells to June.

Nick winces in pain and spots June first and then Nichole with Duke.

- Nick! - It is okay, I am fine. What about both of you? - We are fine, June answers. I was so worry. - Do you remember the chat we had in the kitchen? June nods. Here we go ... June do you want to go in Europe with our daughter or do you want to entrust her? - Nick, I cannot choose between my two daughters, she sobs and he nods. - They are after you and me. They want to take our daughter. We have to make the best choice for her. We have to protect her ... It will be not a definitive separation.

Nichole plays and laughs with the little dog. She walks him around the room but stops short when she sees her mother crying. June dries her eyes and smiles fake.

- Hi sweetie. Come here ... Come to say hi to daddy. - Hi honey. I missed you so much, Nick says. The little girl runs to her father.

- June, Nick, may I talk to you?, Mark asks. - Yes, they do answer together. - Sorry but ... Have you decided what to do next?

- We ..., Nick answers while taking June's hand. We decided to protect our daughter. It is the better thing to do to protect her from Gilead. - Okay. Mark signals to two people. May I introduce you Melanie and Neil. - Already?, she is stunned. - They are part of Mayday. They will welcome Nichole. I let you get to know.

While Nichole is taking a nap, the two couples have a long long chat. It is decided that the same evening, the little girl will leave her parents and have a new identity.

June writes a list of things Nichole likes and dislikes. Her habits, her activities …

She also gives Melanie her necklace. She absolutely wants that her little sweetie has something of her. She also points out the importance of the little doll.

When she wakes up from a nap, Nichole has a snack with her parents where June and Nick introduce her to Melanie and Neil. Then the little girl finds herself alone with her parents who explain to her that she is going on a trip. They tell her that Duke will stay with her. They are both touched by Darren's gesture.

- My baby. I will always be your mommy. Your mommy who loves you so so much. Daddy and I we love you so much. My sweetie. She kisses her daughter. I love you so much. I hope a day you will know your big sister. She would love you so much. - We love you. Nick adds and kisses her. Never forget how much we love you.

- June, Nick ... I am sorry ... but it is time, Mark says.

They lead their little girl to the car, kissing and cuddling her. Nichole starts to cry. Her parents try as best they can to comfort her. Melanie sits next to the little girl in the back of the car. The car starts slowly and is followed by two others cars. Mark's men will follow them halfway to make sure they are not followed.

June and Nick break down in tears. Even though they know it is the best thing to do for their daughter's safety, the pain overwhelms them. Especially since they are aware that they do not know when they will be a family again. It is so painful.

During the days following Nichole's departure, June cries all day. She is exhausted and cannot swallow anything. When Iris returns to redo Nick's bandage, she tries to talk to her, in vain. Nick feels helpless. He is himself very annihilated.

He gives to June the space she needs to overcome this ordeal. They are not angry with each other, there is no reproach. They even worry about each other, they comfort each other. But they need time "to accept" the situation.

Mark passes by with provisions that evening. It provides the couple with options to consider for the future. Before leaving he gives an envelope to June. She reads the contents and drops everything to the ground. She is in shock.

- June, what is going on?, Nick asks her.

He does not try to pick up the note that has fallen on the floor. He takes June's hand and repeats the question. She stares at him, not knowing what his reaction will be.

- June? - I am ... She looks at him shocked. I am pregnant. - What? - This morning, Iris took my blood and ... Oh My God! It is terrible, June says crying.

- No it is not, while stroking her cheek. - How can we keep this baby while we hide from Gilead? When we had to entrust our daughter to a foster family? In the aim to protect her. Tell me how? - They want Nichole because for Gilead, Nichole is the daughter of the Commander Fred Waterford. They absolutely cannot claim the same with this one ... - What life are we going to give to this child?, June says crying. - Right now ... I really do not know ... Nick answers honestly.

They wrap their arms around one another.

- Do you want to keep the baby? - Do you?, June asks in a whisper. - Whatever your choice, I will be in solidarity with your decision.

June is grateful that she feels no pressure from Nick. She also knows he would never blame her for her decision if she decided to end the pregnancy.

Source Picture: Screenshots S1E09 (by me) Source GIF: https://splitscreen.tumblr.com

#the handmaid's tale #osblaine #june osborne #nick blaine #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[thestardustkid]

Our Life Now and Forever Moment: Serendipity

Written By: Riesja It looked like Fall here in Golden Grove, yet again. Outside the window, Yeshua saw the world melting into an orange color. It stops him in his tracks as he’s about to put his coat and knitted hat on the hanger. He discovered that this scene took him down to the memory lane where he had first moved here, four years ago, with his mother. A fateful day for both of them to start a new chapter of their new life, with a feeling of doubt and uncertainties about tomorrow; will it change for the better, or vice versa? And now, he already knows the answer.

