#short romance

[pixie-dust-campaign]

Working title: Spicy Princess

CW: Sex

The large wooden doors of a bed chamber slammed as the princess pushed them closed. With a hand on each door, she hung her head, and took in the silence of the room. A tear rolled down her cheek, as she kicked off her shoes. She felt the cold marble underneath her, and composed herself.

She walked over to the set of stained-glass windows, and flung them open to reveal a balcony overlooking the kingdom. The people below were stinging lights and ribbon for her upcoming nuptials, but her faced refused to smile. She shifted in the dress that adorned her body. The braids in her hair itched, the borrowed pearls tied a delicate noose around her neck, and the corset under her dress was suffocating. She looked down at her bare feet, blistered and swollen from the shoes she had worn all day. This wasn’t who she was. This wasn’t who she wanted to be.

“You look like my mother,” The prince said leaning against the doorframe. He sauntered over to the balcony, and hugged the princess from behind.

The princess turned and smiled, “Just what a woman wants to hear the day before her wedding.”

“I’m sorry. I know this is a lot to take in,” the prince cooed, interlocking his fingers with hers.

“I’m very grateful to the palace staff for helping me adjust to this new life. But your mother, her friends… they’re-“

“Exhausting. I know.”

“And these clothes, those shoes,” she walked back into the bedroom, fluffing the puffy pink dress, “it’s not me!”

The prince breathed and slowly walked towards her. He wrapped her in a gentle embrace, and kissed her forehead. “Then take it off,” he said gently.

“I would if I knew how.” The princess rolled her eyes, and stomped towards the mirror. She turned around, and desperately searched for a loose thread behind her back that she hoped would unravel the dress.

“Here, let me help,” the prince said as he spun the princess to face the mirror.

In its reflection, the princess watched as the prince slowly untied the back of her dress. Each ribbon that came loose was like a new breath of air. As he reached the top he kissed her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. The prince produced a wicked smile.

He guided the dress over her head, and threw it to the ground. The princess made a move to face him again, but his firm hands held her in place. “I’m not done. Stay right like that,” the prince shallowly breathed. His words seemed to energize the princess’ skin, and she did as she was told.

As if stinging a bow, the prince’s fingers slowly trailed up her arms, to the pearls around her neck. The princess flinched slightly.

“I can stop if you wish,” whispered the prince.

“Don’t” she whispered back.

In one pull, the layered pearls crashed to the floor scattering everywhere. With the excess weight off her neck, the princess rolled her head around, and let out a sigh of relief. The prince took the opportunity to kiss her crook of her neck. Soon, kissing turned to suckling, and the princess couldn’t help but let out a small moan. Lost in the moment, the princess didn’t even realize that his hands had moved to her corset. In one fluid motion, he ripped the garment from her body, and tossed it to the side, just as he did her dress. Then, the prince began plucking pins from the princess’ hair. He gently untangled each braid, until every strand was loose and cascaded down her shoulders.

“There she is. There’s the girl I fell in love with,” the prince said softly, caressing her shoulders.

Without warning, the princess spun around quickly, and kissed her prince passionately, barely coming up for air. She pulled away and produced a wicked smile of her own. “My turn,” she growled.

She peeled the shirt from his skin as she continued to kiss him. She discarded the shirt, and trailed kisses down the prince’s chest. She stopped and sucked on each of his defined abdominal muscles, causing the prince to grasp a bed post for support. Now on her knees, she looked up at the prince as she unlaced his trousers with her teeth.

In the glow of the sunset, the prince’s fully erect manhood seemed to shine. The princess leaned in close and traced the veins with her delicate fingers. She used the tip of her tongue to draw a single line from the base to the tip. The prince’s breathing became heavy. The princess slowly placed the member in her mouth, and began rhythmically moving her head in time with the prince’s breathing.

After a few minutes, the prince couldn’t stand it anymore. He positioned his pointer finger and thumb on her chin and raised her up so that they were once again face to face. He leaned in close and snarled in her ear “I need you. Now.”

The princess became putty in his hands as the prince removed the rest of her clothes and pushed her onto the bed. With his strong hands, he parted her legs and beheld the beautiful sight before him. He stalked up to the edge of the bed, and pulled the princess close. He aligned himself with her, and gave her a moment to breathe. He leaned down and whispered in her ear “the perfect princess my ass,” then plunged himself deep within her. She let out an audible moan, but the prince muffled the sound with his palm.

Then, ever so slowly, he began repeatedly thrusting himself into the princess. What started off slow became faster, and more powerful. Each thrust rippled through the princess like electricity. Suddenly the prince slowed his pace, and began massaging the princess’ breasts. At the touch, the princess began to squirm, as if every nerve in her body had been twisted all at once. With one hand, the prince held her still and continued his pace. After a few moments, they both exploded in a fit of ecstasy, and collapsed next to each other, heaving.

After a few minutes, the princess looked past her balcony and saw the town square clock tower. Two minutes past twelve.

It was officially her wedding day.

#princess #smut #fantasy #short romance #scene #female writer #new author #spicy content #yearning

[hdmiwire]

making “we” statements DRAFT

wc: ~1500, lightly proofed, i must emphasize that this is a draft that i literally started today for my creative writing class lol

The airport is hot and crowded, the sounds and smells of tourists coming and going is overwhelming. I rotate my phone in my hands nervously, watching carefully for the green leather suitcase on the baggage claim track. I pull my eyes away from the track for a second, scanning for my dad’s signature white suit in the crowds of people waiting to claim their loved ones. Still not here, I think, letting out a quiet groan of anxiety as I turn my attention back to the parade of luggage. It's a good thing too, because just as I do my suitcase is moving by, just in front of me. I reach out to grab it at the same time as someone else and jump when my hand makes contact with theirs, which is adorned in many golden rings and long lilac nails. They grab the suitcase and set it on the ground between us, and I turn to look at them.

“Great minds think alike I see,” the stranger says with a soft chuckle. I can’t speak, taken aback by the person in front me. She’s several inches taller than me, her blonde hair pulled back to reveal the bright pink underside. I feel my face start to burn when she smiles down at me, showing off the gap in her two front teeth.

I nod my head, preparing myself to figure out our suitcase conundrum, when another of the same green suitcase comes rolling by on the conveyor belt. She grabs this one as well, placing it next to the other one between us. I lean over to check the baggage tags and see which one is mine, hoping to get this over with and get out of this hell hole before I say something stupid.

I pull up the handle of the suitcase that belongs to me, getting ready to apologize for the mix up when both of our phones begin ringing at the same time. I nod at her as I scurry away to try and get somewhere I can actually hear whoever is on the phone. I don’t recognize the number, but I press the green answer button and bring the phone to my ear.

“Hey! Maddy,” its my dad, and he sounds a little out of breath.

“Hey Dad, is everything okay? Why didn’t you call from your cell,” I wonder, before realizing that he’s probably in his office still.

“Yeah I know, sorry. Listen, my morning meeting ran over and I have another one in a few, so I’m sending a car to pick you up and take you to the apartment, okay?” There's a long inhale before he continues, “Also, a good friend of mine who lives in the same building is in this next meeting, and his kid was supposed to be getting in from Italy at the same time as you. Her name is Amanda, try and find her and get her to wait for the car with you, okay?” I can hear someone knocking on his door as he finishes his ramble. I agree, asking what she looks like so I know who to be looking for, and my stomach drops when the description he gives is of baggage claim girl - great, this is exactly what I need on my first day in New York.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I hang up the phone and turn around to try and find her again, only to see her looking directly at me. I can only assume that her phone was ringing with her dad delivering a similarly rushed message. I smile and wave awkwardly, shrugging in a “small world, isn’t it?” kind of way. Her shoes click on the tile as she strides towards me, still grinning. I clear my throat before finally opening my mouth to speak;

“So, Amanda, is it? Sorry for the whole… awkwardness of earlier.” I feel the heat burning up my face again, and I want to throw myself into the sun. She seems to not be bothered by my rambling, and just keeps grinning at me. Briefly, her eyes scan me up and down and I fight the urge to hide myself, regretting my decision to wear sweats on the flight.

