#that went up seconds after the drip marketing

[ancicntforged]

#that went up seconds after the drip marketing #memesters have no chill

[ccbb2222]

I Can Fix That — Bradley Bradshaw x Reader One Shot

It's been awhile...hasn't it? Summary: Bradley has a new neighbor, and he's more than willing to come to her rescue on more than one occasion.

Warnings: Swearing, fluff Also....yes the title is a reference to Holes :)

The first time Bradley Bradshaw comes to your rescue is on moving day.

The heat was unforgiving, your UHaul was filled to the brim, and you were beginning to doubt that you could handle moving all on your own. With an aching back and a scowl, you begin to pull on the side of the loveseat that you had somehow managed to lug into the UHaul just hours before. Panic struck your eyes as you realized it was about to topple over directly on top of you. "Woah, woah, woah," You hear a gruff voice say as a muscular arm makes its way into you peripheral vision. The love seat levels out, and you turn your head to thank your hero.

Deep, honey colored brown eyes, soft and warm distract you for a moment. "Thank you," You say, voice soft, as you realize just how close the handsome stranger is standing to you.

A deep chuckle makes its way out of his mouth as he smiles, "No worries. No one should die by the hands of a sofa." Over the course of the next hour, Bradley, as you've come to learn his name, helps you unpack your UHaul. You try not to get distracted by his gentle coaching, "Just a bit to the left, you got it. Nice, just a bit further." Your mind wanders to thoughts of Bradley wrapped in your sheets, instructing you this way and that. Your cheeks warm, and you're grateful of the excuse of manual labor as the cause.

Sweat drips from both of your bodies in the San Diego heat as you stand back with your hands on your hips. Bradley expertly pulls the sliding door down on the back of the rental truck, and you admire his back muscles as they ripple against the his shirt.

"I cannot thank you enough," You say, daring a glance at him. His biceps glisten under his black t-shirt, and you're momentarily entranced by him.

"Don't mention it," He says turning to face you with a ruffled brow, "This is a lot for one person to handle. Why didn't anyone offer to help you?"

Your smile falls slightly as you remember the cause for your move. Your break up. It was unexpected, to say the least. You walked in on your boyfriend of four years with his "work friend," tangled in the sheets of your four post bed. The bed you had picked out together at a flea market, and the one you left behind despite your love for the aesthetic. It was ruined now.

"Let's just say I was in a rush to move," You supply vaguely, and Bradley nods his head, unbothered.

"Well, if you need anything, just come find me, I'm in 24B."

"Thank you Bradley," you say, and he smiles softly, raising his hand for a wave, and heading back into the building.

_____ The second time Bradley comes to your rescue is after you forget your keys to the main apartment building. Why had you decided to take your trash out in a torrential downpour? You scowl, picturing vividly your keys hanging on the key rack. Inside your unit. Leaving you stranded and your clothes seeping through.

You try to buzz your neighbors, truly anyone, to let you in. But following a notice from the building warning against letting in non-residents, you weren't surprised when your buzzes went unanswered.

"Fuck," You say, trying to press your self to the side of the building, the small overhang not providing much relief from the wind and rain. Your white t-shirt was fully soaked through, and there was a 99% chance you resembled a drowned cat.

As if your luck couldn't get any worse, you see a familiar Bronco pull into the parking lot, and you shut your eyes in defeat. Of course your hot neighbor had to once again come to your rescue.

You knees nearly buckle as you see him, dressed in what looks like a flight suit making his way to you, a slight jog in his step as he dodges raindrops.

"Locked out?" He smiles, fishing quickly for his keys.

"Nope, just enjoying the storm," You say with a playful sarcasm.

He chuckles and unlocks the door, motioning for you to go in before him.

"Thank you," You turn to him while collecting your sopping wet hair over one shoulder and quickly making your way into the dry lobby. "Hey," You say, taking in his full appearance, "I didn't realize you were in the service. Guess that explains why you're so helpful all the time." Bradley smiles, "Yes ma'am," God, that sent a shock straight to your core, "Naval aviator at your service." Now that...made him even hotter.

"Very impressive," You nod your head approvingly, "Although, it's nothing compared to a work-from-home graphic designer. I've had life or death moments with Photoshop like you wouldn't believe." Were you...flirting? And was he...kinda into it? "Oh," he clutches at his chest, "the agony, I'm sure." The two of you walk towards the elevator and he once again motions for you to step in first.

"Are you also locked out of your apartment?" He asks, scratching at his neck, and you try not to get distracted by his bicep, "You're welcome to come hangout while you wait for a locksmith." "Luckily I left my door unlocked," You say before you can even catch the words coming out of your mouth.

He nods, and looks down.

Fuck. You had an in. You could've been in his space, with him and you blew it. "But thank you for the —" the elevator doors open quickly and you realize you're on your floor, "offer Bradley. I appreciate it!" He smiles with a nod, and you exit the elevator, turning to see his eyes once more and his lips quirk up in a smile as the doors close.

______

The third time Bradley Bradshaw comes to your rescue is when your oven is, quite literally, on fire. You intended on baking Bradley some thank you brownies (and okay, it was also a ploy to see him again), but it turned into a complete disaster. Somehow you didn't notice the crack at the bottom of your glass baking dish, and brownie batter dripped onto the bottom of the oven, causing smoke and eventually flames.

"Jesus Christ!" You let out an exasperated cry as your fire alarm starts buzzing, smoke starts to fill your apartment, and you throw open your door to find the nearest fire extinguisher.

You're stunned to see an equally surprised looking Bradley outside your door.

"What are you doing here?" You say, not impolitely, but given your frazzled state, you instantly feel paranoid about your outburst. "I was coming by to see if you happened to have any eggs to spare, but I can see you have bigger issues to deal with," He smirks at you and pushes past you to assess the damage. Smoke is quickly filling your small kitchen and you cough as you just point mutely to the source.

Bradley reaches up to disable the fire alarm, and turns the oven off before asking, "Do you have any baking soda?" You quickly throw open the fridge and hand it to him. He calmly opens the oven, dumps the baking soda on the flames, and you watch in awe as they begin to simmer.

"What — how? Baking soda?" You stammer, words failing you completely.

He chuckles, "My mom was a terrible cook. I learned how to put out an oven fire at a young age. Baking soda kills the oxygen, and the fire with it." You laugh nodding, "Well, that's good to know. Those were...supposed to be for you." You admit, pointing to the sad-looking, burned brownies.

"For me?" He smiles softly, and opens your apartment window to let out the smoke.

"Yeah well," You say, fanning out the smoke with a dish towel, "You came to my rescue more than once over the past few weeks, and now I guess I owe you more than brownies." You motion for him to join you in your smoke-free living room and he follows obediently. "How about dinner?" He says, a smile once again on his face as he leaned his beautiful body against the door way.

You blush instantly. Dinner? Your heart rate races as you return a shy smile. "Dinner sounds nice."

He lets out a chuckle, "For what it's worth, I'd put out weekly oven fires if it meant I could make you blush like that." "Stop it," You say, grabbing at your flaming cheeks. "Oh, did still need those eggs?" You turn to go back into the kitchen and recover from your embarrassment. Bradley grabs your arm softly and turns you to face him, "I never needed eggs. Just needed an excuse to visit my favorite neighbor." __________________________________________________

IM ALIVE.

Helpful neighbor Bradley just hits different.

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x you #rooster bradshaw x reader

[rainbow-nerdss]

After the "earthquake", Steve's parents decide to officially move out of Hawkins for good. They don't bother selling the house -- they won't get much for it, considering there's a rift running through the backyard and it's not worth dealing with a realtor. They really just want to cut ties and get out of there for good.

Steve's an adult, they say they'd happily support him if he went to college but since he chooses not to, the extent of their "help" is passing the deed of the house on to him and acting like they've made his wildest dreams come true. All it does is saddle him with bills and property taxes and a big empty house which holds nothing but bad memories.

He puts the big house on the market, hoping for the best. In the meantime he offers rooms to people displaced by the rifts.

Steve manages to get enough work that he can afford to rent a little two bedroom in town. The second bedroom is more of a box than anything, but he's glad to have it for nights when Max can't face staying with her mother, or when Robin stays over and he's too tired or tipsy to drive her home.

There's a faucet in the bathroom which leaks a steady drip, drip, drip, and one of the windows in the kitchen gets easily jammed, but the lights are well maintained and never flicker.

It's small, a little rough around the edges, but full of life, and it's his. The kids help him decorate, painting the walls and moving the furniture that Hopper gave him, from the cabin -- a little tattered, a lot worn, but comfortable. The living room winds up with two blue walls and two orange, because Dustin and Max argued over the choice and this was their compromise. The curtains are frilly and ridiculous, an old pair from the Henderson's house.

He's got a painting hanging pride of place on one of the walls, bright and full of love, presented to him by Will shortly after the move. In it, the party stand together arm in arm, and Steve wields his nail bat with pride.

It's the complete opposite of the house he'd grown up in, and Steve knows his folks would hate everything about it. It's nothing short of perfect.

The apartment is where Steve comes out to Robin, it's where he kisses Eddie for the first time, it's where he first understands what home means. It's a home, much more than that big cookie cutter house he grew up in ever was.

Gradually, it becomes a space for more than just Steve. At first, Robin is always leaving things behind, so he starts putting them away. A shelf here, a drawer there.

The more Eddie starts to stay over, the more the place starts to look like his too. Metal albums mixed in with Steve's collection, a guitar in the living room, D&D books on the coffee table -- but maybe those are Henderson's, Steve doesn't really know.

When Eddie moves in with him, it's not that much of an adjustment. Eddie has basically been living there for months. They only bother making it official to convince Wayne it not to leave the larger bedroom in the new trailer for Eddie.

Steve tells Eddie he can use the spare room for his music, they can set up a desk for d&d planning, but Eddie's shit still spreads throughout the whole apartment. Guitar picks and scraps of paper and half-drunk bottles and pencil scratchings of lyrics directly on the walls that irritate Steve to no end until he reads what they say and his heart melts because he loves this man so much.

Eventually the big old house sells -- not for what it was once worth, probably, but Steve's just glad to see the back of it. He doesn't use the money to move anywhere else. He likes his little apartment, this life he's managed to build for himself.

He buys Robin a car, a beat up old thing which is the most she'll accept from him, and he teaches her to drive it, since she doesn't have him to chauffer her around in her college town.

He puts the rest of the money aside. Max is the only one if the kids without anything resembling a college fund. Shewants to go somewhere out west, he knows. Somewhere near her grandma, her dad. If she wants it, it's there for her.

For Max, for Robin, for any of the kids. It's there for the future that he's finally allowing himself to dream about.

#hi this has been slowly growing from a passing reference in one of my wips so please enjoy #steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #my fic #steddie fic

[moralesispunk]

Kinktober Day Eight - Voice Kink // Din Djarin

Kinktober Masterlist / @the-purity-pen

Warnings: female reader, voice kink, f masterbation, fingering, kissing

Word Count: 1.5k

A/n: oh and this is only part one... there is a day that works so perfectly well for part 2

Din wasn’t much of a talker.

You had once asked him if he had a maximum number of words he could say every day and that was why he answered any question you asked with as few words as possible. He answered that particular question with a silent stare that lasted five whole minutes before walking off.

To be fair to him, that had been months ago and not long after you had first met but while he did talk more now you still wouldn’t call him Mr Chatty. It was only really in the dead of night when you were alone in your room that Din began to unravel and let you hear more of that deep and gravelly voice. Whether he was telling you how good you felt squeezing his cock or he was reading off a list of what he needed to get at the market tomorrow, it made your thighs clench together and a heat would build in the pit of your stomach.

“My voice?” He had asked when you told him, your eyes not looking into his as you lay your head on his chest. “Look at me a second.”

When you looked up at him you were staring straight back into his visor but you could feel the smile he was wearing beneath it.

“What exactly is it you like about my voice?”

You shrugged and went to look away again but he held you in place, switching your bodies so you were lying with your head on the pillow and his body hovered over yours. While you were wearing only one of his shirts and a pair of panties, Din was in a full sleeve shirt and trousers, his hands were sans their gloves and his tattoos were peeking out the end of his sleeves but his helmet was still firmly on his head. 

He spoke your name slowly, his helmet inches from your face so you had to look into his eyes beneath the visor.

“It just… I like when you talk. Especially in bed. It just makes me feel… good?”

You honestly weren’t sure what it was. Maybe it was just the fact that you couldn’t see his face but if you could hear his voice you knew he was right there with you, guiding you through every second of pleasure he pulled from your body.

“Do you want to feel… good, now?”

It wasn’t a question that really needed to be asked as his body covered every inch of yours, not when your chest was heaving and your thighs were squeezing Din’s hips to hold him in place, but you answered it anyway.

“Please.”

You hadn’t expected him to move off of you when you answered, his weight shifting back to his heels as he reached up and dragged your panties down your legs. You watched as he tucked them in his back pocket - for what you weren’t sure - but then his hands skimmed up your legs and opened them wider for him… and then stopped.

“Touch yourself.”

You choked on your words. “What-”

“Touch yourself. You like my voice that much? Then you’re going to listen to me telling you to touch yourself.”

There are a lot of things that Din had said before that sent shivers up your spine and made goosebumps spread down your arms, ever since you got over that initial hurdle of him opening up he had never been shy about how attractive he found you, but he had never came out and said something so blunt before.

And as soon as you got over the initial shock you realized that you really, really, liked it.

By the time your hand had dipped between your thighs, after first giving Din a show of teasing and twisting your nipples over your shirt and slipping your fingers past your lips to get them wet, you were dripping onto the sheets below you and even with the visor in the way you knew that Din had carefully tracked your every move.

Your hands started slow circles on your clit, a shudder rolling through your body when you finally placed pressure against where you had needed it most.

“Faster,” Din growled, his voice sounding more hoarse already.

You did as he said, your fingers speeding up as you brought your bottom lip between your teeth and stared into his visor.

“Uh-uh,” he tutted, reaching forward to take your chin in his thumb and forefinger until you opened your mouth. “You want to hear me? Well, I want to hear from you too.”

He told you how pretty you were for him, how he loved watching you clench around nothing, how he liked listening to all those pretty sounds you gave him, and just when you were on the edge he told you to stop.

“Din-”

“Stop,” he growled.

You took your hand away and rested it on your thigh, staring into his visor until your breathing calmed once more.

“Touch yourself again.”

He did this two more times, his voice sounding more hoarse yet more confident with each time until he shuffled closer between your legs and you saw the red and leaking head of his cock peek out the waistband of his trousers. His hand palmed his hard length over the material, his shoulders rigid and chest rising and falling with deep breaths.

“Fuck yourself.”

Your fingers slipped down your folds, your stomach muscles clenching as you curled them deep inside you. Your palm brushed against your clit and you were satisfying some of the tension that had been building at the need to be filled but it was nowhere near as good as when Din does it, the thought making your eyes fall to where his hands are clenched into fists on his thighs.

“What is it?” Din asked, his voice mockingly sweet as he leaned forward and took your chin back between his fingers. “Hm?”

“It’s not- It’s not like when you-”

His hand wrapped around your wrist, pulling your hand away before replacing your fingers with his own. Even just one of his fingers feels like two of yours so when he thrust two in quickly, curling them at the same time, a high-pitched whine left your mouth as your back arched off of the mattress.

“Is that what you needed? Need my voice and need my fingers buried in you? What about my cock?” You moaned his name loudly at his words, a chant of yes, Din, yes leaving your mouth as he chuckled in return. “There’s no one else who can make you feel like this, is there? Because you’re mine, aren’t you?”

He’s asking questions you both know that you don’t need to answer. You, and everyone else in the village - in the galaxy, knows that you’re Din’s and he’s yours. The added benefit of all of this is that you just get to hear that cocky voice more.

“What is it you like about my voice? Is it hearing me tell you how beautiful you are? How pretty you look when you suck my cock?” His fingers continue to pulse in and out of you as he speaks and he cups his hand so his palm rubs perfectly against your clit. “How hard it is not to come when you’re on your hands and knees in front of me?” His voice dropped to barely a whisper. “How much I want to fill that pretty pussy until I can’t anymore-”

You cut him off with a low groan, your back arching off the bed and your nails digging into his forearm as you come around his fingers and your body shudders beneath his.