The sound of the door opening made Yeshua turn around. From behind the door, the figure of a shoulder-length black-haired boy entered. They had a backpack hanging on one shoulder. They wore a muted green coat on top of their white turtleneck, and a maroon scarf circled around their neck. Their usual mischievous face had been absent for days, and it looks like today was not the exception either. 

They were Qiu ‘Autumn’ Lin, the first neighbor Yeshua met in Golden Grove. Qiu was the self-proclaimed King of the cul-de-sac, where only three houses exist at the end of this street. Qiu was once a boy called Yeshua sorcerer and thief on the first day they met. Time sure flies by. Now, they are both fourteen years old, marking four years of their established friendship.

Qiu saw Yeshua standing in front of his bedroom window, still fully clothed with a coat and his signature knitted hat. Their brows furrowed. “What are you doing?” Yeshua smiled, shrugging one shoulder. “Enjoying the view.” Out of curiosity, Qiu walked closer to Yeshua and stood beside him. They stood side by side in front of the window. To Qiu, who had been born and lived in Golden Grove for their entire life, perhaps this sight held nothing they could admire anymore. However, because Yeshua said that, they also enjoyed the view like a newcomer from a distant land. “It’s beautiful,” Qiu breathed. “It is.”

Qiu looks at Yeshua’s relaxed face for a moment and then looks down. Their eyes lingered on the short distances between their fingers. If they moved their hand a little, their hands would brush. Instead, Qiu retracted their hand, pulling them together and rubbing on their arms, “It’s cold outside.” It was not. Qiu threw their backpack onto Yeshua’s study chair and then plopped down on the bean bag near the window. They randomly picked up a comic on the bookshelf next to them, turned to the first page, and read it. “So, why are you calling me here?” they asked, trying to be casual. They failed. The afternoon sunlight washed over Qiu’s face in a soft and warm color. They didn’t look up to stare at Yeshua. For the past few days, they have been acting strange.

Yeshua let it go and hoped that they would tell him why. Yeshua didn’t want them to be awkward like this forever and didn’t want to turn a blind eye when his friend needed help. Yeshua sat in front of Qiu. He was not immediately answering Qiu’s question. After a few agonizing minutes of trying to ignore Yeshua, Qiu finally closed the comic they had opened. They couldn’t digest a single word written there, anyway. “Answer me, Yeshua.” “That should be my question, Qiu. You must know that.” Yeshua finally asked. Qiu leaned back a little, their shoulders tensed. Qiu knew what Yeshua meant, for sure. They turned their gaze to the side. “I’m fine,” they said, rather too quickly and defensively. Even though Yeshua wanted to know why, and finally mustered enoughcourage to ask it today, he didn’t want to push it further if Qiu didn’t wish to. He waited for a while, but Qiu didn’t seem to change their stubborn mind. So, Yeshua decided to give in. “I see.”

However, just as Yeshua was about to stand up, Qiu leapt forward and grabbed his wrist in a flash. Anxiety swept across their face. “Yeshua! Please, don’t be angry!” Yeshua held Qiu’s hand gently. “I’m not, don’t worry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. That much I understand, Qiu.” Although those words relieved them a bit, Qiu was filled with guilt. They seemed to be battling their inner mind, their grip on Yeshua’s wrist tightening. Yeshua was in no hurry. He sat down cross-legged in front of Qiu. Patiently, he waited again. Finally, Qiu confessed. “Yeshua… I–I was confused.” Qiu let go of Yeshua’s hand. They held both sides of the head and brought their knees to their chest. And it all poured down like a broken dam. Qiu told him everything, and Yeshua listened to everything they said. 

From the beginning, Yeshua had a wild guess that this was the reason for making Qiu feel like they were losing his way; they had an identity crisis. They no longer felt like what they had always been. They were afraid of the reactions of the people around them. They were afraid of feeling different and being isolated. They were afraid they would be abandoned if they told all of these to others.

After Qiu finished shedding all their worries and doubts, they lifted their head for the first time. Their eyes dance with fears, rising and falling with anxiety and regret. “Do you hate me now, Yeshua? Do… do you think I’m weird?” “Of course not, dummy. You are my best friend, first and foremost. Whatever you were yesterday, now, and in the future, that fact won’t change.” Yeshua took off his knitted hat and put it on Qiu’s head. He had been doing it all the time. He wanted to ensure that he would still be doing this like when they were kids who met in the backyard years ago. Nothing will change, and Qiu must know it. 

