"I can resist everything except temptation"

he/him || 24 || MINORS DNI

[thedarkest-nights]

PINNED POST: updated 2/9/2026

Requests: open

Masterlist tag: nighttimewrites

Who am I writing for right now?

- markiplier characters mostly (dark, Simon (the convict), Google, yancy, etc)

- outlast characters (Waylon Park, Eddie Gluskin, Miles Upshur)

- resident evil characters (zeno, leon kennedy, etc)

- a few superheroes (daredevil, the punisher, moon knight etc)

Feel free to send in a request if you see a character you like!

[thedarkest-nights]

"Passing Notes"

Albert Wesker x reader

Summary: This is so stereotypical. Passing notes during a meeting, but sometimes you have to write something cute

Warnings: none, its fluff, very like. Ramble-y but I tried

A/N: i will be working on event requests soon! But I had this in drafts so-

Sitting through the monthly briefing should be considered some form of torture, it was definitely cruel and unusual punishment, and as an officer of the raccoon city police department, you were aware of your rights.

Still, you were forced to attend.

It was a department wide meeting, so you couldn't claim to be singled out.

And yet, you despised these meetings. They gave you no new relevant information, it was an hour and a half of Chief Irons droning on about… something. You'd stopped paying attention for the most part, the last thing you remembered was something about the budget and patrol cars, but you couldn't be certain.

You weren't the only one, you were pretty sure Brad had fallen asleep, and Chris and Jill were playing a very intense game of tic tac toe. Based on Chris's expression Jill was winning.

You weren't surprised about that at all.

It felt like the only person actually paying attention was the man sitting next to you, Captain Wesker. Though with his ever present sunglasses, how would you know if he wasn't?

That was probably the point.

Usually you'd be sitting farther down the table, and you'd be able to entertain yourself gossiping with another officer, but you came in a few minutes late and the only seat was beside Wesker.

Everyone was terrified of him, so no one would talk to you, which made the meeting feel even longer.

You had a small notebook and a pen in your pocket, usually used for taking notes while on patrol, but it had a much more pressing assignment now. You slid it out slowly, careful not to make any noise, for as loud as Irons was droning, you knew the second you looked distracted, he'd notice.

Your mission was a success.

Now that you had paper, what to do with it?

Chris and Jill were too far away and too distracted to pass notes, Brad was sound asleep, Marvin would never engage in this behavior, so the only person that was left was Wesker.

Would he go along with you?

You weren't sure, you rarely interacted.

The worst that could happen was he called you out in front of the group and that was a risk you were willing to take at this point.

You quickly wrote a quick note, 'Are you as bored as I am? What's he even talking about?'

You slid it across the table quietly until the notepad tapped his hand, he looked down, brows furrowing in confusion as he picked it up.

He wrote quickly, and then slid it back, 'he's been discussing hunting trips for fifteen minutes, none of this is relevant.'

Of course he writes like he speaks, but you couldn't say you were surprised.

'I'm surprised Irons even has hobbies'

'I'm unsurprised they are what they are, but there's information I require that he hasn't given.'

'I think it'll happen at the end, he needs to talk while he has a truly captive audience'

'If we were anymore captive, we'd be downstairs.'

You had to bite your lip to hold back any laughter at his dry comments , somehow the captain matched your sense of humor properly.

'We'd have to stage a prison break, I'm sure a bunch of cops could handle it'

He nodded, not having a response to that particular note, so you continued, 'do you think Irons knows he has food in his mustache?'

Wesker looked over almost imperceptibly, 'I think he's saving that particular bite for later.'

You shook your head at him with a small smile.

Wesker was actually funny, you were surprised to learn that about him.

He quietly waited for you to write your reply, and as he did he got a bit lost in his thoughts.

He'd noticed you in passing, but he'd never really paid attention. Now that you were next to him though, he couldn't stop paying attention. He liked having you near him, and that alone had his mind reeling, and then he'd nearly made you laugh and he could have sworn he was bullet proof.

His heart was beating far too quickly, his palms were sweaty, and his mouth was dry.

If he didn't know better he'd say he was having some sort of episode.

He did know better though.

He was attracted to you, and somehow that was scarier than a sudden heart attack.

He was meant to be above such things, and yet he found himself wanting to get to know you better, wanting to make you laugh, wanting to be there for you.

He wasn't sure what to do with those feelings, but he didn't have to make that decision yet because the notepad bumped into him again.

‘You ok? You got really still for a second’

Now you were worrying about him, he wasn't going to survive this meeting.

‘I'm alright’

‘Are you sure?’

Was he sure?

No, no he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to worry you so he nodded.

You seemed to accept that, so you continued writing, a few more complaints about Irons and the seemingly unimportant things he continued to rant about. He'd had a very brief interlude to pass around budget forms to each lead, and that was all Wesker had wanted from the meeting, and yet there was still nearly an hour to go.

You tried to pay attention, maybe there was something you'd need to remember for later, but any noise in the room sounded suspiciously like static. You weren't retaining anything.

You considered passing another note to Wesker, but he looked so engrossed in the form he'd been passed that you didn't want to bother him.

You found a particularly interesting spot on the far wall, and just got lost examining it.

An indeterminate time later, you felt something tapping your arm again. It was your own notebook, slid across the table by Wesker, so it shouldn't have startled you. It still did.

He wasn't looking at you, which was a bit odd, but you picked up the pen and read over his note.

'After the conclusion of your shift, would you accompany me to dinner? If you are interested, it could be considered a date.'

Your eyes widened as you read, Captain Wesker wanted to go on a date with you? If you didn't have it on a piece of paper in front of you, you wouldn't have believed it.

You quickly wrote a reply, 'of course! I'd love to have dinner with you, as a date,' you scratched that out, rewriting, 'I would love to go on a date with you!'

Wesker looked down at the note, a small smile graced his features, and he nodded.

You were almost giddy, biting back the smile that threatened to overtake you was probably the hardest thing you'd done in a while. You had the urge to jump for joy, or scream.

You'd never been asked out in such a way before. Wesker wasn't the man you planned on going out with, but you really wanted to see where all of this went. He was handsome, and he made you laugh, and he seemed attentive, so far no major red flags.

Only time would tell though.

The meeting seemed to speed by, you still weren't paying attention though, instead you continued intermittently passing notes back and forth with Wesker.

You ironed out some details for your date, and learned a few more things about him, like the types of food he enjoyed and his go to coffee order.

You were planning to bring him coffee the next morning, so you were glad you learned how he liked it.

The meeting was slowly beginning to wrap up, and because of Wesker it went by a lot faster than you had expected it to. You had him to thank for that, and if you got to keep passing notes with him then you felt you could probably handle the next meeting just fine as well.

Though with the way Chief Irons was glaring at you, you might not get to sit next to him again, but that was a problem for later. You needed to get through the rest of your day at work, because you had dinner with Wesker to look forward to.

