#took a break for a few years for reasons i don't recall

[prismatoxic]

loving the timeline i got to witness of:

-yahtzee reviews a game on zero punctuation -in the course of the script he finds a reason to bring up ayn rand/atlus shrugged, mostly as a joke -brings up ayn rand again as the closing punchline -final credits message is "bioshock was a good game wasn't it" -one day later the escapist uploads a new extra punctuation about why bioshock's opening is amazing

did you get bioshock on the brain by any chance, mr. croshaw?

idk what his schedule of making ZP/EP looks like, though i do suspect that EP might possibly be visually edited by someone else? i'm like 99% sure yahtz still does ZP by himself except to pass it by matt the editor for notes on where he should maybe swear less, but EP is kind of visually different (despite using yahtzee's art still) so maybe he just reads his script and lets matt do the visuals? idk. the man's busy he puts out 2 videos like every week, i wouldn't blame him

regardless, my point is that idk where in the process he decided to make an EP on bioshock, but the idea of him writing the sea of stars script, thinking about ayn rand a little too hard, and getting on a bioshock kick because of it is pretty damn funny

if he addresses this in the bioshock video i'm going to feel very silly but i was just taking a food + youtube break so i only watched the sea of stars review for now

#sorry i think yahtzee has been a part of my life for so long that he's some sort of special interest #i know he used to be very... uh... Colorful #and still makes bad taste jokes from time to time #but he's not worse than south park and i think getting married and having kids calmed him down #i watched a compilation of old ZPs several months ago and while there were still funny jokes it was definitely kind of a #“you should not be saying that” cringefest #and it's funny bc i saw all of those videos before. i watched many of them when they came out #i just forgot how bad it was lmao... #my late uncle who i loved very dearly introduced me to yahtzee's work and i've never really moved away from it #took a break for a few years for reasons i don't recall #but then spent weeks going through the backlog of videos i'd missed lmao #i respect his opinions and he's made me pick up several games bc of how he described them #(psychonauts and saints row 2 come immediately to mind) #and it's impressive bc ZP has never used visuals from the games he's talking about you kind of just have to take him on his word #the “new” video format for EP does use game visuals which is another reason i think yahztee isn't the one putting it together #(real gamers remember when extra punctuation was an escapist column and not a video series) #sorry i kind of went off here in the tags didn't i. thanks for reading #if you did. which. if you did read them you'll be reading this! #thank you i care you #tox.txt

[quartzalynlove]

Without You (Pt 1)

Pairing: gojo x black! Fem! Reader

Summary: you're tired of Gojo's behavior and finally leave him for good

A/n: part two tomorrow!!

"Get out!"

Gojo tried to catch up with you stomping down the hallway, but you weren't going to let him catch you.

"Y/N!" He tried to call you helplessly. In your state, he may as well have been talking to a brick wall.

You finally stopped as you reached the door, opening it before Gojo.

"Get the hell out of my house."

Still, he had the audacity to flash that ignorant smirk at you as if you weren't dead serious right now.

"Baby." The honey in his voice made you sick.

You pointed your finger. "Don't you dare 'baby' me! I'm tired of this Satoru; you're a grown man but refuse to act like it."

With his hands raised, as if to admit he was wrong, Gojo tried to reason with you. "Y/N, can we just—"

Your fingers snapped out the open door, tired of hearing excuses, and tired of letting him in again. Sighing defeatedly, Gojo walked slowly out of your apartment. The second he was past the door frame, you shut the door and didn't look back. You expected the sigh you breathed out to be frustrated, but it sounded more like exhaustion. Every time you took him back, you thought he loved you again. But if he loved you, then why did he make the same mistakes?

~

Gojo knew you well enough to know that the face you put on at school the next day was a desperate act. Desperate for control, desperate to ignore your feelings. He wasn't going to be arrogant about it, you had every right to scream at him and break things off, but he never knew you could sting his heart so badly.

Honestly, everyone except the kids could tell what happened between you. They did question why Gojo never came to your class just to annoy you by interrupting your lesson, but you seemed fine so they thought nothing of it. However, when you got time to chat with Shoko, she knew right away.

"So, what'd he do now?" She asked out of nowhere.

For a split second, you looked surprised she could tell, but you knew by now that Shoko knew everything.

You scoffed. "What do you think? I'm just sick and tired; I can't deal with it anymore."

"Does this mean we're spared of your dance to Crazy In Love at the party this weekend?" Shoko laughed.

Although you laughed along with her, you thought about that dance you and Gojo did together. It was mostly his choreography, and although you practiced for hours to perfect it, you couldn't recall hating a single minute of it.

Your smile turned sad, "I guess so," you quickly bounced back. "But, hey, when's the last time we got down on the floor?"

Shoko joined you with a smile as you started two-stepping. You heard your watch beep over the sound of the two of you laughing. It was time to head back to your room before the last class. Before you left, however, Shoko called out.

"Come hang out with us at Mei Mei's to get ready, we've missed you."

You thought to yourself. Had it really been so long since you've hung out with your friends? In a few months, it would've marked two years that you and Gojo were together, or on-again-off-again. With an absent look in your eye, you nodded.

"I'll be there."

You got back just as Nobara, Yuuji, and Megumi were entering your class. Everything went as normal as you taught your lesson. The bell eventually rang, and Yuuji and Nobara hung back to chat with you. Along with Megumi, who tried to look reluctant but really didn't mind. It was the usual conversation of how they've grown as sorcerers, further mastering their techniques and general skills. Then, Yuuji asked an unusual question.

"Are you and Gojo going to the teacher party this weekend?"

Amusement and shock mixed on your face. "Where'd you hear about a teacher party?"

"From Todo," he explained. "Well, from Todo who heard it from Miwa who overheard Ms. Utahime talking about it."

You chuckled lightly, "Well, I'm going."

They all noticed how you stressed that you'd go alone, "What about Gojo?" Itadori pressed, and you'd realize you had to figure out how to professionally tell them that Gojo wasn't worth the sweat off his back.

"I'm pretty sure he will." You smiled absently as Megumi's eyes narrowed.

"You broke up." He realized, bows raising like he'd seen you rescued from a car crash.

A light sigh left you. "Yes, Gojo and I broke up."

Nobara and Yuuji gasped almost overdramatically while Megumi still seemed to be holding back a smile.

"What happened?" The two demanded.

You couldn't help the laugh that came out. It was only natural that they reacted this way. You and Gojo were their favorite teachers, and they were ecstatic when they found out the two of you were together. Still, you definitely could not spill such personal details of your life to your students, so instead you laughed them off.

"Will you nosy kids go back to your dorms and out of my hair?"

Looking positively deflated, they did what you said and turned on their heels out of your door. Once they were gone, you stared out of the classroom door and back to your class. Your eyes looked over the chalkboard. All full of your writing and examples and absent of any stupid doodles around the edges.

You packed your things and erased the board before going back home.

~

Mei Mei's bedroom and attached bathroom were filled with music, laughing, and the smell of margaritas. You, Shoko, Utahime, and her were spending three hours before the party picking outfits and doing your makeup and hair. Shoko wore a suit with heels, and Mei Mei insisted on making her hair wavy. Mei Mei herself wore a sparkly silver dress with heels to match and a black choker. She took out her usual braid and kept her hair swept on one side. Utahime was the most casual out of the four of you, simply wearing a black halter top and leather pants with black heels. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she drew a purple star under the corner of her eye.

You were still in the bathroom, however, finishing up your makeup.

"I'm so happy for you Y/N," you heard Utahime say. "Gojo was never worth the time of day, but I'm glad you cut him off for good."

"I don't know how you stayed with a man that ridiculous...or cheap." Mei Mei added.

You sighed, continuing to apply your eyeliner. "I tried to make it work, but I can only be lied to for so long."

"Don't think it's your fault," Utahime shouted. "There's no changing a man like him."

Stuffing your makeup back in your bag, you went out to your friends to show them the outcome. You kept your hair how it was, glossed your lips and lined them darkly, and added a beauty spot under your eye. As for your dress, it was a mini emerald green bodycon with subtle ruffles. And you paired them with black heels that strapped all the way up your lower legs. The girls all gasped, staring at you in awe. Mei Mei was the first to snap out of it and started towards you with open arms.

"Our Y/N is back!" She squeaked, trapping you in a bear hug.

The others cheered and also threw their arms around you.

#jujutsu gojo #jjk gojo #gojo x reader #gojo saturo #gojo satoru #gojo x black reader #gojo angst #gojo x reader angst #yuji itadori #itadori yuuji #yuji jjk #yuuji jjk #jujutsu kaisen megumi #jujutsu megumi #jjk megumi #megumi fushiguro #nobara kugisaki #jjk nobara #jujutsu nobara #jujutsu kaisen nobara #shoko ieiri #jjk shoko #jujutsu kaisen shoko #utahime iori #jjk utahime #jujutsu utahime #gojo fanfic #jjk fanfic #jjk x reader #jjk manga

[punisheddonjuan]

Over the last week I've been back in my hometown of Hamilton staying at my parents' house and sleeping in my old bedroom. I had that optometrist appointment earlier in the week, it's Easter on Sunday, and I need to order my prescription at the pharmacy here on Monday anyway. So, an extended visit was an obvious choice. It's been nice. This afternoon I did a little dig through my closet after my mom mentioned that she would like to clear out anything in there which I wasn't keen on keeping. So I took a look, and while there was definitely stuff in there I am fine getting rid of, and in many cases can't remember why I hung onto it for as long as I did, there was also a bunch of neat old stuff in there.

Everything in that closet is thrown into a few banker's boxes, I wasn't quite sure what was in each of them. The first box I dove into turned out to contain all of my university coursework, all five years of it, and much of it disorganized and in disarray. I must have just thrown things in there, because there were loose sheets of translation work interleaved out of order, folders stuffed to breaking with photocopied journal articles and book chapters from different courses, syllabi and unrelated essays in messy piles, and various notebooks, loose notes and revisions. Organizing it all is not a task I'm up doing any time soon, and part of me doubts that I'll ever get it done, it's hardly important anymore. Surveying it all made me think on what a shame it is that I never have any occasion or reason to write things out by hand. I miss using my fountain pens, and my cursive was really quite nice.

I also found my official transcript, of which I have seven copies for reasons that have been lost to time. Presumably I ordered more copies because of grad school applications, but I can't remember.

I guess I did pretty well. And even though grades don't matter at all after you graduate, I did have to do a double take and think back for a minute trying to remember how the hell I managed to bomb Beginner's Ancient Greek II winding up with a C after getting an A in Beginner's Ancient Greek I (and then back to getting As after that). The memory did eventually resurface; I had deferred the exam on account of illness, but when it came time to write the exam in the summer, I wound up running a fever anyway, and on top of that, I was writing it a little over a week after my girlfriend had broken up with me. To be entirely honest, that summer and back half of the year is something of a blur. Welp, oh well.

Oh and hey, in one of those messy piles I found the paper for which I won a departmental essay contest and then third place in the national CAC undergraduate essay writing contest.

The professor's comments were far too kind. It's an okay paper for an undergraduate, I'd change a lot of things looking back at it now. I wonder what Dr. Corner is up to these days and if he finally finished his book. We had lunch together when I first moved to Toronto but that was years ago now. He was the professor I was closest to, a real mentor.

Buried behind the coursework box was another banker's box containing something entirely unrelated but very cool, these:

It's my old iPods! The 30GB iPod Video is completely dead, but the 160GB iPod Classic booted after I found a cable and gave it a quick charge. The headphone jack is busted, if I recall correctly, I had already paid to get it fixed once, and then it died a few months later. By that point I was fed up with having it fixed, and replaced it with an iBasso DX80. The electronics in it are still functioning fine; I might give a go at modding it into something I could put to use. Modding iPod classics is a whole scene these days and you can buy custom DIY replacement parts like microSD card readers to replace the harddrive, and there's custom firmware that allows the iPod to support higher capacity storage. Modding it shouldn't be too difficult and wouldn't even require much soldering. I'd replace the headphone jack, pull the 160GB HDD and replace it with a dual or quad microSD card reader and cram as many 512GB/1TB microSD cards it can take, and replace the battery with a higher capacity one. I stream my music collection from my media server to my phone via PlexAmp these days, but it would be cool to have an offline option, or something I can just leave permanently plugged into the Aux port of my stereo. My dad says he's got a 120GB model that half works floating around too, maybe I'll mod both of them.

There were a few other neat things in that second box like playbills from when I used to attend the opera. Which is yet another thing I used to be able to do and now miss terribly. That double feature of Bluebeard and Erwartung was phenomenal.

There was also a copy from one of the godawful and glossy annual "All About Sex" supplements the University newspaper published. I won't share pictures of that because there are a lot of half-naked semi acquaintances in there, but be assured, it's godawful.

In a third box I found approximately half of my physical PC game collection:

Check out that copy of X-Wing on 3.5" floppies and the sticker advising Windows and Pentium users that this is a DOS game. That's the very first PC game I ever got as a kid, received it as a present for Christmas '95. What you see there is less than half of what I know for a fact that I own on CD-ROM. Just off the top of my head I know I have physical copies of Half-Life, Red Alert 2, Tiberian Sun, Dune 2000, Emperor: Battle for Dune, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier's Civilization, Total Annihilation, Unreal Tournament, Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, Mechwarrior 4, Star Trek: Bridge Commander, Doom 3, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Thief 2: the Metal Age, Deus Ex and most of those games' attendant expansion packs. I didn't find any of them while clearing out the closet, which means that they're almost definitely up in the attic above the garage, along with the sci-fi and fantasy novels I had from adolescence which I didn't take with me when I moved. Getting up into that attic is a pain in the ass though, and it's cramped and stuffy once you're up there. Maybe next time I visit my parents I can put aside a day to go up there and locate everything. I'd really have to be feeling up to it though. I'm pretty sure my hardback copy of Good Omens is up there, as is my copy of Neuromancer, and the Black Company omnibuses. None of which I've read in years.

The only other things of note were a bunch of pewter figurines of wizards I had for unknown reasons and a few nice and largely unused (with the exception of a few pages that I must have torn out years ago) notebooks that I can put to good use.

Actually, I just figured out the reason I owned these and hung onto them. It's because they're rad as hell. Wizards rule.

#blog #personal history

[nokacchan]

Eyes On You | BaseBall Boys Series | Hwang Hyunjin

pairing : Hwang Hyunjin X Fem!reader

genre : angst to fluff, mention of blood , ex!byf!hyunjin

Summary : Even hyunjin himself lost count of the number of girls he had kissed. When Hyunjin found himself in trouble with one of his crazy ex-girlfriends, he sought to get a fake girlfriend. One girl in particular who hyunjin had his eyes on was definitely not interested in his offer. But why exactly?

A/N : I hate the ending part 😭😭😭😭

MASTERLIST

"Ugh! She won't leave me alone", Hyunjin yelled into the pillow he had stolen from Han. Felix patted his shoulder while laughing.

"Who are we talking about exactly?", Lee know questioned. Hyunjin groaned in annoyance.

"Sarah Lim", all the boys in the room except Lee know answered. Lee know proceeded to burst into a fit of laughter. "Didn't you just break up with her? Last week? If I recalled correctly", he added on. Hyunjin sat up while nodding his head. "She's crazy, I'm telling you", Hyunjin pulled his hair in distressed.

"Get a fake girlfriend then, it's not like you have any problem with getting any girl", Jeongin suggested as Changbin supported Jeongin's idea.

A grin appeared on hyunjin's face. All the boys looked at him, feeling a bit creeped out. "I know who will be perfect for this job", he added on.

Chan looked at him, a bit skeptical. "Hyunjin, if you're thinking what I'm thinking, please don't do it. She doesn't deserve to be caught up in your drama", Chan pleaded.

Hyunjin had already stood up, making his way out of the dorm room. "Don't worry, I will keep the drama to the bare minimum. Besides this plan will only work if she agrees", Hyunjin explained. The boys face palmed themselves, realizing who Hyunjin was talking about.

Y/n L/n , his first love whom he dated for a year in secret. No one in school knew about the two dating except for his close friends which so happened to be his baseball teammates. The two broke up eventually but the reason was never disclosed.

"No hyunjin. No means no", you told him as you slammed your locker shut. He held your shoulder in place, forcing you to be unable to escape him. "Please? Only a few months or at least until she gets off my back", he raised his eyebrows at you, giving you that puppy look that he knew you would fall for. He stroked your hair with one hand while the other was wrapped around your waist.

"please love, just this once then I'll leave you alone. You're the only girl that I can trust", he smiled softly at you. You know he was trying to sweet talk his way into your heart.

"F-fine", you felt flustered at how close you are to him. Hyunjin smiled widely at you before pulling you into a tight hug momentarily before pulling back. "Thank you! See you tomorrow then", he ruffled your hair before making his way out of the locker room.

You looked down on your feet before looking back at the small mirror beside you. "He talks as if it was nothing...like 'us' being together before, never happened...", you sighed.

"what am I going to do with you, Hwang Hyunjin. No matter how much I try to push you away, you still come back. I only wished you would come back for me and not use me for your petty problem"

Hyunjin had set 3 ground rules for the two of you. His so-called way of making the relationship seem more believable. He wanted to make the situation less awkward for the two of you.

Hugging, holding hands & kissing on the cheek & forehead is allowed

Strictly no kissing on the LIPS

Make it believable & don't get caught

A week passed by and it seemed as if the whole school took the two of you seriously. However that crazy ex-girlfriend of his, still wouldn't back off. She didn't seem to buy the so-called 'new relationship'. She kept on trying to flirt with Hyunjin.

Hyunjin was starting to feel more annoyed at the fact that the girl wouldn't leave him alone. This led him to break the agreement between the two of you. He said he would only hug, hold your hand, kiss you on the cheek or forehead and that was about it.

And somehow you found yourself here, his lips against yours. Trying to prove to his crazy ex that he is really dating you. The other school population looked at the two of you in shock. Your heart felt like it was about to burst out of your chest, not because you felt fluttered, more like embarrassed and angry at yourself for letting your ex boyfriend kiss you. It was as if you two hadn't kissed when you were still in a relationship but what pissed you off was the fact that you know the kiss has no meaning to it which just makes it too much for you to handle. You still had feelings for him & you don't even know if he has feelings for you too.

After the girl had left, you quickly pulled back. "I'm so sorry—" "I have to go somewhere, I'll see you tomorrow", you left him alone in the middle of the hallway. Your heart felt heavy recalling everything that just happened. You knew hyunjin didn't mean to act out like that but it just hurts your feelings to even think about the incident that led the two of you to break up.

_

"I think we should break up"

"why so sudden?"

"I just think you deserve better"

"Hyunjin. You're kidding right?"

"Sorry y/n, maybe one day I can explain my actions...for now, I'm just as confused as you are", you felt tears dropping as you tried to muffled your sobs. He wiped away the fallen tears on your cheeks, trying to provide you with a reassuring smile.

Hyunjin felt like his heart was going to break into pieces the longer he looked at you.

"You know I love you, right?...I see you around,love", he kissed your forehead before leaving you alone on the roof top.

_

You snapped out of your thoughts when you heard something shattered. Looking down, you realized that you had knocked down the glass frame that was on your study desk. It had a candid picture of you and hyunjin when you guys went to the lotto world together. Quickly picking up the glass pieces off the ground without much thought about it.