“Mandie is fine,” she says, green eyes boring holes into my soul as she holds out her hand. I accept her handshake, introducing myself as Maddy. The next fifteen minutes are spent reveling in the similarity of our nicknames and getting to know the most basic information about each other, while we wait for the car to arrive. By the time the car is pulling into the airport, I know that Mandie is twenty, has a twin brother, and is also starting at F.I.T. in the coming spring semester. Once we’re in the car, I feel myself starting to nod off, exhausted from the stress of the airport and the twenty missed calls from my mother. Leaning my head back on the leather of the car’s seat, I allow myself to drift off and think back to the events of the last few days.

I’m sitting in the living room with Mom and Mags, staring into the roaring fireplace as the two of them process what I’ve just told them. I know that neither of them will like it, but I just hope that it doesn’t reset what mom has been trying to do.

“Madison you can’t just leave! You… where will you even go? What are you thinking?” My mother’s voice is grating, although I hear genuine concern in it for the first time since I was very young.

“Marie, she's an adult, and you knew this was coming sooner or later. You can’t keep trying to clip her wings.” Mags is the only voice of reason in the house currently, Mom and I are both too strung up on emotions after our conversation the other day. I’m still reeling from her attempts at apologizing, unsure if I’m really ready to forgive her for icing me out for all these years.

Mom sighing guides me back out of my thoughts again. “I know, Magnolia, I know. I just… there’s still so much I have to say,” she says earnestly. I turn my gaze away from the fire to finally look at her. Her hair is unkempt compared to her usual state, having let her usually pressed hair go untouched for longer than is normal for her, and her light eyes are brimming with tears. I jerk my head away and stand up, hugging myself.

“Mom… I know, and I’m sorry I just can’t. I love you, you know that, and I don’t want to hurt you, I just can’t be here anymore.” My words come out shakier than I wanted, and I curse myself for allowing even thinking that anything I could ever do would compare to what she put me through.

She scoffs, “What do you mean you ‘can’t be here?’ What is ‘here?’ This house? This room? This family?” The last word is punctuated with a gesture to Mags, and it stings. There it is, I think, it’s over. Her words are painful, and to even insinuate that I don’t care about this family is insane. I try to steady myself with a deep breath before I speak again. Just because she’s aiming below the belt doesn’t mean I have to.

“You know that’s not what I mean, and you also know that I’ve always wanted to go be with Dad. Georgia has never been the right place for me, there’s nothing here that can move me forward,” I take another deep breath, fighting the tears that are bullying their way to the surface. “The ticket is bought, my boxes are shipped, Dad knows I’m coming. I’m leaving Monday, and that's it.”

Neither of them have anything to say after that, and I hope it stays that way. My phone buzzes once, twice, three times before it starts ringing, but instead of Childish Gambino playing from the speakers, there's a foggy voice calling my name.

“Maddy! Maddy! Maddy, wake up we’re almost there!”

I jump out of my sleep, coming face to face with Mandie. She looks frazzled, her dark brows furrowed and nose scrunched in concern. As I blink away the dream and memories of my mother’s face, I realize that her hands are firmly planted on my shoulders, the cool metal of her rings seeping through my shirt. I straighten myself up, clearing my throat and hoping that she can’t sense the rapid thumping of my heart against my ribs or see the heat I feel on my ears.

“Sorry,” I mutter, turning to look out the window just as we roll under the covered entrance of my dad’s apartment building. I can still feel her eyes boring into the back of my head, and I briefly wonder if she’d been watching me sleep the whole time. The driver puts the car in park and steps out to open her door for us to climb out.

“Alright ladies, welcome home!” His chipper voice is loud and grating on my ears, but I smile and thank him as I clumsily climb out of the car behind Mandie. “Ah, Miss Carver? Your father asked me to give you this.” The driver holds out a forest green lanyard with two keys and a keycard on it, presumably to enter the building and the apartment.

a/n: again i truly must emphasize that this is a very rough draft, and a sort of continuation of my first foray story for this class, making “i” statements. i’m leaning more into the romance genre for this, truthfully i just want to write a happy wlw couple #yearning. also posting from mobile in my bed so i’ll fix formatting issues in the morning

#there’s a playlist for this too #i’m actually quite happy with it so far so i’m not rlly asking for critiques bc i have a whole class workshop for that lol #just like putting my stuff out there #hdmiwire #short story #short romance #writing draft #draft post #1500 words #writeblr #my writing #creative writing #wlw fiction #wlw short story #m&m

[nightlarkpublishing]

Check out Arcadia Wright's New Short Romance Series

We at NightLark Publishing are thrilled to announce the release of a captivating new series that will sweep you off your feet and leave you yearning for more. Dive into the enchanting world of Rosewood Haven, where love blossoms in this small town setting. Authored by the talented Arcadia Wright, this series promises to ignite your imagination and warm your heart. About the Series: Rosewood…

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#Arcadia Wright #books #new release #publishing #reading #romance books #short romance #writing

[dlaugh]

They fall in love In Every Universe.

Some idiot keeps sending his plate back. David really gets mad when that idiot just wants to make a pass at Alice.

A sweet and short love story of the In Every Universe series.

Read "The Pass":

#In Every Universe #original fiction #short story #romance #short romance #contemporary romance #sweet romance

[samcykle]

i lost my first kiss

I’ve gotten what I’ve always wanted as a young girl. As I sat, reading countless shitty wattpad stories, countless mangas about love and fate—there was no denying it. I was in love with romance. Even now, I spend my summer reading about love and war and the comfort of it all.

I wanted to experience love, romance, passion—I didn’t care if it came with heartbreak, I wanted to genuinely enjoy someone. But my standards were high, probably because of these stories of men sacrificing the world for their immense love. So I had never really been fully interested in a man—or even try to keep one around. Usually I run away, thinking he's not good enough. He’s too boring, he’s ugly, he’s too socially awkward. I wanted to really find someone I would like, someone that I could be irrevocably in love with. Someone I saw no flaws in. Sure people like that existed, but it’s not like they gave me any hope, I didn’t even talk to them. I just sat back, thinking about what could be.

Then it happened. One day of bad decisions and too much trust in a man I’ve never met—he was there.

Just like out of some shitty romance story he took me to see the city view from a quiet hill, and he talked about his life. I had no experience actually talking to men, especially one I was interested in. I was awkward, fumbled a lot. Sometimes I'm not even sure if I was making a point.

We begin the end of the night in the car, he tells me there’s a rhythm, and that I could be a little bit more gentle with my kisses. I remember the way he looked at me. Like he was in love, like I was the only thing that existed in the world. I like to blame it on him. I wouldn’t have lost my first kiss if he didn’t look at me like that. If he didn’t meet all of my standards and expectations from a real life romance book—maybe I wouldn’t have given in.

On the drive back, he sings, his voice is deep and rich. He points out the castles in the neighborhood. His house was impressive, but somehow not the most impressive in his neighborhood.