[thedarkest-nights]

Hey there, it's me, ya boy, here to be incredibly predictable-

So like,, can I get uhhhhhhhhhhh

Baker's Dozen of Almond Croissant

Who could have ever seen this coming

"A Secret Admirer"

Albert Wesker x reader

Summary: Someone has started leaving you homemade lunches on your desk every morning, and after a few shared notes, are you ready to meet your secret admirer?

Warnings: none this is just fluff

A/N: everyone say thank you Stevie for posting this because tumblr fucking hates me-

Albert Wesker was a man of routines.

He preferred the simplicity of knowing what was going to happen, and when.

He took his lunch at the same time every day, took his breaks on a small rotating schedule, woke and went to bed at the same times as well. All that to say he had his life down to a science.

He was content, and never surprised.

Until you came along.

You were an entirely unpredictable variable.

You had three different morning alarms, went to bed at different times every single night, sometimes you skipped lunch and even dinner entirely, and when you were focused you rarely took breaks unless you were made to.

You were a source of immense frustration to him, and yet he cared deeply for you.

As much as Wesker pretended to be above it all, that he didn't have time for ordinary people, you had managed to worm your way past his seemingly impenetrable emotional walls.

He found himself wanting to be there for you, wanting to make you meals, to make sure you were sleeping. He wanted to know you were in the best possible way at all times.

He wanted to deny himself this, he was to be a god amongst men, he didn’t need this distraction.

He couldn’t stop himself.

His homemade lunches turned into making larger portions so he'd have enough to pack away for you.

He never claimed his gestures though.

He simply left a note with the heating instructions on the container, and a mention to leave the empty container on your desk, rinsed out, at the end of the day.

You always did, as much as he bemoaned your lack of routine and constant flight of ideas, you did listen to instructions very well. It's what initially caught his attention and why he tended to prefer you over the rest of your teammates.

You listened.

As your superior officer, he appreciated that in many situations, and even outside of work, you continued to listen.

He picked up the days empty container, and plucked your return note off the lid.

You'd started doing that recently, leaving little notes for your 'secret admirer', Jill had given you the suggestion.

She knew.

She'd caught him leaving the carefully prepared meal on your desk one morning. He hadn't realized she'd be there so early, but unfortunately for him she wanted to turn in her assigned reports early, and she'd been in his office.

She'd sworn secrecy, but told him he should just tell you how he felt, she knew you'd reciprocate.

He trusted her judgement in most things, but this was something he needed to work towards on his own, so when you began to leave him notes in return he replied.

It felt a bit like a game of 20 questions, you'd ask a simple question and he'd give a reply.

He wanted to see if you could guess who he was.

There were a few simple rules, you couldn't ask for specific details that would immediately give him away, no name, or team related questions.

You's determined very little about your secret admirer because of this. You knew he was older than you, preferred tea to coffee, had blue eyes, and wore glasses.

It wasn't entirely helpful as there were a good few officers who wore glasses, and were older than you.

You'd also learned he wasn't too much older than you, you weren't interested in an insane age gap, and it seemed neither was he.

"You still don't know who it is?" Jill's voice came from beside you.

You jumped, a bit startled by her sudden appearance, "no, no I haven't figured it out yet, we're writing notes now though, and I know a little bit about him, not enough to know anything for sure though."

She nodded, "what if you asked him to meet you somewhere after your shift?"

"I don’t even know what shift he's on, he could be on overnights and that's why I've never seen him," you protested.

Jill rolled her eyes, "well you'll never know unless you try, right?"

You sighed, you knew she was right, she usually was, not that you'd ever admit that to her, so you scribbled the note, including an address and a time.

You gave yourself an hour after your shift to go home, shower and change into something more presentable, and if your mystery man didn't show, well then at least you could take yourself on a dinner date.

"What's got you so distracted?" and there was Chris.

"Our rookie has a secret admirer," of course Barry just had to chime in.

"I've worked here for three years, I'm not a rookie anymore," you corrected.

They both ignored you, " a secret admirer? Do you know who it is?"

"if I knew, they wouldn’t be secret now would they?" you huffed, as much as you loved your teammates, they very easily got on your nerves.

"if you have time to chat mindlessly, you have time to turn your reports in on time," and there was Wesker, saving you from their teasing, and ruining Chris and Barry's fun, "I expect them up to my standards and on my desk before you go home tonight, am I clear?"

Both men nodded and went back to their desks, and you gave a relieved sigh as Wesker returned to his office.

"So you're going to try it right?" Jill asked, her desk was closest to yours so no one would notice the pair of you chatting.

You nodded, showing her the note, it was simple, but why overcomplicate something like this? It would either work or it wouldn’t, and you couldn't stress yourself out about it.

Knowing you shouldn't stress didn't stop you from stressing about it thought. Thankfully you were already ahead with your work because you got absolutely nothing of note done, and you practically rushed out of the building.

The meal container left on your desk, with a very brightly colored sticky note attached to the top.

You weren't the only one who left quickly, it appeared that Jill had convinced the rest of the team to go out after work so they didn't linger either.

This left Wesker, in his office as was usual for him, but since there was no one else around he didn't have to wait to go collect the container on your desk.

There was a note on it, as was beginning to be normal, it was another question, but this one was much more direct than the others.

It was a meeting request.

He should have ignored it, he had reports to finish for Irons, and then trials to run later that evening, but he didn't

He picked it up, reading the message over again.

'Would you want to have dinner with me?' it read, and it included the address to your favorite diner.

It wasn't a fancy place, definitely not what Wesker would have picked for your first date, but once again you broke his routine, and he couldn’t say he hated it.

He was going to go.

You arrived to your own proposed meeting early, but pacing a hole in the floor of your apartment didn't exactly feel productive, so you arrived early and grabbed a seat at your favorite window booth.

It gave you some time to think, to really wonder about who was going to join you.

Did you already know him?

Was he nice?

What if this was just an elaborate prank, made to make you look stupid?

No, no, that was impossible, Jill wouldn’t let you do that to yourself, she would never have pushed you to go if she knew you'd only end up embarrassed.

She was a good friend like that.

"Is this seat taken?" came a voice from above you, a very familiar one too.

"Captain Wesker?" your reply was full of surprise.

He nodded, and gestured to the seat across from you, "of course! Sit down, I'm so sorry."

"There's no need for apologies, I didn't mean to startle you, but you seemed lost in thought."

You nodded, "I was just wondering who would be coming, and I got a bit distracted," you explained sheepishly.

He gave you a small smile, "hopefully I don’t disappoint?"

It was the closest to unsure you'd ever seen the captain, and your heart was absolutely full to bursting with affection.

"Definitely not disappointed at all," you assured him, "just surprised."

He tilted his head as though prompting you to continue, so you did, "I didn't think you liked me very much, you always seem.. annoyed at me."

He blinked in surprise, behind his glasses so of course you missed the gesture, "I used to be," he admitted, "but then I found myself missing the controlled chaos you bring with you."