Qiu placed their hands on Yeshua’s, still holding the knitted hat above his head. They tried to pull Yeshua’s hands but not really trying to. “I’m not a child anymore, Yeshua. Stop…” Yeshua chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Scatterbrain.” The nickname made them break into laughter. The weight piling up on Qiu’s chest was like a lump carried by the flow of a river. Suddenly everything was flowing smoothly. Their heart lightened, and their vision, which had been murky for the past few days, had finally crystal clear as it used to be. They didn’t have a single idea that after they share all these burdens with Yeshua, finding that he accepts it for what it is, was such a great relief.

Slowly, their laughter died down. It was then that they both realized how close their faces were right now. Silence reigned over Yeshua’s room. Neither of them spoke nor dared to breathe. Red ran down their cheeks, but neither of them pulled away. Finally, Yeshua leaned in. Qiu felt their drumming chest about to break free behind their rib cage. A soft ‘thump’ echoed as their foreheads bumped lightly. Yeshua didn’t… kiss them. He just placed his forehead against theirs. They could count Yeshua’s lashes from this distance. 

And they realized the soft reddish color that rested on Yeshua’s cheeks. They were relieved that they were not the only one who felt flustered, though both of them acted like they weren’t. “I’ll always be there for you, Qiu.”

Bathed in the warm sunlight on that autumn day, Qiu finally embraced their true self and got the biggest supporter in their life. They smiled, as their heart soared high and above. They couldn’t ask for more. “Thank you.”

END.

#our life #our life now and forever #gb patch

[beansportfolio]

Monsters In the Living Room

            Lightning strikes in the distance as the rain pours from the sky down to the ground. A rolling thunder roars above the clouds. The last crackle of the skies rage scares little Sophia awake. She grabs her best friend Mr. Bear, a small teddy bear that wears an eyepatch because she lost his one eye, and carefully gets out of bed. She exits her room, walks to her right, and crouches behind the railing at the top of the old wooden steps. She can see her parents argue downstairs.

            “I’m tired of arguing about this. We’ve discussed this a million times already,” says her mother.

            “And we’ll continue to discuss this because there’s no way you’re just going to take her and leave. She’s my daughter, too,” her father replies.

            “Oh, get over yourself. She needs her mother. She’s coming with me when I leave tomorrow.”

            “She needs her father, too; she is staying here.”

            At the top of the stairs a little tear begins to roll down Sophia’s cheek. She steps back, the floorboard shrieks and croaks as her little foot steps on and quickly off it. Uh oh, she thinks. The entire house lights up a bright blue color as the thunder and lightning make a return.

            “Sophia, is that you?” her mother asks.

            “We gotta get out of here Mr. Bear,” Sophia whispers to herself.

            As Sophia scurries back to her room she hears footsteps behind her. She dashes for her bed and crawls underneath to hide. Her mother opens the door to her bedroom slowly and quietly, and the whole house is suddenly shrouded in darkness.

            “Sophia? Where are you, sweetheart? The power just went out, are you in here?” asks her mother. Her mother calls out to her father, “Garrett! Where’s Sophia? I didn’t see her in her room. We need to find her.”

            “What? Okay, I’ll start searching, yell if you find her,” her father replies.

            Sophia crawls out from under her bed. “What should we do, Mr. Bear?” she asks. “They have become a bunch of monsters.”

            “I’m not sure, we should stay away from them for now. What if we tried to remind them of when they weren’t monsters?” says Mr. Bear.

            “Hmm, that could work. How would we do that though?” says Sophia.

            “Ooh I know, a photo. We need to show them a picture of when they weren’t evil,” says Mr. Bear.

            “Mommy put a picture in a box downstairs on the big table the other day. That’s gotta be the right picture,” says Sophia.

            Sophia walks to her bedroom door. Slowly and quietly, she opens the door. She hears a noise behind her and hides underneath a little table in the hallway. Through the darkness she can make out the monster. A large, burly werewolf lurks through the second-floor hallway. The beast reeks of alcohol, sawdust, and wood stain. The stench of it all mixes together and finds its way into Sophia’s lungs; she uses all her strength to resist the urge to cough but fails, letting out a quick cough. Ahhh! We need to run Mr. Bear, she thinks. The werewolf turns towards her, growls, and exposes his long sharp teeth as drool drips from his lower chin to the floor, seeping into the boards themselves.