I pull up to his driveway.

“Hey, now you’ve got a new story to tell.”

I laugh and agree. I’m gonna tell my friend all about this night.

I ask him for one final hug before he’s walking off with mcdonald’s meant for the trash, and nasty thoughts I didn’t let him relieve himself of. I was tired afterwards. Felt like crying, screaming—not all in bad ways of course.

The following hours consisted of telling each of my friends exactly what happened. First, cried out of shock, jealousy, and happiness for me. Second screamed over facetime with me and gave me realistic hopes for next time. Third called me a slut—and then wanted to know the exact details. The fourth bounced off the walls laughing in shock and disbelief. He told me it sounded straight out of some love story.

I woke up the next morning filled with regret and longing for a second time, a second chance to prove that I was worth keeping around. But alas, My message was still there, lingering for another space to be filled by him.

I felt disappointed. He didn’t text me back. He didn’t even like my story where he took the photo for me. I was confused. I was good enough to sneak out with at 2 am. But not good enough to text again?

But as I sit here and write it, it makes me realize, he is just a story.

A stupid romance story that has a beginning and an end to it. One where there is happiness, and then the end. Of course I’m not content with just ending it like that, however, romantic stories don’t show the endings, they don’t show that maybe in the future they drift.

I don’t regret it. He gave me exactly what I wanted—a love story. One that in the future I could tell and laugh about, reminisce on being a teenager. One like the wattpad stories of highschool love. Simple, sweet, and short.

Sure I’ll be sad that this romance isn’t a novels worth of time, but it exists, it was there, for one night, under the stars, surrounded by city lights.

-sam. july 25th, 2:15-4:30 am

#romance #romance story #short story #first kiss #short romance #one night love #love #intamacy

[elysian101]

I wish I could tell you that I don't think about you anymore, but I can't bear the burn of not being honest with you, because I still write about it. About us. About you.

Elysian101

#words #love quotes #love #quotes #poetic #love poem #original poem #romantic #poetry #short poem #short poetry #love story #short romance #my poetry #poem

[blighted-elf]

Baldur's Gate 3 - Karlach 2/?

#Baldur's Gate #Baldur's Gate 3 #BG3 #Karlach #Tiefling #Barbarian #Karlach Romance #Larian Studios #vgedit #dailygaming #dailyvideogames #videogamewomen #gamingladiesedit #gamingedit #BG3 spoilers #Blighted Gifs #This dialogue changes slightly depending if you heal up/short rest in between convos or not! But I liked this one better

[authorpayaldedhia]

The Trapped Butterfly - Know Akash

The Trapped Butterfly – Know Akash One incident changed my entire life and left me forever impaired.What was my fault? I ask this every day. I only smiled at her, that too from afar. She was the sweetest face I had seen, with a smile that brought light into your life. Aarvi. Unable to control myself, I smiled at her once. But it turned out to be my gravest mistake.She was already with someone, a…

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#romancenovels #ebooks #Hope #Indian romance #kindle #kindle unlimited #love #short reads #Short romance #short stories #shortstories #survival

[yandere-writer-momo]

Yandere Short Stories:

Let Me In

Yandere Francis Mosses (Doppelgänger) x GN Reader

Swish. Swish.

You leaned back as your foot steadily rocked the cushioned seat of your desk chair from side to side. It was yet another boring day of being the doorman for this apartment complex. Yet you couldn’t help the shudder run down your spine from time to time since you constantly felt under surveillance. Then again, perhaps you were going slightly insane from working such long hours in such a narrow space? There was no way someone would stalk you of all people… right?

You let out a low chuckle at your thoughts. You recently felt as if your days melt together. It was the same routine every single day. Stop the doppelgängers from entering the apartment complex. Check their IDs and entry requests. Call their room. You were tired of this consistent repetitive pattern! You wanted some excitement for once-

“Hello.” You jumped to attention when a handsome man stood before you. Your eyes nearly shot out of your head at the blood that stained his face. Was it macabre of you to find that attractive. “I just got off work and I’d like to call it a day in my apartment.”

“Y-you have a little.” Your breath hitched when he wiped the blood off with his thumb and gave you the faintest of smiles.

“Ah. I hadn’t realized I made a mess earlier. Thank you.” The man then handed you his ID and entry request. Francis Mosses was it? He was indeed a looker and his ID checked out… but he wasn’t on today’s list.

“I’m sorry, Francis. You’re not on the list today-“ you scream when he slammed his hands on the window. His half-lidded eyes now wide open and bloodshot. This man no longer looked like an angel, but rather a demon. A demon that would no doubt rip you apart and swallow you whole.

“I’m not on the list? I’m sure you could let me in.” You quickly push the emergency button but his large hands grab the metal doors before you can shut them completely. You gulp when you spot the veins bulging from his gray hands. “Haven’t you been bored lately? You always look so lonely at your desk… I’m sure I could show you a good time.”

Well, Francis wasn’t wrong- no! You can’t endanger the residents! You dialed the D.D.D’s number with haste which made the doppelgänger sigh.

“Fine! Have it your way.” Francis casted you one last look. “But I will be back. And you will let me in. Remember, I’m always watching.”

You deflated like a ballon and sunk back into your chair. Your body felt as if your bones had completely melted from how scared you were… you’ve never encountered such an aggressive doppelgänger before…

“You have contacted the D.D.D. A group of agents has been sent to your building.” The garbled voice on the other end of the line brought you back down to reality.

You sighed and leaned forward to put your face in your palms. What on earth did Francis mean that he would always be watching?

#yandere fic #yandere imagine #yandere #yandere x reader #gn reader #gender neutral insert #yandere short story #yandere horror #that’s not my neighbor #not my neighbor #francis mosses #francis moses #milk man #yandere fanfiction #yandere concept #Yandere insert #yandere obsession #yandere imagines #stalker yandere #stalker #dark romance #horror short story #Yandere doppelgänger #yandere content #yandere headcanons #yandere idea

[shockedemojiatsv]

▪︎■☆ молоко 🥛 ☆■▪︎

(Translation: Milk)

Part 1, Part 2

☆ 🔞!!NOT SAFE FOR WORK!!🔞

☆ amab! Switch! Francis Mosses / gn! Switch! Reader

☆ Reader can have either amab genitalia or a strap

☆ soft sex

☆ implied Russian speaking Francis

☆ short

☆ a little bit of a twist in the end

☆ author has played Not My Neighbor

°○☆nsfw under the cut☆○°

Francis was usually a laid back person who had a hard time showing any physical reactions to his feelings (not out of being stoic, usually he's just a little too tired to smile when he's happy or scream when he's scared). He wasn't one to smile all the time, but he showed his affection through other means. Like walking behind your back and kissing the nape of your neck and whispering "Золотце" (darling) behind your ear.

Or offering you some of his milk from work that his job wasn't able to sell so that you both could make something together or eat cereal together. There are a lot of doppelgangers everyday, everywhere, so he really cares about you. Even when he's usually too tired to express it with his face, he'll do so with his actions.

D.D.D. Is a pretty strict, so you and him made it an effort to always do everything required. If he forgot his hat at home he'd have a spare at work. You'd both work on your entry requests and always keep your ID's with you and to try to make an effort to always add your names on the list. Even if there would be an emergency at work. Just some extra measures to ease his anxiousness. And yours.

Other than that, being with him is always sweet. Like a warm mug of milk on a cold day. Steaming and keeping you warm.

Not to mentioned the sex with him. God. There's something about him and sex that makes you glad he's yours and yours alone.