“There you are, there you go,” he coos. “I wish you could see how pretty you are when you come. Keep going, that’s it.” His other palm strokes up your stomach, holding you down against the mattress as he wrings the last of your orgasm from you. “You’re doing so well, just a little longer. Good girl.” The final two words come out in a growl that causes a high pitched whine to leave your mouth, his fingers finally slipping out and the room plunging into darkness as his helmet comes off with a hiss.

Before you can speak his mouth slants against yours, swallowing your gasp as he pushes his tongue past your lips. Your hands fly up to his face, holding his flushed cheeks and dragging back to the nape of his neck where you tug on his curls and smile into his mouth when he groans.

In an instant his weight is off of you, the lights flashing back on just as he sits back on his heels and slips his helmet back over his head. You’re about to ask what he’s doing when he starts to undo his belt, his visor flicking up to your gaze as he pulls out his aching cock and fists the length.

“My turn.”

#tppkinktober2022 #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x y/n #din djarin #mando #mando x reader #mando x you

[cheolism]

how is jun and his lovely roommate/love of his life doing 🥺🥺

drabble sequel to good things from bad days

but can be read alone!!

1k words

genre: romance, fluff, adoration and love. marriage proposal gone wrong!!! sunshine! junnie x grumpy! reader

notes/warnings: marriage is insinuated. a cat is on the counter but jun is going to wipe it after, i promise. couple banter. you have two cats named after the roly poly by t-ara.

Jun rushed about the kitchen, never staying in one place for more than a second. Time was his master, he the servant. He had tried to delay you by asking you to go to the little Chinese restaurant the two of you frequented, the one you've been going to for eight years, the one he stopped at on that fateful night where you drunkenly confessed your love.

You had sighed, but agreed. He knew you would. Jun knew that every sigh, eye roll and scoff was just a layer of you, and that beneath that layer was the person he loved with all his heart. Your grumpiness was just another part of you for him to love.

He spun around, aiming for the silverware cabinet. Roly, however, had tucked herself right behind his feet. Jun cursed loudly, pitching forward and bracing himself against the opposite counter in an attempt to catch himself without injuring the cat.

Roly just peered up at him, amber eyes watching him as if to say really?

Jun used his foot to slide Rollie down the wooden floor of the kitchen, ignoring how she promptly turned around to swat at his ankle. He went back to the silverware drawer, withdrawing two pairs of chopsticks.

Jun grabbed yours, wooden ones he had purchased at a farmer's market with little pink flowers carved into the thick handles. He then, slowly, carefully, as if he was handling his heart with his bare hands -- and he was -- reached into his pocket and withdrew the ring.

He took a moment to appreciate it. It was in a vintage style with a thin golden band and a jade jewel surrounded by a golden face. It was elegant and simple, and Jun wondered how such a tiny thing could hold so much gravity.

Jun then slipped the ring around the chopsticks. He wrapped them in a napkin before doing the same with his own so you wouldn't be too suspicious.

"Okay, girls," Jun murmured, trying to swallow his nerves. "Just act cool. There's nothing going on. Absolutely nothing."

Roly and Poly just blinked at him from where they sat on the floor.

Jun set the napkin-covered-chopsticks on the bar just in time for the front door to open. He turned his back to the bar, placing a wide smile on his face and hoping his past as a child-actor was coming in handy.

You were huffing as you carried in the food alongside your work bag. Jun hurried forward, taking the food from you and swooping down to press a kiss to your nose. "Hello, darling!"

"Junnie," you murmured back, angling your face towards him. Jun took your silent request and pressed a slow, gentle kiss to your lips. You hummed, nodding, as if he had gotten an answer right on a quiz he didn't know he was taking.

"How was the drive?"

You scoffed, setting your bag on the couch. As soon as she heard you, Poly came running from around the kitchen bar. She let out a high-pitched "mrrp" as she did so, intent on reaching you.

Jun felt his heart swell as you reached down and grabbed Poly, bringing the long-haired cat into your arms. Poly was remarkably shy, even for a cat. It had taken her two months to get used to the two of you, and even now she continued to be hesitant around Jun. But you? She adored you.

Just like Jun.

He crossed back to the kitchen, setting the food onto the bar. Jun listened to you chatter to Poly, adoration dripping from your every word. He ignored Roly as she jumped onto the bar, grabbing the wet wipes the two of you kept in the kitchen for this exact reason.

"Why don't you love me like you love Poly?" Jun dramatically sighed, taking out two glasses from your cupboards.

You walked towards the kitchen, pressing kisses to Poly's head. "It's because she's so cute! Yes! My Poly girl is so! Cute!"

"And your Junnie boy isn't?"

You pressed one last kiss to her forehead, pausing and looking up at him over the rim of your glasses. "I guess."

"You guess?"

Jun set both glasses onto the counter, letting his jaw drop in false shock. "I can't believe I signed the lease to this house with you! I make your meals! I make sure you're well-fed and showered! I take out the trash! And for what? A cat to replace me?"

You cooed at Poly one last time before setting her on the floor. Then you crossed into the kitchen, opening your arms and winding them around Jun's middle. You pressed yourself to him, burying your face into his chest and pressing a kiss over his heart.

"A cat can never replace you," you mumbled. "She can't brush my hair like you do."

Jun laughed, pushing you away. "You jerk!"

Your answering giggle was soft and quiet, as it always tended to be. Jun had a sixth sense for your laughter, however, and mentally recorded it and tucked it deep into his heart.

He can't wait to marry you.

Jun turned his back to the bar, picking up a glass. He went to the freezer, shoving it underneath the ice machine.

Then you gasped, loud and cutting through the serenity. "Roly!"

Jun spun around just in time to see Roly batting your chopsticks, still covered in the napkin, off of the counter. She watched, content with her chaos, as Jun sprinted around the bar, panic so thick that he was drowning in it.

You were already bending over, bypassing the chopsticks and napkin. He watched as your fingers found the ring on the ground, enclosing around it. You straightened, quiet, opening your palm and staring down.

You were always so good at hiding your expressions. You weren't like Hansol, who wore his heart on his sleeve. Your face was stern, almost, considering, as you held the ring up to the light.

But then you turned your face towards Jun, and he could see the tears beginning to fall from your eyes.

"Junnie? Do you have something to ask me?"

#my writing #svt #svt fic #svt drabble #svt fluff #svt romance #seventeen #seventeen fic #seventeen drabble #seventeen fluff #seventeen romance #svt jun #svt jun x reader #wen junhui fic #wen junhui drabble #wen junhui x reader #junhui x reader #jun x reader #junhui fic #junhui drabble

[gripefroot]

Would love to see Ace in Alabasta...

Being a man meant hunger.

Being a pirate meant stealing. 

He’d been both long enough to source vulnerable stalls as second nature: which shopkeeper was distracted by other customers, which marketplace guards were lured on duty by pretty women, which wide-eyed child left to tend the family stalls while mother or father walked away to carry out other business. He avoided those on principle. No food, no matter how hollow his stomach, was worth leaving a child vulnerable to a temper. 

Whistling, Ace made his way down the dusty street with his pack on his back and his head held high. Another strategy: everyone suspects the lurker in the shadows. No one suspects the smiling, good-natured fellow stopping for a chat. One that admires the produce but puts it back, and when you turn away another item has slipped into his pocket. 

The stalls offered only thin victuals. A difference in only a few weeks. When he’d first made it to Alabasta, food had been accessible, if not bountiful. Now mushy apples were confettied with flies and bread made a thump on the dusty sand when fumbled.

He paused. A child sat on a stool in the shade, gnawing on an orange rind. Darkened by the shade cast by a striped awning that had seen better days; holes casting bright sunlight on the pouches of spices arranged on a table. The spices had been spread out, likely to seem like there was enough to cover the entire table, but it made the empty spaces seem larger. 

The child stared at him, orange lowering from his mouth. Pulp stuck to his lips. Ace grinned, tipped his hat, and went on. 

Well, maybe if he waited until tomorrow…

Another hungry night was survivable. He’d eaten a stack of meat-filled bread the day before and left without paying. And been promptly run out of town, rather enjoying the exercising but he would have enjoyed it with fewer scimitars brandished at his back. 

The sun was hot. Too hot. His shoulders itched. Absently he scratched at them, making the burned flesh sting. Instead of food, shade. Fortune smiled on him: ahead, away from the market posh houses bore towering walls of turquoise and amber, rising from the sand. Ace whistled his way past the first few, nodding at the guards who eyed him as they eyed all strangers. At the end of the road, when the expanse of blue sky and yellow sand met on the horizon, he turned abruptly. 

Last house out of town was never the richest. Almost never guarded. With a heave he jumped up to grab the top of the stone, burning hot in the sun. He scrambled up, boots scraping off dusty plaster from the stone. On the ledge he stopped in crouch, casting his eyes over a withering garden and a crooked house with crooked shutters. 

Perfect. Ace dropped over. 

May as well have a funeral for these trees. No leaves meant no shade. He wasn’t desperate enough to cower beneath broken branches. His boots thumped on a worn stone path, which took him around a dried up fountain and empty garden beds. Ace frowned. Well, he hadn’t expected much. Absently he scratched his shoulder again, this time flaking away dead skin. 

No noise had come from the house, which meant he was safe. For now. Something itched his ears: he scratched those, too, but the itching remained. Not a feeling, a sound. He tilted his head before realizing it was a hive of bees, and it wasn’t far. 

Bees. Bees meant honey. 

So he’d get a snack after all. 

Humming now, for himself and no one else, Ace found the hives within seconds. Next to the bones of a pagoda, curtains moth-eaten and faded; two once white-washed crates with bees crawling over the top and sides. 

He grinned, lifting the first lid off. White waxy honeycomb oozed golden honey, the sweet fragrance all the more pungent in the heat of the afternoon. Ace swiped his pinky through the honey, bringing it to his mouth to suck it off. 

“Jackpot,” he muttered. 

His treasure was a foot-long frame positively dripping with the unctuous gold. He settled down with his back at the junction where the western wall met the walls of the house before sucking the honeycomb dry, swallow by swallow, leaving nothing sticky as bees flew lazily around his head as if offended by his pilfering but too hot to do anything about it. 

“Thank you for the fine meal,” he said, to the bees at large, when the frame was clean. His hands needed cleaned, but with no water…the honey had made his throat burn from sweetness. Ace upturned his canteen over his mouth, letting the tepid water make a futile stand against the burning. Better than nothing. 

The water disappeared from the sand and stone of the garden floor almost as soon as it fell. Soon no trace of his washing remained, sucked dry from his skin by the merciless heat. He capped the canteen, swinging it back to hang at his waist. 

Swiiiish. 

Swiiiish. 

He cocked his head. From the desert? The street?

Swiiiiiiiiish. 

No. Closer. The house. So it wasn’t abandoned, after all. 

Abandoned by the rain that had abandoned the country. Abandoned by any sign of gardeners. But not abandoned by…

Dust puffed in the air from the second floor terrace of the house, shimmering against the azure expanse before drifting down to settle on a bare tree. Swiiiish. Another puff. Swiiiish. Another puff. 

With the final cloud of dust he saw a pale-blue, tattered sleeve holding a broom. 

The sweeping came closer. Closer still. The figure, barely visible between peeling columns, didn’t look particularly tall, even from below. Maybe a servant, but he doubted it. If he had to guess, based on the Alabasta he’d encountered over the last few weeks, it would be a hungry child from a once-great family, the fading-away of old blood to the sand. 

The dust made it to his nostrils, making them tickle. Once more and it settled on his arms. Ace drew in a ragged breath, and gave a shriek. 

The responding scream put his to shame. By the time it tapered off he was already howling with laughter, hat tipped up to show his victim that he meant no harm, that it was only a joke. 

Something hard whacked his head. Ace yelped again, but for real, shielding himself from the battered attack as the broom smacked into him again and again. Sand and dust were everywhere, tickling his face and skin and sticking where he hadn’t cleaned the honey entirely. 

“Ouch!” 

“Serves you right! You menace!”

He grabbed at the broom, bristles cutting into the flesh of his palms. Good humor threatened, he glared up at his attacker, but only saw a pale, pinched face between the terracotta balusters. Not three feet above his head, but he could see when the eyes of his attacker widened. And the precise shade of them. 

The broom gave a yank. Ace held on. 

“I only want to know who to thank for my delicious meal,” he said. 

“What—” The face pushed out further between the balusters. Not a child, as he’d half-expected, but a woman, the same pale-blue fabric over her head but not quite containing all of her hair. “You ate my honey!” 

“So I have you to thank?” Ace grinned. 

Her brows drew together, another futile yank on the broom. “Thank the bees.” 

“I already did. And now I thank you.”

“If you really want to thank me—” She puffed, seizing her end of the broom with both hands for an enormous yank. It did nothing. Ace’s smile broadened. “—give me bread or butter or water or something.”

“I can do that,” Ace said. 

She stopped pulling on the broom. Mesmerized by the shifting emotion on her face (irritation to surprise) he didn’t notice the silence falling between them like a shroud. She stared at him. He looked back. 

“Do you live here alone?” he asked. 

She shook her head, fingernails picking at the fraying handle of the broom. “I live here with my grandma. My parents died, but I—” Another shift. Stunned, horrified: the woman stood abruptly, dropping the broom to clatter on the stones of the garden. “Who are you! Get out!” 

At least she didn’t have the broom to start hitting him again. Ace stood, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn. He scratched his belly, ridding it of dust. The shadow of the garden wall stretched its fingers, heralding the lengthening day. The market would be open a while yet. He might be luckier on a second pass. 

Ace bent over to scoop up the broom. He proffered it to the woman, half-hidden behind a column and regarding him with wary eyes. “Here,” he said. 

Like the shadows, the moment stretched. He smiled, taking a step closer. The broom brushed against her skirt on the tile floor. She sucked in a breath, bent at the knees to pull the broom out of his hand, and within two blinks she was gone. Not even a flash of blue fabric remained. 

Ace watched the darkened terrace a while longer, anyway. Still smiling. 

He whistled as he jumped over the garden wall, craning his neck at the shuttered windows on the face of the house. Not a single one moved, not even when he whistled low like the call of a bird. Too bad. 

When the sky was struck with an indigo brush, cooling the relentless desert like an unfurled petal, Ace left a stack of steaming bread on the front step of the house. He pounded a fist on the door, stepping back. Already behind him he could hear shouts; it hadn’t been his best thievery, all in all. But if the woman didn’t take the bread now…and it was found on her doorstep…

A shutter above his head clattered. 

Ace cupped his hands around his mouth. “Come and get it!” he hissed. “Quick! Before they find it!” 

He’d have to leave town. A disappointment, really, but risks were risks. They rarely paid back in fair hands. Behind the door he heard an iron bolt pulled aside, the squeak of long-neglected hinges. He took another step back, hands open and free to show no danger. 

“Go!” The woman appeared, blue fabric clenched in her hands to cover her hair. But it didn’t cover her face, or her smile. “They’ll cut off your hand if they catch you.”

Sharp little thing, wasn’t she? Ace laughed, a firework in the night. The bread was bundled up in the woman’s skirt before she pushed the door closed again, the slip of her smile his last sight of her. 

Risks were risks. 

And a smile was worth being run out of town.

#drabble requests #portgas d ace #ace x reader #one piece drabble #drabbles

[bimbo-writer]

♡Loving you in all the right ways♡

How each of the dorm leaders spend valentine's day with you. Also how they treat you in bed. :]

Riddle will absolutely take you out shopping and spend the while day with you and make it all about you.

He wants to show you just how much he loves you and how much it means that you chose him as your partner.

However what he dosen't let you know is that he's been studying how to be better in bed.

We all know that he's a shy boy and was very sheltered growing up so it makes sense that once he was finally in a relationship he made a few mistakes :(

After the very long day of pampering you he takes you back to the dorm when no one's around and lays you on the bed straddling your hips before leaning down to kiss you.

"Please let me spoil you and take the lead tonight"

Your taken off guard at first but eventually you say fuck it and let him take the lead.

That night was one of the best you've ever had especially when he started to dirty talk you and degrade you like you had told him about.

In terms of bed experience he's gentle at first but slowly picks up the pace and starts to really get into it.

-

Leona honestly couldn't care less at first to the point you thought he had completely forgot.

That was until you went to visit him only to see his room decorated with small hearts and a little bag on his surprisingly neat bed.