You suddenly hissed in pain. The huge glass that you were holding sliced your palm. You immediately dropped it as you applied pressure on your bleeding hand. Rushing out of your room to wash off the blood in the bathroom, you were suddenly surprised to see hyunjin entering your dorm. His eyes widen in surprise as his eyes set upon your bleeding hand. He dropped his bag to the ground before making his way towards you.

_

"W-what are you doing here? How did you get in?", you blasted questions at him as he wrapped your injured hand.

"You didn't lock your front door & you weren't answering the door so I let myself in", he responded, finally finishing up with the wrapping.

"oh", you nodded your head in reply before thanking him quietly. He stood up, making you confused. "I'm going to clean up the mess", he told you. "It's fine, I can do it on my own", you stood in front of your door to your room, blocking his way from entering. He gently pushed you aside, making his way into your room. It was the same as he recalled. His held his breath momentarily, seeing the photo of the two of you. He didn't know you still kept it.

"You still kept it? I thought you would throw it away", the smile on his face faded, remembering that the two of you had broken up years ago. "You brought me there during my birthday so of course I was going to keep it... I still have that bunny plushie you won for me at the carnival...", you mumbled lowly which didn't go unheard. It made hyunjin's heart swell at the thought that you still kept whatever he had given to you when you guys were still dating. It only hurts that he couldn't explain his feelings to you. He looked over to your bed, seeing that pink bunny plushie he got you brought a smile on his face.

"I'll clean up & cook you something, alright. Just sit down and wait for me, okay?", you nodded, fiddling with your hands nervously. He stood infront of you, leaving a kiss on your forehead before walking out to get the cleaning supplies.

Hyunjin gently strokes your cheeks as you fall into a deep sleep. Looking out the window, realizing that it was probably near midnight. Just as he was about to check the time, his phone rang. The caller was none other than his roommate, Changbin.

"Hey bro, are you crashing at y/n's place for the night?", Changbin spoke over the line.

"Yeah I guess so. How did you know I'm at y/n's place?"

"My girl is her roommate, did you forgot? Anyways I'll just tell her to stay with me for the night then.

"Okay...changbin...do you think...nevermind"

"Is it about y/n?"

"....yeah"

"....hyun....It's quite obvious that she still loves you. I'm assuming you never told her the truth, huh?...hyun, she needs to know. I'm sure she won't be mad at you"

Hyunjin let out a sigh. ".... it's just that telling you guys is different and easier than telling her. God knows how she's going to react if I told her, the reason why I broke up with her was because I was having anxiety disorder...it just...sounds...stupid"

"Hyunjin. Bro look, y/n isn't like that,okay? And having anxiety disorder isn't a stupid thing. It's serious. You're doing better now. I'm sure she'll understand. Okay? You got it?" Hyunjin let out a hum before nodded his head subconsciously.

"I'm going to bed now. Good night"

"Uhm- okay good night. I'll see you tomorrow at practice"

You stood by the stands, watching the boys trained for their upcoming match. You know that some of the girls who came to see hyunjin were glaring at you from behind. It made it felt a bit paranoid but you weren't just gonna walk out of the place without Hyunjin.

"Hyunjin!", you called him. He looked up towards the stand before smiling at you, waving his hand in the air. You did the same before his coach called him over.

The boys looked at him with a grin. Hyunjin rolled his eyes at them before sitting down on the bench. Changbin came and sat beside him, gulping down his water bottle to cope with summer heat. As Hyunjin looked over to the side to see you talking to Lee Know's best friend, Yuna.

"See, told ya that she still likes you. She'll understand, don't worry", Changbin patted Hyunjin's shoulder before leaving him alone on the bench. Hyunjin bit his lips, lost in his thoughts.

Maybe...

—

The walk back to your dorm was quiet. You looked to the side, realizing the sun was about to set. Subconsciously hyunjin hooked his pinkie onto yours, it didn't surprise you since it was a habit of his that he always did when you guys were together. You could tell he was nervous. After the incident yesterday, Hyunjin didn't talk much. You thought maybe he felt awkward because you still kept the photos of him & you.

—

"It's not stupid you know...", Hyunjin suddenly stopped in his tracks, confused by your sudden statement. "I'm sorry wh-"

"yesterday. I woke up when I heard you talking to changbin on the phone...why didn't you tell me you had anxiety disorder?", you saw his eyes getting teary. He looked down towards his feet, mindlessly kicking the small pebbles on the ground.

"I didn't want to worry you. I just didn't want to burden you with my problem. That's why I thought breaking up with you was better", hyunjin finally spilled out the truth. Your heart felt heavy.

You wrapped your arms around his waist. "You're not a burden. I'm always here for you. I'm assuming only Changbin knew the truth", he nodded his head. Hyunjin rested his head against your shoulder.

"I'm so sorry for making you go through that break up", hyunjin sobbed quietly but it didn't go unheard of by you. You tried to hush him as you stroked his hair. "Everything is going to be okay, it's only me and you, you don't have to always act strong in front of me, okay?", you whispered into his ears. He nodded his head, hugging you closer, scared that he might lose you again.

"I really still love you. I want you back...please"

The others eventually found out what happened. Hyunjin and you didn't get back together until like 2 months later. The boys were more than happy to see Hyunjin hanging out with you rather than all those flings he had in the past. Even though you told him that you wanted to start slow, he was really understanding. He started to open up to you more, showing you his more vulnerable side that he had always hide from everyone's sight.

_

You held hyunjin hand as you two walked down the hallway, talking about the plans you guys had for the weekends. Suddenly you saw Yeji running towards you guys, hiding behind your boyfriend. You knew that yeji & hyunjin were childhood friends who were always mistaken as siblings a lot of times.

You raised your eyebrows at her as you heard Chan laughing a few steps ahead of you. You looked up and saw him with a girl who you assumed is his girlfriend. The girl beside him waved at you, you nodded your head in return. The next thing you know, someone was dragging you away.

"Why hello future sister in law, let's leave this idiot here. We got places to be~ bye guys!" Yeji dragged you away from hyunjin, making hyunjin roll his eyes before catching up with you two.

"Yah! Yeji, we are not even related!" Hyunjin yelled at her, making her walk even faster. You let out a chuckle as your boyfriend wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you away from Yeji. Yeji stuck her tongue out at Hyunjin, trying to pull you away from him.

"Yah! She's my girlfriend not yours", Hyunjin pouted, making you burst into a fit of laughter.

Hyunjin always has his eyes on you.

The end.

#baseball boys — ⚾ #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x reader #skz x reader #hwang hyunjin x you #hyunjin x you #skz scenarios #stray kids x reader #stray kids x you #skz x you

[mandaloriandragontrainer]

"She's been gone too long."

Callum stomps away from the camp, abandoning Soren to build the fire alone. The storm gathering in the darkening afternoon sky pales in comparison to the one in his heart. His throat is still hoarse from the shouting match with Rayla, nearly a week's worth of suppressed emotions (two years, if he's honest) finally bubbling over at the worst possible time. She'd disappeared into the surrounding woods, that stupid cuddle monkey at her heels, mumbling something about scouting out the area as hot tears slipped from her annoyingly pretty violet eyes.

That was nearly an hour ago.

"Rayla! Come on, where are you?" his voice wavers as he calls, the brush snapping back in his face as he swats it aside.

He's still angry. Of course he's still angry. And he wants her to know it. He wants her to understand how deeply she'd wounded him. It doesn't matter that she did it out of love. He didn't feel loved. All he felt was misery.

But worry is beginning to creep in. It doesn't take an hour to scout a perimeter. If she'd found something amiss, she would've alerted the group.

She wouldn't do it again. She wouldn't leave.

She promised.

He's angry, but he doesn't want her to go. No, in fact, he never wants to be away from her side ever again. The only reason he can even let himself be angry is because she's here, with him, alive and whole. He can be angry because he knows a time will come when he isn't, when they've built their life together, when all this heartache is behind them.

She wouldn't leave him. Not again.

"Rayla!"

This is his fault. He shouldn't have raised his voice. He shouldn't have called her selfish. He should've told her how much he loved her instead of just how much she'd hurt him. "Rayla! Rayla, please, I—I didn't mean it!"

His anxiety gives away to wild panic. "Rayla! Rayla, where are you!? Please, please don't leave me again!"

Callum breaks into a run as he enters a clearing. He could never catch up with her on foot, so he skids to a halt and stretches his arms in front of him. "Manus. Pluma. Volan—”

A glint catches his eye, and his blood turns to ice.

He knows in an instant what it is, even if his heart refuses to accept it. His legs are leaden as he slowly approaches the sword.

Its blade is stuck in the earth, pinning a roll of parchment. Its companion, unfurled as well, lies a few feet away, slick with blood. Callum crumples to his knees before them.

Her blades. Her beautiful blades. Callum recalls her telling him that, save for that night in the Midnight Desert, she'd never been parted from them. A piece of her soul was forged into her swords, a sacred bond so deep that dark mages could use the weapon of a fallen Moonshadow warrior to summon their shadow from the beyond.

Rayla would never abandon her blades.

His skin crawls at the thought of their hands on the hilt of Rayla's sword (of their hands on Rayla) as they drove the note into the ground for him to find. His vision is so blurred, he can barely make out the words. But it confirms his worst nightmare.

She has her.

He has her.

"Rayla!" Callum tries to scream, but only a sob escapes. He cradles the blade against his chest and wails. They took her. They have her.

Ezran, Soren, and the others are approaching from the woods. Camp is so close they could hear him crying, Callum realizes. She was so close when they took her. Why didn't he hear her? He could've stopped them. He could've saved her.

His lips gently touch the hilt, the kiss he should've given her the moment she was in his reach again. A pressure builds in his chest, tangible in the air around him.

Rayla. His Rayla. Gone again.

Stolen from him.

And it's his fault.

A desperation unlike any he's known wells within him. A determination. A darkness. Whatever they demand—whatever he demands—they can have it. It doesn't matter. Whatever he has to do, he will do it. For her.

Callum rocks back and forth, clutching her blades against him. He ignores his companions, unable to answer his brother’s frightened questions even when he feels his arms around him.

"Callum, answer me, please," Ezran begs. "What's going on? Where’s Rayla?"

"They—they took her."

"What?! Who? Who took her?"

"Claudia," Callum hisses the name he once held dear as if it's poison on his tongue.

"What?" Soren's face goes white. "Why?"

Callum crumples the note in his fist. "He told her to."

"Who?"

Callum can't respond. The words—the cursed name—die in his throat. Him. He should've known how dangerous he was. But he was so starved for answers, for power, driven half-mad by loneliness and heartbreak, that he let that monster into his life. Into her life.

And now he has her.

"Just— just hold on, Rayla..." he mumbles, too low for anyone else to hear. "I'm coming. I promise I'm coming. Please hang on..."

Callum finally pulls himself to his feet, tucking her precious blades into his satchel and swiping the tears from his eyes. There's no time for crying now. Not with Rayla's life on the line. He already failed to protect her. He cannot fail her again.

"I'll save her…." Callum whispers. "I'll save her, I—I have to save her," his voice grows stronger as he speaks, and Ezran shudders at the darkness in his brother's eyes. "No one's taking her away from me. I will not lose her again."

The young mage turns his back to his companions, facing the cold wind, and sketches a blue rune against the sky. "Susurrus Distans... Rayla... wait for me. I'm coming."

#@jelly that last line is inspired by you #waaaaait for me.... I'm comiiiiiiing #the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #callum #rayla #rayllum #callum x rayla #ezran #soren #claudia #aaravos #tdp fanfic #tdp spoilers #just in case #mando writes

[sofiiel]

There & Back Again : xreader addition (fem/afab)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍: 6000+ words: (CW: some angst. fluff. protective Eddie. strained family dynamic. demodog violence. cannon level violence.)

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The engine of your car rumbled loudly as Amy tore up the road, the odd sounds of the strange dogs baying behind you. You pulled yourself away from the window and turned to Amy with great concern.

"Why won't they stop?" you asked her, to which Amy shrugged.

"Maybe you smell good, like a T-bone steak?" Amy's voice had hints of sarcasm in them.

You watched Amy, who gave a roll of her eyes, it was obvious her fake calm wasn't convincing.

"Look I don't know ok! I've never seen this many before." Amy said.

"But you've seen them before? Like before today." You clarified.

"In person? Only since I've been in Hawkins," Amy stole a glance at you.

"But I've seen them drawn before in one of the Loxion information drops, I investigated while trying to find my sister." Amy explained.

"Drop houses? Drawing?" you questioned, your body ached, and your mind was spinning, but you tried your best to listen in and listen well.

"Yeah, some shit drawing some poor kids scribbled it looked old as sin and was faded, but it was the same monster. Loxion has information drops. Usually old factories or abandoned warehouses, and somewhere inside is a safe. Not a small one either, we're talking one of those big boys you see at banks." Said Amy.

"How do you know what bank safes look like." you asked cautiously.

"One question at a time." Amy shot with a mischievous side smile.

"Fine, so. Go on." you urged.

"Well this drop was full of files from overseas, Russia, Denmark, China, France India, even Nigeria and those were just a few." Amy exhaled as she could recall shifting through a nearly endless amount of boxes.

"While I was looking through some of the files I found the file of a boy Boris Ismaylov at some point in the 1950s he was bought from his parents by Loxion by that I mean with the help of the KGB as middlemen who took most of the money themselves ...but moving on..." Amy cleared her throat as she saw your brow lift at the fervor of which she ranted.

"Boris was held in a test facility for two years in Nome because they needed a safe go-between from US to Russia, but the KGB did not want Loxion on their soil. Boris would draw on the walls of his room with chalk and paints. The file had worn pictures of those drawings in them. The figure he drew the most was hard to make out, but it was large, like a cluster of twisters. The others looked a bit like animals....if they crawled out of hell." Amy said.

You watched Amy in silence, no longer concerned with her inability to steadily steer the car.

"There was also a scrap from I guess his diary, all it said was 'I do not wish to go back' isn't that shit creepy." Amy muttered.

"That was written in English?" you asked, if only to give your mind a break from the whirlwind of information.

Amy scrunched up her nose, "you really are a small town bumpkin, just because they aren't American doesn't mean they never took to English, Boris probably spoke several languages - from his file the kid was like freakishly smart." Amy reasoned.

"I wonder what they were doing with him." you murmured.

Amy glanced at the rearview mirror, "if we go any further, we'll be leading them out of town." she said with a grimace.

You arched a brow, "and that's....a bad thing somehow?" you asked Amy.

"Uh, yeah, we need somebody to see these things." Amy grunted.

"Do you know the way to the Police station?" Amy asked.

"Well yes but.... I doubt anyone's there at this hour." you murmured.

"Don't care, they have surveillance...somebody will see them," Amy murmured.

You gave a stiff nod, "turn back around and follow the road we've taken back, but when you get close to Pastor Alvin's neighborhood again, take a left and keep going." you instructed.

Eddie peered out the windows of his van, the haze of the Ketamine finally wearing off, he gave his head a shake.

"Ugh, god damn..." He hissed in a soft sigh, rubbing his eyes.

"Right never again..." he whispered.

Taking a cautious look around, Eddie frowned.

"Now the real riddle is....did the whole conversation with weird girl actually happen or...."

Eddie couldn't pull his eyes away from the dark forest outside his van, "was I trippin that hard." he muttered dryly.

With a sigh, he flopped back into his seat, sinking down with his eyes peering over the steering wheel.

The fact of the matter was, He couldn't tell.

Yes, one of ____'s friends appearing in the woods with the head of one of the strange dogs in hand was almost unbelievable. But so was the existence of the dogs themselves, and he had already seen one personally.

Eddie glanced out the window again, his paranoia growing. They could very well be outside, stalking his van.

"Stalking you, even." he said to himself. He didn't like the odds of the creatures being herbivores. 

Leaning his head back against the seat, Eddie watched the slightly torn fabric on the ceiling of the vehicle.

"What would I even do? If Weird Girl has a plan, did she mean for me to wait here? Go home?" Eddie thought, his arms folding across his chest.

"I've got a winning streak going on now, I couldn't just go home." he thought as a lopsided smile tilted onto his face. 

Eddie then sat up in the seat and gripped the steering wheel, "right..." he exhaled, starting the van.

"The things I'll do for a thank you from you." he murmured.

"There it is!" you called, pointing to the police station. 

"Are they still back there?" Amy asked.

Leaning out the window you turned to look behind the car.

"Not all of them, the packs only a few now." you reported.

"A few is more than enough." Amy said swerving the car into the parking lot, she slammed on the brakes, nearly sending you tumbling out the window.

"Sorry!" Amy shouted.

You could feel your heart pounding as you clutched at your seatbelt.

"You're never driving again." you said, reaching to roll up your window.

"Ever." you added firmly.

"I'm ok with that," Amy said quickly.

The two of you huddled close to each other as the dogs closed in.

"So what now?" you asked.

"I didn't think that far ahead." Amy mumbled, eyes wide as one of the dogs hopped onto the hood of the car, pacing in front of the window.

"Can..." you stammered, gulping as you held onto Amy's hand.

"Can it see us?" you asked.

Amy shook her head feebly, "don't know... I mean... I hope not, like ....shit, they don't have eyes." Amy said.

"But all predators can smell fear." you spoke in a whisper.

"And I'm beyond scared." you confessed.

"Shit yourself yet?" Amy asked in a nervous chuckle, "I just might..." Amy murmured, nearly jumping out of her skin as with a bang, one of the dogs hopped onto the roof.

"Do we stay in here or try to run for the station doors?" you asked.

"We don't have a weapon, and we're not sure anyone is inside." Amy reasoned.

"They don't know what a car is or how to get in...if they can get in." said Amy.

She then teetered her head to the side, ".....they did of course jump clean through the glass of that creep's house window." she added.

You shut your eyes tight, "oh my god, Amy! We cannot stay in here!" you shouted in panic.

Amy hushed you angrily, "stop!" Amy whispered.

"Maybe they can't hear well." she added.

You bent over in your seat and searched under it.

"What are you looking for?" Amy asked.

"I used to have my dad's old broken golf club in here... it's only about as long as a bat now but...it still hurts," you muttered, a smile coming to your face as you pulled the club free from under the seat.

A faint light in the window of the Police Station caught Amy's attention.

"Look!" She gasped quietly, "Someone's home....aren't you lucky." Amy whispered.

"The question is how do we get out of here? We open a door, and they're coming right inside," you murmured.

Amy's gaze fell on the golf club clutched in your hands.

"I can see the inside of the lobby from here, which means I can phase into it." Amy said.

"But I cannot phase other people with me. So you'll need to make a run for it while I open the door for you," she added.

You frowned as you did not savor the idea of making a break for the doors alone.

"You'll have the club, right? And whoever is in the station will come investigate once they hear me inside opening the door at this time of night." Amy reasoned.

You both found yourselves looking at the creature pacing restlessly on the hood of the car.

You heaved a sigh and could feel your heart pounding in fear.

"It's better than staying in here." you exhaled.

"Then when you're ready I'll phase." Said Amy.

"This is as ready as I'm gonna get, let's do it." you said taking a gulp of air.

Amy phased quickly into the station, as always a soft tearing sound crackled in the air.

She exhaled in relief just to be away from the surrounding dogs. Now she needed to open that front door quickly.

From the back of the station, where a small warm light lingered, Deborah Sinclair carefully flipped through photo's she had taken during her investigations at the Hawkins Animal Shelter.

One hand covered her mouth as her stomach turned at the site of the mangled cats and dogs.