His fingers are long. Not that thick, but he knew how to use them. Keenly observing your reactions within each prod as his digits brushed against a bundle of nerves that has you clutching his neck tight and holding him closer to you as he whispers "Куколка (dolly)... mmm... look at you"

He's not as verbal but he certainly has a smile on his face when he pleasures you and gives you what you want. Stroking and rubbing st your junk, it's wet. Thanks to him latching his mouth on the organ so that you could cum a couple times beforehand. He just wants to make you happy not gonna lie.

Oh, but sometimes he'll end up being a little too tired from work and not have the stamina to move at all. Not to worry! He'll be your pillow princess for the night. He loves those nights. You'll kiss his forehead softly whilst you thrust inside of him. A slow, passionate pace. You're slowly rearranging his guts while he holds the sheets so tight you'll fear they might rip in the morning.

He's a hummer. He'll hum and murmur stupid when he's fucking you. Or when you're fucking him. Phrases like "mmm... oh... З-Золотце... mmmmnnn..."

He can't help it! Even if he tried. He got shy about it actually but when you do engaged in sex more he felt like comfortable doing it. Honestly it's adorable.

Especially when he's giving oral. He's humming and drunk on the taste of you and he's always humming and moaning softly as you use him, and it feels so good. The added stimulation is so goddamn heavenly. And he's always good. He'd never tease and he never uses his teeth. He doesn't mind though if you do it. He's flexible with your desires. As long as if it isn't extreme or legitimately disgusting.

You love him so much and he loves you too and the entire building definitely knows.

...

So when he comes home with an odd demeanor. As if he's forgotten everything you two shared previously, as if hes a totally different person, you'll only have yourself to save before it's too late.

.

#🤯 writes #milkman #milkman x reader #milkman thats not my neighbor #francis mosses #francis mosses x reader #francis mosses x male reader #x reader #x gn reader #yn #y/n #thats not my neighbor #not my neighbor #francis mosses thats not my neighbor #fluff #writing #writers of tumblr #romance #drabble #short fiction #doppleganger

[pixie-dust-campaign]

Subject W42

CW: Guns, PTSD, Lost love, blood, bullet wounds

It was early for me by the time I got off the plane, still not used to the time change. I was given a badge that read “ALL ACCESS” before I was escorted by a security guard down a narrow, white painted hallway. The door had a military insignia emblazoned on the glass, but I didn’t recognize which division it was. The automatic door opened to a dark room that had fluorescent blue lights hanging from the tall ceilings, and the temperature set at 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The air was thick with the scent of metal and axe body spray. Doing field research in the great barrier islands, it had been a while since I had been in an actual lab, but I was pretty sure this wasn’t the smell of greatness that I had heard so much about.

Before formally entering the lab, a few young scientists showed me to a set of changing rooms to get into proper attire. This room had bright white lights hanging from the ceiling, causing me to squint as my eyes adjusted. The dim white lights made my tanned skin look darker than it was. My wavey, golden bronze hair looked redder against the stark white lab coat they insisted I wear. I was permitted to stay in my decorative black yoga pants, light blue top, and gray high-top sneakers. Looking in the full-length mirror of the dressing room, I noticed I had lost some weight, and now had a faint hourglass figure. Living like a pirate for the past three years looks good on me, I thought with a smirk.

As I walked into the lab, I didn’t mean to stand on ceremony, but I honestly had no idea who I was supposed to be meeting with. That was, until an older woman in a lab coat and stubby heels walked up to me with open arms.

“Doctor O’Dame we are so glad you’re here! Well don’t stand in the doorway, come in!” she said with a slight British accent. Even with her slender frame, her hug was strong enough to make a bear think twice. She wore thick rimmed glasses, and her mousey brown hair with slim silver streaks was tied messily in a tight bun. Her ID badge said Doctor M. Braver.  Even in heels she wasn’t too much taller than I was. Her face was a bit weathered, but her green eyes were still young. She sounded like she had drunk about ten cups of espresso that morning.

“Yes, it must have cost the company a fortune to fly me back in from Australia,” I said.

“Oh yes! The land down under,” she cooed in a fake Australian accent of her own “How is it down there, mate?”

“Quite horrid this time of year actually. Tourists come in  and mess with my studies and what not,” I said with a small laugh and a smile.

I was astonished by the machinery that surrounded me. The blinking lights, the constant clicking of keyboards, the stark brightness of computer screens. Not to mention the array of color-coded wires all leading to different ports. Catching my reflection in one of the monitors, I noticed the lights highlighted the blue flecks in my typically hazel eyes.

A siren wailed from another room, causing me to gasp quietly and start to shake slightly. I haven’t been able to go near an alarm of any kind in the past few years, especially not a fire alarm. They always hurt my ears, but after the accident, the mere mention of one made my heart race.

“Doctor O’Dame?” Doctor Braver asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” I replied, slowly centering myself back to reality. “The boat doesn’t have nearly this many-um- lights. It’s just a bit…distracting.”

“Yes, well, you get used to it after a few years. That, and the fact that no one in this damn lab knows how to make a proper cup of tea. Anyway, I have much to show you!”

She formally introduced herself and guided me around the lab, quickly catching me up on all of the work they had been doing over the years. “Our idea was that we could enhance both animal and human DNA, creating a whole new form of- “

“Super soldier?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“In a word, yes. We thought we could take each of the best elements of some of the strongest animals in the world, and transfer them to a human. Maybe not all at once but definitely over time, or one animal skill per test group.”

She continued explaining as we entered another room, decorated in the same fashion as the first, with five more rows of fancy computers and their adjoining scientists. Do these guys ever blink? I thought.

At the front of the room, there was a large sofa, a wooden table, and some clipboards and pens, on top of a platform. About six feet in front of the platform was a sheet of clear thick plexi-glass, that I’m assuming was only one way. On the other side of the glass looked like a padded prison cell. A slab of concrete for the floor, three walls made of pillows and at the very back was a steel door with a single small window near the middle.

“This Doctor O’Dame, is where you come in,” she said pleasantly as she led me up to the couch.  Another scientist then handed me a clipboard with my name at the back in glittering calligraphy:

Doctor Siena O’Dame

“We flew you in for two very important reasons.” She continued, “The first being your expertise in large mammal and human psychology. And while some argue that humans are large mammals, I can assure you that it is a very important distinction.”

As I took a seat, the sofa slowly began to move, and I saw the first product of their experiment as we glided past the cell. A man with tattoos covering his arms, wearing a black tank top, khaki cargo pants, and tan sneakers. The sofa stopped abruptly, and bright blue lettering appeared on the glass.

Jonathan Frome

Age: 26

Division: U.S. Marine

Position: Test subject B45

Status: Stable

“B45? What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means, Doctor O'Dame, that Mr. Frome was our 45th subject to be genetically manipulated with Oryctolagus Cuniculus DNA.”

“You gave him bunny DNA?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“You know your geno-types. Yes, Doctor O’Dame, he now has the keen hearing ability, similar to that of a rabbit. Combined with his human DNA, Mr. Frome can now hear in a wider range of tones and from a further distance than any human can ever dream of.”

“Remarkable,” I said, rising from my seat.

“Yes, the company spared no expense.”

“Clearly.”

Then the platform shifted again, causing me to trip back into my original place on the sofa. I wrote down some notes from each subject we passed. Each one was dressed in a similar fashion, each one looked human, and each one we passed was considered “stable.” A few even waved “hello” as we passed.