            “Sophia? Is that you?” the werewolf says.

            The werewolf walks towards her as she runs. Sophia heads down the stairs quickly. It’s impossible to see anything. It’s a miracle we made it down the stairs Mr. Bear. We need to avoid going up and down, she thinks.

            “She’s down there!” the werewolf yells. “She has to be somewhere near you.”

            Sophia lays flat and still underneath the old wooden coffee table in the living room while she stares at the big table in the dining room. That’s where the picture is, we just need to reach that box on the table, where’s the other monster though? Do you see her, Mr. Bear? Behind the large table the windows are lit up with the bright flash of the lightning outside. The flash of light reveals a witch. A short, beautiful woman in a long black robe and tall black heels.

            “Sweetheart, where are you? We don’t want to hurt you, I promise,” the witch says.

            The soft and gentle voice of the witch tempts Sophia to answer but she remains strong. The witch walks towards the coffee table. Each step of the high heels on the aging hard wooden floor gets louder as she nears.

            “Come out, sweetheart, we miss you,” the witch says. The witch approaches the coffee table then stops. She bends down towards the coffee table, “There you are. Come here.”

            “AAAH!” Sophia screams.

            “Run, Sophia, run!” screams Mr. Bear. “Leave me, get to the table. Get the photo.”

            Sophia rolls out from underneath the coffee table opposite of the side the witch is on. She gets up and sprints towards the big table. Never looking back, she can hear the witch’s heels right behind her. Sophia reaches the table and uses all her strength to climb onto one of the tall chairs that surrounds it. She climbs up onto the table, finds the box in the dark, and opens it up. The lights in the house flicker a couple of times before staying on. Suddenly the dining room light fills the room. The witch and the werewolf are revealed.

            “Sophia, why are you running all around the house at night? And hiding from us?” her mother says.

            “You guys are monsters now,” says Sophia. “I was trying to find the picture in this box of when you weren’t monsters, and we were happy.”

            Sophia reaches into the box and pulls out a photo of her with her parents at a theme park. The three of them together smiling wide for the camera. Her mother’s face sinks, then turns to her father. The two parents stare at each other and a little tear begins to roll down each of their cheeks.

#writing #my writing #fiction #writers on tumblr #flash fiction #horror #monster #marriage

[izdatazn]

Welcome to S.U.I.T.S: Initiation By Fire

TERRAN 2 - INVITATION

I stood on my bed for a few minutes, pondering whether I was in reality or trapped in a dream. The sound of birds chirping outside my bedroom window continued to fill the air. Suddenly, a hurried knock on my door startled me.

I could hear my mom's muffled voice saying, "You're going to be late for school. Wake up!"

Nervously, I replied, "Okay!" I quickly changed clothes and rushed out of my room, descending the stairs. I entered the kitchen where my mother was busy cooking.

She spoke with disappointment in her voice, saying, "Why did you oversleep on such an important day?"

Taking a bite of bread, I asked curiously, "Important day?"

She let out a sigh and said frustratedly, “Today is Friday, January 5th, 2079, last quarter of your third year of high school. How could you forget?"

Mid-chew, I froze and slowly looked at her. “January 5th? New Year?” With haste, I swallowed the toast and dashed out of the kitchen. In my hurry to leave the house on time, I accidentally crashed into the wall before grabbing my bag near the front door.

As I stepped outside into the warm sunlight with cherry blossoms gently falling from nearby trees and birds continuing their cheerful melody around me; an unfamiliar female voice called out to me from down the street. It was Kumiko waiting patiently for me.

"Kobayashi?" she said with slight annoyance in her tone. She turned away from me and started walking ahead. "We're going to be late if you keep basking under the sun." Hastily catching up to her side as we walked together towards our destination.

With caution lacing my words as we walked side by side; I asked Kumiko anxiously: "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Without missing a beat she responded matter-of-factly: "We met Daisuke and Asuka this weekend. We went on a short trip to Osaka."

"Osaka?" I was baffled, but I continued the conversation. "Didn't we meet them at a café near our school?"

She glanced at me and replied, "That was months ago. They wanted to meet up because we've all been so busy with university preparations." Suddenly, she stopped walking and looked directly at me. Placing her hand gently on my forehead, she asked with concern evident in her eyes: "Are you feeling alright?" Stepping back slightly after feeling my temperature. "You seem different today."

I replied uncertainly, "It must be some strange dream then."