"It didn't so much as eat them as it did tear them in half...circular teeth marks...what animal had those?" Deborah murmured to herself.

The pictures were sending a fearful chill down her spine. She would have thought it was some horrible prank by the local teens, but this sort of thing usually didn't crop up until Halloween.

Studying the images before her, Deborah shook her head, "the corpses, they look as if whatever it was got bored or...was unsatisfied with the prey. They aren't fully eaten, just...chewed up and discarded." she murmured.

A sound at the station door nearly made Deborah jump out of her chair.

Calming herself, she scooped the pictures into a neat pile and tucked them into her desk drawer.

"Relax, you're a cop. Don't be jumpy." she laughed at herself, standing up, Deborah went to investigate.

"Maybe our shameless leader has decided to show his face around here again finally." Deborah thought, a smirk of amusement on her face.

That smirk promptly fell away as she spotted a familiar figure fiddling around with the lock on the door.

"You!" Deborah gasped.

"Freeze, kid! How'd you get in here!" She shouted.

There was no need to pull a gun, so Deborah held her ground. The girl before her slowly raised her hands into the air.

"Listen... We can talk about me lifting those water bottles later, ok," Amy growled in frustration.

"My friend is about to get eaten by a pack of mutant dogs outside - you're a cop, right? Do something!" Amy reasoned.

Deborah's gaze slipped past Amy's back briefly before they focused on the girl once more.

"Nice try kiddo, but Mutant Dogs won't distrac-" Deborah's words faded as her mind recalled the photographs she had been examining earlier.

"Just look outside!" Amy called out.

With careful steps, Deborah walked to the door and peered into the night, her heart skipped several beats as her jaw fell. 

"I told you," Amy stated flatly, watching as Deborah pulled free her pistol.

Deborah took count of how many of the strange creatures were surrounding the little black car.

"Where'd they come from? Why're there so many?" she asked.

Amy shrugged, "we were sort of hoping you guys could help with that - and there were more." said Amy.

Deborah cast a troubled glance of amazement towards Amy who seemed far too calm.

"Once you've seen them for the first time up close, you stop being shocked," Amy explained.

"We need to get your friend out of that car," Deborah said, steeling her nerves in order to focus.

Eddie's van ripped up the streets, his eyes darting from the road to the speedometer and back again.

"I'm gonna get the worst ticket in history, come on, where are you?" Eddie thought to himself, peering around the streets. 

Rounding a corner, his foot stomped on the break, nearly sending him crashing into the steering wheel. Eddie could feel his lungs jump into his throat as his eyes fell on the circle of fleshy hounds circling a black car in the near distance. 

"You've got to be kidding me." Eddie said, watching the scene with wide eyes.

Three of them were bad enough, he managed that much.

"It's not like you had a choice." He thought to himself.

However, he was looking at twice that number and his foot felt glued to the break.

"If you stay back here....she'll never know." Eddie thought.

A grimace came to his face as he was making himself sick to the stomach.

"You'll know." Eddie said to himself, but the site of the hounds froze his body in place.

You sank down into the seat, eyes shut tight.

"Just hop out and make a break for the door." you told yourself for the fifteenth time.

Your heart rattled around your chest as if it would try and burst out, and your mouth felt dry.

"It's no worse than being out here...just - run, right? You've done it before." you continued your pep talk, when a screeching came from above you, loud and piercing enough to make the ears bleed. 

You quickly covered your ears and looked up at the roof of the car.

"You're kidding!" you gasped, watching as claws slowly tore through.

"What's it doing up there?" Deborah murmured

Amy's eyes flew open wide, "It's digging its way in, we have to do something now!" she called.

Deborah pulled the keys to the station from her pocket and tossed them to Amy.

"When you open the door I'm going to open fire, be sure to stay behind me." Deborah instructed.

Amy gave a nod, caught the keys and did as she was told.

You screamed as the hound's claws tore a space to reach his paw down towards you. Sinking to lay across the front seats, you tried your best to avoid the swipes.

Your club rested clutched to your chest, your mind was shouting for you to swing while fear kept you petrified.

"Girl, move!" your mind shouted at you, but your legs wobbled about like jello, and the Creature above's frantic pawing had the others back on the hunt.

The hound on the hood now placed his front paws onto the window, and you feared that it might break the glass.

"How much do those things weigh....probably as much as I do...." you thought, trying your best to avoid the swipes.

From his place in his van, Eddie could see the station door fly open, and the flash of ignited gunpowder after a bang.

He gave a sigh as the tension melted away from his body when one of the creatures pacing about on the ground fell with a whimper that was unearthly.

"Amy, you did it!" you cheered, the bang of the gun shook free your temporary paralysis of fear and you tossed open the car door.

It didn't take long for the dogs to zero in on you. Another round of bullets fired.

"McKinney over here!" Deborah called out.

You swung your bat horizontally at one of the creatures and while it staggered, you brought the round end of the club down on his head, making a run for the Station doors.

Deborah's hands trembled at the sight of the monsters, and she found it hard to get a clean shot at the strange animals.

"Stop missing." She growled at herself in a frustrated rage, all she needed was a good headshot to take the things down, but she could not land any.

You made it to Deborah and Amy, hiding near the doorway with Amy.

"You good?" Amy asked.

You shook your head no, and tried to catch your breath.

"Me neither." Amy puffed with a tilted smile.

"I've lit them up, why won't they die?" Deborah asked.

"They're tough as shit." Amy called out.

Deborah eyed the monsters, which, though whimpering, slowly closed in.

"I need back up." Deborah whispered, fumbling for her walkie.

"Where do you keep the guns?" Amy asked.

"Not a chance in hell, kid." Deborah scoffed.

"Well you need help right? You call for help, and how long will that take? Hmm?" Amy pressed as Deborah reloaded her gun.

"Cause I got some news for you, these guys bust through glass like it's nothing." Amy added.

"You can fire a gun?" you asked her with wide eyes.

Amy's chest puffed out with pride, "I can fire an automatic." she boasted.

"Who the hell taught you that?" you asked.

"My uncle," Amy said with a shrug.

You gave your head a shake, "weirder and weirder by the day - I just want to survive this." you thought.

Deborah grimaced, the monsters wouldn't let up, she couldn't find the time to lift her walkie, and before she knew it she had been lunged at.

"Officer Sinclair!" you gasped, the two of you watched as Deborah struggled, wrestling with the strange dog about the floor.

"Girls get inside! On the front desk, the quick dial....called the Chief of Police Hopper!" Deborah shouted.

"We leave you and your dog food!" Amy called.

"Amy," You sighed clutching your club and raising it high.

"Go call." you exhaled rushing out to Deborah.

"Wait! Ugh...fine! You two die, and it's not my fault!" Amy shouted, phasing back into the building.

You swung relentlessly at the dog attacking Deborah.

"Behind you!" the officer called out.

You hit the ground and rolled, coming face to face with another one of the monsters.

"nononono." your mind panicked.

You tried to crawl away from it as it stalked towards you, flaring open its plantlike mouth.

"Officer Sinclair!" You called for help, but it was clear she had her own struggles to worry about.

You shut your eyes tight as a second dog joined in and awaited the horror of the needle-like teeth when the screeching of tires and a sickening splatter tore your eyes back open.

You could feel chunks of the dogs hit your dress, arms, and legs.

With wide eyes, you watched the mutant dog mash in the middle of the parking lot.

Eddie poked his head out of the driver's window to look down at his tire which spun about but refused to move the van anymore.

"Eddie?" you questioned in a stunned sqawk.

Deborah managed to get the barrel of her gun into the mouth of the monster and fired.

Turning her head to avoid getting blood in her eyes.

"Everyone inside! Quickly!" She called.

Eddie abandoned his van lodged in monster remains and ran to you, Deborah urging you both inside.

"Go, to the back of the station, the medical lab has a security door." Deborah raid. 

"Did you reach Hopper?" Deborah asked Amy as the three of them dashed through the lobby.

"H-he's not picking up!" Amy stammered in panic.

"Leave it, come on to the medical Lab, hurry!" Deborah called, giving Amy a shove.

"Why are these things chasing you?" Eddie asked you.

"Hell if I know." you puffed out of breath.

Deborah held open the door to the lab and ushered you all inside.

"Ok," Eddie sang skeptically as he watched Deborah go to close them inside.

Slipping his foot between the door he stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. 

"You've got the gun, we've got a busted metal stick." Eddie reasoned.

You side glanced.

"we had a busted metal stick.... I dropped it back in the parking lot." you murmured guiltily.

"You'll be safe in this room, I need to make it to the firearms locker. I'm about out of bullets and there are still three of those things left." Deborah reasoned.

"So leave us the gun and run like hell and get you a couple of fresh ones." Amy said.

"No, she's right...she needs it." Eddie said with a heavy sigh.

He removed his foot from the door.

"I'll be back when it's clear. If it gets quiet, head for the cars and get out." Deborah instructed.

"Trust me, you don't have to tell me twice," Eddie said.

"We'll get out if you take too long." you said.

"but I'd rather you come back." you added.

Deborah smiled faintly, "I'm a stubborn bitch to take down, you can trust that. Just hold tight, alright." she said, closing the door.

Amy rushed to lock it from the inside, and the three of you glanced at each other.

"So now we just....wait?" Eddie questioned.

You peered out of the small glass window in the door, and as you did so you could hear the shattering of the windows in the Lobby.

"Get back!" Eddie called, taking you and Amy by the arm, he pulled you away from the door.

On instinct, together you all sank to the ground in the corner and huddled together.

You could feel your pulse running a race in your veins.

Your hand moved with a mind of its own as it reached for Eddie's hand. You held it tight.

Eddie glanced at you, He would tell you it was going to be ok, but he couldn't even tell himself it was going to be ok.

"Things are far from ok, when you're constantly being hunted by...demon dogs...alien dogs...whatever." He thought.

Pulling his hand away from you, he instead placed that arm around your shoulders, drawing you closer as if sheltering you under his wing.

You looked up at him with grateful eyes and then mimicked his motion for Amy, who gladly huddled under your arm.

"Officer Sinclair will handle them." you whispered.

"And with any luck...these are the last of them." you added.

However, the sounds of gunfire and the wails of the monsters shook the confidence from your words.

The lights in the Medical Lab flickered violently before the room fell into darkness.

"Not again." you whimpered.

"Again?" Eddie and Amy asked.

"Yes...." you murmured softly, You eyes carefully scanning the room.

The tips of your fingers started to feel cold, a slippery tingle dripping down the back of your neck. 

Eddie and Amy watched you as you seemed to cower.

"It's the prey drive, all you need to do is stop running. You are not the prey."

A rough voice echoed in you head.

"That voice..." you thought, you could clearly picture the familiar face of the odd child in your dream.

You quickly pinched yourself. "

"ow!" you yelped.

"What was that for?" Amy asked.

"I had to make sure I was awake.... I can't go to sleep." you explained.

Eddie eyed you in confusion up and down.

"And....why not? Why would you?" He asked carefully.

"I seem to wake up somewhere else." you confessed, your voice small.

"Like...." Eddie lulled, as he drew ina slow shakey breath.

"When you went missing for six days?" he questioned.

You gave a stiff nod.

"Shit." Amy hissed, tossing her arms around you.

"Hold her down," Amy said.

Eddie copied Amy's movement and wrapped his arms around you as well.

"You should have told me it started with dreams...." Amy whispered.

The gravity in her voice made you nervous. "Why?" you asked.

"Boris had dreams too.... it's why they kept him locked away in the room," Amy stated.

"B-Boris?" Eddie asked, looking between the two of you.

"Who the hell is Boris?" He asked, "and....why was he locked away?" 

"He's nobody," Amy said quickly.

She'd hoped it would hush him.

"Worry about yourself for now, and don't let go." Amy said.

Eddie frowned, he would remain quiet for now, but one way or another someone was going to give him some answers.

Deborah reached the firearms locker and shut herself in. The monster dogs slamming against the sturdy metal door like rain pelting a window.

Resting against the door, Deborah caught her breath, her eyes lighting up at the various weapons before her.

"Made it, now I can give those things a taste of their own medicine." she thought, collecting a few guns and loading them up.

Meanwhile, in the Medical Lab, Amy sat huddled together glaring at Eddie, who would not stop staring at her.

You looked between them nervously.

"You guys ok?" you whispered.

"No, I want to know why Rughead keeps staring at me." Amy spoke with pointed words.

Eddie's eyes thinned in annoyance.

"Can you not call me that?" He asked dryly.

"No. It's your new name, deal with it." Amy shot.

You sighed, "I guess he probably wants answers.... that's all." you said.

"Yes, he does, but that's not why I'm staring." Eddie stated simply.

"Then what's your problem?" Amy asked.

"Outside, you poofed out of thin air, I know I've had some shit tonight....but I definitely saw that." Eddie spoke with critical caution.

"So what are you?" He asked.

"A magician!" Amy cheered quietly with jazz hands as she gave a grin of fake cheer.

Eddie's brows lifted, unimpressed with her sarcasm, and Amy fixed her expression to match.

"It's none of your business." she shot.

"I'm stuck in a small room, hiding in the corner in the dark from the most metal dogs in the history of ever," Eddie said holding up a single finger.

"Which would be some hellaciously boss shit - if they weren't trying to eat us," he added struggling to contain his frustration.

"I think it's my business." Eddie finished.

Amy shook her head, "Nobody asked you to show up." Amy grumbled.

"Well, I'm glad he did... I was almost monster food," you whispered.

"But," you added hesitantly.

"I get what Amy is trying to say...the wrong way mind you but still. It's best if you don't get too involved. We've found ourselves heading down the rabbit hole, and it doesn't look very nice." you murmured.

Eddie looked between the two,.

"So call me the mad hatter, I've got a march hare plus Tweedle Dee and Dum too." Eddie said.

You nearly laughed as a faint smile came to your face.

"No." Amy stated.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually trying to help you." she said.

"This is our business, you are not a part of it." Amy said pointedly.

Eddie looked at you and frowned while you tried to offer a smile.

Eddie's eyes fell to his watch, "it's been nearly fifteen minutes." he said, looking up towards the door.

"How much longer should we wait?" Amy asked, listening to the gunfire down the hall.

"She said if it gets quiet to run. We hear gunshots...that must be a good thing." you reasoned.

"It also means those things aren't dead yet, which is pretty bad - If you ask me." Eddie chimed in.

"So do we break for it?" Amy asked.

"But what if Officer Sinclair needs help?" you asked.

"She's a cop, she'll be fine -" Amy said, her words drowned out by a booming sound that shook the building.

"What the hell was that?" Eddie asked quickly.

"And why'd it sound like a hand grenade...." Amy said, looking between them.

Eddie hopped to his feet, and pulled each of you up with him.

"Alright, no. Time to leave." He said.

Amy crept to the door and peeked out of the small window, outside a thin layer of smoke hovered. "

We've actually got a good bit of cover, that smoke should mess with their sense of smell." Amy said, slowly opening the door.

With just enough space to slip through, Amy took the lead, you and Eddie following after.

"You know, it would have been a wise idea to see if they had any sleeping drugs," Eddie whispered, following behind you.

"It's a police station, not a hospital, I doubt they would have." you said.

"You need to pacify perps sometimes, right? I'm not saying it would have been strong...." said Eddie.

Amy gave a hard roll of her eyes, "Yeah, you wanna be the one to get those things to take it?" she asked.

Eddie paused in his step and gave a nod of his head, "point taken." he hummed.

As the three of you rushed out of the police station, you noticed a man getting out of a tan Chevrolet Blazer.

"Whoa nice stash." Amy chimed as he looked at your frantic figures bewildered.

"Hands up where I can see them," The man's voice called.

Your hands quickly shot into the air, while Amy and Eddie gave synchronized eye rolls, each lazily raising their hands. 

"What are you three up to at the station at this time of night..." The man asked carefully, his eyes narrowed as they fell on Eddie.

"Don't I know you?" he asked.

Eddie titled his head to one side, dryly looking the cop up and down,.

"You might probably not so much me as the company I kept." Eddie grumbled. 

You stole a glance at him curiously.

"Officer Sinclair needs help" you said, turning your attention to the cop.

"She had us try and call the police chief, but he isn't picking up, there are things in there," Amy added in quickly.

"Things?" The cop asked slowly.

You studied the look in his eyes and slowly lowered your hands.

"Monsters." you said.

"Monster dogs really, we think... um -" Eddie lulled glancing back nervously towards the station.

"Their heads kinda...Shwuush..." He said,  mimicking the opening motion with his hands, "fly open." Eddie said.

"And they haven't got a face...." You added.

"And they really like this one here." Eddie said, pointing a finger down at you above your head.

"Although, I-I don't really blame them." Eddie said with a shrug.

You and Amy both turned to look at him and in return, Eddie began to fiddle with the ends of his hair.

"I mean, not to eat or anything - that would be, weird or-" Eddie mentally kicked himself as he continued to fumble with his words.

"Just shut up!" his mind shouted at him. 

"...you know t-taken, um" Eddie cleared his throat and lightly kicked at the asphalt.

"Wrong." He said.

You felt the blood rush to your cheeks and drew in a deep breath, turning to look at the cop.

"Um so... Officer Sinclair, monsters...you'll help her, right?" you asked, your voice higher than it should be.

The cop looked at each of you somewhat fed up.

The annoyance slipped away from his face as he peered at the station, gunshots fired, and it was enough to cause him to draw his own gun.

"Stay out here." He said simply, heading for the shattered doors.

The three of you turned and watched the cop go.

"Like hell." Eddie murmured, jogging towards his van.

He opened the back doors and started to dig beneath the folded-down seat.

"What are you doing?" you asked.

"Getting a rope, I'll tether my van to your car, and you can pull my tire out of the monster mush - then we're getting out of here," Eddie said.

"Rughead finally has a good plan" Amy said, going to help out.

"But....we can't leave them!" you called, flinging your arms towards the station.

"If two cops can't handle those things, what good are we going to do?" Eddie asked.

You frowned, "it's not right." you said, looking between your friends and the station.

Eddie stopped and sighed, turning to face you.

"We'll only hold them back, ok?" he reasoned, rope in hand.

"Plus, those things are after you, right. Maybe knowing you're gone will... I dunno-"

Amy snapped her fingers and grinned, "distract them!" she cheered, cutting Eddie off.

"Yes" Eddie said with a nod.

"You think so?" You questioned.

"Only one way to find out, let's get this rope tied on." Amy said, taking one end of the rope.

"____, back your car up." she said.

Inside the station, Deborah growled at herself as she gave the dead creature before her a hard kick,.

"Son of a bitch." she vented briefly before turning her eyes to the remaining two.

Raising her gun, she pulled the trigger and it clicked emptily. Deborah looked down at the gun in her hands with wide eyes.

"I did not go through all my ammo already." she exhaled.

Deborah's eyes started to scan the room for a potential weapon, a stapler, the water jug, the radio, and a pair of steel scissors were the only decent make-shift weapons about.

"I don't like my odds with any of them." Deborah thought, backing up slowly against the wall.

"Why'd you run your ignorant ass into the coffee room?" she scolded herself.

Two loud shots fired as the monsters closed in, and Deborah's legs almost gave from under her.

"How'd you manage that?" She asked, looking at the whimpering hounds.

They were alive, but they seemed not to be able to move.

"Shoot any living thing in its spine, and it's not going anywhere," Hopper said, his eyes focused on the dogs.