G15: Gorilla DNA, now the strongest mammal known to man; T22: Sea Turtle DNA, can hold her breath for up to eight hours; O34: Ostrich DNA, can run up to speeds of 50 miles an hour.

Before we got to the next room, near the end of the alphabet of test subjects, I asked, “Not that I’m not grateful, but you seem to have this under control. Why do you need me?”

“Because, while the transfer of DNA went well physically, some of our patients have been having a bit of a hard time adjusting psychologically. Most of the cases we were able to handle, except for one. Which brings us to the second reason why you’re here.”

The sofa moved to the next room and stopped once more.

In the dark padded room, in the very corner, sat a beast like none other I had seen. This one didn’t look human. He was covered in dark brown fur and had giant paws for hands and feet. It had ripped through its shirt, and only the top half of his pants remained. Its bowl was overflowing with cereal, and its water created a ring of rust on the metal bowl.

“You created a werewolf? An actual werewolf?” I breathed, curious as ever.

“Well…yes.” Dr. Braver responded. “And…no.”

Then the projector cast the creature’s information on the glass, and I read a name I never thought I would see again.

JUSTIN HERSHEY

AGE: 33

Division: Coast Guard, Engineer

Position: Test Subject W42

Status: Unstable, Dangerous

Tears welled in my eyes, and my breath caught in my lungs. “Justin?”

“You know this subject. What was he to you?” Doctor Braver asked.

“He…” I stroked my fingers for a ring that wasn’t there, “He was my fiancé.”

“Doctor O’Dame, I’m so sorry. I…I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok. Calling off the engagement was a mutual agreement when he shipped out on his first mission. Though, when he said he was going into the service, I never thought this was what he meant.” I went to place my hand on the cold plexi-glass. “How? How is he here? I…I went to his funeral. We… we buried a casket, I- “

“I know you must have a lot of questions- “

“Why did you bring me here?” I shouted at Doctor Braver, my blood boiling.

“Doctor, let me explain.” She said calmly, “You were listed as Mr. Hershey’s emergency contact when he first started the study. Before he underwent transformation, he never got a chance to change it. At first, we didn’t think anything would go wrong. If only we had known.”

I was at a loss for words. What was I supposed to say when I had just found out my ex- fiancé, whom I thought was dead, had been turned into a werewolf?

“I…I want to see him,” I said as I hopped off the platform.

“No, Doctor O’Dame! Wait- “

Before I could hear her warning, I headed for the door that read restricted access, and to my surprise, opened it with ease. I turned left down a narrow hallway, then left again to find myself in a much larger hallway lined with steel doors. Each door was labeled with the test subject’s ID. A55, B45, C67. It felt like a dizzying game of Bingo.

Finally, I found Justin’s door.

W42. DO NOT ENTER.

But I couldn’t resist. I had to see him for myself.

I unlocked the door with my key card, and gently pushed it open. I walked in slowly, giving my eyes time to adjust to the poorly lit space. The beast they claimed was Justin had moved from the corner I last saw him in. I slowly shuffled my way to the center of the room where the light was brightest, and stood frozen. From the darkness, I heard a deep growl rumble from behind me. My heart skipped a beat, as I slowly turned around and saw it. Two glowing teal eyes surrounded by dark fur and accented with a wicked smile of sharp white teeth. He had the body and face of a wolf, but the kindness in his eyes was still human.

I backed away slowly with my arms extended.

“Justin? It’s me. Please.”

The beast's face softened, but only for a moment. It shook its massive head, and resumed snarling at me.

“Justin. Please I-“ Like any good predator, he had backed me against a wall.  “Please.”

Then the beast pounced toward me, and I fainted.

In my subconscious, I remembered how Justin looked the last time I saw him alive. Justin was never extremely muscular, but he was strong enough for my liking. When he was human, he had messy blond hair, and pale blue eyes that drew you in.

When I finally came too, I was greeted by a bright white light, which was a bit concerning to say the least. Shortly after however, Doctor Braver came into focus.

“WHAT were you thinking? Going in there all alone? Are you mad?” She screamed at me, throwing her hands in the air.

“Completely bonkers. But that’s what makes me a great scientist,” I said, sitting up on the gurney. I noticed my right forearm was wrapped in gauze, and they had three distinct lines of blood casting a shadow on them.

“It’s what’s going to get you killed in this lab!” She scolded me, with her face scrunched as tightly as her bun. “Subject W42 is the reason you were brought here in the first place, and if you had let me finish before running off like that, I would have told you why! Subject W42-”

“Justin! His name is Justin!” I corrected through gritted teeth.

“Not anymore,” Doctor Braver said solemnly. It sent shivers down my spine thinking about what she meant.

“We attempted this experiment with other subjects. He was the only one who survived. You were almost right when you first saw him, Doctor O’Dame.” She said sitting spread eagle on a chair, “He is a werewolf. But not in the sense that he changes with the full moon, or has a feud with a sparkly vampire. No, our werewolf is something that science has never seen before. And we need you to crack him.”

“Me?”

“Yes! You see Doctor O’Dame there were moments in the experiment where, even in wolf form, he would tap your name in morse code on the door. Well, that and Harley, but we couldn’t find a ‘Harley’ with any relation to him. So, we assumed he meant like a motorcycle or boat he had.”

“Harley? He tapped Harley?”

“Yes! Does that mean something?”

“It used to. We used to joke that we were like Harley Quinn and Deadpool, because of our jobs. Him being a soldier and I being a psychologist. Not to mention the color schemes matched. So, we came up with a catchphrase of sorts. ‘Deadpool and Harley, forever and always.”

Then I remembered something I hadn’t in a very long time. The way he looked at me, the way he smiled, the way it felt when his arms were wrapped around me. Justin was only about a foot taller than I was when he was human, now he towered over me. Once again, tears welled in my eyes, but I kept them back. Then I looked down at my bandaged arm.

“I need to go back in.”

“We thought you might. So, this time, safety measures are going to be put in place. We’re going to put you both in a bigger room, and we’re going to turn on the sensors for your protection. This time, he won’t be able to hurt you.”

They had me change into my own set of black tank top and cargo shorts before they escorted me to the new room where Justin and I were to meet. The path we took to get there resembled a maze, but I guessed it was just another one of their precautions. I no longer felt like another doctor in the lab. Now, I was another test dummy for them to run experiments on.

When we reached the room, the steel door was labeled in the same fashion as the rest of them.

Caution! Experimentation in progress!

Authorized personnel only.

After the stunt I pulled with the first trial of this experiment, I was no longer “authorized personnel.”

They left me alone in front of the door, and told me to wait for further instruction.

“Whenever you’re ready Doctor O’Dame,” a voice finally said from an overhead speaker.

I grasped the handle of the metal door and took a deep breath. I opened the door slowly, and shuffled my way in. The door shut behind me and I heard it automatically lock once more. No way out.

Once again, the beast was nowhere in sight.

“Justin?” I called out. “Justin, it’s me. Siena.” I heard a small growl, and I froze once more. “Jay, I won’t let them hurt you. Just…just come on out, and we can talk. Okay?”

From the end of the room, he emerged into the light on his hind legs. His claws were almost as sharp as his teeth. He stood ten feet tall, and at least six feet wide. He had his paws crossed and his tail between his legs.

He dropped down to all fours, almost cowering before me.

“H-h-Harley?” the beast moaned in a low, gruff voice. The beast looked me up and down. When he saw my bandages, he stepped back and whimpered.  “Harley… hurt?”

“You can talk?” I said in astonishment.