Your really happy telling him how much this means coming from him and how cute it was to so this for you.

"Dont get too happy the fun hasn't even started yet"

You where confused until he pushed the little bag to you and you finally saw what was inside.

He had bought you tight lace black lingerie

The smirk on his face told you that you where in for a long night.

As for how the night went it was rough and hard because as soon as he saw the lingerie on you he immediately ripped it off tearing the fabric promising to buy you a new better set.

-

Azul absolutely sees valentine's day as a marketing profit and nothing else

That was until he was finally in a relationship with you and experienced first hand why people bought stupid things like flowers and chocolates for their partners.

This year he wanted to run a special at the lounge with cute maids and butlers running the shop for people who where single on valentine's day.

He asked you to try on the maid outfit with the excuse that if you liked it you could work that day and whatever you sold would be your profit.

You happily agreed thinking the extra cash would come in handy later on for a special occasion.

What you didn't realize was how much Azul would like the mid outfit on you.

As soon as you stepped into his office to show him he immediately asked you to lock the door.

"My love please forgive me you just look so ravishing in that outfit"

Once you did he had you sit on his desk as he made a complete mess of you as your juices dripped onto some of the papers below you.

He ate you out like a starved man on the brink of death.

-

Kalim is all over the idea of spoiling you more than he already does. He finds the day as an excuse to take you sight seeing all over him home country.

He has you trying all kinds of different foods and dragging you all over to look at animals and street performers.

After a very long day of sightseeing he has you come back to his house to stay the night with him.

Not thinking right you simply start to undress with Kalim still in the room

He immediately gets very flustered and starts to look away until you cup his cheeks pulling him into a kiss.

"Wait- not here we still need to take a shower so... let's finish there"

You didn't want to waste another second standing around and dragged him to the shower.

That shower was one of the best you've ever had with Kalim touching and fondling all your sensitive areas. He was so gentle with you not wanting to hurt you.

-

Vil is very neutral about the day since it means he receives various gift and fan mail because of his popularity.

However he isn't oblivious to the day completely it's just more of a hassle to deal with.

So when you surprise him at work with a very seductive outfit that highlighted all your curves he almost wanted to faint.

He was at a loss for words and so was his co-star Neige how just so happened to be on set as the main role.

Vil would not stand for your obvious tricks at getting a rise out of him so he grabbed your hand before anyone noticed and took you to his dressing room.

"Little brat you just had to wear that little skirt and show off your ass"

Needless to say he hit it from the back on a 15 minute break and left your knees weak and cheeks red. It's not his fault your just so damn bratty.

-

Idia is in no way happy about the holiday since he thinks it's nothing but an excuse for people to be outside and show PDA.

You didn't exactly know what to do with Idia since he was always in his room and refused to come out for anything on certain holidays.

With nothing else really in mind you decided to try and do something that would be sure to get a reaction out of him.

You put on your best dark blue lingerie and went over to his dorm with the excuse you wanted to play some games.

Once you stepped into his room and made sure the door was locked you started to take your hoodie off showing every curve of your breast

When he turned around to ask what character you wanted to be you swear he almost fainted at seeing you dressed like that

"W- what are you doing is this some kind of scheme to get me to be all lovey dovey?"

It took a minute for him to calm down after you also pulled your shorts off and showed that it was a matching set

After he calmed down you convinced him to at least try having a fun night

And boy was it a fun night. After he got over the initial shock he really started to get into it showing you no mercy. I'm talking heavy degradation and roleplay, it's really your fault for wearing such lewd garments.

-

Mallues didn't know what exactly valentine's day was but he knew that it was a day for spoiling your loved ones and special partners.

You decided that the two of you should simply do all the stereotypical things that couples do like picnics and buying each other gifts

What you didn't expect was for him to straight up propose to you in front of half him dorm.

"Will you make he the happiest person and marry me?"

It wasn't the fact that he proposed that left you speechless it was the fact he had to do it in a public setting with so many people around.

Of course you told him that while yes you would that you wanted the relationship to go a little slower.

After that whole fiasco you decided it was a good time to show him your valentine's day gift. You led him to the room and locked the door saying you had a surprise for him.

When he finally saw what the surprise was he didn't know how to react at first leaving you upset.

"Am I supposed to get undressed too?"

His lack of knowledge for this was hurting the mood so you decided to take the lead and start kissing him while grinding on his hips.

After a few minutes of kissing he started to get the idea and put his hands on your hips pushing you down harder.

"I'm not completely sure how to do this but you seem to be enjoying yourself so let's make this a night to remember"

In the end you took the lead once you actually started however he seemed to understand what you wanted and helped you reach multiple orgasms.

Hey sorry I've been gone :(

Just haven't really been in the mood to write but I figured I could leave this here for you guys. :)

#smut #twisted wonderland #anime #head canon #leona kingscholar #idia shroud #lilia vanrouge #twst jamil #vil schoenheit #twst malleus #riddle rosehearts #azul ashengrotto #twst kalim

[heroofshield]

Whumcember Day 22 Alt 2- Ice (Dragon Age 2, Fenhawke)

@whumpcember

"C'mon it'll be fun." Hawke smiled as she took Fenris's hand and gave it a tug. "Besides, you've never really gone ice skating. And since it's currently winter...no time like the present."

Fenris frowned but let Hawke drag him to the door and outside. He wouldn't admit that all he wanted to do was stay in front of the fire and drink. "Not when she's so excited to show me what 'ice skating' is. This is the first smile I've seen since Carver left." he thought as they made their way through the market and towards the main gates.

As they made their way through the snow, Hawke chattered on about how she used to ice skate with Carver and Bethany back in Lothering, how they would have to wait until Malcolm tested the ice to make sure it was thick enough to support their weight. "-and there was always someone who ended up skating too late in the season and went through the ice." Marian paused, realizing what she was saying. "But you don't have to worry about that, we're well into the season and it's been really cold."

"Are you sure?" Fenris said as they made their way to the pond that Hawke had pointed out when they'd gotten in view. He paused, raising an eyebrow at the ice where the water used to be. "It doesn't look that safe to me."

"It's fine. I went out last week and nothing happened." Hawke said, pausing for a moment before letting go of Fenris's hand and marched towards the bank. Not pausing, she moved away from the bank and onto the ice itself.

Fenris's heart leapt into his throat as he heard a crack...but nothing happened. Relaxing slightly he started to follow Hawke, getting onto the edge of the ice.

"See? It's like I-" Hawke started to say, smiling when suddenly there were several sharp cracks and she fell through the ice with a shout.

"Hawke!" Fenris called out, feeling his heart leap into his throat as she disappeared. Frantically he tried to recall what she'd said in the past if someone was to fall through the ice.

Moving quickly, he lay down on the ice- spreading his body weight so he didn't fall through either. Making his way towards the hole, he risked peeking over the broken ice to see if she was there. But only water greeted him and he swallowed thickly before taking a breath and plunging his hand into the water.

The cold instantly shocked him, shooting through his system almost instantly and it took all of his willpower to keep his hand in-moving about to hopefully brush into Hawke's.

The seconds seemed to become an eternity until something bumped against his hand. Resisting the urge to withdraw it, he stopped moving and felt fingers try to grasp his. Not hesitating, he moved his arm further in and was able to take her hand. Pulling with all his strength, Fenris saw Hawke appear and gasp for air. Still focused on getting her out of the water, he grabbed with his other arm and slowly but surely dragged her onto the ice.

Realizing that they weren't out of danger just yet, Fenris somehow managed to get them both off of the ice and onto the ground. It was all a blur, all he could think about was getting Hawke to safety.

Hawke's entire body was shivering and dripping wet. In the back of her mind she knew that she needed to get warm, but the overwhelming chattering of her teeth made it hard to form a coherent thought. Vision blurring, she was dimly aware of Fenris's body pressed against hers and him saying something about getting back to Kirkwall.

--

Anders stoked the fire in Hawke's room while saying, "I hope you won't go onto anymore ice after this. You were half-frozen by the time Fenris carried you back here. You were lucky yet again."

Hawke let out a sneeze and ignored the comment, choosing the burrow herself under the layer of blankets as much as she could. It had been a few day since she'd gone through the ice and still couldn't stop shivering. Peeking over the covers and she saw that her mabari was spread out in front of the fire. "At least one of us is enjoying the warmth."

Anders let a half-smile appear and leaned the poker against the brick, brushing the soot from his hands. "I'll be back tonight to see how you are and Varric'll be by later this afternoon."

"Thanks." Hawke watched as Anders slipped out of the room and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling tired. It felt like she'd closed them for a minute, but when she opened them next, Fenris was asleep in the chair next to the fire.

Slightly smiling, she was glad that he'd been with her that day and hoped the mild attraction they felt between each other could grow as time went on.

#whumpcember2023 #dragon age #da2 #fenris #hawke #fenhawke #fanfic #my writing

[writing-by-mimi]

Paper Bonds

Fandom: Obey Me

Diavolo x GN!MC

Chapter 1 of 2

Enjoy this small two part ficlet I wrote while having a breakdown! Lol. I'm okay now and moving onto rewriting what was lost. So no worries!

Adult content, read at your own risk. Not beta read.

     Diavolo was giddy. It wasn't every day a human auction took place in the Devildom. His father's sanctions had seen to that a few decades ago after a certain incident...

     Smuggling in human cargo was much harder than regular goods. Regular goods didn't need air, water and sustenance to keep... humans unfortunately did. It was an easy giveaway as to what the 'goods' were and would result in the cargo being sent back to the human realm and the smugglers serving a heavy sentence.

      The only problem was his appearance. As soon as someone like him walked in, they would pack up and flee, afraid that they were being busted and suffering consequences by the crown.

       That's where Mammon would come in. Even though he was an Avatar, he was the Avatar of Greed. He always ran in the black markets, and no one seemed to mind. After thousands of years of not giving away information, or faining ignorance to his brother Lucifer, it was the worst kept secret in the Devildom. Mammon was sure not to mix business and pleasure, and it had afforded him the lifestyle that would ultimately get Diavolo his goal.

      A human sold at auction.

      Sending the Avatar of Greed with more money than he had ever seen in his life at one time would sound like a terrible idea, and it was, if he didn't have something Mammon desperately wanted. The transaction would go off without a hitch if the second born wanted to keep on his good side. He had come and collected his debt from Mammon once, and only once. It seemed to be a lasting message, as he always paid in full on time to the Prince now.

       The auction would start at three in the morning and be done by five. They never spent more time than needed in one spot as not to get caught. By time the royal guards would hear of it and mobilize, they would be gone

       As far as getting the human into the castle, magic made that easy. He had given Mammon a bracelet that would cloak any trace of you and Barbatos could then get them safely in through service corridors. He had already sorted his concubines months ago, as not to rouse suspicion. The only one who would know of the illegal dealings would be Mammon and Barbatos, they would not tell a soul.

        Looking to his phone, he waited. Mammon would text him five pictures and he'd only have a moment to decide on which human to have Mammon bid on.

      The first text came through and he eagerly opened it.

      'Get Barbs ass to the fucking check point now. Shits sideways.'

     Sideways. Perhaps the gaurds caught wind of it ahead of time, even he himself, the Prince had managed to hear of it. Although, if he wanted Barbatos to meet him at the checkpoint, he must have a human in tow...right?

---------

     "Nah, nah, nah." Mammon stood in front of the bag. He and Barbatos had moved it through the corridor uninterrupted and unseen, making it safely to the concubine chambers. "I almost got fuckin' hauled away while getting the ownership papers. It ain't leavin' my hands till I get what was promised and a bonus. The bidding was up ta Forty million." The Avatar scowled. "Fuckin' human tried escapin' while shit was chaos. I had to chase 'em down and fight off some other bidders. That wasn't part of the deal. Plus they broke my shades." He pointed to his face, iconic glasses missing. "Those costed me a pretty penny, an I ain't payin' outta pocket for em'."

      "Forty million Grimm. Expensive for a human." Barbatos tilted his head.

     "Forty million is what the bidding stopped at when the raid started." Sarcasm dripping as he gave an equally sarcastic smile. "They started early, and I understand why... This one woulda went ta hundreds of millions of Grimm if the biddin' wasn't cut short. Gettin' that one off your block as soon as possible makes sense, hiding it was almost impossible for them. An considering we never got to the paying part, this human is basically free."

       "No human is worth hundreds of millions of Grimm." The butlers eyes narrowed. "You'll recieve payment for product once the Prince verifies the package, until then, you will get your money for the work." Barbatos informed as he counted the money Mammon had been sent with to verify it was all still present as he claimed.

     "Also, I'm thinking this one is visually impaired..." Mammon sighed. "I didn't do it." He held his hands up in front of him.

     "So hundreds of millions for a defective human?" Barbatos walked around the bag, holding the briefcase as he did. Mammon had not lied. All of the Grimm was there. "It would be a shame if you were lying to get more Grimm..."

     "Oh, hell no, fuck right off with that shit." The Avatar pointed to the butler. "I did my end, ain't no way your stiffing me outta what's mine."

     "Lucifers." He corrected.

     "An it'll get me off the hook for the last hundred things he's pissed about and the next hundred. I want the ring and my money." Mammon crossed his arms.

       "Anything else you wish to demand for this defective product you've brought my master?"

       "Some new tires, but I ain't pushin' it." He smirked as he sassed the butler. "Where the fuck is he anyway. Dude was like a kid in a candy store an hour ago, ya think he'd be here to unbox his human."

     "You mean, unzip?" The butler gave his own sarcastic smile.

      "Well excuse me they didn't have time to box em' up. I did what I had ta do."

     "Your best was a duffle bag?"

      "I coulda not brought the human at all and bounced with the cash. Yer bein' awful rude to the demon that pulled through where others woulda fucked ya."

     Barbatos held his tounge. The second born was correct...most would have just left and moved on, taking the cash with them and claiming it as payment for wasted time because of the raid...

      "Don't judge until you remove the bracelet. It's what's concealing the surprise. Also, they were talkin' about caring for the stupid human. Apparently it ain't ate in two days and was last watered about ten hours ago. So it's gonna need a meal."

       "Anything else?"

      "Ya, this human an one other survived the fucking shitstorm called a raid. The guy in this first photo got ripped apart by two demons fightin' over it. So apparently they are pretty fucking fragile." Mammon showed the butler the picture. "The other two didn't have a great end either."

      "Any idea on who got the other one?"

      "A hunch, but that's gonna cost ya extra."

     "Did anyone see you leave with the human?"

     "Probably not, but who knows. Anyone comes poking around I know how to keep my mouth shut."

       "One bonus, I suppose." The butler sighed as he checked his phone.  "My Master will be here shortly."

     "'Bout damn time."

     A few minutes passed in silence until the Prince arrived, a puzzled look on his face upon seeing a duffle bag.

      "Seems there was a raid, young master. Mammon had to improvise."

     "Thanks for selling me short, dick." Mammon scoffed as he turned his attention to the Prince now. "Ya, it was raided. I fought off other bidders and even got the ownership papers during the commotion. The bidding was up to Forty million for this one, and that's cheap as fuck. Although, we never did pay, on account of the raiding, so I literally got ya a hundreds of millions Grimm worth human for free."

     "It's defective." Barbatos deadpanned.

     "It ain't defective, for fuck sake dude. Just open the damn thing and take the bracelet off. I'll give ya the paper of ownership once I get my payment and a bonus for all my trauma." He smirked.

     "How is the human defective?" Usually the defective ones never made it to auction...

     "Apparently it can not see."

     "It can see, it just needs glasses!" Mammon growled.

      Kneeling down Diavolo steadily undid the zipper and pushed the bag away.

     He's fairly certain his heart skipped a beat.

     You're bruised up, but nothing that won't heal in short order itself. Your everything he ever imagined in a human. Your hair almost the perfect shade, skin soft and supple. Even your lips are shaped exactly how he wanted in a human... it's uncanny. Like you were made for him or fate truly existed.

      "I mean, they ain't much ta look at, but ya gotta take the bracelet off. That's the millions of Grimm part." He laughed. The Prince was a sucker for humans. As long as ya weren't dead, this was gonna be an easy payday, all things considered.