Kneeling with caution, he examined one, turning it to look towards him.

The creature opened its mouth, and before it knew what happened, Hopper fired his gun and went to repeat the process with the remaining creature.

"Chief...what are these things?" Deborah asked.

Hopper shook his head, breathing a long, troubled sigh.

"They look like..." Hopper thought, giving the corpse a shove with the tip of his foot, "But they're smaller..." he thought.

"Chief?" Deborah asked, she watched Hopper gaze at the creatures.

"You've seen it before," she said quietly.

Hopper shook his head, "no," he said, voice distant.

Clearing his throat, he looked up at Deborah.

"No, of course not, I'm just...freaked out." Hopper said with a faltering smile.

"I mean...shit..." He sighed.

"I know..." Deborah said, shaking her head as she looked at the monsters.

Hopper watched her while her attention was elsewhere, "did she buy it?" He thought to himself.

Deborah pointed to the creature.

"You think the Nuclear plant has anything to do with this? Maybe some strays got caught in some of the waste, or...the waste is leaking into the water supply?" Deborah asked, turning her attention to Hopper.

"I think...for now, we get these things into my truck, I'll have someone do an autopsy on them, get down to the bottom of this," Hopper said.

"Sounds like a good idea, We can get the kids to help," Deborah said with a smile.

Hopper gave a nod and let Deborah led the way out of the Coffee room.

However, when the two made it outside the station, the parking lot was empty, save a few mashed monsters.

"W-where'd they go?" Deborah asked.

"Would you stay?" Hopper asked right back. 

Several blocks away, you pulled your car to a stop and hopped out, Amy doing the same.

You met Eddie halfway to his van.

"So now what?" Eddie asked.

"We all go home." you exhaled, looking around, it seemed like more of the creatures would pop out at any moment.

"Go home? Your serious?" Eddie asked.

You shrugged your shoulders and hugged yourself, "Yeah, that had to be the last of those things."

"There can't be more than that, it's impossible - not with only us having seen them." you reasoned.

"And even if they are, they clearly want me. You don't have to worry about leading them back to your place or your uncle," you added.

"My uncle likes a good hunt, actually," Eddie murmured.

He looked you over carefully, you looked as if your legs were hardly supporting you and your clothes had wrinkled like wet laundry after being left in a heap to dry.

"But, going home sounds good, you look beat," said Eddie.

"Sleep probably sounds real nice right now," he added.

You side glanced, thinking, "I won't get that at home even if I didn't have to run damage control with Dad."

"Dumbass, she can't sleep." Amy scoffed as a reminder.

"Oh, that's right." He murmured, a concern crossing his face.

You reached around and lightly touched the back of your neck.

"It's ok, I don't feel so strange anymore." you said, feeling slightly relieved.

"I can't say more odd events won't happen back home, but for now I feel fine." you thought.

Eddie and Amy glanced at each other skeptically.

"I think you better crash with me." Amy said.

You grimaced, you felt bad enough that Amy had to hide out in that dusty old basement, and you couldn't imagine spending a night there yourself. A childhood fascination with the old home, or otherwise.

Amy laughed, "don't look at me like that, I've cleaned the place up nice. It's awesome now." she said.

"I can make sure you don't poof away in the night," Amy added.

"I think you should listen to Weird Girl, if you're sleepwalking, a sleepover is probably a good idea." Eddie said.

"Hello, name - Amy." Amy grumbled with a dry wave.

Eddie's gaze slipped over to her as he smirked.

"It's not all that nice is it." he shot, eyes thinning into a halfhearted glare.

"If I have to be Rughead, your name is Weird Girl." He added.

Amy rolled her eyes and you laughed quietly.

"Really I'll be ok, I've got three people in my household." you said.

Neither Eddie nor Amy seemed convinced.

"And?" Amy shot, "they aren't worth a damn." she said.

"Nobody expected what happened the first time, and it's not like I told them exactly what happened. But my dad likes to run a tight ship, so I'm sure he will be watchful. Even if he just thinks I'm sneaking out the house." you explained.

After you heaved a heavy sigh, "especially if he thinks I'm sneaking out the house." 

"You're just asking for trouble, aren't you?" Amy said, her brows knitting together as she shook her head hopelessly at you.

"No, I'm just....trying to get things to feel normal. You can will things into being, I have to believe that. So if I put this behind me, maybe it will be over and a nice, simple summer can get underway." you said with a strained smile.

Eddie stood quietly with a frown etched on his face, he released a dissatisfied sigh, his arms dropping to his side.

"I can't kill her optimism." He thought to himself.

Lazily reaching out an arm, he walked towards you, pulling you into a one-armed hug.

"Fine, but I could use a break from being superman for a night." Eddie said with a wink.

There went the butterflies again, "you play too much." you murmured shyly. 

Eddie gave a small grin, "just make sure we see you tomorrow." he said, heading for his van. 

You and Amy returned to the car and got inside, the ride back to the Creel Mansion was a quiet one as both of you were drained beyond imagination. Sometime along the way, Amy fell asleep.

Back at your house, You crept through the front door as quietly as you could, your parents would be furious and there was no real way you could begin to explain what had happened that night.

The house was dark except for the blue light coming from the downstairs television.

Your heart sank, you gave up your hopes of sneaking and trudged into the living room.

"They aren't home yet, Dad dragged mom to a dinner party," Patrick muttered dryly from his seat on the sofa.

You exhaled in relief.

"You'll still be in trouble," He snickered, tossing you an amused smirk.

"You don't have to tell him anything. For all he knows, I got back home at a good hour." you pleaded.

"Not a chance, I take my licks from Dad when I mess up - you should too," Patrick said with a scowl.

Your gaze wavered to the side, "I get in trouble too. Just not in the same way as you do." you whispered.

Maybe if you stood there long enough he would notice the terrible state you were in, or maybe he hardly saw you enough these days to care. However, that didn't feel true.

You waited, hopeful, no you didn't want to have to explain things. But you just wanted to be seen.

"Could you go? You're ruining the movie." Patrick muttered, kicking his feet up on the sofa.

"Sorry, I'm gone." you spoke quietly, heading for the stairs, you bit your lip.

It wasn't his fault, it was their father that had created the divide between them.

"I miss when he was my little Patty.... I miss when he used to come to me advise," you thought.

Weariness made the aches of you body much more prominent as you climbed the stairs.

"I miss the little boy who'd bring me bandaids just because I stubbed my toe - I miss being sissy." a bittersweet smile came to your face as childhood memories came back.

You stood before your bedroom door.

"I also very much miss not being afraid of my room." you whispered.

Closing your eyes again, you willed the idea that everything was fine, completely normal, and walked inside, closing the door behind you.

You went through the motions of feeding Shelob, and you released the live cricket you'd been saving for your fuzzy friend.

A small smile was brought to your face as you watched Shelob eagerly stalking her prey.

"I should find you more live prey, you really seem to like it." you yawned.

Trudging to the bed, you kicked off your shoes and flopped down, rolling onto your side.

Curling up as small as you could, you lifted your wrist to look at the leather bracelet.

"It's got dark patches from the monster blood now." you thought with a frown.

Your eyelids started to feel heavy.

"Maybe, I can get it cleaned. It's leather, after all. I can't let it get ruined." your thoughts slowly faded as sleep took you.

One hope lingering in the back of your mind, "don't let it happen again."

Amy chomped away at a plum she'd lifted from the grocery store a few days ago, and listened to the local news from her little radio.

She lay on her stomach in the little fort tent she had built for herself, blankets and pillows piled high.

"Nobody is talking about it yet, so Officer Sinclair and that other guy haven't gone public with it yet..." Amy murmured.

"It is pretty early, but who cares, mutant monsters terrorizing townspeople." Amy sighed, tossing the pit of the plum across the basement, landing it in a dusty unopened box.

A few hours passed and the last remnants of night would soon be fading, a figure snuck down the sidewalk of a quiet upper-middle suburban block.

Crickets still chirped, a dog bayed off in the distance, and the air smelled of summer breeze kissed grass. 

The figure shadowed by the night hopped the back fence into the McKinney's backyard.

Eddie stood up and examined the large backyard.

"Hello pool." He said in a whisper of a whistle, but being impressed did nothing for the disappointment on his face.

"Three people she said, the car is not in the driveway." Eddie thought, walking closer to the house.

His eyes scanned the windows carefully, there were three of them upstairs.

"Which one is yours." Eddie thought.

Glancing over the rest of the house, Eddie spotted a soft light in what looked like the back door to the living room. Being as careful as he could, Eddie snuck over, peering into the glass.

"Patrick," Eddie murmured, watching his fellow student kick back while watching a movie.

It was only the back of his head, but it was hard to mistake the slightly lopsided high-top fade.

Backing away, Eddie cast his eyes back up, only one room had a light on.

"Must be it," he said, reaching into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a small, worn drawstring bag.

Reaching into it, he pulled out two small dice, the numbers fading away from them. Looking up at the windows, Eddie drew back his hand and chucked one of the dice away from him, up towards the glass.

After several attempts, Eddie paused.

"Only two dice left" He thought.

Eddie stole a glance towards the back door window, it seemed Patrick was still very much into his movie, or sleep, He couldn't tell.

"Come on, I need a crit." Eddie whispered to the die in his hand before tossing it up towards the glass.

A faint thud against the wall and the soft but relentless skittering of legs up and down your arms coaxed your heavy eyelids awake.

You let out a soft groan.

"Guys let me sleep." you murmured gently brushing at the tiny spiders,.

They were quick to return to whereever it was they'd come from as you slipped your feet out of the bed and wandered over to the window.

Eddie smiled as he could hear the window raise and your groggy face poked out while rubbing your eyes.

"Pssst," Eddie called up with a wave.

"Eddie?" you called quietly, glancing around in panic.

He smiled and held out his arms, "only one guy in this world with my unfortunate face." He teased.

"J-just hold on." you stammered, darting back into your room and ducking down before the window. 

You lifted a wicker laundry basket to reveal a rope ladder with one end nailed to the floor. Quietly, you lowered the free end out the window.

"Hurry, before someone sees you." you called down to him, you words hushed.

Eddie looked at the rope for a moment, stunned, before laughing quietly to himself as he started to climb.

You stood at the window fretting as he reached the top.

Eddie tilted his head and flashed you a grin as with the space of the window between you two, you almost stood nose to nose.

"What are you doing, don't just stay there, get in!" you said in a clear panic, your eyes looking past him to the houses beyond your backyard.

"Sweet little ____ McKinney has a rope ladder out her window." Eddie sang teasingly before climbing inside.

Once he'd stepped in and away, you swiftly shut her window and closed the curtains.

Eddie's eyes casually swept over your room, but he found himself trying to take in as much information as he could.

It was surprisingly sparse item-wise.

"I-It's in case of a fire!" you protested.

Eddie tore his eyes away from a trio of dance trophies on a shelf on your wall, he turned to look over his shoulder with a smile.

"Of course, I'm just teasing. It had to be something like that." He hummed.

You quietly rushed past him, snatching your night scarf off of your dresser, you went to the bedroom door. 

Eddie watched with curiosity as you tied it to the doorknob and the other end to the leg of your TV stand, securing the door shut.

"Why are you here?" you asked him in a fretful whisper, you eyed him up and down, and Eddie couldn't help but smirk as he stood up tall.

"I-In your pajamas?" you stammered.

You hadn't noticed when he was on the ground, He sported a faded band T under his jacket, but his pants were your average-striped pajamas. 

Eddie chuckled at himself this time.

"After what you said back in the station, did you really think at least one of us wouldn't come to check on you?" He asked.

You glanced away from him.

"I'm fine." you said, adding, "In fact, I was sleeping, not so much as a dream either." 

Eddie's smile faded into a look of slight concern.

"You told us there'd be three people here with you. Patrick's downstairs sleep or way into his movie and you folks are gone." Eddie stated.

"They're coming back, a late-night dinner party. My mom usually likes to overstay her welcome, so...." you murmured.

Eddie heaved a sigh.

"Great, well, I'm crashing here - until they come back." He said, walking to your bed, he sat down on the floor.

You blinked several times, "um..." you hummed.

"What?" the question came out in a squeak that caused Eddie to laugh, he tried to quiet himself.

"Shhhhh" you hushed.

Eddie gave a nod, "sorry" he whispered, removing his jacket and balling it up, laying it down on the floor. 

"Y-your serious?" you asked stomach turning into anxious knots.

"So serious, I can't let you vanish for another week, come hell or high water, you're coming to our show this Tuesday," Eddie said playfully.

The knots tightened and then uncoiled in an instant.

"He really wants me there then." you thought.

"I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor, we've got a sleeping bag in the hall closet." you sighed.

"Yeah, but if Patrick's not sleeping he'll hear you rummaging around in there right? And it's going to be a pain in the ass rigging that lock again." Eddie reasoned.

"I'm good, I used to sleep on the floor all the time at Scott's sad sleepovers." He laughed.

You quietly walked over to Eddie and sat down on the floor across from him, folding your legs like a butterfly.

"Sad sleepovers?" you questioned.

"Yeah," Eddie said in a fond chuckle.

"Scott's an only kid, we've been friends since elementary school. He was picked on a lot. But he's always been a cool dude. Can draw like something out of this world and is the best backup vocalist, learns any instrument you throw at him." Eddie said.

You couldn't help but smile at how much pride Eddie seemed to take in his friends.

"But he didn't have lots of friends back then, it got worse in middle school. I started making friends and Scott...just didn't. So I brought him to Jeff who I'd started the band with, and Jeff had a friend - that was Gareth.  Scott's house was the biggest at the time and had this big basement." Eddie said.

His voice fell into a comforting lull as he recounted his memories.

"We figured if we all crashed at Scott's house on the weekends, the three of them would become friends eventually. Only Scott had never hosted a sleepover. We tried to tell him it's no big thing. But he wanted to 'do it right', heh, it was terrible." Eddie said.

"He had all the corniest board games and movies, eventually, we found out we all liked DnD and that made them a lot less bad." He said.

You smiled faintly, "that doesn't sound so terrible, a few corny board games." you said.

Eddie raised a brow.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to play them. I mean, He had the girliest games. Most ideas he got about sleepovers came from summer chick flicks." Eddie mused.

"I'm sure even sleepovers you've had with Robin have been better." He said.

You sucked in your lips and side glanced.

"It's already late, we should get to bed." you said quickly.

Eddie watched you confused, he was having fun just talking, and now he could feel a wall forming around you.

You walked to a trunk in your room to retrieve a throw blanket.

Eddie got to his feet and carefully walked to you.

"Um...did I do something?" he asked cautiously.

"No, no, it's just late." you peeped awkwardly, clearing your throat.

Turning around to return to him, you gave yourself a fright as you found him standing there peering down at you.

"Jesus Christ, Eddie..." you sighed, heart thumping hard in your chest.

He laughed softly, "sorry." he said, taking the blanket from her hands.

You looked down at your two pairs feet, the tips of your socks lined with the tips of his black and white converse.

"I've never...." you sighed, closing your eyes, you gripped at the sides of your shirt.

"I um...well, even with Robin...." you felt silly, it wasn't such an odd thing, was it?

Then again, it's what all girls were expected to have done once, a real proper sleepover.

Eddie watched yopu intently, and then it dawned on him. 

"Oh" he mouthed to himself before a wicked smile spread across his face.

He gently flicked your nose, "You've never had a sleepover." He said.

You shook your head, "No one is allowed to stay here, Dad doesn't want things ruined, and he says kids and teens are little wrecking balls."

"And..." you hummed, titled your head, "I guess...he's protective. I can't go to anyone's place for a night if he hasn't met and approved of their family. Dad doesn't like Robin....says he doesn't care for the way she looks."

Eddie's eyes shimmered, "then he'd blow several gaskets if he knew about this." He said.

You looked up at Eddie, your brows knitting together.

"I don't want to think about that. You need to be gone before they come back," you said.

"But I only just got here." He teased.

"and I get to be ____ Sweet Turtle's first," he whispered playfully.

Your whole face felt like it might combust as heat took over like a fever.

"Don't say it like that!" you nearly screamed.

Eddie rushed in and hugged you while trying to hold in his laughed

"shhhh, ____," he said in a whisper, between quiet laughs. 

"It's your fault!" you hissed quietly, glaring.

Eddie let you go and walked back to his place on the floor with the throw blanket.

"It's not wrong, just a totally different context than your dirty little mind," Eddie said.

You watched him, embarrassment growing as you tried to hold her glare.

Eddie flashed her an overly sweet smile and batted his eyelashes rapidly.

And in a voice that sounded a lot like Olive Oyl said, "Tell me I'm still your favorite freak?"

You ambled to your bed and gathered the blanket from it into your arms before walking around to the other side where Eddie sat on the floor.

You looked down at him with a flat expression.

"You're not my favorite freak." you said, laying out your blanket a few feet away from him.

"Ow...that's not nice. I was just playing." Eddie sulked.

You laid down on a portion of your blanket and wrapped the rest of it over yourself.

"You're not a freak." you stated, "Freaks don't have friends who care so much about them, Eddie."

Eddie smiled, He could read your eyes, and he knew the look in them, it was so self-deprecating that it almost hurt to watch.

"You don't understand, I'm proud of the title." Eddie said slowly.

"It's the world that made the word freak bad. But at the root of it all, it's just being different from what is expected, that's not always bad. In fact, it can be something pretty damned amazing." Eddie explained.

You wouldn't look at him as your fingers fiddled with your bracelet under the covers.

Eddie laid down onto the carpet and pulled his blanket over himself.

"Think about it, as a thing Freak is just a thing that's not like the rest...that could be having a third eye, four ears, or no lungs." Eddie said. 

"That all sounds awful." you muttered, Eddie simply smiled.

"Yeah, but it could also mean being the fastest swimmer on record, being the youngest person to go to college, seeing sound in the form of colors," Eddie paused and tapped the corner of his eye.

"or having ____ eyes with a single dark/light blue patch in one of them," He said.

You looked up at him in mild shock.

"That's not a bad thing, that's just beautiful and kinda freakish." He hummed with a warm smile.

"It's also something unusual, hard to explain, mind-boggling...that's not always bad." Eddie said, resting his head on his jacket.

You used your arm as a pillow and looked at Eddie with heavy eyelids.

His voice was oddly calming.

You gave a sleepy smile.

"I freaked out when I saw how beautiful she was. That concert was freakin' amazing." Eddie thought back to that day in the woods behind the school.

As of right now, he was contently amused with the hazy smile in your eyes.

You gave a weak nod, murmuring, "Then you're not only my favorite freak...."

Your eyes started to close on you.

"You...." and sleep took you.

Eddie sat up quickly, "what?" he asked.

You simply responded with a quiet breathy snore. He deflated and nestled back down.

Laying his head down he chuckled quietly to himself, reaching out a hand he rested it as close to you as he could without moving.

"Good night," He whispered as he continued to lay and watch over you. Your sleeping face kept him entranced until his body gave in and started to drift to sleep.

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#reader discretion advised #eddie munson x shy!reader #eddie munson x moster!reader #eddie munson x mckinney!reader #eddie munson angst #semi-dark fic #not suitable for minors #critique welcome

[fayeandknight]

Personal post in which I am processing old trauma.

It's weird how you can clearly recall an experience but have no emotional response/true comprehension of it until many years later.

My relationship with my ex fiance happened during my first three years of college, if you don't count the stalking and harassment that went on for several years after. I'm in my 30s now, that was a long time ago.