The beast grunted in agreement. “I…hurt…Harley.”

“No, no! I’m ok. I know Justin would never hurt me.”

The beast recoiled at the sound of the name.

“No. Not…Justin.” The beast grunted. Every time he said Justin’s name, it seemed to pain him.

“Not Justin? Where is he?” I asked the beast inching forward.

“Justin…here.”

I inched forward even closer, “What do you mean- “

Suddenly, the wolf lunged for me once again, pushing me into the far wall of the cell, setting off the sirens and initiating the safety protocol. The sirens wailed, and my vision began to blur. Tears streamed down my face, my body began to shake, and my heart was about to beat out of my chest. I curled into a fetal position and just wanted it to stop. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what used to be Justin convulse as well, until he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

When the sirens finally turned off, and I was able to stand and see straight again, I marched over to the door and banged my fists on it until it opened.

“Take me to see Doctor Braver, NOW!” I demanded the young scientist who opened the door for me. He led me to the office where Doctor Braver, as well as a few other scientists were working.

“Turn them off.” I said through gritted teeth.

“What?” Doctor Braver looked at me, puzzled.

“I said turn the sensors off!”

“Are you mad? If we turn the sensors off, that THING could kill you!”

“But he won’t!” I said sternly.

Doctor Braver and I stared at each other, unyielding, for what seemed like hours. Neither of us wanted to back down.

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me, doctor, he was trying to protect me! He didn’t want me to trigger the sensor myself! He was trying to push me out of the way!”

“And why was he trying to keep you out of the sensor?”

“Because Justin knows I have P.T.S.D, and alarms are my trigger! Whether you know it or not, my Justin is still in there!”

Everyone in the room was taken aback by my statement. They all looked to Doctor Braver for what to say next.

“If you die,” she finally rasped, “We have no other option. We’ll have to kill him. He’s too dangerous to release.”

“Doctor, he will not hurt me,” I said firmly.

After a long pause, the doctor released the tension in her shoulders and gave the command. “Turn off the sensors.”

Once again, I was escorted to the room where Justin was, only this time, Doctor Braver came with us.  “Doctor O’Dame,” She started hesitantly, “it didn’t say anything in your file about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, if I had known- “

“It’s not something I readily talk about.”

“Right.” She looked slightly embarrassed. “I am quite curious though. Why do alarms affect you so? For the sake of your own safety.”

I looked down at the floor as we walked. It wasn’t something I enjoyed reliving. “When I was in high school,” I began, “a shooter came to my school. They pulled the fire alarm to try and flush us all out into the parking lot. The teachers didn’t let us leave. Instead, they told us to stack desks against the door, and sit in the corner as quietly as possible. An hour. That’s how long it took them to turn off the alarm. Most of us came out untouched. Most of us.” I pulled up my shirt to reveal a small scar from where a bullet pierced my stomach. “The shooter broke through the glass window in the door and aimed the gun at one of my friends. Doctors said it would have killed her if I didn’t shield her. It’s a small price to pay to be a ‘hero’.”

All of us were silent for the rest of the walk.

When we reached the door, I was again left alone until I was ready to go in.

Once inside, I walked calmly to the center of the room and sat Indian style on the cold concrete floor. Then, I waited for him to come out.

After a minute or two, he too came into the light and sat down in front of me, looking even larger and more intimidating than the last time.

“Hi again,” I said with a smile.

No response.

“I promise I won’t let them hurt you this time. Not again.”

The wolf shifted its weight a bit, but didn’t respond.

“Where is Justin?” I asked the wolf, standing.

“Justin…here.”

“Where? Inside of you? Did you…eat him?”

“No,” he said, shaking his massive head. “Justin…here.” The giant wolf said as he bowed, touching his nose to his heart.

“Justin… is in your heart?”

The giant creature shook its head once more. Then, he laid as flat on his stomach as he could and shifted until he was inches away from me. “Justin…here.” The beast repeated.

“I’m sorry, but I… I don’t understand.” I said, dropping to my knees.

Then the creature searched around the room for something. When he came to a chair, he slowly moved it across the room to where he had been sitting before.

“Justin…” Then he ran behind the chair, making himself as small as possible.

“Justin…is hiding?” I asked.

The beast excitedly wagged its tail.

“Justin’s hiding! From who?” I asked, just as excited.

The beast looked disappointed in me. Then he repeated the same motion as before. “Justin…here.” Then he hid behind the chair.

Several times he repeated this motion.

Think Siena. What is Justin trying to tell you? Justin. Here. Hide. Justin, is here, but he’s not hiding? Then I remembered something I hadn’t before. When Justin was packing to leave, he took one book with him, Jekyll and Hyde.

I remembered the way our dimly lit apartment smelled of burnt garlic bread and lasagna. Justin attempted to make me dinner before he left. We drank a white wine we had been saving for a special occasion, and then I helped him pack. We kept getting distracted, and slow dancing to the music we turned on. Our hands fit together like Tarzan and Jane’s, and our bodies seemed to move as one.

“Justin, my Deadpool,” I whispered as we danced, “Even though our engagement’s been called off until you get back, I can’t wait to marry you,” I said, kissing him gently.

“As you wish, my Harley,” he whispered back.

When the song ended, we turned off the music and finished packing his remaining few items.

Then, we crawled into bed, and he grabbed Jekyll and Hyde off the nightstand. Gently wrapping his arms around me, he read aloud from the book. I mindlessly traced the veins on his hand with my thumb, memorizing every divot of his skin as he read. “I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.”

He wasn’t hiding from me; he was telling me his name!

“Justin!” I shouted excitedly. The beast stopped. “Chapter ten. Page one hundred and four. That was the last thing you read to me before you left. Before Justin left. That next morning, I found a note on your coffee cup, ‘Forever and Always my Harley. Love Deadpool.”

The beast jumped up and down excitedly, shaking the entire room and knocking me over. When he saw me on the ground, the monster froze, calmed down, and walked over to me. He helped me to my feet, but he remained on all fours.

“Can…Can Justin hear me?” I asked.

Again, the creature nodded.

“You’re not Justin?”

The creature shook its head.

“What should we call you?”

The beast didn’t answer.

“Grog? Steve? Fluffy?”

The beast shook its head in disapproval.

“How about Hyke? It’s like Hulk, but…cooler.” I suggested.

“H-h-Hyke. Me…Hyke. Justin…here.”

“Okay, different question. Can Justin ever come back?”

This time the creature nodded, and gently smiled.

“How?”

Before I got an answer the room filled with a sweet-smelling white smoke. My vision went blurry, and my limbs felt as if they weighed 100 pounds each. I felt my entire body wobble, and my legs gave out. And once again, the room went dark.

When I woke up, I was back in my hotel room, as if it was all a bad dream. But, if it was a bad dream, I would still be in Australia, on my boat, studying the wildlife of the deep. No. This experiment was all too real. On my bedside table, on the base of the lamp I saw a sticky note.

“Javier will pick you up at 8:30 am. Sorry about the possible hangover.

- Doctor Braver”

I looked at the digital clock next to the lamp, 6:13am. Not knowing what else to do, I looked through the pay-per-view movies on the hotel tv, and thankfully found an old version of Jekyll and Hyde. The quality was gritty, and the voices were a bit distorted, but it gave me what I needed.

The movie ended at 8:15, leaving me just enough time to get coffee from a nearby Starbucks, and meet Javier outside of the hotel.

The car he picked me up in had black out windows, and a screen dividing the front and back seats. I wasn’t sure whether to be scared or honored.