      Laying your body flat from the fetal position you had been in the bag, Diavolo had to catch his breath. He wasn't sure how this got any better...but Mammon didn't hype things up when it came to how much they were worth, even when trying to make a quick buck...

    undoing the heavy claspy holding the bracelet in place he was dumbfounded.

     Your soul was pure. Bright. A beacon in such a place as the Devildom...

     "Suck my fucking dick, Barbatos!" Mammon laughed heartily. "So, about my bonus, I was-"

     "Take it."

     "Young master! You can not be seri-"

     "Give Mammon the briefcase." He reached into his pocket and fished out the ring. Mammon had been correct when he had said you were worth so much. He hadn't sent Mammon with enough to purchase you if things had played out to plan. Humans never went for more than fifteen million just because of the fragility...

     "See, this makes a man feel appreciated." He smiled as Barbatos handed him the briefcase and the ring, scowl upon his face.

     "Papers." Barbatos demanded.

     "Just sign the bottom an it's all yours free an legal. They got the certificate dated before the sanctions hit. So it's a legal human." He handed it to the butler.

     Barbatos's emerald eyes scanned the document front and back. Either the forger had outdone themselves, or someone inside of the government was selling certificates with false dates under the table. Useful information for later, but truly of no use now. "It is perfect, young master."

     "Anyway, I'm off. Lucifer asks where I was or why I was here, I was helping Barb with some chores to pay off a favor."

     "Noted." The butler sighed. "Now begone, before I tell Lucifer the truth."

     "Ouch, you're so rough, Barbie." Mammon snickered as he moved to the exit. "Maybe I outta tell Solomon to make ya nicer to me."

      "It will most likely be decades before you get your wish." Barbatos gave a false polite smile.

      "Give me another couple hundred thousand Grimm and I'll tell ya a secret." His smile never leaving as he slowly walked backwards to the exit. "Unless ya don't think yer pact holder is worth it..." He shrugged.

      Information for sale. It could be informative...or completely useless. Either way, Mammon wouldn't open his mouth about such a matter to just anyone, even with Grimm on the table. "Fifty thousand." He counter offered.

     Mammon hissed. "Fifty G's... all that'll get ya is that you an my brother might see him in the next few years...an that's if he can get away from whose gottem'." He grimaced for effect. "Dudes pretty smart, but man..." He shook his head.

     "One hundred thousand Grimm, I'll go no higher..." Barbatos studied the Avatar closely.

      Mammon knew not to push his luck. "Ya can add it to my account." He smirked. "Seems the only other survivor was Solomon himself. He made it okay from the building, but past that he coulda been grabbed. I'd check with Astoroth... he does tend to just cut his humans up an eat 'em. He don't care what they got ta offer." He gave another shrug as he left.

     "I've things handled here if you wish to seek Solomon out." Diavolo's eyes never left your form. I've the proper legal documentation, and they are already on palace grounds. So we've no trouble now."

     "Very well. Thank you, young master."

      Barbatos had left to see to his business while Diavolo carried you to the bed.

#obey me #obey me! #obey me! diavolo #obey me diavolo #diavolo #diavolo x reader #diavolo x mc #lord diavolo x mc #obey me lord diavolo x mc #lord diavolo x reader

[french-unknown]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 (𝟐) | 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐎𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

finnick odair x fem!reader

summary: Both in their twenties, (Y/N) and Finnick have been friends with benefits for several years. However, tensions will rise as their summertime relationship begins to evolve.

warning: none

word count: 3.2k +

[ masterlist ] - [ previous chapter ] - [ next chapter ]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫

Armed with a sword twice as heavy as its usual weight, (Y/N) approached the dummy in the training room. She warned herself, then began to give it powerful blows. First simple and repeated strokes to get used to the heavyness of the weighted weapon before continuing with more and more complex sequences until arriving at a fluid and controlled choreography that would have been fatal to any opponent.

After countless attacks, the girl decided to take a break.

She could feel the sweat running unpleasantly down her skin as the muscle fatigue was felt in her arms and trunk. That feeling of pushing into the void followed her as she grabbed her water bottle from her bag and began to drink.

It was quite late so many of the potential tributes had left the District 2 training facility.

The now empty gymnasium was immersed in silence, apart from her loud gasps as well as her soles crunching against the smooth floor. The ring for hand-to-hand combat in the back of the room was no longer even lit and the various weapon handling workshops all around were also plunged into darkness, making them stand out like ghostly presences that were barely distinguishable in the dark. Only a few flashes of light reflected were visible on the metal surfaces of the blades worn by their many uses.

Axes, knives, shields, or spears.

(Y/N), seeing the time, picked up her things and regretfully put down her practice sword before leaving, exhausted. The Capitol's unpractical redistribution of District 5 electricity meant that the complex's curfew was soon to come. So she walked through the streets of the district to make the short trip from the Careers Center to Victors' Village, being careful to buy a healthy meal on the way back.

When she arrived in front of her house, she did not even notice the extinguished lights on the porch before passing the door. She directly went straight for the stairs, pointedly ignoring the bright lights in the living room and the happy voices and laughter that accompanied them. Instead, she continued to shamble up the stairs, because of the body aches, to get to her room.

It wasn't long before she washed, ate, and fell asleep.

The next day, she woke up at dawn and left the silent house within half an hour without having eaten. She went straight to the district black market which she knew exhibitors had been preparing for since long before dawn. Indeed, she found a good number of stalls there and immediately began to stroll freely, looking out of the corner of her eye for her potential breakfast.

However, instead, her gaze met that of a blonde woman barely older than her who was staring at her from several meters away. Sitting behind a stall displaying a wide range of knives of all kinds with an older woman, her anger and resentment dripped so deeply from every pore of her skin that the (H/C)-haired girl could feel the rushes of hate that were strangling her from where she was standing. (Y/N) didn't doubt for a second that she must be dying to pick up one of her articles and throw it between her eyes.

And the former victor knew that the blonde was perfectly able to do it.

But a victor is a victor so, out of pure pettiness, she hesitated to come and tickle the exhibitor a little, knowing that she would not risk anything against the knife seller. Just a simple conversation would have been enough to inflame her, she knew that. Just a smile. Just to avenge the old days. She just had to look into her eyes to see the hatred that gnawed at her even after all these years.

However, she decided to continue on her way, judging that her indifference would perhaps enrage the blonde more than her attention. Nevertheless, she hoped that was the case.

Further, she was alpagated again. She then turned around and found herself facing a middle-aged lady she had never seen before who was waving her arm like they had known each other forever. Intrigued, it was only when she saw the characteristic ebony black stones on her stand that she recognized her as coming from her native village. She approached her, curious.

"You have grown so much!" The gray-haired woman cheered. "The last time I saw you, you must have been what… 8 years old?"

The former victor was going to answer her but did not have enough time.

"Even back then, you were running around the village with your little pickaxe. A real ball of energy!" she continued as a nostalgic smile settled on her lips. "And here you are now a victor. Your parents were right to come and move here for your training, they must not miss the dust of our mine very much."

Faced with the blank that her interlocutor left in the conversation, the younger girl knew that it was her turn to speak.

"Yes, it's sure." She nodded with a fake smile. "How are you doing over there?"

"Alright! Stone from our mine has been popular in the Capitol lately, so we're all living pretty well for now." The woman immediately assures her enthusiastically before continuing to talk to herself. (Y/N) only reconnected to her chatter when she started talking about the Capitol. "You are so lucky, everything must be beautiful there! I heard that the other victors were all equally impressive. And how beautiful they were! The one from District 4 would have been to my taste if he wasn't such a heartbreaker!"

The girl felt a slight burn of annoyance in her chest.

One of her very many memories of Finnick with his string of fancy lovers appeared in her mind as well as his famous charming smiles that he addressed to them when he spoke to them, laughed with them, and took them to his room. No doubt he still kept it while he laid them on his bed and made them the same things he made with the (H/C)-haired girl. Or maybe he was dropping it to give them the same desperate look of contact he gave her when they were both in bed. A look that had made her tremble many times before.

(Y/N) gritted his teeth but still forced an even sweeter smile at the stranger.

"You know, the Capitol mostly likes to exaggerate rumors." she explains with the lightest tone she could find, even if she had more of the impression of whistling it between her clenched teeth. "And I think I've earned my place there pretty well."

The woman didn't even notice the abrupt change of subject and rushed into the breach.

"Yes, of course!" she readily admitted. "All this dryness in your arena, how awful! And the heat must have been excruciating! It's too bad the boy who went there with you died in that fire."

"He was killed by a mutt snake." immediately corrected the girl who was getting tired of this conversation.

"Were there snakes in your year? I didn't remember!" answered the gray-haired woman, surprised. "In any case, your parents must be proud of you!"

"Yeah, I guess. If you don't mind, I have to go join them."

Suddenly embarrassed, the woman hastened to greet her after giving her a pebble of the black onyx stone to remind her of her good old childhood village and (Y/N) left immediately.

Her gloomy mood remained throughout the day.

At least, until she went on the musculation floor of the Careers' Center at night and worked her arms on one of the machines. From afar, she spotted Enobaria coaching two potential tributes as usual. However, she saw the gaze the older former victor gave her and then the look she cast on her body. The two young girls who accompanied her had stars in their eyes when they looked at her, but she nevertheless remained frozen under the judgmental gaze of her eldest. The (H/C) did her best to act as if nothing had happened as she felt her pupils pass over her muscular arms, her toned belly, and her trimmed legs.

But, when a smug smile bloomed on Enobaria's lips with her teeth clearly filed down, she felt the weight in her stomach get relieved as flutters of pride were felt in her chest.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

On the morning of the Victory Tour's departure, (Y/N) woke up as the stylists and film crew were pouring into the Victors' Village. She stayed in her bed for a moment, watching them from her bedroom window, before sighing and getting out from under her warm blankets.

Before leaving the house, she went through the kitchen to have a drink.

There she met her mother and father, still in nightwear, having breakfast on the kitchen table. Their conversation stopped as soon as she walked through the door. Without even a greeting, she went directly to the fridge from where she took out a bottle of juice which she drank in a few sips while the two adults behind her also began to drink from their respective cups without saying a word.

"Good morning." Suddenly began his mother. Yet, receiving no response from her daughter, she clicked her tongue against her palate. "A hello will tear your face off?" she asked in annoyance. "You were raised with better manners."

The (H/C)-haired girl clenched her jaws but simply threw away the empty brick before preparing to walk away.

"You could at least answer." Continued his father, monotonously.

The girl still continued on her way to the door until she found herself with her feet in the snow.

She then joined the entire Capitol team, which was finishing loading their belongings into the car leading to the train. She leaned against the structure of the vehicle and stood there while watching the latest victor make his speech on television. (Y/N) noticed Enobaria and Brutus also waiting for them to finally leave.

Once he was done, they were finally able to board.

She remained behind in all districts throughout the Tour. Just a dark, motionless presence behind the new kid who was proudly reciting his speech. It was therefore with boredom that she observed the gloom from 12, the anger from 10 then the sadness from 8 and the fatigue from 6.

By the time they arrived in District 4, the events had become more interesting for her. Indeed, as soon as they set foot in City Hall, she immediately noticed some of the former victors from the district accompanied by the Peacekeepers. Finnick stood out particularly well among them. A smile identical to the boy's slowly began to bloom on her lips. However, after a furtive glance from Enobaria who also caught sight of the green-eyed blond, the smile was quickly cut short.

She frowned immediately and joined the others from her district on the stage.

Very quickly, she realized that she was being watched. Having a little idea about the identity of the culprit, she tried to take a look and immediately came across two green orbs who were attentively watching her.

His hands were wisely kept behind his back as he maintained eye contact without blinking even once. An amused smile curled his lips as he tilted his head slightly and intensified his gaze. A teasing flame shone impatiently in his pupils. (Y/N) was immediately caught in his verdant pupils and felt her heart twist in the hollow of her chest, tingling in her abdomen.

Her breath began to accelerate as a myriad of memories of them in the Capitol flashed before her eyes.

The (H/C)-haired girl saw them sexual leering during one of the many receptions they had attended for the Hunger Games. She remembered the feeling of them lying on top of each other in a bed at the Tributes' Center. The outpouring of excitement that twisted her stomach as they kissed passionately away from prying eyes in the shadows of a nightclub. She relived the warmth of sitting on his knees with her legs on either side of his hips while they were in the hot tub at one of the Capitol's luxurious hotels.

Unconsciously, she moistened her parched lips with her tongue.

But the gesture caused Finnick's eyes to drop from hers and dive to her lips, hypnotized. From where she stood, she thought she perceived a shiver run down his spine as his hands came out from behind his back. However, before he could make any move, he clenched them into tight fists before shoving them hastily into his pockets. That didn't stop him from staring at her lips, though.

Suddenly, (Y/N) was jerked out of her reverie by Enobaria.

The older woman grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her roughly behind her in the direction of the doors. Confused, the youngest looked around her and realized that the speech had ended without her realizing it and that the inhabitants of District 4 were also deserting the public square to leave each other at their sides. She hadn't even heard a single word of what their tribute had said.

Before the doors definitely closed behind the District 2 delegation, she took one last look back. What she saw was Finnick, immobile in the middle of the crowd with his hands still in his pockets, his gaze down at her back and his shoulders hunched forward.

The only thought that crossed the girl's mind was the feeling that seemed to emanate from him: sadness.

The end of the tour, however, arrived at high speed and, in the blink of an eye, she found herself decked out in a huge teal blue dress in delicate chiffon, climbing the steps leading to the final party of the Victory Tour. Some distance behind the rest of the group of 2, she could only hear her stylist, who was glued to her side, nitpicking in the wind.

"Did you get your arms bigger again?" she whined. "They were thick enough before. You know, it would be better if you paid more attention to your image. I say this for your own good."

The (H/C)-haired girl ignored her as best she could, already quite accustomed to her plaintive remarks.

"Look at that, even your waist seems to have grown." she continued, pricking with her index finger the elastic belt that compressed her bust.

Immediately, the former victor clapped her hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she growled at the meticulously dressed woman. "Not everyone wants to be a pretty toy for the next newcomer."

Then, happy to have finally put her in her place, she quickened her pace to join the rest of the group who were beginning to outrun them. She didn't want to have to speak to the creature for the rest of her time at the Capitol. Nevertheless, as she neared the doors, her stylist walked past her before she could pass them.

"Maybe people would stay with you if you looked a little more like a pretty toy." whispered the woman, rushing in front of her while giving her a murderous look.

(Y/N) immediately followed her, but by the time she entered the room, the other woman had already joined the crowd.

Later that evening, the District 2 girl had gotten to the point where the only thing she cared about was the reflections of nearby candles on the bald head of Brutus, another champion from her district. Although she had attended the official Capitol celebrations for seven years, she was still bored.

The sets were as pompous as each other.

The music was to fall asleep standing up.

The atmosphere, of an unnamed boredom.

Drinks, as bland as possible.

People, tamed.

She only looked up from Brutus' gleaming skull when he quietly stomped on her foot as he spoke with a heavily made-up man. She then became interested in the conversation and found herself caught up in a whirlwind of politeness and reminiscing about the past Hunger Games. Having no idea what had happened there, she smiled as best she could and faked memories of the event. She improvised an expression of agreement when he shared his opinion on the physical abilities of the male tribute from District 11. She also laughed with him about a mysterious incident that would have occurred between two career tributes, and she pretended to know how the girl from 5 had been killed. The only information she gained from this conversation was the discovery of how her winning tribute had won his Games.

After a lot of sweat and pressure, she left the conversation out of fear of betraying herself after such a good job of improvisation.

So, the (H/C)-haired girl moved away from the crowd and stayed to breathe. In the distance, she saw her stylist surrounded by people chatting happily among themselves. They were eating nibbles together while they laughed happily as if the joke that the woman who had stuck this abominable dress on her had just told was hilarious. Maybe it was for people like them.

Anyway, her attention was quickly diverted when she heard Finnick's name being spoken somewhere behind her. She listened.

"If you only knew how handsome he is!" a young girl's voice exclaimed from behind her to another giggling girl. "His skin, his body, his arms and his abs! A real living god!"

(Y/N) grabbed a glass and dipped her lips into it to hide her smile. The victor from 4 had the body of a god and she was very well placed to know it. A feeling of pride bubbled up in her chest. Unfortunately, that feeling crumbled as quickly as her smile when the conversation she was spying on continued.