It took me a few years after breaking up for the last time to realize that the relationship wasn't just "really shitty" but had in fact been extremely abusive. To this day when I think of him I think of screaming and crying, breaking glass, blood, absolute terror, and the inability to breathe.

Over the years I've been processing the truth of things he'd normalized/minimized/gaslit me on and trying to give myself grace for the long term effects it's had on me. And for a while I thought I'd acknowledged all of it. But recently (last year or two) it's hit me like a sack of bricks that he tried to murder me. I don't mean going too far in a fit of anger, I mean he planned out and followed through on a deliberate plan to kill me that I survived by sheer luck.

That day has always been a cold, stop motion memory since it happened. I can recall it in a series of snapshots, each clean and neat and utterly detached from each other.

He tells me we'll have the house to ourselves.

He's drawn me a bath in the big Jacuzzi tub with rose petals in the water.

I undress and get in.

He is sitting on the side of the bathtub.

He is cupping my face for a kiss and whispers something about Ophelia.

My head is underwater.

I am flailing and grabbing at his hands, the side of the bathtub. Water is going everywhere but I can't get out from underneath his hands.

I can't breathe. My lungs are burning. I am beyond terrified. This is the inevitable end. This is how I die.

His hands are off me and I am able to get my head above water.

He is taking keys off the counter and handing them through the cracked open door.

I am soaking wet and holding my clothes against me in a bundle that mostly covers me.

I shove past the person on the other side of the door and run barefoot back to my dorm.

He gaslit me hard about this that it never happened. I didn't even get a chance to bring it up. He just showed up the next day to take me on a date (which he very rarely did) and complained about how outside of sex we never had one on one time because there were always people in the house. I was still in shock I think and don't really remember what happened in between my running out of his house and him showing up at my dorm apartment. I do remember being in the living room of his house after the date and having a very public fight that he pulled out of nowhere.

For a long time that memory has been something I shied away from even thinking about. It was a cold spot in my brain that gave me mental frost bite.

And then when I did acknowledge it, it was framed as 'I almost died' in my mind. But the more I think about it, the more clear that this was a planned murder becomes.

We were in college and he lived in a busy frat house/known party house with four other guys. He either dedicated significant time to tracking people's coming and going to find a long enough window of time to drown me and dispose of my body. Not a small feat considering the near constant foot traffic in the house. Or he engineered having that house be empty.

The tub, which wasn't normally used due to being disgustingly dirty, had been spotlessly cleaned.

He never got undressed or into the tub with me. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt with shorts and angled his legs away from the tub.

He referenced Ophelia, who dies via drowning. I was a theatre major at the time.

He very much intended to murder me by downing me in that bathtub.

The only reason I survived is because someone forgot their keys on the bathroom counter and had to come back for them. That's it.

It's so wild to me how long it's taken my brain to feel, I don't know safe??? enough, to really put the severity and full implications together. I didn't repress the memory, just avoided it. And I'm not even shocked that he tried to kill me, more that he tried to murder me - though I'm not sure how much sense that distinction would make to anyone else.

Seeing romantic gestures between couples makes me feel cold and frightened and grief stricken. And for a long time I attributed that to my most significant/serious relationship being an epic shit show and a half. But I'm starting to realize that it's also because one of the few romantic gestures I've received was actually part of the plan to murder me. So I'm trying to be gentle with myself when I experience those feelings.

I'm not some bitter shrew who hates seeing happy couples. I am experiencing the fallout feelings of an extremely traumatic and very nearly fatal event.

Anyway I'm not really expecting for anyone to have read this whole mess. But if you did, here's a picture of Forte snuggling me from this morning as thanks for sitting with me for a bit.

#personal post #trigger warning for talk of #attempted murder #long post #I'm not really expecting anything from posting this #it's more just me venting into the void #I've never talked about this so directly before to anyone #cptsd #complex ptsd #ptsd #domestic violence #abusive relationships #I've been spending a lot of time around couples this week and it's making me very sad #sorry for being depressing

[heehappi]

Perfect Present

❯ Pairings: ??? Heeseung x Fem wizard reader

❯ Genre: Wizarding AU / Harry Potter AU 

❯ Word Count: 6k+

❯ Tags: best friend to ???, inner child healing, slight mommy issue.

❯ A/N: I will note some def for unusual terms below their appearances, so don't worry if you don't understand them.

❯ Summary: Heeseung is a good son who always obeys his mom’s rules, no matter how much unreasonable they are. Until one day, you came and be friends with him. Two of you find out the reason behind his mom’s act…

Lee Heeseung had a wish. He desired to climb the old oak next to the window.

Children without friends might yearn for expensive toys while some gluttonous ones might crave gigantic cakes. In contrast, Heeseung had never wished for anything since childhood, always striving to behave well as an obedient son. He immediately obeyed when his mom asked him to eat everything on the dish. Mom demanded him to go read books instead of bothering her, he complied right away, quickly took out a novel, and read it. His mom forbade him from stepping out of the house, the little boy complied with her order without hesitation.

No matter how many secrets existed in the world outside his house, Heeseung was never curious about them. He was also not lonely even when he didn’t have his mother or friends by his side. Heeseung had a small figure in comparison with his peers. Standing on a chair didn't make a seven-year-old boy as tall as a bookshelf. There were a lot of books that Heeseung couldn’t comprehend their content, but he still tried to read them, just because of the good-looking book covers. At bedtime, mom put a blanket on him, then he grasped her sleeve. 

- Mom, what's written in that book?

She yanked her arm away.

- That is *Ancient Runes.

*Ancient Runes: a mostly theoretical subject that studied the ancient runic scripts of magic.

He had no idea what Runes was, but if his mother refused to explain, he wouldn’t be curious about it anymore. The next day, he would continue to lay on his stomach on the carpet underneath the bookcase, reading that book like a good son.

Heeseung noticed a peculiar animal resembling a long-haired, black mouse with a wide mouth. Its ugly small eyes annoyed him, so he quickly flipped to the following page which had a picture of a little bird with a silver stripe on its tail. That bird caught his attention because it looked quite familiar. Suddenly, a soft sound coming from the vacant windowsill made Heeseung turn to look. He noticed a blue sparrow bird with a silver tail standing on an old oak, tilting its head to stare at him.

That was the first time Heeseung acted against his mother's orders. He rush downstairs while carrying that hefty book, running toward the old oak without his shoes on. This spacious house had a very long staircase. Each of his footsteps was light and soft as if he was afraid his mom might catch him breaking her rule.

When Heeseung sprinted toward the door, he abruptly slowed down. The bird was still perched on the branch, staring at him. He immediately recalled his mother's expectations of him as a good son. But the glorious sunshine outdoors and the aroma of fresh grass drying in the sun were also there, trying to lure him to break the rules. Heeseung moved carefully in the direction of the old dark oak. Just as he was about to enter the shade of the tree, a yell brought him back to reality. His arm was yanked back with great force. Thus, this disobedient youngster was caught by his mother.

Heeseung wasn’t concerned about punishment when being dragged into the house; instead, he wondered how his mom could suddenly show up behind his back in such a few seconds. Actually, there was no need to be worried because his mom never spanked him. The next morning, Heeseung met a strange woman sitting at the dining table, with a solemn expression and a book called Runes in her hand.

She introduced that she would be his teacher, and promised to teach him anything in the book, whether it was Runes or Latin. Heeseung was silent for a while before asking her. 

- Ma'am, on the way here, do you notice a little bird perching on an old oak?

There was no response to his question. Heeseung was no longer curious about it. 

He had never seen any birds appearing on the old oak in the next two years, not even the silver-tailed sparrow that year. So, when he was at the age of nine, seeing a girl lying on her stomach under a tree, Heeseung felt more flabbergasted than curious. 

It should have been a normal afternoon like any other day. After the teacher left in the afternoon, he would sit on the windowsill, immersing himself in *"A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration". He presumed the rustling of the leaves was an illusion and ignored it. But as the noise became louder, Heeseung suddenly heard a shout coming from the summit of the oak.

- Hey, how can you be so passionate about reading books?

The girl on the tree seemed to be his age, grinning at him, swinging her leg back and forth. The book in his hand slipped to the ground, Heeseung's eyes widened, obviously still shocked, and had no idea about what was going on.

- Why remained silent? Were you afraid of me?

Heeseung was far from afraid, he quickly shook his head to clarify, making you burst out laughing, almost falling backward. Heeseung feared you would lose your balance and fall off the tree, hurriedly approaching to assist.

- You're funny.

After saying that, you cutely waved your hand and introduced yourself to him.

- I'm Y/N. What's your name?

Sitting on the tree of someone's home but daring to think you are the owner of the home, go and get his name. He chuckled, imitating your act, waving his hand back to you.

- My name is Lee Heeseung.

- Why don't you go out to play Heeseung? I bet outside is more interesting than that boring book. 

Heeseung was at a loss for words. Since that incident, he no longer wanted to leave the house. He could sit on the windowsill, but freely swinging his legs on the branches of the oak like you is a daydream that he had never been able to do. He became bewildered, lost in his thoughts, unaware his face at that time looked really dumb and silly. You laughed so hard that your whole body fell backward, losing your balance, then fell off the tree.

- Y/N!

Heeseung yelled your name out of worry. But it wasn't until he saw you hanging in the air that he quickly realized you were a little witch. Of course, he was aware that there was a wizarding world. Since the day that his teacher had entered this house, he quickly acknowledged the reason why his mom could move to his back in just a second when he was about to reach the oak. His mother, his teacher, and even the girl he just met today - Y/N, all of them are witches with the ability to use magic. 

Heeseung, however, couldn’t be a wizard.

He urged the teacher to teach him as soon as he realized what was written in the thick old book was spells. After countless attempts with the wand, he ultimately realized that he himself did not possess the same type of abilities as his mother. In other words, Heeseung was a *Squib, according to the term he had discovered in his family tree last week.

*Squib: a non-magical person who was born to at least one magical parent, but didn’t inherit magic from parents.

Heeseung wasn't sure if he could turn into a wizard. But he deduced that becoming a witch wouldn’t be so enjoyable after daily glancing at the expressions on the faces of his mother and teacher. Until he saw the small witch standing there brushing the dust off her dress, he could tell that being a wizard would not be all that horrible. 

You approached him, extending your hand.

- How about I’ll teach you some easy spells that I've picked up from my mom? And to pay for that, you will play with me. Deal?

Before Heeseung could even utter the word "Okay”, someone shouted your name, you immediately flew away, didn’t forget to turn back, and waved your hand at him.

- Heeseung, my family just moved here yesterday. We’re neighbors now. Hope you can come and play with me someday. 

He waved goodbye to his over-excited new friend. His heart skipped a beat, just like it had done on the first day he saw a little sparrow bird with a silver tail on the old dark oak.

A Squib who was hidden in an old house, and a witch who moved with her parents to a strange place, thus becoming close friends. At their second encounter, you sat on the windowsill to hear him chat about his mysterious teacher and strict mother. Heeseung only had free time in the afternoon; however, he didn’t mention that it was also the only time he was unsupervised. You nodded slightly and noticed the sad tone in his story.

- Then I'll come to play with you every afternoon.

Heeseung told you about the ugly mouse in his book and the unusual bird on the tree. You told him about your life in your old neighborhood. He was fascinated to hear your story, nodding repeatedly when you recounted how you found his house.

A 9-year-old girl didn’t understand much about adult stuff, so you quit the conversation between your mom and new neighbors. You kicked the stone in boredom while walking accidentally to his house. You raised your head up and saw a gigantic old oak. The naughty instinct drove you to climb up, then spotted this old house.

Even though it wasn't far from his home to yours, neither your parents nor your neighbors had ever mentioned it. While resting on a tree limb, you peered inside and noticed a handsome nerd-like boy intently reading a book by the window.

You weren't very knowledgeable about the magic world; all the spells you knew were picked up through imitation. Heeseung raised the book in his palm after you finished telling.

- So that means my house is already charmed with *The Disillusionment Charm.

*The Disillusionment Charm: a charm that rendered something invisible.

Heeseung had to explain again after seeing your face crinkled in confusion.

- It can keep *Muggles from seeing witches, indeed.

*Muggles: humans who were born to two non-magical parents and were incapable of performing magic.

You hit his shoulder with a book after failing to comprehend.

- Please clarify it in the language, which is within my understanding, Magical Google.

Heeseung turned his head in another way. His shaking shoulder told you he was smothering a laugh. Afterward, he gently explained magic to you, defining Muggles as well as the spells he had read. After making sense, you posed the following query.

-  Heeseung, I assume you're a wizard too?

Children of Muggles are Muggles, children of wizards are wizards. This theory was absolutely true in the case of Heeseung having the ability to use magic. He shook his head slightly and asked you back. 

- So, your entire family is a wizard?

- Just me and mom.

There was no one in your family with such unusual abilities as you, except your mom. However, she had no intention to talk about it to you, not expecting her daughter to even learn some easy spells from her. Heeseung went on to explain, those who were born into a family of wizards but didn’t possess magical abilities, like him, were known as Squibs.

You frowned at the new word.

- Heeseung, if you don’t want to address yourself as Squib, then don’t.

He raised his brows in shock, gaping jaw, blinking his eyes.

- How do you know that? Are you using *Legilimency Spell on me right now Quick Learner?

*Legilimency Spell: a charm that allows the caster to delve into the mind of the victim, permitting the caster to see memories, emotions, and thoughts.

- No, if you are looking for intelligent students, then you chose the wrong one. It’s just the feeling. That word sounds harsh like you're the black sheep of your family. I don’t like that. I am unique, as are you. We aren’t a distinct species, but rather a relatively unique individual.

Heeseung agreed with his "relatively special" friend, calling you back before you left.

- Y/N, do you want to try some spells in this book? I can teach you the next time you come.

You absolutely wanted it, but you were afraid you would bother him, so you made a small exchange.

- Okay, but you must promise me.

Heeseung nodded enthusiastically, waiting for you to continue.

- I will always bring a tiny gift when I come, and you can't help but accept it no matter what it is.

- Ok!

Heeseung was nervous and unable to sleep the night before your subsequent visit, tossing and turning all night, thinking about the present you would bring for him. Would the price be too high? If so, he really couldn’t accept it. As a result, the next day, he hung two eye-catching dark eye bags under his half-closed eyes to meet you. Today, he intended to teach *The Levitation Charm, a very simple spell.

*The Levitation Charm: a charm used to make objects fly.

You stood under the tree with your hands behind your back, refusing to let him see what you were hiding. You persuaded him to go down there to see the gift, but he stayed loyal to his mom’s rule. You didn’t have any other choice but to fly into his room. 

You stumbled a little while reaching the windowsill, arms flailing and hair flying. Heeseung was so scared that he threw the book, rushing to help you, his arm quickly wrapped around you. Luckily it was fast enough to prevent you from hitting your head on the ground. 

When Heeseung’s hand was still on your waist, before he could react, you suddenly put something on his head. You were bent over with laughter, guffawing so hard your whole body shook. Heeseung’s gaze fell from you to his reflection in the mirror, his expression of confusion mixed with worry cracked. His face turned red with shyness, giggling along with you. 

- Heeseung, you look like a little girl with it.

He had no idea where you collected the little pink flowers that you crocheted into a basic wreath and placed on his head. You were still clapping and laughing, Heeseung took off the wreath and placed it on your head. You tried to get away from it, trying to suppress your laughter, but couldn't help the occasional giggle that escaped.

- And you look like my little girl Y/N.

- Keep it down in your throat till the day I drink *love potions. 

*Love potions: caused the drinker to become infatuated or obsessed with the person who gave it to them.

Heeseung, in contrast to his strict teacher, had no intention of forcing you to learn anything; for the most part, you guys continued to act like two normal kids, joking around. The two met at the end of the summer, and then through winter, spring came, and you still hadn't mastered the Levitation Charm.

The grass under the windowsill was covered with purple-blue flowers after the heavy rain. You didn’t show up as scheduled that afternoon, Heeseung just waited patiently by the window while reading Latin textbooks till he heard you calling him. When he peered over the window, he noticed you standing here and clutching a bouquet of purple-blue iris flowers. His eyes widened in surprise; a huge grin spread across his face as he took in the unexpected sight before him.

- Why are you picking flowers in my yard to give them as gifts?

You pouted and denied it.

- Heeseung, look closely.

Following a lengthy spell called Wingardium Leviosa, the bouquet of irises in your palm began to separate into individual flowers, floating in the air until stopping in front of Heeseung, like butterflies. He bent his head to gaze at you as sunlight entered the blue-violet landscape you had constructed. He loudly thanked you, not noticing his eyes sparkle with joy and affection. He felt a rush of happiness flood through him and had to lean against the wall to steady himself as he felt his head grow light.

From that day on, the iris bouquet became a special memento between you and him. Heeseung feigned to mention it casually at the dinner table and said he truly enjoyed the collection of irises under the windowsill. His mother immediately made a spell to keep them from wilting even in winter. She was still pleased to grant a few wishes for Heeseung as long as he had no plans to leave this house.

Before you flew into the room, you would put the Levitation Charm to make the bouquet go upward and land on the windowsill. Heeseung will take the bouquet if there is only him in his room.

Actually, that complex signal was useless since the teachers were all leaving on time, and his mother didn’t care what he did in his room. Therefore, this was basically just a joke between the two of you, adding a little romance. At first, you and he were just extremely interested kids who enjoyed playing this game for its stimulation and excitement, but as time passed, there was something vague like Romeo and Juliet between Heeseung and you. This small ceremonial sense persisted, and the irises bouquet continued to be passed back and forth till the day you received a message from an owl at the age of 15.

The letter arrived at dawn; you awoke to a rumbling sound at the window. You saw a snowy owl outside the window staring at you. When you opened the window, the owl flung the letter inside before taking off. You took up the letter and noticed the wax mark on it, your heart pounded in your chest like a drum. You immediately thought of the magic school that Heeseung had recently informed you of - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

The early morning landscape was shrouded in a mist, you were wearing a thin nightgown, hurriedly put your shoes on, and ran towards Heeseung's house. You didn't use magic to make the flowers fly this time. Instead, you muttered his name. Thankfully, Heeseung quickly showed up at the window, his hair still unkempt. You showed him the letter in his hand, your eyes sparkled with excitement and wonder. 

- Heeseung, look!

Heeseung helped you down from the windowsill when you flew into his room. He didn’t see the letter immediately, instead turning to his wardrobe to grab a coat and then put it on you.

- Don't let yourself catch a cold on the first day of your 15th.

Heeseung opened the letter with you, he wasn’t surprised by the content inside. You were chosen by Hogwarts. You would have to leave this place. Your expression darkened as you read it, not even paying attention to Heeseung, who was patting your back. You closed the letter slowly; he quickly grabbed your hand.

- Y/N, you need to go.

You stood in stunned silence, eyes fixed on the air, unable to find the words to express your thoughts. Of course, you want to enroll in Hogwarts; however, you didn’t want to leave Heeseung behind. He pulled your shoulder to face him, but after seeing your watery red eyes, and trembling lips, his words were also stuck in his throat.

The air was still, the only sound was made by the leaves of the oak rustling in the wind. Both you and Heeseung looked at each other for a moment, considering the next words. 

- Heeseung. Squib really can’t go to Hogwarts?

You fell silent again after seeing his shaking head. Before the sun had fully risen, Heeseung reassured you.

- Y/N, don't be sad about this, you still have the day off; come see me then.