A couple of our classmates joined us as we walked towards the entrance of our school. Although I couldn't quite recall what had transpired before, I didn't let it bother me. I was enjoying the current moment because everyone seemed excited to reunite after the break.

Upon entering the school, we each made our way to our respective shoeboxes. When I opened mine, I noticed an envelope inside. As I changed my shoes, I took out the sealed envelope which didn't have anything written on it.

"Another letter from one of your many fans?" Kumiko asked with curiosity. "Open it." Just then, we heard the first bell ring. Tucking away the envelope in my pocket, I informed her that I would read it later during class. We then joined our classmates as they headed towards our classroom before the second bell rang.

I deliberately slowed my pace and allowed my classmates to enter the classroom ahead of me. Standing in the hallway for a few seconds, I retrieved the envelope from my pocket and carefully opened it. Sliding out a letter from inside, I unfolded and began reading.

Suddenly, someone patted me on the shoulder as they walked past me.

"What are you doing? You're going to be late," my teacher remarked. Hastily stepping inside as soon as the bell rang, I crumpled up the letter and returned it to my pocket while making my way towards my designated seat.

"Hope you're all as excited as I am!"

As the lunch bell rang, the room erupted in loud conversations between classmates. I exited the classroom and made my way through the hallway. Taking a right turn, I found myself faced with a staircase that went both up and down. Opting for the stairs that led to the third floor, I gradually left behind the echoing sounds of high school chatter.

The hallway on this floor was deserted; it was usually empty since it housed special classes like science or history. Turning left, I proceeded through the vacant corridor until reaching its end where a door awaited me. Sliding it open, I entered a room where two figures stood near a window across from me. One of them was gazing outside while another rummaged through a nearby cabinet.

Closing the door quietly behind me, I took a step forward and within seconds realized who they were.

"I spoke, addressing Asuka Shigihara and Daisuke Modegi. They both turned their gaze towards me. "Why are you wearing my uniform?" I asked, feeling a bit confused. We gathered in the center of the room, and I sought an explanation for what was happening.

However, they avoided answering my question. It was Daisuke who broke the silence. "I am pleased that you both could join us, Kobayashi and Kumiko."

"Kobo?" I inquired. "Are you referring to Kumiko Kobo?"

Just as I finished speaking, I heard the door close behind me. When I turned around, Kumiko stood inside the room with us and joined our circle. Glancing at her and then back at Asuka and Daisuke, we all remained silent for a few moments amidst this confusion.

Daisuke continued speaking to clarify things further: "You have been invited to assist us in a game of catch - but not just any ordinary game. We need your help in gathering information about a certain individual who has been causing damage in the surrounding areas of your school."

"Damage?" I questioned skeptically. "But there hasn't been any damage reported in my hometown."

Asuka interjected, assuring me that Kumiko would be there to support me during this mission while also receiving assistance along the way.

"Hold on," I anxiously interrupted. "I'm struggling to comprehend what exactly is happening here. Can someone please explain it to me?"

Unfortunately, they didn't answer my question. Kumiko inquired, "Do we have one more year to find him, right?" They nodded in agreement. Then Kumiko gestured gestured at them, "Are you sure we need him? Can't it just be me and the others?"

"We can't hide the fact that they're hunting him for their cause," Asukareplied. She looked at me and added, "He has probably been wondering why his reality has changed." Without warning, Asuka blindly threw a knife at me. However, I caught it with my bare hands and swiftly threw it back towards her direction. She slightly leaned to the right as it narrowly missed her left ear. I exclaimed in surprise, "It was real?! So I'm not losing my mind." As I stopped talking, a strange sensation washed over me and I slowly turned around to figure out its source.

"He also senses it too," Daiasuke remarked calmly. "We'll leave it up to you."

"Leave what-" I couldn't even finish my sentence before abruptly turning around to find that they had vanished into thin air. Confused by this sudden turn of events, I looked around once again.

Moments later, I heard footsteps approaching the classroom. My feet froze and my heartbeat quickened. The tension in the air grew stronger. The footsteps ceased, and silence filled the room. Suddenly, the door slid open swiftly and our male physical education teacher entered.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded sternly. "The opening ceremony is about to begin. You should be there instead of up here." He tossed a fastball towards me, which I instinctively caught with my bare hand. Surprisingly, there was no sting or pain from catching it. It struck me as odd because I don't play baseball or have any experience handling a ball.