"And what he does with his mouth is magic! The best night of my life!" she declared dreamily.

A knot suddenly formed in the District 2 girl's throat and a fire ignited in her stomach. The memory of their eye contact a few days earlier, which she had almost cherished until then, came back to her with bitterness. Annoyed, she finished her drink in one gulp and purposely loudly put it down next to her to alert the other two girls that they weren't alone anymore. Both of their voices fell silent immediately and the (H/C)-haired girl left curtly.

A few drinks later, she noticed a man watching her from across the room.

He was quite handsome and, given the languid gaze that slid down her body, seemed genuinely attracted to her. A flicker of amusement danced in the mind of the former victor so she began to observe him with the same intensity to provoke him. It wasn't every day that someone from the Capitol looked at her that way.

After a few minutes, the man left his corner and approached her.

(Y/N) let herself be seduced during the entire discussion phase, a hint of anger still burning in her entrails, while gently stirring the alcohol in her new glass. Even though she hadn't slept with anyone other than Finnick in the past few years, they had never promised each other anything so she didn't see why she wouldn't be allowed her little pleasures as well. She finished her drink and tugged on the man's tie to bring her lips closer to his ear.

"Your place or mine?" she whispered sensually in his ear.

She felt the man ignite with desire under her fingers and the same feeling seized her at the thought of getting such a reaction from this stranger. As she hurriedly followed the man home, she hoped with all her heart that the fire of her desire would camouflage the bitterness of jealousy and sadness that corroded her heart.

#hunger games #imagine #finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair imagine

[phoenixduelist]

@fxckin-blackbeard

Discomfort well hidden behind diamond hard exterior, Ferenc was translating the woman's French who was selling all kinds tropical fruits. Normally Rozália only indulged in excess purchases during the full restocks, but the last raid by itself provided more than enough. Shaken from her momentary peace upon feeling the rhythmic heavy thuds resonating from the ground; military march. Quite rapid too.

The brutal dance began moments later. Pain switched off, only adrenaline striking through her like lightning as the storm slashed against the swarm, curved swords unforgiving and precise.

“Éltek még?!” (Are you still alive?!) The brief slip of panic in her voice; when THIS happens more usually than she would've liked, the usual strategy was to get her family far away until the focus was only on her

She knew she was indeed better off resting just like Márta had told her, the latest merchant ship was accompanied by a warship as well and...it was a long day to say at least. Still, she had risen, ignoring her ankles' protest to accompany her family to the market. Last and only time she hadn't gone with them Ferenc managed to shag the local noble's daughter and son.

Rage replacing composure as one soldier was sneaking behind Viola, one hand wrenched his head backwards as she opened his throat in one fluid motion. Next thing the Captain realized was the stall crumbling on top of her as a result of three men's hard work. Blunt agony exploded in her left shoulder at the impact, her snarl more akin to a feral animal than human as the executioners cautiously closed in.

One head separated cleanly from the body in one brutal move, the other two only could stare in surprise, enough time window for Marcell to bury his bloody longsword into the other's chest and for Jóska to slide his kris daggers between ribs into lungs.

The mountain of her first mate effortlessly lifted the broken wood with one hand, the other pulling her up, despite the still raging battle keeping her close in a tight embrace. Her breathing uneven, the pain ever swirling despite the lifted weight, damp forehead resting on top of his chest.

“Rozália.” she could feel the vibration in his chest, his fingers in her short hair

She launched herself back to the chaos with an otherworldly growl. Someone has gotten reinforcement, Főnix sinking her teeth into whoever gotten close her claws; and her beloved jaguar was the opening she needed. Blades tossed into the air as she ducked the swings, caught before they could make contact with the ground and she rose in an elegant whirl. Rozália danced, no longer feeling the throb, the scream in all of her ligaments, sword trick after an another; the last man standing attacked by her and the jaguar the same time. Rozy immediately went for the jugular.

The familiar silence only lasted for a few seconds now, with her family one by one confirming to be alive and unharmed, Főnix still tugging on the almost dead soldier. It easily could've been summed up in a ‘Well fuck.’, instead of the torrent of exhausted but extremely creative Hungarian cursing.

Until Rozália noticed at last that they weren't the only pirates choosing to venture here.

“Market's closed.” she informed the leader, possibly the Captain with mouth still full of foreign blood

“And the fair maidens you probably wanted to impress with this getup -leather in the fucking Caribbeans, wonderful idea-, have long ran away.” she informed with raised eyebrows, keeping the steady eye contact and only noting Főnix brushing against her lower thigh. Twin sabers dripping crimson haven't sheathed yet.

#🩸ic ⚔ | show must go on #fxckin-blackbeard

[pbandjesse]

Some of the best news happened at the end of the day today. Because when I came home from work I've had the mice and when I pick them up a second time one of their eyes had opened! The other ones are still closed but one of the mice is at the eye open stage! They're doing so well and I'm so excited.

And really today was a good day. My energy level is kind of been all over the place and I felt very much like I was having a lot of interior thoughts and feelings. Just not feeling the best. Emotionally. But it was a good day.

I slept a lot better last night and I woke up not thrilled to be awake but I felt okay. I got up and I got washed and dressed. Honestly I should have worn tights today I was so cold for most of it. I think I should start wearing a jacket in the morning because it's a good 5 to 10° cooler at camp than it is down here and I was very cold by the time I got there. Before I left though James walked down with me and gave me a big smooch before they left to bike to the museum and I drove to camp.

When I got there I made a couple stops. The first up to the art building to get my paint brush and the other stuff I would need for painting museum doors. I changed into my little coverall. And then I drove over to the watch to get to work.

I was fully expecting this to take longer than it did. I think I worked for maybe 45 minutes total. I had a video going and I set up plastic under the door so I wouldn't get drips anywhere and I think I did a good job. It's kind of a latexy paint so Joe thought it would fill in all the scratchy mark. And if I go in on Tuesday and it doesn't look as good as I hoped I'll do a second coat. But for now I'm pretty happy. And it was nice having this task. Wasn't particularly physically demanding. It had a clear start and end. Clean up was easy. A good thing to check off the list.

Once I finish cleaning up there I drove back up to the art building to return supplies. I stopped at Joe's shed to leave the gallon of paint. And then I went down to the office to start working on some stuff there.

Everyone came in very late today. And left early. Fridays seem to be kind of chill day. Which is fine with me. After yesterday we all kind of needed it.

But because everyone was coming in late I was alone for a lot longer than I expected. I would come down to the office around 9:30 expecting people to be there and they weren't. So I just got to work on my lesson stuff and was poking around online doing research. I would be in there for a while just doing those little tasks that I needed to get done. And eventually Elizabeth and Heather showed up.

They had two tours today that they had to do. But only one of them they knew was an actual guided walkthrough. And they couldn't decide who was going to do what because they were both being polite and just kept saying well whichever one you want. I finally just said I'm going to decide for you when I assigned them which one they were going to do. Which I thought was hilarious. And we talked about the storm.

A hurricane is coming in. And with the way the weather has been this year we're all kind of expecting it to be pretty bad. I'm shocked that the farmers market is not canceled. It is going to close early and a lot of vendors have pulled out. Including me. Because I just am exhausted already and dealing with the wind makes me more exhausted. I hope that it is fine down there but I am a little nervous. And I'm also nervous about camp. So I asked Heather if there was anything I could do to kind of get us prepped for it. Move anything inside or whatever.

So we made a little list. My first task was to go to the pool and put all the lifeguard chairs down and move all the deck chairs under yawning. Elizabeth seemed really worried about me moving the lifeguard chairs by myself because they are very happy. But I was able to kind of use gravity and leaning to use my body weight to get them to lay down on the ground. Moving the chairs took me a while. I could only pick up two or three at a time because some of them are very heavy. And so good in the sun and I was enjoying the video that I was listening to so it was nice to have that task. It honestly was beautiful today. I was a little too cold at times but it was really nice. I think tomorrow since now I'm not going to go to the market I'm going to go through my closet and try it some fall outfits. Love wearing layers and things so very much excited about this.

I took my shoes off a lot today. I was wearing my birks and socks. But I don't like how the office floor sounds when you walk on it so I was taking my shoes off to kind of control how loud it was. And then I just ended up being in my socks at the pool the whole time I was moving the chairs. I love being in bare feet so it was not a problem I just thought it was funny how often I was just walking around in my socks in the office.

After I finish the chairs I took a few minute break and got back to my research. I'm still trying to figure out where to buy wooden hoops for my hoop and stick a game. I will make them if I have to but everywhere I'm finding things are just too thick or they're just embroidery hoops and it just isn't correct. I'm working on it but I don't know why finding wooden hoops is so difficult.

My next big cast was to walk over to woodlands and make sure all the windows were closed. It was a nice little walk even though I hate that one stretch of very thick gravel. It's just so hard to walk on! The rocks are not compact enough and it is tripping hazard. But I'm sure it's helping with erosion.

I also walked around just looking for interesting nature. When I had been over by the lodge this morning to paint the museum doors I had found all these amazing little teeny tiny mushrooms on the stairs. And I just wanted to find more things but it wasn't a great day for it anywhere else. It's not damp enough. So I guess after this week's storms maybe it will be.

Open the art building I would lay out the canvas I got at home Depot yesterday and cut it in half. I drew out a silly banner for the project for the kindergarteners on Tuesday. It just says better together and then it has flowers all over it. Not super inspired but I looked at The group's website and that's kind of their mission statement. Not in those words but it's like the vibe. So I think they'll like it.

I took a break after that. Jess had sent me the document I had started yesterday but she reformatted and made it much better. For our Disney trip. And I did some research that I could ask some questions and she had put some more stuff on there that she liked and wanted and so I got to look into those things. I'm so excited for our trip.

The afternoon was slow in ways. Mostly research sometimes I would pop out so up to the heart building and do something. I spent a little time stretching up there which was really nice. After the tours were over Heather and Elizabeth were back in the office. Alexi was there too. And I would spend a really long time sorting the lost and found items on the porch. I didn't want to see everything get thrown away if I didn't need to be because so much of it I felt like could be donated. And so I spent like 2 hours sorting and then once I pulled out everything that I thought was salvageable I found all the pairs for all the shoes and I rubber band them together. And then I sorted those into type of shoe. We have a bag of sneakers and a bag of boots two bags of sandals and one bag of swim shoes. I even found a few things that I could keep. I got three pairs of Crocs. I'll probably only actually keep one of them. But I brought three home to clean. I got two pairs of swimming shoes that fit me really well actually. And are basically brand new. And just a couple small items. Keychains. One of those over the door hanging organizers. I don't know where I'm going to use it for but nice to have. And it was just really nice having like these tasks today I love a task. And I feel three trash bags. The porch looks so nice. And we're going to hopefully get all that stuff out to some donation center next week. For now at least it won't get ruined in the rain like some of the stuff that had been on the side did. I had to throw away a couple things that will moldy it was disgusting.

Around 3, after Alexi had left for her family beach trip, All of a sudden Elizabeth starts freaking out because one of her teeth fell out. It turned out it was actually a crown but still all of a sudden she's freaking out. And this was after she had freaked out about wedding photos earlier. So I didn't know what was going on and I was like what is happening what is are you okay. And she was very upset obviously. I would also be very upset and I have been very upset when I broken teeth. So it was kind of decided then that we were all just going to go home early. Heather and me stayed a couple more minutes. I finished up the Amazon list from my lesson plans. The whole thing. I'm very proud of myself. And then Heather said that she was going to leave and that I could too.

So I took my bag of lost and found goodies up to the art building. I double checked that the building was locked for the weekend. And then I went home.

The change James's hours, they changed the hours of the museum, so they are going to be getting home closer to 5:00 now. But they apparently had a pretty quick closing so even though I got home before 4:00 I wasn't alone very long.

When I got back here I brought all my stuff inside and I went and checked on the mice. They weren't super warm anymore because the heating pad is only on a 2-hour timer. But once I got the cage one backed up they were good. I fed them. And then had to clean them off because they are all crispy. And left a low bowl of some of the formula mixed with water in there and they drink it because it was gone. But they were all crispy. So I think they were standing in it while they were drinking it. So I clean them off with cotton balls and warm water. Which I've had to do two more times since then. But at least they were warm.

I would chill on the couch until James came home. They looked a little sad when they got back here. They're dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress right now. But they keep saying they don't want to burden me which I don't think is fair. But I understand having those ups and downs. Can be hard. But once they cooled off they said that whenever I was ready we could walk over to check out what was going on with artscape. The original plan was to go tomorrow but now it's been canceled because of the hurricane. So today was our chance.

I wasn't feeling 100% my best. Just kind of a little vaguely uncomfortable. But I really wanted to spend the time with James and we haven't been to artscape since the last one in 2019 so I was excited. I was knitting and wanted to finish that square and James said that we could leave after that.

I want to go check on the mice after I finished the square and I picked them up and one of them had their eyes open! And I like squealed with delight. Because that means we're basically out of the woods all things considered. hopefully the other one opens their eyes soon too. He's much more active now he wants to walk all over my hand and up my arm. He's seeing everything for the first time and that must be so exciting. I will probably start researching when I can start giving them different foods. I assume that this wouldn't be around the time when they would start eating other stuff. But I don't want to hurt them so I want to make sure I give them the right stuff. And Heather said that if I want to start setting up some kind of nature-inspired tank since they are a native creature it would be nice to have in the nature building. So I don't want to put the cart before the horse but if that works out it would be so cool to have a mouse tank in the nature lodge. I watched someone on TikTok who set up a nature inspired tank for her mice and it was mostly tunnels and I just thought it was the coolest thing. So like grasses and tunnels and things that resemble what a field mouse like these would actually be with. I think that would be amazing.

After I wash my hands. Because you really need to wash your hands after you hold the mice. Me and James would walk over to Micah and start walking through artscape.

It wasn't very busy over there yet. It would be more busy on Charles. But I enjoyed looking at everything. But I also wasn't feeling great. My legs were rubbing together in a very unpleasant way. And I was warmer from the walk that I expected. And I was trying to be okay but I was not having a great time on the inside. We didn't buy anything. We did get three business cards from places that I would like to revisit. But I was a little overwhelmed. We stopped at theater projects or James could drop their bike off and use the bathroom. I sat outside and I felt okay for a few minutes while I sat there but once we were in the big groups I was kind of feeling weird. And my legs were hurting real bad. So after we made it to North avenue. After seeing some really cool installations. I asked if we could go home. James didn't have to be back at the theater till 7:00 so even though it wasn't the original plan for them to walk me back to the apartment they did. And we smooched outside and I went in.

When I came upstairs I checked on the mice again. I fed them a little. I went outside and I secured the plants out on the fire escape for the wind. And then I cleaned the fish tank and the frog tank. Just vacuumed the bottom and took out some of the dead leaves. And after I hugged on sweetp for a little bit, I took a shower.

I would also play with my new hot brush that I got in the mail today. It doesn't get as hot as quickly as I was expecting. I was a little spoiled by my last two. But the brush part made my hair look really nice and after kind of having a low emotional day that was really nice. Maybe me feel good.

The shower helped me feel a lot more normal too. And once I was clean and back in a sweatshirt and feeling cozy I would get the oven to turn on right away and made mozzarella sticks and fries for dinner. Which work right. I tried some of the hot honey that we got and even though James cut it 50% with regular honey it is still basically unedible it is so spicy. It doesn't even taste like anything it's just so spicy. We will not make that mistake again. I had to text James cuz it was so funny I was like I can't eat this. Thankfully I did not pour it on anything and had just tried to dip things in it.

And now I'm just chilling in bed. James will be home around 11:00. I've been texting people and watching videos. Sweetp and me were having a cuddle. I think I might go and have a snack. Check on the mice again. I closed the windows because It has gotten very windy. The storm is supposed to start soon. I was hoping James would make it home before it does but it's not the radar is to be I don't know if they're going to come home completely dry. But the bed will be warm and I will just be happy to see them.

Tomorrow since I am not going to market my plan is to knit as much as I can. I only have seven squares left of this project. And then go through my closet like I said and make some fall outfits. And I was just texting my dad and he asked if we could talk on the phone just to catch up. And I think that's going to be really nice.