Two days before the opening of the school year, that night, you surreptitiously ran to Heeseung’s house. You and your mother had gone through *Diagonal Alley, where there were many scary but interesting things, but you still prepared all the items on the list.

*Diagon Alley: a cobblestoned wizarding alley and shopping area located in London but it was completely hidden from the Muggle world. All items on the Hogwarts supply list could be bought at Diagon Alley.

This time, what you brought was not an iris flower but a snowy owl. The window wasn’t shut. When you and the owl quietly flew in, Heeseung wasn’t asleep, though, sitting on his bed as if he were waiting for you.

Neither of you really didn't talk much on that night. You only remembered the two bickering about what to name the owl. You insisted on calling it Artemis but were firmly rejected by Heeseung. He wanted to call it Dongsik. 

- It’s not a Korean owl, Hee!

In the end, you couldn't come up with a nice name. Before dawn, you stood up to get ready to go but Heeseung pulled your hand and embraced you firmly. You buried your head in his shoulder, tears streaming down your face, wet a patch on his shirt. Heeseung stroked your back, whispering some words of reassurance.

- It's okay. You can come back and spend your holidays with me, Y/N.

The first time your owl sent a letter to him was one afternoon. Heeseung untied the letter tied on its leg. He was about to feed the owl a cookie, but it turned his head away. Heeseung chuckled as he opened the letter and read it. You wrote a lot of things, including about being sorted into Slytherin, meeting some mysterious friends and how long the professor's spell was.

- With all your naughty tricks, no wonder you belong to Slytherin.

“Hee, I don't think she teaches as well as you do”

After this state, your house points were reduced by that professor because you were lacking concentration.

You did write a lot— even about some fascinating potions. You believed that you could learn about them without being a witch. When you reached this section, you also drew a few cute drawings below it. Heeseung smiled slightly as he imagined you sitting in the class, writing this letter without being noticed by the professor. At the end of the letter was a very small line, but he still easily saw it.

"Hee, forget to tell you. I decided to name it Dongsik. Absolutely not because of your suggestion that day! Just because I find it not that bad.”

The first Christmas you didn’t go home. You sent Heeseng a gift - a best-selling book about Potion Preparation. In his earlier reply letter, Heeseung said that he finally succeeded in persuading his teacher to let him learn to brew potions. He also agreed to your initial proposal - don’t call himself Squib anymore.

During the first-year vacation, you just got off the train from London and went straight to Heeseung's house. Your parents knew you had a special friend. They were even more heartbroken after finding out they couldn't see this friend because he couldn't get out of his house. 

You flew up the windowsill carrying a familiar bouquet of irises and saw Heeseung leaning against the wall, grinning and waiting for you. After a lengthy conversation, you pulled out some weird *beans that you had purchased on the train, intending to compel Heeseung to taste them. He placed a milky white one into his lips and chewed it while you looked at him with a mischievous twinkle in your eye and a playful smile on your lips.

*Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans: popular sweets in the wizarding world. There were ordinary flavors like chocolate, peppermint, but also less fanciable ones like grass, farm dirt, paper, bogeys,...

- Oh my… It’s too spicy Y/N!

In the second year of school, Heeseung received a music box from you. It was a glass ball with an old oak inside. As you stated in your letter, the song in the box was written by yourself, so Heeseung activated the music box, and listened to it until he learned the melody by heart. 

The last letter of the second year was sent before the holiday. You had been selected for the *Quidditch team, being a *Seeker because of your agility. Heeseung teased you.

“Was it because you often quickly fly away when my mom knocks on the door?”

You replied, pretending to be mysterious: “I have an incredibly super surprising gift for you”.

*Quidditch: a wizarding sport played on flying broomsticks.

*Seeker: a position in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. The goal of the Seeker was to catch the Golden Snitch. A team whose Seeker caught the Snitch received 150 points, which almost always won the match for that team.

You indeed gave him a very wonderful present. That day, Heeseung heard your voice, he glanced at the grass but saw no one. He felt the wind in near his ears and then looked up to see you flying here on a broomstick. You halted at the window ledge and held out your hand to Heeseung, inviting him to join you. Not forget to wink at him.

- It's okay, I promise not to fly out of your yard.

Heeseung took your hand, sat on the broom, and hugged the waist in front of him. The sound of the wind whistling in his ears as you guided him around the old mansion. The first time he could observe clearly towering trees with lush canopies lining the sidewalks, casting a dappled shade over the quiet streets. There are colorful flower beds bursting with bright petals, and climbing vines that wind their way up trellises and walls. The air is filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers, mingling with the fresh smell of the trees and grass. The leaves rustle softly in the gentle breeze, creating a soothing sound that seems to envelop him. The occasional bird flitting from tree to tree, chirping merrily and adding to the peaceful atmosphere.

He couldn't help but glance at you. Your long flowing hair danced in the breeze and your eyes sparkled like diamonds. Your grin stretched from ear to ear, exposing your cheeks dimpled with delight, adding to the charm of your infectious smile. Heeseung felts a sense of inadequacy washing over him. You had done so many things for him, and he stayed there, staying still in his comfort zone. 

“Did I really deserve such a thoughtful present?”

From the beginning, Heeseung had always admired you. He admired the ways you could go out to play, the ways you easily reassure him, make him laugh to forget the stress from adults and the ways you used magic. He was aware that he was secretly harboring feelings of love and affection that he was too scared to reveal. He longed to be closer to you, to hold your hand and tell you how he felt, but he couldn't bring himself to take the risk. Heeseung didn't want to ruin this friendship by confessing his feelings, and he also couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't deserve your love.

You felt his arm wrapping tightly around your waist.

- Are you scared Hee? If you feel uncomfort….

- No, Y/N. Thank you, really, I never expected your gift would be so amazing like this.

But despite these feelings of self-doubt, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. 

The hug was a testament to the deep connection between the two of you, a physical manifestation of love and passion. It was a moment of pure intimacy and tenderness, and both of you knew that the two would cherish it forever.

The biggest accomplishment throughout that holiday was when you taught Heeseung how to ride a broomstick. Only when he was able to handle the broom without crashing into the wall, did you sit behind and hugged his waist. Eventually, Heeseung still nearly collided with the oak.

Christmas in the third year is a little different. You still went to Heeseung's house immediately after your return from Hogwarts. But this time, you came in the middle of the night. Facing your tense expression was Heeseung’s sleepy face. Heeseung had never seen you so serious. Your mouth was drawn into a tight line, you unconsciously grabbed his shoulder tightly. 

- Heeseung, are you sure that you are a Squib?

Heeseung got more serious once you called him Squib. You never called him Squib before.

- Y/N, I am 100% certain that I—

Before he could finish speaking, you shoved a bottle of potions into his palm.

- If you believe me, try putting some of this poison in your food. If my assumption is true; Hee, it will turn silver.

The hand that was taking the potion abruptly stopped because Heeseung realized there was such a thing as a poison test to check for additional poisons in the meal. You hesitated to speak.

- Don't be sad if the results are not so good, maybe…

You stayed silent and gave him a comforting shoulder pat.

But at that moment, Heeseung was unable to feel the power of your pat. As soon as he took up the potion and knew about its use, he had a hazy idea of what was going on.

At breakfast the next morning, Heeseung intentionally dropped a loaf of bread, bent down to pick it up, and carefully hid it in his sleeve. Mom said no need to pick it up, then he just sat back in the same spot. After the meal, he brought it back to his room and poured the potion over it. As he guessed that bread had turned silver.

Heeseung stumbled to open the window and wanted to shout. There was no tear, but his eyes were crimson. He felt a range of emotions washing over him - anger, sadness, confusion, and hurt. It was like a knife in his heart, cutting deep and leaving a wound that would take a long time to heal. He had no idea why his mother had done something so hurtful.

From a young age, Heeseung was a very good child. He did whatever his mother wanted him to do, though he couldn't leave the house and had to drink a lot of potions every day for ten years. A potion that reduced magic power. Heeseung was never a Squib; rather, he was originally a wizard from birth like you. He could enroll in Hogwarts, could be sorted into one of four houses normally, could think about which place in *Hogmode Village he and you would come to in the first year. Rather than being confined in a cold murky old house, being suppressed magic power, and living like a Squib for more than a decade.

*Hogsmeade Village: the only all-wizarding village in Britain which contained the named specialty shops and pubs 

Heeseung heard someone call his name, he looked around and noticed you were standing under the oak.

- Are you ok? Can I go up there?

After he nodded slightly, you flew up and gave him a *Daily Prophet from the past.

- I accidentally found it in the bookstore, the title clearly states that your family isn’t *Death Eater. I read all the newspapers a year later, and I never saw your name or your mother's name on the lists of Death Eaters.

*The Daily Prophet: the only wizarding newspaper in Great Britain. 

*Death Eaters: the most ardent followers of Lord Voldemort. They were radical pure-blood supremacists, who practiced the Dark Arts with reckless abandon, malevolence, and without regard to or fear of wizarding law.

You didn't say anything more. You knew why his mother had acted in this way. It was a bit harsh, but it was also the best thing a mother could have done to protect her child in the situation. 

You stuffed the newspaper into his hand and told him to ask his mother. Heeseung went to his mom’s room. It was one of the rare times he went to her room. As he opened the door, his mother was already waiting for him on the sofa. Heeseung approached her, he was overcome by sadness at the sight of her unchanging countenance. He handed the newspaper to her, but she didn’t reach out to take it, it was dropped on the ground causing a loud noise.

- Mom, haven't you been aware of this for a while?

She didn't respond, looking down at the foam floating in the teacup.

- That's why the teacher couldn't remove the spell... No, no, there was no teacher in the first place. It was you, using a transformation spell on yourself.

She chose not to speak. Heeseung considered her silence as agreement with his accusation. He felt exhausted, intending to leave the room until he heard his mom mumble something.

- Heeseung, I’m so sorry.

It didn’t matter whether it was the overprotection of a mother, what had already happened could not be changed. You stopped coming after that day, the iris flower didn’t fall by the windowsill anymore, the teacher also disappeared, and the food was no longer tainted with poison. On the last day of the holiday, Heeseung still didn’t see you. When he was about to go to your house, he heard the sound of the wind near the window. He turned his head and saw a strong wind blowing the iris flowers below, like a swarm of blue-violet butterflies flapping their wings. In the middle of the sky full of flying flowers opening a path, you rode a broomstick, followed by your snowy owl.

Heeseung waited for you to speak first since he intended to sulk you for your absence these days. However, as soon as you approached the window, you immediately jumped down, making Heeseung rush to catch you. You were in his embrace, raise your head to ask.

- Hee, remember how to ride a broomstick?

Heeseung, of course, remembered it well. You burst out laughing.

- I offer you two options. One is to continue to be a fake Squib and stay here while I ride this broomstick back to school, we will meet again in the next holiday. Or you can take this broomstick and we will go to Hogwarts together. Recently I couldn’t come to your house because I went back to school to speak with the principal. He said that all wizards were welcome t— 

Before you finished your speech, Heeseung grabbed your hand, leaped up onto the window ledge, and then sat firmly on the broom before the wind blew the iris petals once again. You hugged Heeseung tightly while he was controlling the broom to fly over the front door. His mother already stood there raising her wand. Heeseung stopped in midair as he saw her carefully put her wand down, then she turned around and went inside the house.

The magic on the petals ran out and scattered after you guys flew for a while, creating a rain of flowers in the daytime. Your owl was tired, then rested on Heeseung's shoulder. You teased that it favored him because obviously you were the one who fed it every day, and now it chose him to rest on. 

- Hee…

He turned his head slightly, smiling as you told him to stay in this position. You closed your eyes, pressed your lips gently against his. It didn't last long, but enough for Heeseung to freeze, and be surprised by your unexpected gesture. You felt the flames in your cheeks as you feel his lips pressing more firmly against yours.

An extremely short kiss, while the two were flying in the air, Heeseung had no way to continue this kiss, so he could only look forward.

- Y/N.

- Yeah?

- Thank you, for giving me such a perfect present.

I will be very thankful to read your feedback so plz don't hesitate to leave it in comment or in anonymous box keke

#heeseung #heeseung imagines #heeseung x reader #heeseung fanfic #heeseung scenarios #heeseung soft hours

[cyb3rscoups]

Slower (18+)

A/N: An overly innocent Attuma gets a taste of the things he had been missing out on. Explicit Content Ahead Minors DNI

Slower on Ao3

It was embarrassing to say the very least. Attuma, nearing 30 years old and still hadn't been able to take things further than a sloppy hand job when it came to his sexual activities.

He wasn't incompetent, far from it actually. He knew what it was. He knew how to use what he was given. He just had no desire to. The only reason he ever made use of what was in his pants was to stop his jeering friends who seemed to never be satisfied with making fun of his 'situation'.

Once that very incomparable experience was over, he vomited in the nearest bathroom and drove home to wash himself of the filth.

Sex was never something he truly desired. Attuma saw it as a chore almost. A chore that would simply never get done.

That was until he met Okoye, his therapist. He started seeing her as an outlet for the many things that took up the space in his head. She would always sit pretty in that yellow rocking chair, a form fitting dress, and a pair of glasses on the tip of her nose.

She smelled of vanilla and her voice was like silk, drawing him in with all sorts of articulate words. Her nails always done in rhinestones and glitter and he wanted her to drag the tips along his skin, leaving him scarred and pleading for more.

Ever since Attuma started seeing Okoye, he wanted sex more than ever.

She had to be good at it, he was sure. She was a woman who knew what she needed and wanted, Attuma doubted that her sexuality was any different.

"Attuma, how's your sex life?"

The question made his ears ring as his head whipped up in a swift manner, his eyes blown wide as his mouth stammered for words. "I- I don't-"

Now how was he supposed to tell the woman he desired so deeply that a sex life was non existent. That it was just an idea for him.

"It's not- um..Why do you ask?"

Okoye's brows furrowed as she rolled her shoulders back. "We were just talking about your overall health, yes? Do you remember?"

Attuma gasped, nodded his head with much eagerness as he recalled the mess of words she spoke while he got lost in how pretty her lips looked with the sheen and glimmer of gloss over them.

"Yes..I do."

"Well, having a good sex life is part of your overall health. Everyone needs some sort of release once in a while, right?" It was like she was fully doing it on purpose, making him crave her. "So how's your sex life? Active?"

"Hardly." Attuma's pout was unmissed. Just a little pucker in his lips and a scowl in his eyes. It made him look...cute.

"So it's been a while?" Okoye tilted her head as she thought of how to write some notes for the next session.

"No..I've just never..done..it. Sex..It hasn't happened for me yet."

"Oh." Frankly, she didn't believe such a thing. That a man with such charisma and looks as Attuma was a virgin. "Well, that's not a bad thing at all."

"...Thanks."

"Do you desire it? Sex?" Okoye couldn't help but cross her legs, clenching her thighs together as she wondered just how innocent was he when it came to sex. The things she could teach him were endless.

"Not until recently." He shrugged those broad shoulders of his, lowering his head in some shame at the topic as his face flushed pink. "Haven't really been looking forward to it until maybe a few months ago."

Suddenly, her throat ran dry. No way was he talking about her. Okoye didn't think the idea was too far fetched, as delusional as she seemed to be. They had started meeting about three months ago and since, he seemed to be in some sort of state she couldn't quite get him to open up about.

That was until now, as he spoke of his desire for this person, it became clear that he was most resembling a man with needs very unmet.

"....I can't seem to control it..It's all I think about. But I can't do it."

"Why not?" Okoye pressed, breaking Attuma from his rant.

"It's...weird. The woman I want, I don't think she feels the same. I don't want to embarrass myself by asking her to fuck me-" His words were cut by the abrupt slam of her clipboard to the floor and the clatter of her pen to the table.

“Attuma?”

“Yes..” He whispered as her eyes bore into his soul.

“Who is this woman?”

“I- I just-“

“Tell me who she is, Attuma. I can’t help you if I do not know.” Okoye rose from her seat, taking her glasses off and letting them sit at the table.

“It’s embarrassing!” He shuddered, watching as she sauntered to him.

“You are embarrassed of me?”

“Never! Never..I want you so bad. I just don’t know how.”

Okoye’s lips turned up in a smile, soft and sweet, very contrasting to the force at which she kicked her heels off. “Do you want me now?”

“Always.”

She wasted no time in mounting his lap, tugging up her dress so her damp panties could rub against his growing erection.

His hands trembled as he braced them against the cushions of the couch.

“‘m sorry.” He mumbled, his chest heaving as she raked her fingers through his hair, fixing it so it draped and framed his face perfectly.

“Don’t be sorry, honey. Mama’s gonna teach you some things. You just have to be willing to learn.”

Attuma nodded, wildly, eagerly as his hips thrusted shallowly for some friction against her cunt. “I want to learn.”

“Good. Now keep your hips still.”

“It hurts..”

“You will get relief soon enough. For now, kiss me.”

Okoye cupped his cheeks in her cold hands, lightly scratching at his stubble with her nails as she pressed her lips to his.

It took him a moment to react, when he did he was rough, rushed and her grip on his chin had to draw him back before she lost her mind.

“No rushing.” She slapped his cheek lightly. “You’ll get nothing from rushing. Take your time. Enjoy it, Attuma. I’m not going anywhere.”

He let out a small whimper as his lips parted again, her grip on his face too strong and her gaze too intimidating to go against her wishes.

Carefully, she kissed him again, his parted lips giving way for her tongue to delve into his mouth with a moan.

His own tongue chased hers, tangling and trembling as he followed her movements, indulging in the sensuality as his dick began to throb against the rough fabric confining it.

His knuckles flashed white as he gripped hard on the couch, Okoye tasting all the whines and moans that left his mouth.

Her gloss smudged against his lips in a sloppy trace as she pulled away. He chased her with a groan and a thrust of his hips.

“Slow…Attuma. Your patience runs thin. You must enjoy it.”

“I’m trying. It hurts..I need it!”

“Mm what do you need, honey? Talk to me.” Okoye rut her hips against the bulge in his crotch causing his mouth to fall open and a strained moan to leave his throat.

“I-I need you so bad. Please? I’ll slow down..be good.”

“Gonna be good? Huh?” Okoye chuckled as his desperation grew. “Alright.” She climbed off of his lap, plopping her self on the couch next to him. “Take your clothes off. All of them.”

Attuma tripped over his own feet trying to stand and fumble with the buttons of his shirt. His frustration eventually got the best of him and he ripped the damn thing apart, buttons went flying and clattered to the floor as he shrugged the shirt off.

His belt was next as he unbuckled it and pulled it free with a grunt.

“Slower..” Okoye demanded from the couch once she pulled her dress over her head and folded it to the arm of the chair.

With a huff, Attuma used his shaky hands to undo his pants, shoving them down to his ankles and stepping out of them.

His cock sprung free, bobbing against his abdomen firm and hard. He resisted the urge to put an end to his ache, clenching his fists at his side as Okoye stared.

“Is it..” Attuma started to feel self conscious under her stare. The last time someone besides himself had even gotten a glimpse at it was in college with the half satisfactory hand job and that was under the darkness of the night with the cover of his car.

So he wasn’t quite sure if he was truly good enough.

“Okoye? Say something please.”

“You are more than enough Attuma.” She chuckled. “Why I think I’m looking forward to being your first time. Come sit.”

Hesitantly, he sunk into the couch again as Okoye stripped of her bra and panties, folding them up on her dress before she straddled his waist again.