When we finally reached the facility, two of the scientists asked me to change into my tan attire, and a lab coat.

“I need to speak to Doctor Braver immediately,” I said once I finished getting changed.

“No need to file a formal invitation Doctor, I’m right here,” she assured me, coming from behind a changing curtain herself.

“Doctor Braver, I think I know how we can bring Justin back- “

“Bring him back?” Braver laughed. “We don’t want him back.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t that why you brought me here?”

“Good heavens no! We want you to train him! Make him like the other patients. You know…obedient.”

“Obedient? But he’s clearly not like the other subjects! He’s- “

“Different? He’s…stronger? Kinder? Oh no I’ve got it, he loves you more than anything in the world, and you know in your heart that he wants to come back to you!” she mocked. “Trust me, Doctor. I’ve heard it all before.”

“You…you knew? You knew he was trying to get to me?”

“Well, not at first. But after your first encounter with him, it became very clear that he still had some of his conscious mind left. He did put up one hell of a fight though.”

“He never scratched me, did he? You did. When I was unconscious.”

“Yes. But we had no choice.”

“No choice? You’re scientists, there’s always another choice- “

“Not this time!”

My head was spinning. How could she have done this? How could I have been so stupid as to let it happen?

“An antidote. Do you have an antidote?” I sneered.

“Of course we do, don’t be stupid. We have an antidote for all our subjects. It’s called a gun.”

She pointed a small handgun at me, and whatever scientists were still in the room had fled.

“This isn’t right Doctor Braver. You know it as well as I do. Plus, what’s a simple bullet to a beast like that?” My voice shook. I raised both of my hands, but didn’t move otherwise.

“The government isn’t paying me to do things right, Doctor O’Dame. They’re paying me and my boss for results! And if you won’t do it, then there are plenty of others just like you who will. And as for the bullet, you’re absolutely right. You see this particular bullet is lined with a poison of my own creation. When our first bullets didn’t work, we had to get a bit more... creative. Like you said, there’s always another way. Now, you have two choices, either get in the cage and make that MONSTER do as we tell it to, or suffer the same fate it does.”

“Fine! I’ll help you.” I said after a minute or two. “But I want in. I won’t put my life on the line without getting something in return.”

“That can be arranged.” She said lowering the weapon.

“I want a gun of my own. For protection.”

She looked me up and down, then called back to the room without breaking eye contact. “Emily! Get Doctor O’Dame a gun.”

I was given a small handgun, loaded without poison bullets. Then we walked back to the steel doored room where Justin was being kept. I tried to memorize every turn we took. Left, right, second hallway, door code 3-3-6-4, right. After a while, the directions got jumbled in my head, and the various codes seemed to morph together. Damn security measures.

This time, Doctor Braver went in with me. We both made our way to the center of the room, and waited for Hyke to make an appearance.

A growl came from the darkness, this time accompanied by the sound of chains. He came through the darkness snarling at Doctor Braver, choke collar secured around his neck. Blood dripped from where the collar was screwed into his skin.

“You chained him up?”

“You might be willing to greet him without precaution, but I’m not. When you had the sensors shut off, I had to resort to different means.”

Hyke let out a deafening bark that reverberated around the room.

“Down doggie. Don’t make this worse than it has to be,” was all Doctor Braver said.

I walked over to Hyke, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry they’re doing this to you,” I whispered. “We’ll figure a way out. I promise.” I looked at Doctor Braver, “He won’t hurt you while I’m here. The chains aren’t needed.”

“My dear, do you think I was born yesterday?” she said with a chuckle. “He’s in shackles because he only listens to you. Take those off, and I lose all the power.”

This was the final straw. I unholstered my gun and aimed it at her, and she did the same with me.

“I don’t want to shoot you Ms. O’Dame. Don’t be- “

“It’s Doctor O’Dame!”

“Either way, don’t be stupid. Put the gun away, and we can forget you ever took it out in the first place.”

Hyke growled at her once again, and shielded me partially with his right paw. Even in this state, all he wanted to do was protect me.

“It’s two against one Doctor Braver. I wouldn’t take my chances.” I threatened from behind him.

“I would.” She let a bullet fly, and so did I.

As if in slow motion, Hyke moved in front of me, pulling against his shackles making the spikes of the collar rip into his throat. Before the poisoned bullet reached me, it entered his ribs instead. He yelped, and blood flowed from his neck, and his side. At this rate, even without the poison, he was losing too much blood to survive. He collapsed onto me, knocking me to the ground and rendering me unable to move.

My bullet on the other hand just grazed the doctor’s shoulder. She turned and winced in pain, clutching her arm. She manically laughed as she turned back to face the two of us.

“We could have been so good together, Doctor O’Dame! Could you imagine what this thing could do? No more war! No more guns or hidden bombs! This creature could have created world peace!” She broadly gestured, as if making an award-winning speech.

“Or started a dog fight where everyone loses.” I grimaced, slowly being crushed by Hyke.

“There will always be winners and losers!” She began walking toward us, “It’s up to us to decide which side of history we’re going to be on.” She crouched down low, so that she and I were face to face. “Too bad neither of you will be there to see it.”

She placed the barrel of the gun to my forehead.

In that instant, Hyke used his last bit of strength to grab Doctor Braver in his jaw and snap her in two. She didn’t even have time to scream, but the sound of her broken bones and shredded muscles rang in our ears.

Hyke tossed her to the side, and laid back down on top of me.

“Justin, I'm so sorry. I thought I could get us out of this. I thought I could save you.” I said through tears. “Maybe I still can.”

I rifled through his fur to find where the bullet pierced his skin. I followed the trail of blood to find the hole, and as carefully as I could, tried to find the lodged bullet. Compared to Hyke’s massive size, my fingers were like tweezers.

When I finally managed to pull the bullet out, I tossed it to the side, but not before it left a lime green residue on my fingers.

“I can reverse engineer a cure. Just…just hold on please!” I screamed to the empty room for help. “I need a doctor! Please! Somebody help him!” But no one came.

Hyke stirred slightly, wincing in pain.

“Harley,” he moaned. “Justin…l-l-love…Harley. Hyke…love…Harley.”

“No. Please. I just got you back. Don’t go.” I said tears streaming down my face.

In my arms, Hyke began to shift and shake. His paws turned back into feet and hands, his fur began to fall off, and his facial features began to look more human. As Hyke convulsed, his massive collar and chains fell to the ground next to him, causing a loud crash of metal on the concrete.

“Hyke? What’s happening?” I said backing away.

Hyke continued to convulse, and he grew smaller and smaller, until he was fully human and a bloody mess on the floor.

I crawled back over to him, and lifted his body onto my lap. I brushed some hair away from his closed eyes, but recognized him still.

“Hyke?...Justin?”

Whoever this was, I was now crying into his chest.

“Hey beautiful,” came a voice that I finally recognized.

“Justin?”

“Yeah,” he assured me in a raspy, pained voice. “It’s me.”

I pulled him close and let out a sigh of relief. He groaned from the pain.

I frantically apologized, then asked “So, you’re going to be okay right? You can come home?”

He looked at me with the kindest eyes, and I knew then that I wouldn’t like the answer to my question.

“Siena,” he wiped a tear from my eye, “you are my home.”

“No. No, it can’t end like this. We can’t end like this! I can’t lose you again! I can help you. I can fix this!”

“Stop. Siena, please…stop.” He kissed me gently, “Siena, you could never truly lose me.” Then, with his dying breath said, “I love you, my beautiful Siena. Forever and always.”