I hope you all sleep well. Let's hope that both of my mice have their eyes open tomorrow. Sleep well my friends. I love you all

[mageofspacemultiverse]

Trade Secrets

Light. Light from the sky. He could never really get enough of it, the way it blinded at certain angles and cast shadows on the ground. Shadows...the deepest he’d ever seen. Effervescent, glow, silver and gold and white and red all wrapped into a veil that couldn’t be touched.

         Why did it have to hurt? Was this a punishment for abandoning his calling? ...gee, way to be emotional. What’s done was done with the scepter gone.

         Casitt lifted his head from the sack of wool that cushioned its weight, staring out through the flaps in his grey mobile fabric enclosure – as locals had called it, a tent – with flickering attention. It was another day, another journey; always another. Such was the pursuit of an ever-growing list of clientele. The past four months had been arduous, but he’d somehow gotten into something of a routine with his new business.

         His not-so-dearest father had given him all the tools in the world to work as a trader one day, back when things hadn’t seemed quite so crazy, though it was a stroke of good luck that many trolls’ eyes ballooned at the sight of the precious gems. He almost had enough money saved up to buy himself a cycle, if his friend Aristo kept to his word on a deal. At the very least, it would beat walking everywhere on foot.

         This trip in particular was a bit of a lighter haul than the others. Some cave raiders had walked into his vein of the Linnaen Catacombs, brandishing barbed words and even-more-barbed spears. Casitt didn’t incur anything terrible despite their aggression, but skipped out early just in case sometroll came looking for the bodies. Nasty business, but this venue was a bit smaller than his permanent stall at the Monsoon Marketplace, so the losses probably wouldn’t hurt him too badly.

         After a lean breakfast of grub lox and a thin, flat pastry that reeked of garlicky oil, Casitt clambered from his knees and looked out from his indigo-grass knoll perch. Despite the urge to keep moving that had plagued and adapted with him, it was hard to deny that the solitude came with two edges. The freedom was superb, and feeling a gust of wind billow across the fabric cloak that shielded his vulnerable skin, his mouth turned upward with a moment of enjoyment.

         Yet...his thoughts turned to others as well. Hyanna was the freshest imprint, and though she really ought’ve just been a pain in his ass, a flicker of doubt swiped his mind. She could handle herself fine, more than fine, but if her ancestor had caught wind of her whereabouts...and even beyond that, he thought of his other friends. He would’ve laid down his life to keep them safe within a second thought, but...were they?

         Could they ever be truly free from all of this?

         Packing up was a sinch, and Casitt braved the constant paranoia of being tailed as the seconds of endless walking went on. The seconds became minutes, and those minutes quickly tumbled into hours. Sunlight that once dripped across every pore of field dipped below the skyline, and cool night eventually emerged. He could still see in the dark well enough, but with little need for it anymore Casitt undonned the cloak and stuffed into a pack on his back. It was a bit chillier, but moonlight on his skin felt natural. Completing.

         Through valleys and vales and cresting over hills, the traveler trudged forward, ever-durable, until vague shapes in the distance came into view. It would be another half-hour to reach the outskirts, but atop its own nest and squished into the coastline, a great castle beckoned. Apparently there was a flea market in its shadow; at least, according to a letter he’d received back in Monsoon.

         Stones shuffled and stirred in the silk bag that hung over his shoulder, but he stopped to rest for a moment when sign of nearing his final destination came into focus. He looked to his pocket and pulled out the crumpled letter. Unfolded, it showed an image of the town itself, and Casitt traced the shapes with his eyes to make sure they matched. Thankfully, everything seemed to line up, and after a cup of cold soup and a moment of basking in the everglow above, he set out again.

         His cowl was donned again when the shapes solidified into buildings, and even more at the sight of milling townsfolk nearby. Mutant status, whether he liked it or not, necessitated precautions, and lime in particular would likely lead to alarm. Even so, Casitt figured it wouldn’t be too much trouble to avoid suspicion on his way into the nucleus of this new business adventure, and merchants in general were rarely given too suspicious of looks.

         To his surprise, a younger troll waddled over as his shoes left grass to meet stone. It was a young girl, black hair in pig-tails like a crown encasing three triangular horns. She did not see Casitt smile, but put an index finger to her mouth and approached all the same.

         “Who’re you?” She piped up with a squeak, eyes slightly lazy with naïvete. Casitt knew the look, if only from his brother, but he quickly suppressed that comparison before thoughts of him started to flood into his mind.

         “Who am I? Mmm...Casitt, who are you?”

         “Ahhh..Grailo.”

         “Well Grailo, I won’t bother you long. Sure you’ve gotta sleep.” He mumbled, having a strong feeling this would get annoying as the girl pressed her finger between a gap in her teeth. “That really big building, over there-“ He pointed to the massive brick complex on the other side of the town. “-the library, yes? Nod your head if it is.”

         She looked to the sky to think, as if the word didn’t register fully, but soon Grailo bobbled her noggin up and down.

         Casitt hummed in approval. “Thanks, then.” And that was all she wrote. He trudged past, clanking and slipping through the streets, leaving the girl to ogle in confusion at his retreat.

         “Well then...tch, let’s fucking hope this Yggdrasil place is all it’s cracked up to be.” He told himself rhetorically, re-adjusting the straps on his shoulders and shaking his head. Just another day, walking through shadows on the ground, the deepest he’d ever seen.

         Maybe one day soon, the shadows of his friends would make the walk with him again.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Casitt Resshi and Grailo (random character) belongs to myself

Hyanna Kekkel belongs to @memurfevur

#casittresshi #casitt #mageofspacemultiverse #fantroll #homestuck #homestuck drabble #creative writing

[teabooksandsweets]

A City of Bells

Chapter V — Part IV

It was the evening of the day before the shop was to open. The last book had been put in its place and the shop blind had been lowered to hide the glories within from the inquisitive gaze of Torminster. All his helpers had gone home and Jocelyn was alone in his house for the first time. He ate the supper that old Martha had left for him, cold ham and pickles and blancmange so hard that it needed a hatchet, in the kitchen with the rose-red floor. The copper pans that Felicity had arranged on the mantelpiece winked in such a charming way and reflected the red tiles with such a warm glow that they seemed alive, and such good company that he did not notice his loneliness.

But when he went into his sitting-room, the back room that had also been Ferranti’s sitting-room, he did not feel so companioned. He was tired and the peculiar feelings that lie in wait to pounce upon those who are both tired and alone proceeded to pounce. The bits of his own past that surrounded him seemed to have receded very far away. His friends hanging on the walls seemed to be looking at him through a veil, and that veil, he felt, was another man’s past. It was hanging all round him, obscuring his own, and like a mist it was closing in on him.

He had sat down in an arm-chair with a book, but suddenly he felt that he could not sit still … And he was so cold … The sunny June had given place to a wet July and outside his window the garden was wrapped in a cloak of soft, steady rain that never ceased for an instant. There was no wind and all day long there had not been one rent visible in the muffling pall that shrouded the world. The damp was awful. It penetrated every cranny and it seemed to Jocelyn that the atmosphere inside the house was as saturated with it as the atmosphere outside. It was the sort of weather that Torminster specialized in and its inhabitants were quite used to it, but to Jocelyn, on this his first introduction to its clamminess, it seemed unspeakably depressing.

He put on his mackintosh and went out to the shed in the garden where he had stored the chopped-up wood of a dead apple-tree. He carried the logs into his sitting-room, fetched paper and matches and lit a fire. The lovely yellow flames burst into flower in the grate and the exquisite smell of burning apple-wood filled the room, as though it were the fragrance of the flame petals.

Jocelyn lit a pipe and drew thankfully nearer to the golden comfort. The damp of the room seemed conquered and the mist, that had been closing in on him drew back … He was reminded of a man who lights a fire in a jungle to keep the wild beasts at bay.

He was deep in his book when a knock at the front door startled him. He went down the dark, damp little passage and opened the door almost apprehensively, but outside in the dripping Market Place was no one more alarming than Grandfather, muffled in his voluminous cloak and with his immense old green umbrella erected over his round hat.

“Come in,” cried Jocelyn. “Whatever made you come out again in all this wet?”

“I thought you might be lonely,” said Grandfather. “Yes. Depressing sort of evening for your first night. I’m lonely myself. Your dear Grandmother has gone to bed early with a cold and Felicity is up in London. Coming back by the late train. Thank you, my dear boy, if you could manage to put the umbrella down.”

In the passage Grandfather tenderly uncovered a parcel of books that he was carrying under his cloak. “Ferranti’s books,” he said. “After his disappearance there was a sale and I bought these—all he had left, poor fellow, that he had not already sold. I did not want them to fall into unsympathetic hands … Yes … They are yours now.”

“Do you want to give them to me?” asked Jocelyn.

“Yes. They belong here.”

Jocelyn hung up Grandfather’s cloak in the passage and led the way into the fire-lit sitting-room. He pulled up a second chair to the fire and then went to the kitchen to get hot coffee. Only when two cups of it were steaming on the table between them did he look at the books. There were only three of them, Shakespeare, Byron and Shelley.

“Did he only have these three left at the time of his disappearance?” he asked, holding the shabby volumes between his hands.

“That’s all. He had parted with nearly all his possessions … What excellent coffee. Did Martha make it?”

“Yes,” said Jocelyn. “But I think that old saint Mary must have made the blancmange I had for supper. It was the kind of blancmange,” he added vindictively, “that only a spiritually minded woman would make.”

“Mary,” said Grandfather, “was once the Archdeacon’s cook, but though her influence on the household was very great her beef-and-kidney pudding did not agree with the Archdeacon and he pensioned her off.”

Jocelyn carried Ferranti’s books to the bookcase and put them with his own. He did not question the gift of them, he did not even say thank you, for it seemed to him quite right that the only tangible things left from Ferranti’s past should live here with his. Coming back to the fire he piled on more logs and settled himself in front of Grandfather.

“Tell me about Ferranti,” he said.

“There’s so little to tell,” sighed Grandfather. “That was the trouble with Ferranti, he could tell one nothing. He was an egoist who could not let himself loose in words. The poison of self-absorption had no outlet, if you understand me, and I am afraid that it may have drowned him.”

“He lived to himself?” asked Jocelyn.

“Entirely. He was here for two years and as far as I know made no single intimate friend.”

“Not even yourself?”

“I tried,” said the old man humbly, “but I failed. I was a friend, but not intimate. I came to see him often, and he came to see me, and we talked of books and music and the fair beauties of this world, but of intimate things he would never speak. I could never get near him. It is difficult to take the citadel of another man’s being by storm, dear me, yes, but my failure there I count the worst of the sins I have committed against my God.”

He stretched out his hands to the fire and Jocelyn saw to his astonishment that they were trembling. “Sin?” he questioned smiling. “Do you call it a sin that you could not force the confidence of a reserved egoist?”

The old man raised troubled eyes. “When a life is shipwrecked,” he said, “one asks oneself, what were those near at hand doing that they did not prevent it?”

“Some ships,” said Jocelyn gently, “sail so far away by themselves that no one can get to them when they sink. In a case like that the only man to blame is the man who owns the ship and sets the course.”

“I cannot accept your comfort without adding the sin of self-deception to the sin of my failure,” said Grandfather. “I know quite well that if after seventy-eight years of the enjoyment of God’s goodness I cannot at the end of it kindle a spark of belief in a fellow-creature then I am not worthy of the bounty I have received.”

Grandfather’s self-scourging was pitiful to see and Jocelyn tried hard to comfort him. “You attempted the impossible,” he said. “Some of us are lucky enough to find a causeway for our feet across the slough of this world; belief in God, belief in love, belief in a sound core at the heart of seeming rottenness; something or other. But we find it for ourselves. It’s the tragedy of life that we can’t communicate it.”

“It is to our shame if we cannot.”

“Not always. For what can we do? We can cry aloud and hold out a hand to another man, but even though he may take our hand and come nearer to us we have no way of forcing his feet to find rock. That he must do for himself. If he’s too lazy or too paralysed by self-absorption or misery to make the effort we can’t help that.”

“You’re wrong there,” sighed Grandfather. “A life, such as mine, that has known God’s goodness, should act like a magnet. Yes. I can claim no such triumph of personality and therefore I have failed.”

“We can’t agree,” smiled Jocelyn. “Tell me more of Ferranti. Where he came from, what he wrote, why he failed.”

“Dear me, yes,” said Grandfather. “I came to talk of Ferranti and stay to talk of myself. How typical that is of human nature. How typical of my own gross selfishness … Dear me, now I’m starting on my own gross selfishness … Yes. Ferranti. Where was I?”

“Where did he come from?” asked Jocelyn.

“He had lived for years abroad, he told me, chiefly in Italy, for he was partly Italian, but that was all I could find out. He had that fanatical, dangerous love of beauty, that ‘desire of the moth for the star,’ that can be content with nothing but perfection … Yes … He could not be content, as we must be in this world, to worship beauty amid imperfection. If he had seen a lovely picture in an ugly frame he would, I think, have destroyed picture and frame together in his rage. From his complete loneliness I gathered that he must have turned aside from every human relationship the moment that it failed to satisfy his ideal.”

“And his verse?” asked Jocelyn.

“That was his passion. Dear me, yes. It was the way in which he had elected to serve beauty and nothing would turn him aside from it. He had that fatal gift of identifying his whole being with one object only … Yes … There’s a touch of greatness there, but it’s dangerous.”

“And as a poet he was a failure?”

“How could he be anything else? He wrote the sort of verse that only supersensitives such as himself could have appreciated. You know what I mean. It dealt with problems that are not problems to normal folk, and tortures they would never be likely to feel, and pleasures too delicate for their apprehension. It was verse that needed interpretation and he had no interpreter.”

“Did he want a public or did he not care?”

“Of course he cared. He said to me once, ‘At rock bottom living is merely a giving of personality in one form or another. If no one wants what you have to give you might as well hang yourself and have done with it.’”

“That sounds bad,” said Jocelyn. “The sort of temperament that would turn melancholic under strain.”

“Yes. Yes. And he suffered great strain. He told me one day that he had all the money he needed. Private means, he said. Yet, as I told you, when he disappeared we found that he had run through every penny of it. Pride, you see. Life is an appalling strain for those who are both proud and poor together … The fear that he may have made away with himself haunts me night and day.”

“In all that you have told me there are certainly the ingredients for a first-class tragedy,” Jocelyn agreed. “But, if it happened, I can’t see that it’s any fault of yours. And I don’t see either,” he added gently, “what we can do about it now.”

“If he still lives,” said Grandfather, “he is not beyond our help. Dear me, no. As I said before, I think that you, living in this house, may yet be able to do something about it.”

“Good heavens, what?” asked poor Jocelyn.

“That is for you to find out. You will say that I am shifting my burden on to you. Perhaps I am. But your shoulders are younger than mine … Dear me, it’s late … I must get home or your dear Grandmother will be seriously displeased.”

Jocelyn put his cloak about him, took him to the door, erected his umbrella and bade him good night. “I’ll do all I can,” he said to the troubled old man, but he spoke as one speaks to a child who has broken a toy beyond hope of repair … For what could he do?

“Well, of all the fantastic nonsense,” he said to himself when he was alone in his sitting-room again. “But what a dear old boy Grandfather is!”

He lit a pipe and settled down again, thinking. Grandfather had quoted Shelley and now scraps of Shelley’s verse floated through his mind.

“The desire of the moth for the star, Of the night for the morrow, The devotion to something afar From the sphere of our sorrow.”

Yes, that was all right. That was the quest for beauty upon which every soul is engaged; but Ferranti, it seemed, had pursued the spirit of transcendent beauty only, and that way madness lay. Immanent beauty he had missed.

“Spirit of beauty … where art thou gone? Why dost thou pass away and leave our state, This dim vast vale of tears, vacant and desolate?”

Had beauty always been for Ferranti an elusive, flying thing? Had it never, in this lovely city, sat beside him at his own hearth and brought him peace?

#torminstertravels #adultbooklr #books #booklr #bookish #literature #a city of bells: chapter 5

[cattleyamay]

Thieving Furniture

His quick steps echoed through the empty hallway. he tried to slow down his pace, but the nerves didn't allow him. After years of construction, the new outlet mall had finally opened, and he needed to make his move before all the security measures were settled.