“Are you ready?”

“Hm…I think so.” He murmured. “Are you?”

“More than I ever have been.”

One hand went to his base and the other to his cheek as she latched to his lips and lined him to her entrance, sinking down on the intrusion with a moan.

Attuma flinched hard, tossing his head back and gripping her hips with a force that could snap her bones.

“Okay..okay. Shhh.” She stroked his cheek as she continued to impale herself until she was flush against his pelvis. “It’s okay.”

“Mmm! No! I can’t! Okoye!” His eyes screwed shut as he continued to squeeze her hips with bruising strength.

Both of her hands cupped his cheeks, bring his forehead to meet her own to ground him. “You’re okay Attuma. I’m just gonna sit for a minute okay? You tell me when you’re ready.”

“Fuuuck! I think I’m gonna cum!” He felt the pressure build in his belly at an alarming pace, the clench of her pussy not helping at all.

“No. You won’t. You’ll be good remember?” Okoye brushed his hair back, stroking his cheek with the lightest touch as small gasps escaped his lips

“Mhmm. Oh!”

“Shhh. It’s alright. Mama’s taking care of you, right?”

“Mhm.” Attuma grunted as his chest heaved, his orgasm slowly retreating. “Oh my…fuck, you feel amazing.”

“Yeah?” She chuckled. “Still gonna cum?”

“N-no. It’s gone.”

“Good. Good boy. Now, I’m gonna take my time and I want you to do the same. No rushing, understand?”

“Yes. No rushing.”

“Quick learner.” Okoye lifted her hips, dragging her walls against his cock before sinking back down to meet his pelvis.

She repeated his slowly until Attuma started to meet the slow pace, thrusting his hips in tandem with when she sunk down. “Good Attuma.”

She muttered praises against his skin as his shallow thrusts hit her spot effortlessly.

“There it is.” She groaned, dropped her head to his neck.

“What is?!” Attuma’s hips stuttered as she had stopped lifting her hips. “Okoye?”

“It’s my spot! Attuma don’t stop!”

“Fuck! What does…that mean?” He began to drill into her, a soft clapping sound filling the office as he continued to hit that spongy spot inside of her walls.

“Means I’m gonna cum..Ooh! Faster! Now you can go faster.”

“O-okay..” Attuma repositioned his hands, gripping up the globes of her ass cheeks and holding them up so he could have some room to thrust.

“Oh!” He growled, setting his pace quick and precise. “Shit! Okoye! Fuck, it’s back!”

“Let it go!” She gasped as she hit her peak with a whine and her nails dragging down his arms. “Attuma!” She shivered as she came only supplying him with more slick to reach his own state of ecstasy.

“Ooh! K-ko! Okoye, fuck!” He growled, throwing his head back with a booming thud against the wall as he filled her up to the brim with cum, so much it started to leak.

Chests heaving against each other, sweat mixing between their skin. Okoye couldn’t find much strength to dismount him and Attuma was sure worn out.

“Next time..” Okoye started. “We will try your hand at oral..your mouth I should say.”

“Huh?”

#Spotify #attuma #alex livinalli #attoye #attuma x okoye #attoye fanfic #black panther #okoye x attuma #wakanda forever #danai gurira #mcu okoye #attoye smut #smut #attuma smut #song prompt #inspired by music

[georgiapeach30513]

So I don’t think Audi was an odd choice for him. He even personally has Audi vehicles. Again, I have thoughts on why Jinx pulled the ad, and I’m sure others do as well. Clearly there is a reason. /

Is it because he is all "business now and no personal"? Which makes no sense to me. Because Dodger is honestly more loved in his own fandom than him. So using Dodger wouldn't be "personal" in my opinion. If he was all business now, whyd he post the random Dodger snow video on stories? He keeps going back and forth it seems, but thinking that he's going to build back or more of a genuine fanbase on cars...yikes.

I get he drove one, drives one, but the shift for him personality in Hollywood wise is rather odd and it leaves me scratching my head. And sad. Majorly sad. Because why gives personal details in GQ, only to yank the more profitable avenue longevity wise (Dodger, Dog Dad, kindness) and to go quick buck route that will fade in time?

I'm just trying to see anyone has any advice on how to grapple or explain this new Chris. Cuz he didn't change when dating Minka or Jenny, in fact, we took those days for granted. I don't care if he's married; he is different and that's a choice.

Dodger in conjunction with Jinx I would consider business. And he has removed most of his posts. He did have 101 posts and now he’s down to 7. Don’t ask me to figure out the thought process on what to delete because I’m confused on that one. Now the Dodger in the snow video…it’s funny how he sometimes wants to show exactly where he is. Even if it’s a few months later *ahem* golf photo *cough*. I think most of his fans recall him not knowing much about cars, so that recent interview was a choice.

As far as that GQ interview when everyone was saying that he was quitting or going to pull back in acting…he’s done this song and dance in the past. And I have said from the get go that 2022 most likely burned him out a bit. Filmed three movies, did voice over work, he did two huge press tours for Lightyear and TGM. You know how many times I say I’m ready to quit? That’s how that feels for me. He also said he wanted to do one movie a year and here he is with two projects, and…R1 is going to be a trip.

As far as the quick buck goes, listen for $3M+ I’d do a campaign for Audi, too.

And for advice we haven’t seen Chris publicly really since this time last year with Ghosted promo. We’ve seen the Pete Holmes podcast, but that was one day. I guess our next round of press will be R1 and we may see more of his personality. Never forget that Hollywood is a business first and foremost and he’s got a lot of bills and overhead to pay. He’s trying to maintain his way of living and I would assume he does enjoy acting. I hope his break gave him some clarity.

[kim-seung-mo]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 | 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

Parings: Reader x Jisung (in this chapter) Reader x Felix (main)

Trigger Warning(s): crying, smoking

Word Count: 673

A/N: and finally... the new and improved prologue of my personal favorite story I've ever written that I know will flop cuz no one cares 😌😌

♛ Masterlist ♛ Next Chapter ♛

The base had long since quieted down when Jisung woke up. He turned sideways to look at you, still fast asleep beside him, with a slightly sad smile across his face. He wanted to reach out and caress your hair, but was afraid of disturbing you, so he silently withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting from your peaceful face to his hands.

He was wearing a ring on his right hand's middle finger, which you had just given him a few hours ago, a proposal ring.

He gently stroked the name engraved on the ring, his already saddened mood became more sorrowful. All the memories of the past few years came rushing back to him, tears flowed from his eyes and dripped down onto the ring. He wiped away the teardrops from the corner of his eyes with his sleeve, sighed lightly, and then slowly stood up, ready to leave your room. But the moment he stood up, he felt his wrist tightly grasped.

He looked down and saw you opening your eyes and gazing at him with worried eyes, "Sungie? Where are you going so late?"

Jisung knew that you were a light sleeper due to what had happened when you were a child, and that even the slightest sound would wake you up. He thought he was being careful, yet he still woke you up. Jisung looked at you, not knowing what to tell you, he hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Nothing, just going out for some air."

You stared at him with a puzzled look, as if asking him if something happened.

"It's fine. Really, you don't have to worry." Jisung explained to you with a smile. But for some reason, that smile was filled with a strong wave of sorrow.

"Don't you want me to come with you?" You asked.

"No need. I'm just gonna take a walk outside. I'll be back in a few minutes." Jisung said breaking away from your grasp, "You don't have to wait for me, get some sleep… Don't you have an important deal tomorrow?"

You wanted to ask Jisung what was wrong, seeing Jisung's slightly odd behavior, you knew something was off. But remembering Chan's earlier advice to give Jisung some privacy, you didn't ask any further in the end.

"Don't go too far away and remember to put on a jacket."

Hearing your caring words, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of Jisung's mouth as he said softly, "Don't worry, I'm not a three-year-old, I know how to protect myself."

He came to your side with heavy steps, left a final kiss on your forehead, picked up his jacket that was lying next to the bed and left.

When he stepped out of the room, the forced smile on his face instantly disappeared without a trace. His lips trembled as tears streamed down his cheeks. He raised his hand to wipe, but could not erase the tear stains on his face.

He kept walking forward, not daring to stop. He feared that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to resist giving up and running back to you to tell you everything.

He left the base and reached the outside of MIROH, where he sat down on the grass and took out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, recalling what you taught him as he inhaled deeply. A few violent coughs followed as the smoke was spat out. Watching the smoke rise up in the air, his eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and anguish.

Why did you find something as pungent and unpleasant as a cigarette capable of making you forget your pain? It clearly only made his mood grow even worse.

A cold wind blew through, drying the tears on his cheeks and taking away all the warmth from them. He wrapped his jacket tightly around him, stood up and walked out into the street. His shadow stretched by the bright moonlight. For the first time in many years, he felt lonely.

Taglist:

@byunhaarmy @ificouldhelpyouforget @foivetimesacharm @chocotacobread @cl0vr

#stray kids #skz #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids series #skz series #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz scenarios #stray kids scenarios #skz angst #stray kids angst #stray kids mafia au #felix x reader #felix imagines #felix angst #han x reader #han imagines #han angst #stray kids au #skz au #skz reactions #stray kids reactions #stray kids headcanons #skz headcanons

[majaloveschris]

I think they were originally supposed to launch their PR relationship in July 2022/

I said this before I even knew about that dm post because I believe that laser focused question was a plant, he just messed up on the wording or people just took it the wrong way. Once it made headlines and people assumed he was single there was no way they could go public so it was delayed. Now after looking at his ig statistics I wonder if the original launch was supposed to happen 5/30-6/6 this was his biggest bump of followers ever over 480k. He did have some things going on at the time(TGM trailer,puppy interview announcement, mtv awards) but that is also around the time where Simon barry posted about the premiere of the WN trailer and the release of it was on the 6th. There were a few family follows and unfollows around that time too. I find it interesting that they were trying to sell the over a year timeline then too considering he was supposed to be dating someone from MA that summer and we are pretty sure the first time they met in person was in November(at least that’s what we can see from the pics/video). This new info for me is just one more reason I think it was the plan to make her look like “the one” from the beginning.

I guess you mean that the laser focus was part of the plan, but he worded it badly so people thought he was single? I don't know. For me, when he said that, it looked genuine like he really meant it, so I doubt it was part of the plan, but I could be wrong.

The whole MA dating thing was just a rumor, nothing was confirmed, and I wouldn't say we had actual and reliable sources. At least as far as I can recall it.

I think the whole "one year" and "secret dating" thing was only needed because they wanted to do this whole thing without being out in public that much. And it also comes in handy when the "break up" article comes out.

#majaloveschris #chris and alba pr #cevans-love

[kyogre-blue]

White Clouds done for the first time. It took almost exactly 30 hours, whew.

I slowed down a bit toward the end because I started talking to every student in my class after Jeralt's death. They don't generally have much interesting to say, but I've hit the majority of available B ranks, so they've grown on me.

So, first, about this specific section. The escalation pace felt a bit fast though not necessarily in a bad way. It's just that the rest of the year had drip fed relevant info at such a comparatively slow rate that the last few month felt kinda crazy. Crazy villagers! Students turning into monsters! Jeralt dies! Byleth almost dies and merges with Sothis! Edelgard is the Flame Emperor and invading now! Bam, timeskip.

I think there is something to be said about this kind of pre-war period to help build up the characters and relationships before we get to the juicy part, but 30 hours of doing what I'd consider a fairly average amount of stuff is kind of a lot to hit what would be the inciting incident of older FE games. The calendar did not help with the pacing issues for sure.

Aside from that, I think we've gotten all the Byleth-related lore we're gonna get for a good while, and I spent a fair amount of time trying to ponder out what Rhea thinks is going on and what she wants to happen to Byleth. She talks about Byleth regaining their lost memories, which makes it seem like she considers them to be amnesiac Sothis, but she also refers to them as a vessel that will become one with the power within them, thus resurrecting Sothis...? It's really unclear what she thinks of the current Byleth, what she thinks will happen concretely, and how this would affect Byleth as an individual.

However, all this discussion only takes place AFTER Solon, so Sothis and Byleth have already merged. Byleth not only came out on top (albeit presumably based on Sothis's decision that it be so), but the first thing post timeskip text scroll is Sothis talking to you again, so it seems like the merger aspect might not even be the end of the subsumed personality.

The main point being, Byleth is not really in danger from anything except Rhea potentially reacting badly if we reveal that Sothis is gone. And since her actual aims are so unclear, it's hard to feel any particular concern or unease at that point. As a budding Rhea apologist, I wish we could had had more elaboration on this storyline.

As for White Clouds as a whole...

The pacing really is a mess. And while playing through once can be considered a reasonable experience, I do not enjoy the idea of doing it every single branch, especially with how little variation there seems to be. Up until Remire or so, what would even be different except the supports? And since you can recruit anyway.... Not great, to put it mildly.

It's unfortunate, because I think the calendar and monastery base could be have provided very good worldbuilding and immersion, but they just did not have enough put into them, whether because the developers did not understand how to use them, did not focus on this aspect enough, or did not have the time/budget to realize their vision. The calendar is very poorly laid out and too bare aside from repetitive grinding in the middle of the month, the explorable areas do not change according to seasons, making the calendar feel tacked on, etc. Just a lot of presentational shortcomings.

Liveblogging notes:

Kinda forgor what happened since Jeralt bit it because I took a few days break.

Well, regardless of the mission I forgot, I do recall Kronya got offed by her own ally, which was funny but kind of useless? I didn't really feel anything.

And then Solon had Byleth "swallowed by the mystical darkness of a forbidden spell." I guess if you can't deal with a problem (the protagonist), just yeet them into the void.

Lysithea shows no particular reaction to Solon, and neither does Flayn. I guess they're speaking generic lines here, which can go to practically any team member who is still alive to say them.

Everyone quite underreacts to the situation tbh. Claude's canned animations are very funny to see here.

Sothis speculates that Byleth was emotionless because of her. Presumably because she was still asleep until the start of the game, so Byleth, who is connected to her, was not entirely "awake" either?

It's kind of funny that Sothis calls herself a progenitor god but also the one who watches over Fodlan and all its creatures. But this world explicitly has more than just Fodlan. There's Almyra and other lands as well... Usually, the FE games are on separated continents specifically to avoid these questions.

The stuff Sothis says about needing to relinquish her power to you because she doesn't have a body... doesn't she directly possess Byleth in Hopes?

Sothis's soul with join with Byleth's, which I guess means Byleth does have their own soul.

The visuals somehow... feel so dated, it's weird.

Solon seems to not have realized that Byleth IS Sothis before this.

Seteth snuck a peak at Jeralt's diary too?? man, no privacy or respect for the dead. Interesting that Seteth has been so unsettled by Rhea's shenanigans that he's gone behind her back to investigate.

Rhea seems to think Sothis will revive through you for reals?

The monastery was built over the Holy Tomb, where Sothis sleeps... so they left her sleeping a ways from Zanado, where they lived, which is interesting.

This entire scene is hilarious if you know everyone's identities. Rhea is spouting pure nonsense about Seiros while being Seiros, and Seteth who knows all this and is in full doubt mode still has to go along with it.

Claude just directly eavesdrops on your meeting with Rhea? lmao

According to Cyril, Almyra is all plains and sky. Also has a city.

Ignatz just casually goes "let's go to Almyra after the war :D" Which is... Uh. Interesting that this doesn't present any travel concerns, but also what war

Imperial Army invades the Holy Tomb, wanting to take the Crest Stones there... But whose crest stones are they? I think dragons can traditionally create more than one dragonstone, but I'm not sure how crest stones function. I'm asking because it's unclear how many dragons there actually were. We have murals with the 10-something that have specific crests (who do not otherwise belong to any unified group, btw), but those crest stones would largely be accounted for, so were there other dragons too?

Also, not entirely sure what Rhea was expecting to happen. It doesn't seem like she directly expects you to get replaced by Sothis? My best guess is she expects Sothis to awaken (memories intact) and speak to you, but she doesn't know amnesia Sothis was already awake and is now gone...?

Suddenly, Edelgard

Edelgard's big invasion speech is hilariously propaganda. Ah yeah, Seteth and Rhea sure do want rule the world. Seteth is a grumpy but well meaning man, and Rhea has consistently cared about misuse of Relics/Crest Stones and Byleth and.... basically nothing else.

Also, this is not a subtle game. They want you to know Tomas is sus? Boy, they will make sure you know it. So Edelgard going "they divided the Kingdom and the Alliance from the Empire" "they live in extravagance by exploiting the masses"... NONE of this has ever been even slightly supported. There's nothing particularly extravagant about the monastery, and we have never even heard of people paying tithe. And while the Kingdom and Alliance history was mentioned somewhere, the Church was never brought up in association.

No one among the Deer students has anything to say about Edelgard's speech, just concern about this being a war. There's not even a hint that anyone thinks she's right lol

Seteth directly says that Edelgard is out to conquer the continent. His first thought after confirmation of the invasion is to have the surrounding villages evacuate.

OK, Rhea thinks Byleth's "lost memories" are beginning to return and that they've guessed "the truth of who they are." She says she has acted as "the proxy" for "Byleth." But to Seteth, she describes Byleth as a "vessel" and in time, the vessel will become one with the power within, at which point the progenitor god will return to this world. It's not entirely clear what she thinks of Byleth as an individual. She asks Seteth to "help our friend and in doing so, help her." So Byleth is a friend, but... they mention stuff like Flayn owing her life to Byleth and that Byleth may prove to be "their brethren"... Really hard to parse what they think is going to happen, specifically.

But since Sothis has already merged with Byleth and Byleth is obviously fine, there's not really anything to fear from this. It can't really read as ominous when the merging has already happened lol Edelgard supposedly spent the entire year gathering her forces at the monastery, speaking them in disguised as merchants and pilgrims.

Funny how all the Empire students are chilling at the monastery, telling us how their fathers and such are supporting Edelgard. Good thing we're too nice to take them hostage or something.

Sitri 1139 - 1159, Jeralt ?? - 1180. I guess we're in 1181 now...? Hang on, it's the 3rd month. Holy Tomb was 2nd month. Sothis merger would have been first month. So Jeralt death was 12th month of previous year, right?

It's cute how Claude says he'll always be on Byleth's side. Tbh I think the story would benefit from being able to highlight his ride or die side more. But since Byleth has very little direction in their own story, it ends up being more about Claude's ambitions.

Who the heck are Randolph and Ladislava

This music is very cool tho

The monastery walls are hella tall? Wow

I'm not sure what to make of this angle of Rhea leaving the monastery and the Church to Byleth.

Rhea just body slams the invading army.

The masked black beasts are creepy. Masks are a control mechanism, I suppose.

Byleth gets bodied by Thales lol. Where did this pit even come from

And that's that! The Unification of Fodlan has begun.

#playing fire emblem

[zapphattack]

Abandoned: Dogs See Dogs - Modern AU [Clara-centric, gen]

the title may give you preconceived notions but i assure you this is not anything you'd expect from me. this is from a defunct modern au of gorkhon that i used to sketch stuff for during class, not much to say for myself given how i don't think of it much anymore

Clara was in trouble. Nothing she couldn't settle, of course, she was adept at solving issues, it was the sole reason she was still alive. Probably. She honestly couldn't recall clearly most details of her life leading up to this moment. Either way, she needed cash, because she was almost certain she'd be turning 18 in a few months and she knew what happened to kids in shelters who became legal adults. She had to leave her foster parents at some point in the near future, the Saburovs didn't need her brand of trouble on top of their already notable pile of responsibilities managing the hellscape that was the school year-round. 