You shook your head fondly, you weren't actually upset by his honesty, you knew you could be a bit of a whirlwind.

"As I began to pay more attention, I realized how much you care for others, even your.. more idiotic teammates, and how little effort you put into taking care of yourself," he explained further, "I found myself wanting to offer that care for you."

"The lunches?" you prompted.

He nodded, "I left them for you, it was never going to be more than that, but then you began to leave the notes and I couldn't help myself."

You couldn't help but smile, for as cold a front as your captain put up, he really was quite the softy at heart, "I guess I owe Jill a big thank you, and maybe a gift basket,' you said with a fondly exasperated sigh.

"… she caught me leaving your lunch on your desk," he revealed quietly.

"How did she manage that?" you were very clearly surprised.

"She was turning in her incident reports early, earlier than I was there to collect them," he huffed, clearly still embarrassed she'd been able to catch him off guard. Not many people could say they ever had.

"She still kept your secret though," you pointed out.

He seemed to think for a moment before he agreed, "she did, and for that I should also thank her."

"she's the reason I started leaving notes, she said I should try to figure out who it was, and I'm really glad she did."

Wesker tentatively reached across the table, and laid his hand over yours, he was very glad Jill Valentine had decided it was her duty to play matchmaker too, because otherwise he wasn’t sure he'd would have ever allowed himself to ask you on a date otherwise.

As far as first dates go, you aren't sure you've ever had a better one, the conversation flowed easily, and you laughed so much your cheeks were sore. Wesker to his credit seemed to have just as much fun as you did if his own smile was anything to go off of.

All too soon though the night came to an end, as all good things must, "we both have work tomorrow, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to spend a bit more time with you-"

"Walk me home?"

He did, you lived close to the diner, and by extension the precinct. The evening was cool, and comfortable and walking hand in hand with him was taking its place as one of your favorite activities.

Only when you both had made it to the entrance of your apartment building did he let go of your hand, "any requests for tomorrow?" he asked.

You shook your head, "I trust your judgement."

That brought a fond smile to his face, "I will endeavor not to disappoint then."

You rolled your eyes fondly, as if he could.

Leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead, he bid you goodnight, and you watching him walk away until he disappeared around the corner, the you made your way inside.

You had no idea how you were going to manage to fall asleep after that, not with the lingering warmth of his hand wrapped around yours, and the feeling of his lips on your skin.

He'd just have to forgive you if you were tired tomorrow, it was his own fault after all.

He seemed to know you it because when you made it into the station the next morning there was a coffee in a travel mug beside your usual lunch, you couldn't help the giddy little smile that flashed across your features.

He really did know how to take care of you.

[thedarkest-nights]

Welcome to Darkest Nights Coffee where we have something for everyone!!

As a thank you for 100 followers (though I'm posting a bit early) I've created a menu for you to order special fics from me!

The Menu

Almond Croissant- Albert Wesker

Vanilla Bean Scone- Zeno

Lemon Tart- Leon Kennedy

Mint Truffle- Ethan Winters

Cherry and Cheese Danish- Simon (Iron Lung)

Orange Cranberry Loaf- Ryland Grace

Add On to Your Order!

A baker's dozen- fluff, tooth rotting

A shot of espresso- angst, no comfort

Vanilla latte- hurt/comfort

Black coffee- monster AU

Caramel macchiato- enemies to lovers

Matcha- there's only one bed

London Fog- fake dating AU

Day Old Pastries: a fic with one of my original characters

Please make sure to order using the format of this post! For example if you wanted a fluffy monster AU fic with albert wesker you'd order "1 almond croissant, with a baker's dozen and a black coffee"

Have fun and happy ordering!!

[thaegis4723]

Daily reminder

[illustr-ace]

Making a new post cos I want them side by side-

My Dante and Vergil pins are available!!

Designed by yours truly, these guys are both 1.5 inch acrylic pins.

If you're interested, you can find em here on my Etsy!

[illustr-ace]

Me realizing I never posted anything about this

I've been working my way through a playthrough of the Resident Evil 4 Remake over on my YouTube channel if anyone is interested in popping in to watch

Resident Evil 4 [REMAKE]

[thedarkest-nights]

favorite word?

Conspicuous!

[thedarkest-nights]

"I Need You"

Ryland Grace x reader

Summary: when you wake up on the hail mary, you're grateful you aren't alone, but sometimes you can still feel alone even when there are people around

Warnings: minor jealousy, mentions of amnesia, rocky and Grace bickering as they do

A/N: this is from a trade for a lovely friend on discord! Hopefully they like it

You hadn't expected to wake up.

Before they'd induced the coma, they'd told everyone to be prepared for it, to say goodbye to loved ones, to understand the risk. None of you were coming home, and there was no way for anyone to help you with as far out as you were going.

You had prepared. You'd worried, and thought about it, and grappled with your own mortality.

You'd volunteered for the mission after all, so you should have known what could happen.

You did, truly you did.

You had been ready, or at least you thought you were.

You still cried when you woke up.

Were they tears of relief, joy, or despair at the predicament you found yourself in?

You weren't sure.

Still the tears fell.

They kept coming. You cried for what felt like hours, for all you knew it could have been.

When they finally stopped, you wiped your eyes, they felt raw and puffy, and looked around. You were on one of the beds in the medical bay, the others were all empty.

That was a good sign right?

That meant there was a crew waiting for you, and you wouldn't be alone.

You slowly got up, the medical robot, it had a name you were sure of it, but you couldn't remember it for the life of you, Amos? Maybe Arnold, or Austin, none of those sounded right, but it offered one of several arms to assist you. You leaned on it, scanning the crisp white walls.

None of this stood out to you.

You felt that it should at least be familiar, but it wasn't. The ship was huge, and silent.

If there was a crew there should be some sort of sound, right?

If your assumption was correct, then why was it so quiet?

Was the ship really that big?

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for whatever could be waiting for you. You climbed the ladder slowly, your muscles not wanting to cooperate with you.

You checked the first level you came to, no one was there, but there were things strewn all over the ground.

That was something, but it only added to the anxiety growing inside you.

You found him when you came to the lab, he was leaning over a table, examining a strange container, "Xenon is a gas.. This thing must be broken," he muttered to himself, tossing the scanner onto a table behind him. It landed heavily, and you wouldn’t be surprised if he'd managed to break it.

You didn’t recognize him.

You felt like he should be familiar, just as the interior of the ship should be.

You remembered the two science officers you trained with, Martin and Annie, but this man definitely wasn’t either of them. If there was a third science officer, then something terrible must have happened right before the launce, but why couldn’t you remember?

You remembered your training, and working toward the launch, but that was where it all stopped.

It wasn’t even hazy, it just wasn’t there at all, like someone had taken it away.

That meant you were going to have to talk to this man, and figure out who he was organically, which sounded terrifying. What if he was awful? What if the coma caused some sort of violent outbursts? He seemed calm, but looks could be deceiving.

You took a deep breath, and finished climbing up the ladder.