Petrified was a tame word for how he felt. Ever since his fallout with his accomplice, he hadn't dared venture into burglary again. Yet, the thief job market was as dry as the Sahara, and his money was thinning out faster than he could manage. Without his former accomplice's lock-picking skills, he decided to test the water with the good old-fashioned armed robbery

The cold metal of the dagger in his pocket brought him comfort. He knew a gun was a better idea, but had always felt like it was far too dangerous to carry one for a simple store robbery.

He spotted a dark corner of the hallway where a small store entrance stood.

Two Moons Outlet: 20% sale on all crystals

The cursive letters on the storefront were unusual for such a modern mall but he assumed the store just wanted to stand out.

The only entrance was a small carved wooden door, its intricate patterns of vines and constellations met in the middle where two silver moons were painted. The windows on the sides were tinted to the point you couldn't see anything inside the store.

Perfect he thought what a better store to rob than one where no one could see a thing.

He looked around the almost empty mall before entering the inconspicuous store.

Ding

The door’s bell jingled the moment he passed the door frame and the strong smell of burned incense inundated his nostrils. The air was thick with fog floating in the store’s atmosphere. The cobblestone floor and the brick walls only emphasized the store's unique ambiance, a stark contrast to the outside.

His eyes went from shelf to shelf noticing the strange objects in them, small bottles with colorful contents, parts of fantasy creatures he was sure were made of wax, stones with rudimentary writing sat atop some books whose titles were written in a language he was sure didn’t exist.

A tiny book with wings flew by him as he approached the counter. He wondered where the battery pack would be hidden in such a small flying object. A small attendant was sitting behind the counter lounged in an enormous dark green velvet chair. Only her bright red hair and a dozen sparkly bracelets prevented her from blending into the chair completely.

The attendant glanced at him, her disinterested eyes barely settled on him before she looked down at her book again and spoke.

“Welcome to the Two Moons Outlet: the best sorcerer’s shop on the American continent, what spell can I get started for you?” Her monotone voice lacked any intention of actually helping the supposed customer. Then she hit a metallic triangle dangling above her head twice, the sound echoed once from the front of the store and strangely again a second later from the back.

He set the dagger on the counter with a loud thud. Just as he was about to start his speech she interrupted him.

“My regrets sir, we don’t do refunds” She didn’t even look up from her book.

“I’m not looking for a return—”

“We don’t do trades either, that’s the one moon shop” her voice dripped with apathy. Again she didn’t look up.

“I’m not here for a trade!” He snapped. “Give me all you have in the cashier right now!!” He bellowed.

He had practiced this part in front of the mirror a dozen times the night before trying to sound as intimidating as his voice allowed, now he just sounded as frustrated as a kindergartener without a toy.

“Oh, you're robbing us? rude” She yawned, he couldn’t believe the PUNK YAWNED while he was trying to rob her.

If thieves had a dignity she had just mopped the floor with his.

“I said!” she raised one eyebrow at his tone. “Open the cashier and give me all the money” Her head tilted with curiosity, not a hint of fear in her void eyes.

“What cashier?” just then he realized there was no box or cashier on the counter, just more weird objects and a worn down yellow paged open journal. He squatted and looked at the rest of the counter’s shelf, all filled with different objects none looked like they would hold money. He grabbed his dagger again by this time the attendant had gone back to her chair and to reading her book.

Perplexed and a bit insulted he walked around the counter until he was right in front of her, and with a swipe grabbed the book from her hands and tossed it away across the store. She looked up at him, her eyes still void of anything but boredom. Could the woman even feel a thing?

He pointed the dagger in her direction

“Wherever you keep the money, I don’t care but give it to me NOW!” He shouted threateningly. She let out a long yawn as if the whole ordeal was terribly inconvenient.

“We don’t deal in money human” She flicked her wrist and the book flew back to her.

Astonished, he stared at the book he had just tossed across the store now on her hand. She flipped a page, as if he wasn’t still standing there with the dagger pointed toward her.

He slowly turned around confused beyond explanation, he gathered the book must have a similar mechanism to the tiny winged one from earlier. A mechanism she could activate with her bracelets or something. It was the only logical explanation.

He started to walk toward the exit. Frustration boiling in his veins. Part of him wanted to go home and hide his embarrassment under the blankets.

On his way out he spotted a golden necklace on a shelf, the necklace consisted of a series of intertwining golden chains, with two sizable round pendants each positioned at opposite ends.

Pure gold. He knew it was right away, all his years of robbing jewelry stores in the dark with his accomplice had trained his eye to perfection. He knew pure gold from a mile away.

He pushed the glass case holding the necklace onto the floor. The glass shattered everywhere as the gold necklace spilled on the cobblestone floor.

The attendant snapped her head upward at an abnormal speed and narrowed her eyes at him.

He quickly bent down and grabbed it hoping the attendant wasn’t going to try and stop him.

She stood slowly from her velvet chair, setting the book to one side.

“Now, you are a true thief” She smirked at him, and at that moment he wished to see her turn back to apathy for it was terrifying to see her smile.

He tried to run, but his legs felt paralyzed. He looked down at them and saw with horror that, in place of his legs, there were two wooden planks.

His back gave out making him contort. His torso turned flat and parallel to the floor as his hands touched the ground. He wanted to scream as he saw them turn wooden and flat. His eyes glanced up at the attendant wanted to ask for help but all she did was hold her smile as any noise died before it came out of his mouth. Then he couldn’t move it or feel it anymore. Only his eyes stayed movable.

He watched helplessly as the attendant gathered some trinkets from the counter and walked towards him. He felt as she placed them on top of where his spine used to exist, now replaced by a flat wooden plank. He wanted to protest, to scream, to run, to wake up from the nightmare.

“Don’t worry thief, I’ll let you keep what you sought” She pronounced sweetly as she placed the necklace in another glass display box and then moved it on top of him.

She dusted him off as though he had been a table in the shop all along, rather than a paralyzed human. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an intricate vintage mirror, and what he saw in its reflection was beyond comprehension. It was a table with his eyes.

No.

He was a table with only eyes.

She walked back behind the counter without a trace of concern. Grabbed the book again and settled in a snug position on her chair.

“I love thieves, they make exceptional furniture” She smiled to herself, and only then did he notice the pleading human eyes staring back at him on the velvet chair.

#creepy stories #creepypasta #scary stories #horror stories #little nightmares #short stories

[seacee16]

when petals fall | bangchan

bang chan x original female character

warnings: very very brief mention of death

prev chapter // next chapter

!! FULL STORY ON AO3 !!

ch. 12 ~ when you fall

The house was quiet. The other car had yet to return from their trip to the market, leaving the rest of the group to meddle about while they waited. When they had arrived, the boys had opted to wait until the others returned before they assigned rooms – with an exception of Sakura, who would get her own room. After that was decided, each went on their own quest. Changbin had made himself comfortable on the plush couch in the living room and had almost instantly fallen back into a deep sleep, continuing his dreams from the long car ride. Jisung and Hyunjin had chosen to take a walk along the shore, taking a camera with them to vlog the experience. Sakura had taken the time to settle in to her room. It hadn’t taken too long. Soon, an hour had passed and she was done, ready to seek something new to pass the time with.

Stepping out into the evening sun, Sakura felt herself relax under the light caress of the sea breeze coming in. She planned to visit the beach the next day once mandatory filming was done and the members went about with their own plans. So, for now, she walked around the property with a mug in hand, sipping from the dark liquid to fight off the ocean chill. Her ears perked at the sound of gentle splashes as she approached the backyard area.

It was there that she found Chan. All this time she had thought he was asleep somewhere like the other rapper, tired after driving without break. Instead, he was swimming laps in the pool, sending up a spray of droplets with every kick and dive. Sakura set her drink down on the nearby picnic table before seating herself at the pool’s edge, dipping her feet into the water. It was cold, but not enough to make her retract her limbs.

Only two laps later did the swimmer lift his head long enough to notice his audience, a grin forming on his face as soon as he saw her. With quick strokes, Chan swam over to where she sat, resting his arms on the edge of the pool. Sakura had strong will power, but not enough to keep her eyes from drifting to his arms. He had kept a loose black tank top on, too shy to leave himself open – despite his many ab-flashing performances. The thin material clung to his muscles like a second skin, showing off a hint of what was hidden underneath. Shy eyes fluttered away, catching the smug look on the leader’s face after catching her staring. Instead, her eyes found a new target. Sakura reached out, her fingers lacing into the curls dripping over his forehead. With a tentative touch, she pushed his hair out of his face. Her fingernails grazed his scalp, causing the male to close his eyes with a content sigh, leaning into her touch ever so slightly. She smiled. His response was enough of a green light to keep her hand busy in his hair, playing with the locks as it dried.

“You really didn’t have to come all this way with me,” she suddenly mentioned, the thought eating at her thoughts. His head shifted on his forearms, turning so that he could look up at her without losing the feeling of her fingers in his hair. “I would have been okay on my own.”

“It’s not safe to travel around on your own. Especially when it gets dark out.” He watched as a grin formed on the girl’s face.

She hummed. “So, I’ve heard. Apparently, this country has some men who lurk in the shadows to watch strange girl’s dance.”

Chan faked a frown, eyebrows pulled tight in the space above his nose. “Disgusting.” Then his face relaxed, and he was smiling up at her once more. He truly was beautiful. “Besides,” he said. “The kids needed this break. I needed a break.” Sakura nodded in understanding. They had seen each other less in the last two weeks, with Chan constantly busy with rehearsals and filming and photoshoots galore. And while she didn’t mind his busy schedule, she couldn’t deny that she had missed his presence. “It’ll only get more chaotic from this point on, so its best we take this time to enjoy a small trip. Plus, it’s not like it’s an entirely work free weekend anyway.”

“About that,” Sakura interrupted. “What am I supposed to do exactly? And how on earth did you manage to arrange this in the first place? I thought your management would have sent at least half a dozen professionals to help you film.”

Chan smirked. It was cocky and determined. It was very attractive, to say the least. “Perks of being the leader, I have the trust of management. They know that I don’t play around when it comes to the group. So, when I suggested that we be allowed 3 days of rest away from the city, they were happy to agree as long they got some content out of it. And yes, they were prepared to send a team with us, but I told them that I wanted the kids to relax as much as they could, and that only one person to film was needed. I then told them that I would arrange everything, which I honestly wasn’t sure they’d approve of, but they allowed it. And so, here we are.” Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle. He had used his connections well, pulling off his elaborate plan exactly as he had intended to. Maybe miracles do exist.

“As for what you need to do, you just have to follow us around with a camera when we go exploring tomorrow, maybe when we sort out our meals as well, but that’s about it. The company gave us our usual vlog cameras as well, so we will be filming ourselves during the trip too. So, your job shouldn’t be too hard. And I promise that you will be paid for your services.”

“I am not taking your money, Chan.”

“It’s actually the company’s money.”

“I guess that’s okay then.”

Chan laughed, the sound making her stomach flutter. “How long were you watching me swim?”

“Not too long. I won’t lie, Christopher, I wasn’t impressed. Despite your previous claims, you didn’t really look like a pro swimmer,” she teased, enjoying the way his eyes blew up at her comment. Then came the sly grin she knew all too well. With no effort at all, he rested his palms flat on the edge and pushed himself up until his face was level with hers. She leaned back slightly, trying to keep herself dry and away from the rush of water that fell from his body as it lifted out of the water.

His gaze dropped to her lips as he asked, “Is that a challenge, Sakura?”

Braving the swirl of emotions in her stomach, the girl leaned forward, their noses less than an inch apart. She waited for his eyes to return to her own before saying, “Show me what you’ve got, Nemo.”

<3      <3      <3

Supper was a mission. Literally. The leader had been given a bunch of missions, both for the group and individual members, for their stay in Jeju. After bringing back more groceries than needed, the mission was revealed to the remaining seven members. They had to prepare and cook their meal while having their wrists tied to that of another members. still split into their two groups, Sakura helped with tying them together so that they could begin. It was chaos. It took everything in her not to burst out laughing every time Lee Know complained about Seungmin moving too much while he tried to cut vegetables, with the younger looking away sheepishly each time and stilling for only a handful of minutes before his energy returned. Changbin had made the mistake of pushing Jisung’s hair out of his face after handling onions, causing the 00’liner to cry out. The group’s theatrics were enough to give her cramps. The entire time, Chan was seen stressing, continuously checking to make sure every kid still had all 10 fingers attached to them and that no more eyes were harmed in the process.

After what felt like an eternity of a combination of laughter and torture, the boys were untied and free to eat. It was then that Sakura realized they had not bought too much, but potentially too little as she witnessed the group scarf down serving after serving until they were all stuffed. Drowsy, and slightly rounded from all the food, the boys fell into a comfortable silence. That was when Felix suggested a little bonfire on the beach. The two eldest members took the lead in preparing a small pit in the sand, as well as setting up and lighting the fire itself. The atmosphere was fairly warm, but the icy bite in the air had them grateful for the warmth of the growing flames in front of them.

Looking around, Sakura couldn’t help but feel a different warmth creeping into her chest. She hadn’t intended for any of this to happen. After moving to Seoul, there had been a period of time where she refused to leave the apartment unless completely necessary. Her days were spent scrolling through flights back home, the ‘what if’s eating her alive. She shouldn’t have left. Leaving was for the best. Would they hate her for her choice? Would she be allowed home? Three weeks into her stay, Soo-yun managed to convince her to go out with them for the night. It wasn’t great. What her roommate had failed to tell her was that her entire class would be there as well. Sakura announced her leave from the party an hour and 26 minutes later. In her mind, it was better to keep away from new people. She’d have to leave eventually. So, why would she increase the number of people she’d inevitably leave behind? Why add more grief for herself? But now, watching the cheery octet converse around her, Sakura couldn’t help but be thankful for their fated meeting.

The leader caught her eyes, pausing his conversation. “You know, Hyunjin, Sakura teaches art part-time,” Chan mentions. Sakura’s eyes widen.

“Children! I teach children! It’s really nothing as impressive as what you do, Hyunjin,” she confessed quickly, hands waving wildly in front of her. She looked up at the artist looking back at her from the opposite side of the circle and blushed. “The pieces you post about online are incredible, really.”

“Don’t be so quick to discredit yourself, petal. I’ve seen your drawings,” Chan reassured, oblivious to the looks shared between the younger members at the sound of the affectionate pet name used by their leader.

“Yeah, but those are mainly still-life sketches. Sure, I can draw something stationery with enough detail for it to be considered as good, but it’s different to be able to fearlessly try so many types of art and explore each one of them until you improve. I’m used to playing it safe with my art, but from what I’ve seen, Hyunjin works on everything.” Through the distorted air above the flames, she could see the boy smile back at her shyly.

He said, “Thank you, but if Chan-hyung says you’re good, then I don’t doubt that. I’d love to see some of your art sometime, noona.”

“I-I’d like that,” she admitted, watching the smile grow on the dancer’s face.

The embers illuminated the small circle as the conversation went on. They spoke about family and friends and the time when certain members almost joined a cult. As the hour went on, Sakura ended up laying back in the sand, eyes taking in the view above them. The lack of light pollution around them made the stars shine ten times brighter; an infinite number of silver specks covering the dark sky. The others soon followed suit, making themselves comfortable.

“Is it anything like this?”

Seungmin’s head lolled to the left, eyes staring straight at her as she admired the cosmos above them. “Is what anything like this, noona?”

“The sea of lights,” Sakura whispered back. “When you’re on stage, and you’re staring out at the crowd, does it look anything close to this?”

“No,” Chan admitted from his place to her right. He too was gazing up at the litter of stars and planets. “It doesn’t. Its brighter. Like thousands of Acrux. You’d think that nothing could compete with the type of celestial beauty that the night sky holds, but being up there is like being at the centre of a galaxy in its own. That sight is a different kind of extraordinary.” A chorus of agreeing hums and murmurs were heard around the fire.

She smiled softly. “I bet its beautiful.” And how cliché of the leader to nod at her words, brown eyes focused on the girl instead of the glittering sky.

“It is.” Jisung was the one to respond this time, smiling up at the Milky Way. “We’re incredibly lucky to be able to see it.”

Sakura shook her head, eyes shining. “I don’t think luck has anything to do with it. You work hard and you put your heart and soul into your art. And at the end of the day, you are at the very centre of that galaxy. Eight suns amongst thousands of stars. Without you, there would be no galaxy to call beautiful and extraordinary. It is a creation of your love. For them and your music. You’re not incredibly luck. Just incredible.”