The campus was quiet as she lurked, dawn threatening to break in the next hour or so. Gorkhon University, funded by Olgimsky Enterprises and built by the Stamatin Brothers and Co with direction from the Kain Institute of Science and Education, headed by the Saburov Group of directorial principals. A private school with unorthodox practices like open program learning and an overpriced list of extracurricular coursework, public access libraries and laboratories alongside private collections of anything ranging from artwork and literature to patented chemical formulas for pharmaceutical drugs, student housing going from absurdly cheap studio aps to bizarrely expensive lofts, and sporting a passable high school campus as well as a very well-rounded college education program. 

It was conceptually utopic and functionally a mess of bureaucracy all the way up and down the chain of endless systems keeping it all from crumbling under its own weight. At least the three pillars kept each other in check, and consequently themselves busy enough to make loitering the grounds a minor offense overlooked at most times. 

The architects that made the place opted for the baffling design choice of having as many alleyways and pavilions between buildings as there were open streets and elevated walkways connecting everything, like a freaky attempt at an architectural nervous system. Worst of all, it worked like a charm to maneuver places easily without crowding the main pathways between building sectors. Clara thought that the librarian, or whatever position Lyuricheva held officially, deserved more credit for being the glue to the Stamatins' barely cohesive vision for the buildings. planning all the roads seemed like a nightmare when taking into account the creative decisions Peter Stamatin adamantly defended and Andrey Stamatin made a reality.

As it were, Clara was glad for the elevated footpath she took, because it led her to the most fateful piece of glossy A4 paper she encountered up to this juncture of her life. It was in a graphic artstyle with neon colors highlighting the text “Diamond Dogfight: Battle of the Bands!” at the top of a rather crowded poster. Below there were cut-out pictures of people singing into microphones or playing what one could presume to be sick guitar riffs. Alongside the images were a few blocks of text reading “Participate in the newest talent scouting efforts of the Ace of Diamonds Theater and Circus Troupe! Sign up today with at least two other bandmates and compete in a tournament-style round-robin elimination competition. Impress our panel of judges to win a grand prize of 100,000 rubles!!” and she spotted a QR code at the bottom corner alongside an email address and phone number labeled “Ace of Diamonds contact info”.

 She barely registered her phone in her hand, mind running wild thinking about how neat and tidy this solved all her problems as she scanned the code, which led to a sleek website sporting a huge block of logos at the top she could imagine was a list of sponsors. In that list was the clock of the Kain Institute, the bull of the Olgimsky Industries, the bold S of the Saburov Group, as well as some smaller icons depicting the Steppen symbol of the Khatanghe Initiative Fund, the geometric logo of Polyhedron Project and the blazon of the Town Hall. Clara was almost amused by how the three big logos competed for attention, the two at the sides raised a bit above the one in the center, clearly a design choice settled on after a long argument by the families as to how to make them equal in the layout.

She skimmed over the introduction page below that had the same text as the poster before tapping on a tab labeled “Rules and Sign-Up”. A much less cluttered page listed numbered rules about band size (3-10 with two categories for smaller and larger bands), song lengths (3-6 minutes barring extraneous circumstances), set decoration and costumes (irrelevant for scoring), the validity of cover songs (valid, but evaluated on different grounds compared to originals), going for about 20 bullet points. The interesting part was the List of Clauses, an additive ruleset about optional gimmicks in the competition. 

Clara’s attention honed into a topic called the “Dog Eat Dog Clause”, which stated the following: “a band may only add members during the competition if they are from another group the band defeated previously, but a member can only be added if they were the last group defeated by the stated band; only one member may be gained each round, and this clause is only valid if all parties agree to the partnership and the resulting band does not exceed the member limit of their given category. The Board of Judges will not be mediating disputes between bands, and any deals involving splitting the prize or other such topics are not to be brought up to the organizers.”

Now, Clara knew she wasn't exactly the epitome of popularity, so this rule opened some doorways for her to advance in the competition without having the strongest starting lineup of players. If she could just get two halfway decent musicians to join her for the first set, even if one left in the middle of the tournament she could still convince her rivals to lend her a member. 

She scrolled until she reached the sign-up form, skimming it halfheartedly until something caught her eye. In small print at the bottom of the form was printed the phrase “Only participants of the student body or junior faculty members are eligible for the cash prize. This includes Gorkhon High and Gorkhon University students and faculty. Outside competitors are eligible for a scholarship negotiated with the Gorkhon Board of Directors if chosen as winners.” She vaguely heard the sound of metaphorical doors closing at that moment

--

Having a teenage girl wander around the university campus was never an overly common sight, but it wasn't bizarre enough to warrant comments, so Clara trudged the halls on what she had decided to call a scouting operation. She wanted the prize, she really did, but there were a few issues with that. Specifically the fact that she was never officially enrolled in either the High School or the University division of Gorkhon. 

She was morally the foster child of the Saburovs, but she had no documents proving her legal existence, so she couldn't enroll in school very easily, and she was only taken in recently, so it'd be weird to ask to enroll at this point, especially since she had no recollection of prior school experience necessary for an entry test. The Saburovs let her have total freedom outside of the house, and she could leave whenever she wanted, so it never came up and they were rather neglectful in regards to such things, in truth. Sure, they fed and housed her, but after she was deemed independent they let her do whatever she wanted. 

But back to the issue at hand. She could try to forge a student ID with the level of access her foster parents had. She almost did that, but she had looked at the panel of judges on the website of the competition and immediately shot down the idea. Student Body President of Gorkhon High, Victoria “Capella” Olgimskaya Jr was one of the main judges, and she'd get caught in an instant if she were to pretend to attend, and it's in the middle of semester, so not even the transfer student excuse would work. Therefore, she would attempt the boldest, most unexpected maneuver of all: convince Gorkhon U students or junior faculty that she was totally a student of some obscure college and they should very much trust her and join her band.

She'd been wandering for about an hour, and there were some noteworthy candidates, but she needed to be subtle in her choices. Her bandmates needed to be quick-thinking or skilled enough to pick up an instrument and play it alongside her, but gullible enough to take part in her scheme. Potential business partners needed to have motivation to win but not demand too much compensation, so either someone meek but skilled or an arrogant talent that could be easily swindled.

It was 7 am by the time she strolled around a dark corner outside the science lab building, where she spotted a figure hunched over in what she could see as a biology or medical sciences lab littered with papers, books and various sundry chemicals. Whoever it was had been there for a long time, and their shoulders were hunched shallowly over a microscope, left hand scribbling furiously on a notepad without raising their eyes from the tool. She decided to do some recon. 

--

Daniil Dankovsky had spent all night trying fruitlessly to make some kind of breakthrough in his research into human vitality and death. That's what she could gather from observing him from outside after she came back from her extended reconnaissance. At this point he seemed to just be analyzing chemical components of random solutions he found in the lab, noting cell behavior and whatnot for the hell of it. 

Med school alumnus, pathophysiology consultant and researcher endorsed by the Kains, he had the run of the lab until morning classes started without supervision, which was somewhat remarkable in itself. Apparently he was also dead tired, as his writing was decreasing in quality from “cursive doctor handwriting” to “not picking up the pen from the paper and gliding every word together like lopsided fairy lights”. 

Clara poked her head into the lab from her position on the window, which was brightly lit by the morning sun. The thin curtains drawn over the windows fluttered in the breeze and ruffled the man's hair as he muttered unintelligible things under his breath. She knocked on the glass, watching as he stopped his ministrations to push his dark bangs away from his pale face. He looked objectively terrible, and the girl cleared her throat to no avail in a futile attempt at being acknowledged. Nothing. She slid over the windowsill and dropped soundlessly into the room, smelling the sharp tang of chemicals and coffee from the bench where the Bachelor of Medicine worked. 

Clara had been elaborating a game plan for the past two hours, debating what kind of people she should recruit to get what she wanted. She had settled on students from an area not directly involved with the arts, as to not be overthrown by her bandmates. Alongside that, anyone in the field of psychology or sociology might be curious about herself and her supposed major, and that was dangerous if she wanted to keep up her ruse of being a student, as well as the more sociable students of such fields possibly not accept her as a classmate if they don't recognize her. Her final choice was a field of research technical and precise enough to have decent musicians but eccentric and busy enough not to question her presence in the school. Med students. 

She hopped onto the table where the man worked, decided on who to try to recruit. Clara probably wouldn't get very far with this one, but a test run of her script wouldn't hurt. She had seen him working since she started scouting, and when asked about him the staff and assorted students around the block informed her of his habits and name, and she brought up as many files as she could access about him from the directorial database. He was a maniac. 

“Muttering gibberish, are you? Perhaps you should vacate the lab soon, your time's almost up anyway, Dr Dankovsky. Get some rest.”

The man startled next to her, and he jerked his head towards her in a manner befitting a spooked lizard. Or perhaps a snake. He looked her up and down before speaking “It's not gibberish, it's latin. And I don't have a doctorate.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Which you would know if you knew my name. Who are you, little girl? Why are you here?”

Interesting that he'd seem offended by her using a title above his station with him. Most men that entrenched in their own work would preen at being overestimated. Still, she had to answer. “I heard you were hoarding the lab, thought I might come in and burst your science bubble to let you know. A favor, you could say.” At his suspicious look she added “I'm Clara.”

“Daniil Dankovsky, Bachelor of Medicine and founder of Thanatica.” Thanatica. She'd seen that somewhere before. “Although you already knew my name. How did you get in here? The door is locked, I don't like being disturbed.” he added, almost as an afterthought. She looked back at the window, then at him. He gaped for a moment before schooling his expression into a look of disbelief. “We’re on the second floor.”

“I didn't say anything!” she quipped, smile in place. This was turning out to be more fun than anticipated. “Anyway, regardless, you might need to vacate the premises in a few minutes. I was hoping to take up a little of your precious time to make a proposition.” Dankovsky looked dubiously over her before she added “business proposition, that is.” which didn't really make a dent in his expression. She stifled a giggle as he shrugged, a gesture that seemed uncharacteristic of somebody who put so much effort into seeming competent and intellectual, but he was fresh off an all nighter, so it's to be expected. 

The Bachelor picked up his things, shoving a comical amount of hardcover books into his bag alongside three separate notebooks filled with sticky notes and tabs. She busied herself with the microscope, fiddling with the dials and cataloguing every fidget she could draw out of Dankovsky with her callous handling of delicate equipment. As he closed his, frankly, extremely unwieldy oversized handbag, he snapped at her “Stop messing with that! You'll break something and I'm the one who'll pay for it.”

Clara was a little taken aback by the silence as they trudged out after Dankovsky locked the lab back up. She curiously followed in his steps, wondering when he would finally ask what she wanted, but wanting to see where his steps would lead. They were going the scenic route to some place, she could tell that much, as he followed brick pathways through patios and wove his way through elevated walkways in the vague direction of either the joint campus cafeteria or the Gorkhon Library. She periodically stepped on the backs of his leather shoes, successfully removing one entirely on her third try. He tripped but managed not to fall on his face, turning towards her with a murderous glare. Clara smiled crookedly and brought her hands up in surrender. 

“You're a little pest, girl, and you're successfully lowering my willingness to listen to your proposition with every passing moment.”

#ZapphAtext #pathologic #pathologic fanfiction #pathologic changeling #pathologic bachelor #changeling #bachelor

[lovelywingsart]

'Bite', 'Hammer', 'Drink' for the fanfiction WIP ask game?

I had to dig through over 70+ WIPs to find these my dude- And one of them is from a smut story. Actually all 3 would be smut, but I'll keep those other ones to myself for now. So fair warning on that.\! I do have other ideas I haven't gotten a chance to write down that would definitely include these, but for now, this is what I have so far!

And yes, I'll do all three!

And no, I don't know when these will be finished.

Have fun!

*Under cut because LONG*

Word: Hammer

Takes place about a year or so after the Miranda fight in the Survival AU-

"You would think they would freeze up there near the water..." she commented, looking up as Heisenberg walked by and bumped her shoulder, nearly tossing the hammer to the side.

"Did we HAVE to leave him with her?" He grumbled, instantly making his way to the door that lead to the workshop. She followed.

"Hey, you said yourself Donna wasn't that bad..." she chuckled, returning the shoulder bump. He rolled his eyes, casually holding the door for her to follow through.

"It's not Donna, it's those... goddamn DOLLS..." he said. "Creepy pieces of... What if he has nightmares??"

Emelia rolled her eye.

"Karl, do you recall what he assisted with only a year ago? I promise you dolls aren't worse than those bloody Soldats." She replied, turning to face him once they entered the workshop and the door was closed. She nearly laughed at the disbelieving expression on his face. "He will be fine, Heisenberg. She offered, and he was excited to see 'Aunt Donna'. You should be happy we're alone for the first time in years."

Word: Drink

A random placement in the normal timeline, for a smut story that MIGHT break a few people for a very specific reason other than them being drunk off their asses... Twitter knows. uwu -

He only paused for a moment, suddenly leaning over to grab one of the bottles. She watched his muscles trembled slightly as he stared at the bottle for a moment, his other hand mindlessly rubbing her thigh. She couldn't help but squirm in a drunken, aroused haze, only to reach out for the bottle, herself. He hummed slightly before handing it to her, leaning down and kissing along her chest as she propped herself up with one wavering elbow. He let out a low chuckle as she drank from the bottle itself, taking a few gulps before falling back once more with a cough.

Despite the lightheadedness, she could still feel the warmth of the whiskey flood through her chest, the feeling bringing more redness to her cheeks as Heisenberg took the bottle from her. He started to drink, downing the rest of the dark liquid quickly before slumping forward slightly, letting the bottle fall to the floor with a clatter as it was pushed over the edge.

Neither reacted to the sound, instead focusing on each other with wavering vision as he leaned forward fully into her arms that had since reached for him. His lips met hers instantly, the residual taste of the alcohol still fresh between the both of them.

Word: Bite

Another Survival AU one, which... Well, you'll see!~

"Ethan told me what you all did." He started, nodding back to the window where she could see the man glance at her as he was patched up. "I only need to know if you're just as fucking insane as she was, or if you're trustworthy enough to stay here."

"You mean if we're 'docile' enough for you to let us live." She corrected with a frown. She watched the corner of his mouth twitch, lifting her chin again. "If we weren't 'docile', I assure you we would have attacked your little 'party' here by now... I assume you're aware of our... 'abilities'. Especially Heisenberg."

"I'm well aware."

"Then you know he could crush that loud rubbish heap with the jerk of an arm." She was proud as she spoke, watching his face change just slightly as he glanced at Adalwulf.

"And him?"

She froze. Her taw tightened as the boy hid behind her more, but she managed to calm herself, forcing herself to bite her own tongue as to not put them in any more danger than they were already in just talking to him.

"He shares his fathers powers, if not more." She replied quietly. "He's as proficient with them as Karl, and they're far more potent. He was taught well."

#ask answered #answered ask #ask game #WIP ask game #fanfiction WIP #I'm not joking when I said 70+ #the number is still growing #I have a REALLY bad habit of starting a chapter and then falling off if I can't think of anything

[purposefully-lost]

"I first fell in love with the wilderness when I was a kid. In a bid to impress my mom, her boyfriend at the time took us on what would be my very first camping trip, just a bit of a drive north to what was then called the Lowry Family Campground. Maybe it didn't leave a mark on her, but it sure as hell left its impression on me. I had my first taste of real adventure there on the connected hiking trails, my guardians dragging behind me and fighting to keep me from just wandering off into the woods to explore further. I loved the sight of all that green, of the animals glimpsed through the trees, I loved the huge open space and the chance to really pay attention to nature in a way I never had before. Every summer after that would be spent begging my mom for another trip, or another hike, or a new wild place to visit.

Daniel- the aforementioned boyfriend- shouldn't get all the credit for my newfound love, though. Most of that belongs to someone else. We weren't the only family camping that weekend, and on the second day of our stay I ran right into a little boy around my age with a personality twice as big as he was. My mom recalls him being a little strange and quiet, but if he was, I didn't notice. We were fast friends, connected in an instant in a way only children can be. He had dirt on his face and a beetle caught in his hands, and I was happy to call him my new best friend.

While everyone else was content with just the sight of nature, he wanted to be involved, right in the middle of it all, and he dragged me into it with him. We spent that day getting into everything we could; we chased frogs and dragonflies, we dared each other to look under logs at what bugs might be beneath, we spent a whole hour just being fascinated by water striders on the surface of the nearby creek. We waded into the creek too, much to our parents' dismay. By the time night came about I had mud caked into my hair and enough mosquito bites to last me a lifetime.

We shared a campfire that night, while our parents got up to their own interests or worried about dinner. I'm not sure what we talked about, but we stayed up until we had to be pulled off to bed. I'd wanted to stay in those woods forever. I think he would've agreed.

We said our goodbyes the next morning, when my mom wanted to start the drive home. But if I had to credit anyone in the world with sparking my love for the natural world, it was that strange, friendly little boy."

- From an early chapter of Prey Animal, titled "Firsts"

-----

"About six months after the trial, I went to stay with my mom for a few weeks. She'd had a knee surgery and needed someone to help her out with the normal things while she healed, but I also suspected that she wanted me home so that we might finally talk about Jack Rabbit. More specifically, the fact that I'd been a victim. She was worried out of her mind and I don't think I ever quite convinced her during that time that I was fine, that I'd moved on. Of course, if she's reading this now, she'll know that that was still a lie, just for different reasons. Sorry, mom.

The stay was mostly uneventful, and a well-needed break from my life at home. Even though most of the media frenzy had died down by then, the events they'd centered on hadn't been forgotten. Memorials for some of Jack's real victims hadn't been taken down yet, especially not at the campgrounds, and the campgrounds themselves were still operating on restricted hours and access. Most importantly, my coworkers were starting to decide that it'd been long enough, and maybe they could ask me for an official statement or interview. I needed some particularly boring time away.

One interesting thing did happen, though. Mom and I decided we might as well go through some of our old stuff in the attic, see if there was anything I wanted or things we should get rid of. We came across some old photo albums from my childhood that neither of us had seen in years. There were about three pages of photos from the first time we went camping together, of the two of us and others at the Lowry Family Campground back in the 60's. One particular photo was of me and a young boy: the picture quality wasn't fantastic, of course, but you could see his dark hair and bright eyes, the gap from a missing tooth when he grinned. The both of us were covered in mud and looked quite proud of it. That was my boy, my best friend for a day who had pulled me into loving the outside world.

And he looked awfully familiar. After I saw it, I took it out of the page it'd been tucked into for the past several years, marched upstairs, and found my things. At that point I still had a folder full of research on Jack from when I'd first learned who he was, including a newspaper clipping from the original murder of his family. One of the photos of the family therein, provided by a more extended member, was from a few years before the deaths. It showed a younger Jack, not yet bearing his scars, posed with his new foster family at a family campground somewhere outside the city.

Looking at it then, I realized that my fondly remembered boy had been Jonathan Stone.

I'll spare you the full details of how this revelation managed my turn my already burning world on it's head. It changed nothing, of course, but it changed everything. Staring at those photos, I sat down on my bedroom floor and cried for a good, long while."

- from a later chapter, titled "Guilty Verdict." The described photos are printed on the following pages.

#drabble #alex prescott #hunted // rabbit #ANYWAY... 😔💔💔💔