"Hello?" you greeted quietly.

The man screamed, and jumped when he heard your voice, "you're awake? You lived, oh my god, are you okay?"

You blinked, that was a lot all at once, "I'm okay, I think?"

Were you okay? That was a loaded question, you weren't actually sure. Physically you were, the robot, Alfredo, would've alerted if you weren't. Mentally though? That was where you weren't sure, you'd just woken up, and you couldn't even process all of it yet.

He nodded, fixing his glasses, "okay is good, we can work with okay, we can build from there."

You liked his seemingly hopeful attitude, "where's the rest of the crew? What did I miss? Do we have any solutions?" It was your turn to ask him a good number of rapid fire questions.

He seemed to deflate, " it's just.. Us. The others didn’t make it, I've been handling it as best as I can, I just met an alien.."

"An alien?" you interjected.

He shrugged, and nodded at the same time, "an alien, they seem friendly, at least I think so, they sent me.. This, but I haven't figured out what it is yet."

You both continued talking like this, you learned his name was Ryland Grace, and he wasn't sure why he was even in the mission. He didn’t remember volunteering, any training for the mission, nothing, he woke up and he was alone.

He was remembering things slowly, "I get flashes of things," he admitted, "like my classroom and my students, an experiment I did on the astrophage.. But none of it helps me understand how I got here."

That made your heart break for him.

He looked so lost when he told it all to you. It must have been even worse thinking that he'd be completely alone if you hadn't woken up.

Ryland seemed so grateful you were awake, sticking close to you when you were in the same spaces on the ship. You weren't a science officer, you were brought aboard to help with piloting, but you liked to listen and he seemed to like to talk.

Ryland Grace wasn't made to be alone. You could tell.

Humans were pack animals, and in the vastness of space it was hard to form bonds.

It was easy to be around him though, you were comfortable in his presence.

You had started lingering more. If he noticed you doing it, he didn't comment on it, and for that you were grateful.

How would you ever begin to explain that you didn't want to be alone either? That you weren't made for the vastness of space?

Ryland, of course, understood your feelings exactly.

Time passed, and the two of you slowly got closer, at least until Rocky came aboard.

Who was Rocky?

Rocky was the alien that had sent Ryland the capsule he had been working on when you had woken up, an Eridian. Rocky had seemed to have made the same journey that you both had, because his star was dying too. He appeared to be an engineer, or some sort of scientist, and he and Ryland instantly clicked, even if they bickered often.

You supposed it made sense, but you couldn't help but feel forgotten.

There weren't any other Eridians that survived besides Rocky, so there was no pilot for you to bond with, not that it would help the mood you were in.

You had thought you and Ryland were bonding, that there was something special between you.

You were clearly wrong.

That was alright, you could be alone.

That was what you kept telling yourself anyway.

You started withdrawing, avoiding Ryland and Rocky as much as you could.

It couldn't last, of course not, the space ship was only so big. There were a few places you could go to for respite though, one of those being the 'don't go crazy room'. Rocky and Grace rarely spent time in there, so it was one of your chosen hideaways.

The thing about hideaways though, is they could usually be found, and found you were, by none other than the man you were attempting to hide from.

"Hey-" the sudden appearance of Ryland Grace in your hiding spot startled you.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you," he looked sheepish, you knew he hadn't meant to make you jump.

You shrugged, "it's alright, I just wasn't expecting company."

He nodded, "so does that mean you'll mind if a join you?"

You could tell him you did mind, that you'd much rather be alone, but there was also part of you that was tired of it, even though you had chosen to be alone. Rocky was now a part of your space adventure, and you couldn't hide from that forever. It wasn't his fault that you were.. jealous.

"You can stay," you replied after a moment of silence.

He settled in next to you, keeping a respectful distance between the two of you. You didn't want him to, you wanted him as close as possible, but you didn't say anything.

"So.." he started quietly, "did I do something to upset you?"

You were a bit surprised by his question, "you didn't do anything to upset me."

He hadn't, you had done all of this to yourself, it was just your luck to fall in love with the only other person on the Hail Mary.

"Then what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"You disappeared."

"I didn't disappear, I'm right here, see?" you laughed quietly.

"You did disappear, you've been avoiding me, and I don't understand why," he repeated.

"Oh, no that wasn't you, it was just me," you replied vaguely.

He made a confused sound, apparently your answer wasn't satisfying enough.

"I.." you started, and then paused with a sigh, pulling your knees up to your chest, and wrapped your arms around them, "I was starting to feel out of place."

"Out of place?"

"I'm not a scientist," you explained, "I'm a pilot, and it's not like we need one of those right now. You and Rocky are solving the problem, and I didn’t want to get in the way."

Explaining it out loud was even more embarrassing than thinking about it.

"I need you," Ryland said quietly.

"What?"

"I need you," he repeated, "I want you around, I don't know what to do when you aren't around, Rocky keeps asking me when the last time I slept was because I keep forgetting what I'm doing because you aren't there to explain it to."

You uncurled yourself and scooted closer to him, your hand landing over top of his, "you need me?"

He nodded, "I thought I explained that pretty well."

"I need you too," you replied.

"You do?"

You nodded, "I didn't want to admit it, but I need you."

He seemed to be closer than he was before, "you need me?"

"I do."

The smile that lit up his face was brighter than any of the stars outside of the ship, it was nearly blinding, and contagious, you couldn't help but join him.

"Since you need me, you won't mind if I do this," you were confused, until Ryland leaned in, and pressed his lips to yours.

It was quick, and awkward, but it was still perfect to you, and when he pulled away you were giddy, "not at all, but I'll mind if you don’t do it again."

He laughed, and pressed several quick kisses to your lips before moving on to your cheeks and your forehead. It was like he was starved of affection, and couldn't help but touch you.

You basked in it, loving the closeness that came with it all.

"Grace mate, question?" came Rocky's voice from the doorway, there stood the Eridian in the doorway, "Grace tell Rocky, no mate, Rocky see Grace give.. Need word-"

"What word, Rock?" Grace sighed, voice full of fond annoyance.

Rocky explained and Grace offered the word 'affection', which Rocky accepted, with a small comment about how squishy humans are, and how strange their affection is, "and yours is better pal?"

"Yes! Eridian affection is beautiful," he stated, stomping one of his feet to emphasize his point.

You laughed as the pair bickered lightly back and forth, you took that opportunity to lean on Ryland, just relishing in your newfound ability to do so. Grace looked down at you with a small smile, he pressed a kiss to your forehead, just because he could.

Maybe your crew of three was just what you needed, because they needed you, and you needed them, you were just glad they were patient enough to make sure you knew it.

[bhaalspawnbarbie]

Don't forget to kiss your favorite older gentleman🥰

If its Zeno then make sure you *redacted* then *redacted, redacted* and lick his *redacted* *redacted* and *redacted* 🚬

[thedarkest-nights]

"The Things We Cant Take Back"

Darkiplier x reader

Summary: you were tired of trying, and Dark had long since given up

Warnings: angst, hurt/no comfort, breakups, dialogue heavy

A/N: sort of sequel to "the things we said"

You were leaving.