The members found themselves smiling. They had worked hard. They had done well.

The group of nine stayed out there for what felt like hours just talking, and, the longer they did, the more the kids understood why their leader had grown so attached to the girl. Knowing glances were thrown between members, looks that screamed approval. She was good to him – to them.

As the night grew darker, one by one, the boys opted for heading back into the warmth of the house. Once the last of the kids had disappeared into the house, Chan stood and offered his hand for the girl to take.

“Walk with me?”

With a smile on her face, Sakura nodded, trying to ignore how easily her hand had slipping into his as they walked towards the nearby shores. Not a soul was seen on the beach, the only light coming from the moon and stars above.

“Thank you for being too stubborn to let me come here alone,” she told him, giggling at the face he made in response. “If it weren’t for you, I probably would have backed out.”

“I’m just going to ignore the fact that you, of all people, just called me stubborn.” His words were followed by a roll of her eyes, an action that only made him smile wider. He loved getting a reaction out of her. “Why would you have backed out? You never really told me why you had to come to Jeju specifically.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask before you arranged all of this.” Her tone was playful, but he noticed the frown forming on her face.

He shrugged, tucking their intertwined hands into the pocket of his hoodie for warmth. “I didn’t want to overstep. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. Whether that be tomorrow or next month or never.”

She smiled sadly. “My dad once told me that this is where his soul would be when he left this world. That, if I were ever in need of his guidance, or just missed him, I should come here. He told me to vent to the waves and that they would carry my woes to him.” She paused, bringing them to a halt. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, like the moon on the horizon. “I’ve been missing him more lately, and I guess I thought that coming here would help.”

“You are so incredibly strong, petal,” he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles.

It was a sweet moment. His hand holding onto hers like a dream, afraid of what would happen should he let go. For them, there was no cold. They savoured the delicate moment. But that was all it was. A moment. Hidden beneath the froth of the tides, a startled crab rushed past, touching Sakura’s bare foot in the process. The girl screamed, jumping apart from Chan in the rush. As frightful as his group member’s, the leader followed. Only he miscalculated a step in the dark.

The pair fell silent. Chan’s face had gone blank, eyes as wide as saucers as his brain processed what had happened. Sakura stood frozen in shock. In the minute that had passed, the male had ended up on the ground, surrounded by water and wet sand. It wasn’t until they locked eyes that a loud laugh rippled through the girl, her hand slapping over her mouth in an attempt to contain her amusement. She failed. Her laughter only increased when she saw the look of utter disbelief that covered the man’s face. She bent over clutching her stomach.

“Oh sure, no need to help me up or anything,” Chan sassed, glaring through the water that splashed up onto his face.

Sakura waves her hands in front of her face, trying to get her words out between bursts of giggles. “I’m sorry, but that was-“ She couldn’t even finish her sentence before her laughed began all over again.

However, this time it was cut short but a stream of water hitting her square in the face. Her jaw dropped. Then she heard him laugh. Rough and loud and beautiful. After wiping the liquid from her eyes, she saw a guilty looking Chan grinning up at her.

“You little-“

She lunged, ready to tackle him down, but he moved. He rolled over onto his knees in time to see her reach out to catch herself. There was that laugh again. Unamused by his quick reflexes, Sakura cupped her hands and launched more water at him. It hit him in the chin, causing it to run down his neck and the front of his shirt. Not wanting to stay around long enough for a counter attack, Sakura took off running down the beach, her wet shoes sinking into the sand as she did. It wasn’t long before she could hear him behind her, his footsteps heavier.

Two arms snuck around her waist, lifting her off the ground as she squealed. Her heart rolled in her chest, feeling his hands through the damp material of her sweater. His breath was warm against the back of her neck, panting hard after the short sprint he had done to catch up to her. She squirmed in his arms until he set her down, but she stayed locked in his grasp. In her struggle, Sakura had turned around, now face to face with the enemy. In one last attempt, she wiped her soaked sleeves over his face. His grip loosened in surprise, just enough for her to be able to slip out and put some distance between them.

Chan looked up and her breath caught in her throat. There was something about the look in his eyes that made her walls crumbles around her. He took a step towards her, and this time, she made no move to flee. His gaze held her captive, focused on her alone.

The waves at their feet rushed to tell the sea as Chan approached her tentatively, each step heavy with desire. Not once did he look away. His heart raced as he neared her, the distance between them growing shorter and shorter, yet crossing it felt like an eternity. And when they finally stood chest to chest, all he could do was look at her. At the way she seemed to glow beneath the light of the moon. But what was the next step? In the moment, all he wanted was to be near to her, but now that they were toe to toe, Chan found himself unable to think. How could he when her eyes shone with such iridescence? When he could see the high rise and deep fall of her chest beneath her soaked shirt? When he could see her hands shaking as much as his own? His brain stuttered, unable to think of a single move to make.

But then she moved.

Her cold fingers ghosted across the skin of his face, memorizing every ridge and dip present. Down the strong bridge of his nose, across his cheekbones flushed from the icy air clinging to their wet clothing. Her fingers dropped to his mouth. His plump lips. Each exhale sending a spark down the length of her digits. They were plump and pink with the faintest hint of purple creeping in. they traced the corners of his mouth and along to where she knew two deep dimples were hidden. She poked his cheek lightly, and smiled when the two dips appeared. Leaning in, Sakura pressed her lips to each dip in his cheeks. She loved his dimples, each one deeper than ever when in her presence.

Finally, she trailed her fingers along his jaw, skimming over the edge before making her way down the span of his neck. His blood pulsed beneath her fingertips, throbbing with every beat of his heart.

Her eyes fluttered up to his. He had been watching her analyze every feature on his face. Chan let out the breath he was holding, a plume of hot air clouding around his mouth before floating away. All he could do was watch her as she traced his silhouette, enchanted by her gentle touch. His hands fisted at his sides, but moved not an inch. Only she moved.

She felt a squeeze on her hips, and was immediately pulled out of the dangerous trance she had fallen into. Her eye widened. What am I doing?

“I-“

“I never told you,” he whispered to her over the sound of crashing waves. His eyes slowly trailed over her features until they rested upon her lips. Sweet and inviting. Cold and splashed with salt. They stayed there, unbothered by the gentle breeze clinging to their wet bodies. “I finished the song.”

“Chan-“

That was all that was said before he kissed her.

Sakura had been kissed before, but not like this.

When Chan’s lips first touched hers, it was delicate. Like a dragonfly on water. The touch sent a ripple down her spine, causing her toes to curl in the wet beach sand. He was gentle, but everything about the moment screamed authority. He knew what he wanted and she could tell. It was in the way his arm snuck around her waist, pulling her against him. The way his hand grazed the line of her jaw, tilting her head upwards to greet him. The way he dominated the kiss, guiding her until her lips parted for him. She felt his smile widen at the invitation.

Sakura had been kissed before, but never drenched in water under the moon’s gaze.

She could taste the sea on his lips. The way his tongue drew in close like the daunting waves pooling around their ankles, pulling back moments later before teasing closer than before.

His hands – strong and slender – pulling on the clothing clinging to her waist like it was his lifeline; like he was afraid that she would disappear with the seafoam if he were to let go. So, he didn’t. Instead, he pulled her closer to him. Breathing in everything that was her. Chan let himself be engulfed, the scent of sea salt and mint suffocating him until he smiled.

His thumb stroked her waist through the material sticking to her body, rubbing up and down her side in a slow manner. It was painful, but perfect at the same time. She couldn’t help but shudder at the feeling, pulling herself closer to him before slipping her hands up into his dripping locks. They wrapped around her fingers like tentacles, soft to the touch, and even softer to tug. A breathy groan fell from Chan’s mouth, the honey-sweet sound selfishly swallowed by her own before the ocean could hear it. She felt her chest spark with excitement, wanting nothing more than to hear that sound again.

In that moment, she was everything. Every sight and smell, every taste. He couldn’t get enough of the hushed whimpers that rolled from her tongue when his nails dug a little deeper into the flesh of her hips, or the way her hands had become lost in his hair. The way she shivered against him, the feeling of every vibration of her body making him weak.

The hand on her jaw slid down to the side of her neck, relishing in the feeling of her cool skin beneath his warm palm. There he held her, steady, as he kissed her harder. She was intoxicating. When he had first kissed her, he wanted it to be slow. Chan wanted it to be something that he savoured. He wanted to take her one small kiss at a time until he had accomplished mithridatism. But he couldn’t. How could he when she was a lethal dose disguised in the taste of Australian shores. She tasted like home. So, what could he possibly do besides dive in head first? He didn’t want to stop. God, he never wanted to stop.

But they did.

Their movements slowed. The frenzied kiss became gentle, unrushed. Chan pulled away, just enough that he could feel the crisp night air graze against his swollen lips before he pressed a feather-light kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Her cheek.

Her jaw.

The flawless patch of skin just below her ear.

And then back to her lips, staying there a little bit longer than the rest.

When he finally pulled away from her, Chan found that her eyes had yet to open. Her face was a deep shade of pink, one that matched the tone of her parted lips and the tips of her ears. Possibly the tips of his as well.

“Sakura,” he whispered into the wind.

The girl shook her head, eyes remaining shut. “Not yet,” she said, her mumble close to a whimper. She kept them closed for a good while, each moment feeling longer than the previous one.

Sakura tried to imprint the moment into her mind, burning the feeling of his lips on hers into her soul. She sunk deeper into his touch, pressing her cheek against his open palm. She felt him place a kiss to her forehead. As if telling her it was okay. Take your time.

There would come a time – in the near or distant future – where this memory would be all that she had of the boy made of starlight. She would no longer have his hand to hold or his smile to welcome her. She would no longer be able to bury her worries in the arms that wrapped wholly around her whenever they could. A time may come where she would have to let him go, and this one moment may be the only thing to keep her from shattering when that moment came.

When her eyes finally opened, Chan had to suck in a breath.

Her eyes. The familiar honey-dipped orbs that crinkled when she laughed and glossed over when she cried. Tonight, as she looked up at him, he saw the cosmos and every moon reflecting back at him. He found himself tracing any constellation he could find, joining the stars in her eyes to the stars that spilled over onto her cheeks into a galaxy of freckles.

She was so beautiful.

“So beautiful.”

Chan fell silent, confused as to how his very thoughts had come out of the girl’s mouth.

He simply shook his head. “I think I should be the one telling you that.” Sakura draped her arms around his neck, melting into the feeling of his arms tightening around her waist.

“Can’t we both be beautiful? Like the sun and the moon.”

He pulled her closer, rubbing one hand up and down the span of her back as she shivered. She was smiling up at him in a tired way, low eyes sparkling the way it only ever did in his presence.

“The real question is who would be the sun, and who would be the moon?”

“You are the sun, without an ounce of a doubt, Nemo.” Chan’s eyes rolled.

“Care to elaborate on that answer for 10 marks?”

A small hum sounded from her throat as she thought. Her eyes drifted over his smiling face, admiring every inch visible to her. It was impossible for him to be anything but the sun. And it was clear as day why.

“Because you, my darling Christopher, are the very heart and centre of everything. Did you know that sunflowers grow facing the sun? Those boys are all sunflowers. Your fans, the STAY you adore so much, are all sunflowers. And all they can do is bask in the warmth and love that you give so freely to everyone you meet.” Sakura leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose. It scrunched beneath her lips, causing her to giggle. “You make people want to fight for their dreams, make them want to live.” Her hands cupped his face. “When you are around, there is no darkness in existence. No shadow, or even a whisper of doubt. You, like the sun, make the world brighter.”

Chan could do nothing except stare back at her with adoration in his eyes. Her words rang through his mind, drilling itself into his head until he began to believe it.

Her head tipped to one side, smile lopsided on her face. “So, what’s my scoring out of 10?”

A grin spread across his face as he leaned in to kiss her once more. “10. Definitely 10.”

 

They stayed out talking for a few more minutes before deciding to call it a night and head back. When they reached the long passage that filled the space between their rooms and her own, Chan let her hand slip from his. With a lopsided grin on his cold-tinted face, he said, “I’m going to check on the kids.” He stopped, offering a silent invitation for her to join him, and potentially save him from being bombarded with questions from the curious seven.

“You go ahead. I’m going to wash up.” Chan nodded, smiling down at her in a way that made her face flush all over again, her thoughts drifting to their time on the beach.

However, before Sakura could make her escape, Chan reached out grasp her wrist, stopping her. He moved closer, everything slowing down around them as he leaned in. She felt his other hand cradle her cheek, and a silent prayer was said in hopes that he couldn’t feel the heat beneath her skin. The girl closed her eyes expectantly. But all she felt was a tender kiss pressed to her hairline, curving into a smile as Chan pulled away.

His thumb brushed lightly over her jaw as he stared into the eyes admiring him. He smiled. And then, his hands retracted and Chan walked away.

Sakura stood frozen for a moment, the heat of his mouth still lingering on her skin. She felt his hand graze her face like the caress of a phantom limb. His gaze scorching the skin over which it travelled. The man was long gone and out of sight when she finally moved from her spot in the hallway and made her way to her room. Mind in a daze, Sakura fumbled with the door until it slid open, and then shut behind her.

There, in the comfortable dark of the room, she pressed her back to the nearest wall, allowing gravity to slowly drag her down. Her fingers reached up to touch her lips, still tingling from the what had happened. It was as if she could still feel his lips on hers, his body against her own. The thought sent a rush of blood to her cheeks.

“Well,” she whispered in disbelief. “There goes that plan.”

<3      <3      <3

Once she was clean of the day’s grime, and her heart had calmed in her chest, Sakura ventured out into the corridor in search of the others. She rapped her knuckles against the closest door, waiting for the soft ‘come in’ on the other side before entering the room. Chan looked up from the suitcase he was rummaging through, eyes shining at the sight of her. She noticed a slight tint to his cheeks, and could only imagine what her own looked like.

“Everything okay?” His voice held genuine concern, raking over her pajama-clad body swiftly before meeting her eyes. He himself looked like he was ready for bed, with a dark pair of short and a black hoodie loosely covering his upper half. His hair was fluffy and curling at the edges, washed clean of any product from the day.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say goodnight, but I didn’t realize the others weren’t with you.” The room was empty besides the pair. The faint noise outside proving that the rest of the group was still around the dying fire.

Chan seemed to pout. “You’re going to bed already?”

“You’re not?” Chan shook his head. Digging one hand into his suitcase, he pulled out a book.

“I was actually going to read for a bit-“

“Is that The Lightning Thief?” Sakura didn’t need to hear the answer. She could recognize the book anywhere.

“Oh, yeah,” he responded, a nervous smile playing on his lips. “I may have bought it after that night, but I never got around to starting it.”

“I’ve been meaning to reread it, but there was never time.”

With a charming grin on his face, Chan made himself comfortable on the thin mattress laid out on the wooden floor against the wall, eagerly patting the empty space besides him until she sat down.

The door slid open just a crack, and a single head popped through.

“Is this a private party?”

With a chuckle, Sakura said, “I think we can make room for seven more.”

Jeongin beamed, pushing the door open fully to reveal six others waiting behind him. The pair could help but laugh as they all stumbled in.

“Is daddy Chan reading us a bedtime story?” Changbin asked in a teasing manner. On any other day, the elder would have glared, but instead, he turned his face to the girl besides him.

“Actually, I think Sakura should narrate tonight.”

And with eight excited pairs of eyes staring back at her, how could she decline. So, instead, she took the book from Chan’s open hands and said, “Gather around kiddies.”

Jisung was the first to move, wasting no time in laying down with his head rested on Sakura’s outstretched legs. Chan felt his heart squeeze with jealousy at the sight, watching her gently pet the younger boy’s hair as the others found comfortable places to sit.

However, all bad energy evaporated like a mist as he felt her head drop to his shoulder, her body curling slightly into his side. Without detection, he slipped his arm around her waist, feeling her body relax in his hold. He saw her mouth tug up into a smile, a small action with enough impact to stop his heart momentarily.

When everyone was finally settled, Sakura opened the book. With eyes ablaze, she read, “’Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood’”.

#angst #bang chan #changbin #comfort #fluff #han jisung #hyunjin #i.n #lee felix #lee know #kim seungmin #seungmin #hwang hyunjin #fanfic #you make stray kids stay #skz stay #stray kids #Spotify