I glanced at the baseball in my hand and then back at the teacher. His expression didn't reveal any surprise at what had just transpired between us. He looked at me intently before suddenly sprinting towards us. Caught off guard, he stepped onto a stool and leaped over the science table with astonishing agility. As he soared through mid-air, a bat materialized in his hand as if by magic. Gripping it tightly, he swung downward while descending towards me.

Reacting swiftly, I instinctively stepped back while hurling the baseball at him in self-defense. Although it made contact with his face, its impact was minimal and merely served as a momentary distraction. However, this distraction allowed Kumiko to join the fight by attacking our teacher with a beaker. Their weapons clashed mid-air momentarily before she managed to slightly push him off balance, causing him to gain footing on top of the science table.

"Fine," Kumiko spoke, dropping the beaker. "If you want it that way." The beaker shattered upon hitting the ground. What caught my attention next was her extending her arm and a weapon sliding out of her palm—a sickle-shaped object attached to a chain with a small weight at its end. "I've been wanting to end your life since I met you six months ago."

Our teacher laughed and leaped off the table. "Then let's end it." There was a pause followed by a violent clash of weapons. Kobo displayed more grace with her weapon, maintaining distance as he swung his bat violently towards her. Each time he swung, Kobo's weighted weapon would connect with his aggressive motion. They continued their intense clash in the center of the room while I hurriedly ran to a corner for cover from their ongoing onslaught.

He screamed at her, frustration evident in his voice. "Why is it that you're always three steps ahead of me?! If it weren't for you, I would have successfully lured him towards me!"

Raising his bat threateningly, our teacher faced Kobo head-on as she swung her weapon skillfully once more—this time wrapping its chain around his bat tightly. The weight at its end struck our teacher while Kobo pulled on the chain smoothly until she freed the bat from his grip entirely. Unraveling her weapon from around him, she swung again and successfully ensnared our teacher within her weapon's grasp. She maintained her position, while he struggled relentlessly to break free.

A negative sensation engulfed me. The atmosphere felt much darker than a few seconds ago—a palpable intent to kill emanating from our teacher. He ceased flailing about and glared at Kobo. It was then that I noticed his eyes slowly changing color.

He raised his bat high while Kumiko swung her weapon again. The chain wrapped around his bat and once secured, she struck our teacher with its weight at the end. As he let go of his bat, Kumiko pulled her weapon out of his grasp and unwrapped it before swinging again—this time wrapping her weapon tightly around our teacher himself—holding firm while he struggled to break free.

"You are no different from those other people," he spoke, both of his eyes becoming bloodshot red. I felt immense pressure coming from him as the atmosphere worsened. It was overwhelming for me, but Kobo stood her ground as she gripped her weapon.

There was a slight pause, and then her weapon shattered outward under the immense pressure from our teacher's body. His body bulked up within seconds, breaking the chains of Kobo's weapons.

Kumiko spoke again, "First Earth: Spike Devastation."

In mid-air, the separate chains came to a halt and I observed as they slowly transformed into sharp spikes, pointing directly at our teacher. There was a brief pause before each spike extended towards him in rapid succession, piercing him from multiple directions and emerging on the other side. The spikes didn't directly kill him but rendered him immobile. Instead of red blood, black blood oozed from his wounds.

Kumiko twirled her weapon and took a step forward. "You're all the same," she declared. "But you don't have any information about the leader, do you? You're just following his orders."

He growled at her. "I don't follow anyone's orders!" he laughed menacingly. "Beware, human. He will kill you like the others." His laughter filled the room while Kumiko stared at him.

Without hesitation, she swiftly stepped back, firmly gripped her weapon with both hands, and swung it in an arc motion resembling a rainbow. The sharp end struck our teacher's forehead with precision, putting an end to him completely. Releasing her left hand from the weapon's grip, she placed her left foot on his chest as the spike chains retracted from his body while pushing him away. The spiked chains transformed back into regular chains as they connected with one another and resumed their original position.

A thud echoed as I heard the body land on the floor behind the large science table. Gradually, everything returned to normal in terms of atmosphere although I couldn't see our teacher's lifeless form due to its concealment behind that table; however my focus shifted towards Kumiko Kobo for several minutes until she eventually turned to look at me.

"There seems to be blood coming out of your cheek scratch," I stated.

"What scratch?" she questioned.

Approaching closer to inspect her left cheek closely revealed smoke emanating from where she had been scratched. The wound slowly began to close. I observed her scratch and then shifted my gaze to her eyes.

"What about..." I glanced at the body, only to find it had disappeared. I looked down at the floor and then back up at Kumiko.