You'd been thinking about it for a while now, but you hadn't had the courage.

Until now.

You didn't want to leave, but you felt you had no choice.

Things weren't getting any better, even though he promised they would.

You'd given it time, you had been patient. You did everything you possibly could to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't trying anymore.

You'd always known that being in a relationship with Dark wouldn't be easy, you'd always understood that. You thought you could handle it though, that maybe things would be different after you talked it out.

Things weren't different.

If anything it was like he was getting worse.

All he did anymore was snap at you, over everything. Little things built up and set him off.

You didn't even talk like you used to, you hadn't seen the inside of his office in weeks because it was like he didn't want you near him.

He didn't come to bed anymore either.

It was like he had given up.

Wilford had tried to keep your spirits up, telling you that Dark often had times like this, that he'd come around.

You appreciated Wilford's optimism and his faith in his friend, but you weren't there to be a punching bag until Dark realized that what he was doing was hurting you.

You loved him, but you deserved more than that.

That brought you to where you were now, packing your bags to go back to your apartment. You'd kept it, because you had a feeling, and because your landlord liked you, and hadn't wanted to rent to anyone else. You were grateful for both things in that moment. You didn't want to be looking for a new place to live after completely uprooting your life.

You debated leaving the gifts from the other members of the house, especially the things from Wilford and engineer, but you’d miss them.

You didn’t plan on keeping anything from Dark. There wasn't a point. You didn't want to remember him, but you knew you'd never forget.

Your bags were packed, you were ready to go, you picked up one, and threw your duffle bag over your shoulder, they weren't too heavy, you could make it to the car without help. That didn’t stop Illinois from asking, or Google reasoning that he was an android, he was better suited for the work, you appreciated the offers, “it's okay guys, I just need to go okay? I'll miss you, though.”

“You don't have to do this, y'know? We could move you to a different room?” Illinois offered hope covering the sadness in his eyes.

“It would be the most logical thing for you to stay close,” Google agreed.

You shook your head, “no, I can't keep staying somewhere he is, I really will miss you both, and I won't forget you, but I just.. I can't stay here.”

Illinois nodded sadly, and Google seemed to deflate a little and it broke your heart. The adventurer had come to be one of your best friends, if you were honest you had stuck it out as long as you could because you didn't want to leave him behind.

You kept going, saying goodbye to everyone you passed. Wilford, Yancy, the engineer, all of them seemed sad to see you go.

You hoped he'd understand, and he wouldn't hold it against you. You loved him, but staying for him wasn't something you could, it was hurting you too badly.

“Do you want me to stab him for you?” Came from the side of your, causing you to startle and nearly drop your bags.

It was Murdock, of course it was.

“I don't think you can actually stab him,” you replied.

“I'd try though, you know I would,” he offered again.

You laughed softly, “no, it wouldn't change anything, be good though, no stabbing, and be nice to the others, ok?”

He sighed, but nodded, anything for you of course.

You were surprised you hadn't seen Dark. You didn't think he'd say goodbye nicely, but you weren't trying to disappear without a trace.

As much as you wanted to talk to him, settle all of this like adults, you knew that would never happen.

Dark tended to avoid problems, and consequences, so if you knew him at all he'd avoid all of this until you were gone.

Then he'd fall apart, break something, lose his cool on another member of the house. You felt guilty for whoever was going to be on the receiving end of that, probably Wilford or maybe Erik.

Wilford would laugh it off, he probably wouldn't even remember you by then, and you were almost grateful for that.

“You're really going through with this?” So you wouldn't be leaving without a confrontation from Dark.

You looked over at him, “I am, I told you that if I could see you putting in the effort I would stay, and you didn't, so I'm going.”

“I was trying! You're the one putting a deadline on it,” he countered.

“No Dark, you tried, and then you stopped,” you sighed, “I'm not going to wait around for you to decide I'm worth the effort.”

“That isn't fair,” he protested.

“No, what isn't fair is how you've been treating me,” you replied.

“It's not like you made it easy to change.”

“Of course, it's always my fault, I understand, you need someone to blame and if you want it to be me I don't mind.”

“That's not what I said, you're putting words in my mouth,” he was getting louder now.

“I'm not doing this,” you said firmly, “I am not going to stand here and keep arguing with you. I've tried, I really have, but I won't keep living like this.”

“Like what?” He spat, form flickering as he got more upset.

“Like you can't stand to be in the same room as me,” you replied, “you stopped coming to bed, stopped talking to me, stopped letting me into your office, hell you stopped looking at me. I refuse to be invisible in my own life. Maybe if you would have talked to me we wouldn't be at this point, but it's too late for that now.”

He paused, looking surprised, like he hadn't realized that he'd made you feel that way. It almost made your resolve break.

Almost.

You shook your head, “I love you, I probably always will, but I won't keep doing this.”

You kept walking, looking forward instead of back at him, because you knew the look on his face would break your heart enough that you wouldn't be able to leave.

You needed to leave.

Loading the car was easy, both bags fit side by side in the trunk. You closed it, and looked at the house one last time, Illinois and Google stood watching you leave from the window, you waved and Illinois nodded once.

Blinking harshly to push back any tears, you got into the car.

It took a long moment before you started it, and an even longer one for you to start driving.

You refused to look at the house in your rear view mirror, you needed to move on, move forward and start living again.

You did love Dark, you really did, but sometimes people do things that they can't take back, and you couldn't keep justifying his actions to yourself.

You deserved better than that.

You'd done enough.

As you turned out onto the main road, you felt lighter than you had in weeks. Your heart ached, but you knew it would pass.

You were going to be alright.

[thedarkest-nights]

"A Simple Celebration"

Albert Wesker x reader

Summary: you received a promotion at work, and the people in your life want to celebrate

Warnings: fluff, meeting the friends, etc

A/N: this is my first time writing for Wesker, and honestly this idea sort of devolved

Wesker missed you.

He really really missed you.

That wasn't uncommon when you weren't around, but he was feeling it more patently.

Why was he missing you so badly?

He was in a group of your friends, waiting for you to arrive.

They were celebrating a promotion you'd gotten at work, and you'd wanted him to be there, afterall he was part of the work you did.

You'd moved from a research assistant to a full-time researcher, and you were very proud of yourself. He was very proud of you as well, not that he'd been able to say it in those words.

You knew though, he'd made sure to show you with his actions, flowers on your newly assigned desk, with a sweet note, and your favorite dinner. Despite his cold demeanor, you never questioned how much Wesker loved you.

Your friends had more reservations about your partner though. You understood, he was generally unapproachable, and very hard to talk to.

They continuously warned you, “he's just.. rude. He barely talks when he comes out with us, and if he does he's impatient and sarcastic.”

Which was true, Albert didn't tend to enjoy small talk, and your friends lived to gossip.