#Romance #science fiction #females in stem #Female lead #female writer #plot twist #science #Lab AU #werewolf #super soldier #short romance

[timberfigure]

I have always loved people in a way that would allow them to tear me apart. it took me far too long to realize I should stop loving people who are willing to do that to me.

#poetry #short poem #love poem #love quotes #romance #romance quotes #romance poetry #love poetry #cottagecore #poems and quotes #lovers #romantic #writers and poets #original poem #romantic academia #poets on tumblr #love quote #romancecore #poetic #love academia #poem #lovecore #love #poem of the day #dark acadamia quotes

[dlaugh]

They fall in love In Every Universe.

David is waiting for Alice… …at a Halloween costume party.

A sweet and short love story of the In Every Universe series.

Read “Halloween Party” :

#dlaugh #In Every Universe #original fiction #short story #romance #short romance #contemporary romance

[atcollection]

the couple pt 1

They’re always together. Like. Always. That’s how I know them. I see them around a lot, always together. You know how you get into a routine, and, after a while, you notice all the same people around the same places around the same time? It’s just like that. I always see them around the same place at around the same time. They’ll be in the dining hall when I’m coming back from my first class on Tuesdays or walking around campus on Wednesday evenings. But always together. It’s like they’re conjoined at the hip. Maybe that’s why they caught my eye.

The first time I saw him alone, I was surprised. I recognized his green sweater. It was a bright, spring green and made him stand out like a sore thumb. He was in line for a burrito at the shop just off campus. The shop was famous for their affordable yet extremely filling burritos. I didn’t care for them much, so I never went back. He was two people in front of me in line. I kept expecting her to emerge from the bathroom or outside, but she never came. His voice was deeper than I thought it would have been. He got cheese, rice, double chicken, and nothing else. What a plain burrito.

Since then, I have noticed them separately. It’s usually only during the day that I see one or the other, so I figure it’s because they have classes at different times. I mostly see her so maybe he just doesn’t go to class. I had seen them walk to classes together in the beginning of the semester, but now it’s only once in a while that they go into a classroom together. I bet she likes walking alone. I’ve noticed that she practically runs to keep up with him when they walk together.

She’d walk by herself with earphones in her ears and her backpack on her back. When I see her walking alone, I figure that the guy must really not like going to class. I don’t see why he wouldn’t go. He’d get to spend more time with her.

It’s weird, though. I have this feeling that they’re dating. I’ve noticed them leave a room together, hair messy and clothes untidy. They had red cheeks and a refreshed smile on their face. It was so obvious what they just did.

But they couldn’t be dating. I saw her one night- walking, clearly from a party- an assumption based on her clothes and how freely she walked (and stumbled). But he wasn’t with her. It was another guy. He was taller and his shoulders were broader. And they were swinging their hands together.

She didn’t seem like the cheating type but what do I know? I don’t know her.

#short #shorts #short story #story #romance story #short romance #fiction #fiction story #the couple

[the-modern-typewriter]

Would you be willing to do more enemies to lover tropes in hero x villain?

"You have a date?"

"If you don't want me to date other people, screw me yourself."

There was a beat of absolute silence. The hero abruptly realized what they'd said. They whirled to face the villain, eyes wide. "I didn't mean - that is - I don't know why I just said that."

Everyone around the room was gaping at the two of them.

The villain's head tilted, oh so slowly, to the side. Their gaze burned into the hero.

"I was being flippant," the hero said.

"Mm."

"You know, because you're possessive."

"Am I?" The villain's voice was silken.

"So I was just getting in there before you said something snippy."

"Oh? Is that what you were doing?"

The hero glared at them, face hot, stomach fluttering.

"Leave us," the villain said.

Everyone around them scattered.

The hero cleared their throat, not speaking until the last door had fallen closed. They wrenched their gaze away to anything, anywhere, except them. "It's not a serious date. I mean - they're not you."

The thing, whatever they were calling it, that they had with the villain was infinitely complex. Consuming. They were the most important person to the villain, and vice versa, and they both knew it but...

But they'd never kissed. They'd certainly never slept together.

Sure, the hero would probably get antsy if they thought the villain was going out with someone who might become first priority. But it wasn't - they weren't - the hero hadn't even been the one to bring up the bloody date!

The villain rose to their feet.

"You're walking dangerously close to one of our lines, hero mine," they warned softly. They sauntered closer, seemingly lazy, except that was the one thing that they never were. "You look startled enough that I can believe it was an accident. We could forget about it."

The hero watched them, a little mesmerized, heart pounding. The villain stopped in front of them.

The hero opened their mouth.

The villain tapped their lip. "Ah, ah. You're not getting away with another flippant comment after that. Think."

The hero closed their mouth. They swallowed.

It was a truth universally acknowledged that when the air between them began to crackle, the hero would say something snarky or careless to diffuse the tension. Nine times out of ten, the villain went along with it. Eight times out of ten, the hero didn't say something quite so dumb in a room full of witnesses.

It wasn't fear. It was terrifying, but it wasn't fear. It would have been so much easier if they were simply scared.

The villain set their hands on either side of the armchair the hero sat in. The hero let themselves be bracketed in with the same slow deliberation as the villain had approached them.

The hero exhaled a breath.

"Good," the villain murmured, studying them. "Now. Would you like to take that back?"

The hero said a lot of crap to the villain that they never took back. They were the only one who did. They watched the villain for a beat, every atom wondering what it would be like if the villain's hands slipped from their careful placement on furniture onto flesh.

The dates weren't like that. The dates were never like this.

But, lord, it would be such a stupid thing to do to cross that line.

The hero tipped their chin up, holding the villain's gaze again. "Do you want me to take it back?"

"If you don't, I'm definitely taking what you said as a challenge."

"Ah, yeah. That's fair." The hero wet their dry lips. "Fair warning."

"So?"

It had happened before. A threshold moment. A teetering. The villain's eyes would go dark, like they currently were, tracking everything. They'd let it go, though. If the hero asked. They always did. For all of their obvious possessiveness, the villain was never the one who brought it up.

"So," the hero dared, before they could stop themselves.

The villain's eyes notched another inch darker, more molten. Their nails dug into the upholstery.

The hero shivered; delicious and awful all at once. Intoxicating.

"So you were being flippant?" the villain prompted.

"So flippant. Unforgivably reckless. I mean, we're a terrible idea."

"The worst," the villain agreed. "Your dates are much sweeter."

"You can be sweet. When you want to be."

The villain clicked their tongue, warning.

The hero grinned back at them. Wild. Drunk, perhaps, on the vertigo of such reckless possibility, such foolish wanting.

They were at the line again. The hero was boldly brushing it with their toe, smudging at it, taunting.

The villain waited.

"You're sweet to me," the hero said. "Despite yourself." They leaned in, and up. "Tell me to stop."

"Do you want to stop?"

"No."

"No," the villain echoed. Then they grabbed the hero by the hair and kissed them.

#i don't know if this is a trope but I THINK IT SHOULD BE #enemies to lovers #hero x villain #villain x hero #romance #writing #story #short story #heroes and villains #villains and heroes

[luigis-slut]

I don't remember who it was, but I remember somebody a while ago said that this particular MCR song synced up really well with the Saturday Shorts dance, and I've thought about that every time I listen to this song. I couldn't find the post, so I recreated it.

#MCR #my chem romance #my chemical romance #bdg #brian david gilbert #saturday shorts #meme #shitpost #Sorry for posting this on a tuesday instead of saturday