What they didn't know was how invested he was in drama, so long as it pertained to him. Your neighbor down the hall, who was about seventy three, and kept trying to steal your packages was one of his favorite sources of entertainment. He also loved to rant about the ‘idiot squad’ as he called them, they were a team of researchers in a different department, and Albert hated all of them with a passion.

No one would believe you if you told them though, least of all your friends.

That brought everything back to the current situation.

Where were you? Running late, you hadn't been able to leave with Wesker like you normally did. Your team had to present your findings to another research group and you were leading your team this time so you had to be there to give the primary report.

Usually this would be something that Wesker could sit in on, and he often did because he enjoyed hearing about your findings from you, but he'd made the reservation for your celebratory dinner, so he needed to be there to make sure the table was kept on hold.

He got there first, and one by one your friends trickled in. Drinks were ordered, and everyone was waiting for you.

Your friends kept some idle chatter going, just so the table wasn't sitting in complete silence.

Wesker wasn't really invited into the conversation, which he didn't actually mind. He listened in anyway, apparently one of your friends had recently moved in with a new boyfriend. He wasn't sure that was a smart idea, the boyfriend sounded like a deadbeat, she was already doing his laundry, handling all the groceries, and keeping the apartment clean. It sounded like she was parenting him instead of being a partner, but he'd discuss it with you later and see if you had any insight that he was missing. If he was right though, she should leave that idiot sooner rather than later.

He took a sip of his drink, he imagined you were packing up now. Your research was always impeccable, and you hated being late. The corners of his lips twitched upwards in the barest hint of a smile, you were probably frantic, trying to rush out the door, but realizing you forgot your notebook and your favorite pen.

You wouldn't leave without both items, even if you had to go all the way back to your desk to retrieve them. The pen had been part of a set, and gifted to you by Wesker, you always claimed it was lucky.

He wasn't sure he agreed, not with as often as you managed to forget it, but he was still pleased that something from him managed to make you so happy.

He looked up when he heard the hostess talking, and making their way toward the table.

It was you.

You were finally there.

He stood up, and moved to meet you. Could the hostess bring you to the table? Of course, but Wesker had missed you, and he wanted to be the first to see you.

He felt he deserved that after sitting with your friends for the past half an hour.

He didn't get very far, but he did get to bring you the last few steps to the table himself. The hostess taking one look at him, “I think you can take it from here,” and walking back to their station.

He could take it from there, and he did, hand on the small of your back as he led you back to the table.

He, of course, pulled out your chair. You were sitting in between Wesker and your friends acting as his buffer.

You greeted everyone, letting them congratulate you, laughing at some of their jokes and comments.

Things got more lively with you there, but Wesker had an easier time relaxing. Your friends started their stories with full enthusiasm, and you leaned over to whisper explanations to Wesker some of which actually caused him to smile.

He ordered for the both of you, because you were busy discussing the shareable details of your promotion with your friends. What you did was essentially classified, but they knew you worked with Wesker, doing research, and a few of the projects you worked on were for general consumers. The company had to keep up its appearances after all.

You leaned into him as you ate, offering him bites of your own food. Usually he wouldn't allow this sort of display, not in public, but he was never very good at telling you no.

He wasn't sure he could refuse you anything, even if he had to.

Thankfully, he was almost certain he'd never have to learn.

As the evening wound to a close, your head rested on his shoulder. You took comfort in him when you were tired, and it had been an especially long day. He wanted to ask about your presentation, but that could wait until morning, or during your shared lunch.

You were far too polite to tell anyone you were tired though, and you didn't want to leave before your friends were ready. Wesker wasn't sure why you cared so much if he was honest. He'd already put his card on file for the meal, so anything that was ordered was already handled by him, not that he'd told you or anything.

After what felt like eons, in reality it was another twenty or so minutes, your friends started trickling out. They thanked him for paying, as the waitress said the tabs were already covered, and he nodded in reply. Him paying wasn't a new occurrence, he tended to when you were involved.

The pair of you got up as well, you wanted to wait with the few of your friends that had called for rides.

Standing outside you leaned against him, resting your full weight on his side, trusting him to keep you upright. His hand rested on your waist, just keeping you close.

You idly chatted with your friends, but his eyes were on you, the faintest hints of a smile beginning as he listened to you ramble.

Your friends had caught it all, how he softened when you'd shown up, the way he listened when you talked, how he remembered things you told him, the way he took care of you, and how willing he was to let you touch him. They were starting to see why you liked him so much, he was good to you, even if he was antisocial.

He leaned down and said something that only you could hear, and you laughed, really laughed. Only a few people in your life could make you do that.

They decided then that they liked him, and if Wesker got more invites to hang out with everyone as a group, they wouldn't acknowledge it.

Your friends were just glad that you'd found someone who made you happy.

Wesker was just glad he'd moved past the stage where they interrogated him over everything. Though he was glad you had people to look out for you, even if he wouldn't admit it.

[illustr-ace]

I intend to keep putting him in situations

✍️Speedpaint Here!

[thedarkest-nights]

YEAHHHHH BABYYYY

[thedarkest-nights]

"Being Brave"

Rookie! Leon Kennedy x reader

Summary: Leon was in love with you, he had been since the moment he saw you, but he definitely wasnt brave enough to ask you out

Warnings: fluff!! Confused Leon, confident reader

A/N: this is actually my first time writing Leon- so be kind, this is such a silly idea I had to get it out

Leon hadn't meant to fall in love with you.

It was purely an accident that he did.

You were there, and you were kind, with your sweet smiles, and gentle eyes, and you made it so easy to fall for you.

He wanted to be angry with you for it.

Maybe if he blamed you for the feelings you sparked in his chest, and the way you made his heart skip a beat, it would make him feel better.

He couldn't blame you, he couldn't be angry with you.

All he wanted to do was hold you.

He wasn't sure you'd ever actually looked twice at him though.

He would've noticed, because he couldn't stop watching you. He wasn't being a creep! He wasn't, he just liked you so much he couldn't help it.

He wasn't exactly subtle with his infatuation either, the other officers in the building knew, and they teased him relentlessly. Always asking if he'd worked up the courage yet, and shaking their heads at him when he'd tell them no.

He wasn't brave enough to make the first move with you. He could do anything else, but asking you out? That he wasn't sure he could do.

What did you do to command this much attention from Leon Kennedy?

You were just you.

You worked in evidence, filing and cataloging the things the officers brought you and then finding them again if a case went to trial.

You were good at your job, you remembered which pieces of evidence came from which officers, so you usually had it prepared for them before they ever even asked.

Leon had only had to bring you evidence a few times, and he cringed just thinking about them. He wanted to talk to you like a normal person, he really did, but his words never came out right.

You probably thought he was an absolute weirdo.

You actually thought he was adorable.

You would have told him already, but he tended to leave immediately after dropping off his evidence. Sometimes, if you were lucky, he'd say hi first, but usually he was gone before you even finished filling out his name on the file.

You'd get lucky though, because a case Leon was involved with was moving to trial. It was a breaking and entering one if you remembered correctly, and he was going to need to come and collect a few things from you for the prosecutor's office.

Usually you would have the file already pulled, but this time you wanted to talk to him, so you waited until he came to ask.

“Hi,” he started, when he came up to your desk, “I've got the breaking and entering trial soon, and I was wondering if you.. had my evidence?”

That was the most Leon had ever said to you at once. You were impressed.

“I haven't pulled it yet, but I can have it to you by the end of the day,” You replied, “do you remember what things you need?”

He rattled them off, using his fingers to keep track of the list.

You nodded, “yeah I should be able to pull all that for you, but you have to do something for me first.”

You were going to do it.

You were going to make the first move, you had never actually done something like this but you figured if you waited for Leon you'd be waiting forever.

He tilted his head in confusion, much like a puppy, “what do you need me to do?” He questioned.

“I need you.. to go out with me,” you blurted it out all at once.

“Go out with you?”

You nodded, “go out with me, please?”

He blinked slowly, “.. why do you want me to go out with you?”

It was your turn to be confused, “why wouldn't I? You're cute, you're hardworking, you're sweet. I want to get to know you better and this is a good way to do it.”

“Wait… you want to go on a date with me? This is a date right?”

“It will be? Is that a bad thing?”

“No!” He exclaimed, far too loudly, and then cleared his throat, continuing in a much softer tone, “no, it's not bad at all, I'd really like to go on a date with you.”

“You would?”

He nodded so hard you were worried he was going to hurt his neck, “I really would.”

You smiled, “great! Give me your hand-”

“My hand?”

“Yeah, give me your hand,” you repeated, holding yours out.

“Why?”

“So I can give you my number?”

He gave you his hand immediately, and you took a sharpie from your desk and scribbled your number on the back of his hand, “don't lose that ok?”

“I won't!” He assured you.

“Good, then you can call me tonight.”

The blush that colored Leon's cheeks shouldn't have surprised you, but he managed anyway. He was cute, and you were excited.

“I'll call you, promise,” he nodded before turning to go back to his own desk.

He hadn't even collected his evidence yet, oh well. You would send it to the prosecutor, Leon had been very brave even coming over to talk to you, the least you could do was reward that behavior.

Leon's had been your last request for the day, so after you had it sorted, you clocked out and made your way home.

Going through your usual routine, and then sitting down for dinner, you wondered if Leon would actually call.

He promised he would, and he seemed like the type to keep his promises.

Still, there were things that could happen that were out of his control. Maybe the numbers had smudged before he'd left for the day, you weren't actually sure when he'd get to go home.

Just as you were starting to convince yourself he wouldn't call, your phone lit up.

“Hello?” You answered quickly, faster than you expected yourself to.

“Hi!” It was Leon, he kept his promise, “the last number got smudged and I called every number until I got yours, so I'm glad I finally found you!”

You couldn't help but laugh, you were glad he found you too.

[thedarkest-nights]

"The Cowboy"

Cowboy! Zeno (RE9) x reader

Summary: you lived a solitary life, one you were happy to keep living, but when an injured man arrives on your doorstep, your view of life changes

Warnings: blood, gunshot wound, mentions of guns in general, cowboys, there's a chance this reads as really wonky. I apologize in advance

A/N: this is inspired by an artwork by a good friend of mine! You should check their stuff out as well @illustr-ace

Post by @illustr-ace · 1 image

💬 4  🔁 37  ❤️ 231 · I don't know what to say about this one folks ✍️Speedpaint Here!

You lived far from town on purpose. You were never inclined to deal with strangers, so the place you chose to build was just perfect for you.

There was a town a good while off, close enough that you could comfortably go to get supplies, but far enough away that you didn’t tend to get visitors.

That's why the sudden ruckus coming from your dogs was such a shock.

You grabbed your rifle from where it rested by the door and slowly walked out onto your porch.

You narrowed your eyes against the fading sun, it took a moment for him to come into view.

He was slumped on his horse's back, the animal moving slowly to keep him in the saddle. There was blood across the horse's flanks, and all over the man's clothes. You couldn't actually see where the wound was. He was so saturated.

Was he even alive?

As the horse got closer you could just barely hear the man's labored breathing, and see the harsh rise and fall of his chest.

He was alive, but he was clearly in a lot of pain.

You sat the gun by the doorframe and you walked out to the horse, the animal seemed calm, which you were grateful for. You took the reins, leading it to the hitching bar you had on the side of your house, looping the reins tightly enough that the horse couldn't bolt, you turned your attention to the man. He was tall, that much was clear, it would definitely be a struggle to pull him off the horse, but you were prepared to try.

You rolled up your sleeves, and grabbed the man's waist, and his harm, tugging as gently as possible. He groaned low in his throat, pain was clear in his expression. You were sympathetic, but he'd die if he stayed on the horse so temporary pain was worth saving his life.

You managed to get him down, with some effort. He was leaning heavily on you as you basically dragged him to the door of your home.

You definitely weren't putting this blood soaked man in your bed, but you had a palette on the floor from Belle when a coyote had grabbed her leg. You hadn't put any of it away yet, because you'd been too busy to care about the old blankets yet.

Now you were grateful for your lack of organization, when you lowered the man gently onto the blankets and linens.

He made a small sound, the motion clearly pulling at whatever injuries he may have, but his eyes never opened. You were grateful for it, because it meant he was probably unconscious, and couldn't protest your help.

You sighed, getting his shirt off was going to be a struggle all on its own.

You moved further inside, grabbing your bottle of whiskey, some bandages, scissors, and your needle and thread. You weren't sure what you were going to need, so you wanted to be prepared.

Settling yourself beside the stranger, you pulled his coat off, you'd left the heavier one outside on his horse. You didn't even try to pull it out from under him, reasoning that it was just extra padding to keep him off the floor.

You then picked up your scissors, and began cutting his shirt. It was easier than fighting the blood caked buttons, and you wouldn't have to lift him to pull it off. The material felt expensive, it probably was, and you nearly felt guilty about cutting it. The blood had ruined it far before you had though.

You found his wounds easily, a through and through just above his hip, a relatively deep graze on his shoulder, and a few smaller knicks. It looked like he was involved in a serious gunfight.

What sort of trouble had you invited into your home?

It didn't matter now. You'd already decided you were going to help him, and he'd die if you didn't.

You took your time cleaning each wound, the graze needed bandaging, and the smaller cuts looked alright to be out in the open. The gunshot needed stitches, they wouldn't be pretty, but they'd hold him together. When you finished you covered the stitches as well, wanting them to be as protected as possible as healed.

After you'd finished taking care of the man as best you could, you got back up and headed back outside. His horse needed the same care, maybe more for managing to get his rider help. It took some time, but you managed to brush the dried blood out of his coat, you reasoned you'd get some actual soap and water later and wash him for real, but this would do for now. You then led the paint over to the field where you let your horses forage, and you removed his tack and let him go.

Satisfied with the completion of that chore, you made your way back inside. Your guest was still out, and you weren't sure how long that would last.

Two days.

He was unconscious for two full days.

He woke up on the morning of the third day, and once he blinked his eyes open he immediately tried to stand. It had you rushing out of the kitchen, and pushing him back down onto the blankets, “hey, hey don't do that,” you tried to calm him down, “you're going to hurt yourself.”

“Where am I?” He managed, voice raspy from lack of use.

“You're in my house, you were shot and I've been taking care of you.”

He nodded, “how did I get here?”

“Your horse is awfully smart, he managed to bring you here.”

“Where is he?”

“Outside, he's getting along real nice with my horses.”

He nodded again.

You took that time that he was silent to introduce yourself, you gave him your name and the approximate location of your house.

He returned the favor with a little less effort, “Zeno.”

“How did you manage to get yourself hurt so badly, Zeno?”

He was silent for a long moment, you were sure he wasn't ready to share that with you yet, “deal went bad, decided it wasn't worth splitting three ways, decided to take me out instead.”

He didn’t elaborate. You didn't ask him to, what you did do was go back in the kitchen and bring him back some coffee.

He nodded his thanks, and accepted the cup.

Things were a little tense at first. It seemed that neither of you were used to living with another person. You adapted quickly though.

He took a little more time, but you were willing to be patient with him.

You learned about him as time went on, he couldn't cook, but he was good with the animals. When he felt up to it, he brought food to the horses in the mornings, always stopping to pet the dogs first.

Little things like that endeared him to you.

He was starting to be helpful, polite, and you weren't ashamed to admit, easy on the eyes.

You couldn't help but look, you had to change his bandages twice a day. You thought you hid it well, you didn't, he noticed, but he was nice enough not to say.

You realized you were in love with him on a morning close to the start of summer. It was warm, you had woken up late, and were heading outside to check on Zeno. You found him easily, he was in the field with the horses. Clearly he was bringing them their breakfast with the way they were acting.

That wasn't what caught your attention though.

He was smiling, really smiling, laughing at whatever he had said to the horses, and your heart skipped a beat.

That was the moment you knew your heart was his.

Falling in love with him didn't change much though.

Chores still had to be done, eggs collected, cow milked, horses moved. Things were starting to change though, he was beginning to be more open with you. He would tell you little things about his past, who he was and what he'd done.

You accepted it, because you had seen first hand that there was no need to be afraid of him.

You were concerned about the men he'd told you about, the ones he used to ride with, the ones who had caused him to show up on your doorstep.

You were confident they wouldn't find you on your little plot in the middle of nowhere. Why would they still be looking for Zeno anyway?

Things continued on.

He was healing nicely, something that he was very proud of.

You'd taken the stitches out after he'd come back inside from finishing with the horses. That had been the previous day, and you had a chance to see the scar was thin, barely there. You were pleased with yourself for that.

You were also a little bit disappointed, you almost felt guilty for it.

His wounds being healed, and healed well meant it was getting close to being time for him to go. You knew he was a rambler, and a man like him would never settle down to live a life like yours.

You weren't a farmer and you weren't a rancher, but you did what you had to so you could get by. You worked hard for it. You didn't see much action though, maybe the occasional lone gun wanting to see if you had any valuables in the house. You handled them though.

You liked your life, even as simple as it could be, but you knew he wouldn't be happy.

You wanted him to be happy.

You'd always heard that loving someone meant you had to learn to let them go.

You tried. Lord knows you tried.

You pulled back as much as you could. You started getting up earlier, and going to bed later to avoid sleeping next to him, you took your meals outside, everything to avoid him. If you pretended he was already gone, maybe it wouldn't hurt so badly when he did leave.

It all came to a head after about a week of you avoiding him, “did I do something to offend you?” He asked after he finally caught you eating your supper in the barn.

You shook your head, he hadn't actually done anything to you. You just missed him already, and he hadn't even left yet. You were sure he would be soon though, you'd seen him going through his gear, and giving his saddle a thorough scrubbing just before you'd started your week of silence.

“Then what? What happened? I thought everything was going just fine and now you won't sleep near me, eat with me, you won't even look at me,” he was getting worked up now.

“I'm sorry,” you offered quietly.

“Don't apologize if you aren't going to tell me why,” he said firmly.

“I was preparing myself,” you admitted finally.

“Preparing yourself.. preparing for what?”

“For you to leave.”

“.. leave? Where am I going?” He sounded so confused, and somehow that upset you even more.

“You said you were only going to stay until you were healed, I took your stitches out myself,” you explained, you still couldn't meet his gaze, “that means you're going to leave. I know you are, you were looking over your gear and cleaning your saddle..”

“If you're so upset about me leaving, then why avoid me?”

That was the real question wasn't it? If you were going to miss him so badly, then why not spend every second you could with him?

“Because I know how much I'm going to miss you, and how badly it's going to hurt when you leave and I thought if I prepared myself, and avoided you.. it wouldn't be so hard to watch you go,” you replied.

It sounded ridiculous to even say out loud. It was all true though, you had built your home where you had because it would give you space, privacy, and the ability to be alone.

You liked it that way.

You thought you liked it that way.

You learned just how lonely you were when Zeno had shown up, barely breathing and covered in his own blood, and now you were terrified of the idea of being without him.

He'd been silent for a long time, you were sure you'd ruined everything by telling him the truth. You should have lied, should have told him you were ready to get back to your solitude, told him he needed to move on.

“What if I didn't leave?”

“What?” You must have heard him wrong.

“You don't want me to go, and I don't want to leave,” he elaborated, “so what if I just stayed. I can keep helping out, and you won't be alone.. it'll be good for both of us.”

“You really want to stay?”

“I really do,” Zeno confirmed with a nod.

“Why?” You could barely believe he was telling the truth.

“Because I finally feel like I found the thing I've spent all these years searching for,” he said, like he was telling you what the weather was like outside.

“What did you find?” You were barely whispering now.

“You,” he said with such conviction. “I found you, and I'm so glad I did.”

“I'm glad you found me too.”

The smile that spread across his face was nearly blinding in the fading light that managed to break through the gaps in the barn's walls.

He stepped closer to you, moving slowly, like you would ever stop him. He reached his destination, stood between your legs, as you sat on top of two hay bales. He ducked his head down, one hand coming to rest on your cheek.

You leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering closed. You could get used to him being there, so close he could touch you whenever he felt the need.

Distracted by your own internal musings, you didn't notice him leaning down and you weren't aware of what he had planned at all, until his lips were on yours. You made a surprised sound, but didn't hesitate to kiss him back. You reached up to grab his arm, hand fisting in the sleeve of his shirt.

You barely pulled away to tell him that you liked his way of persuading you to let him stay, when your dogs started their barking. The same type of ruckus that had let you know of Zeno's arrival.

You pulled away completely, grabbing the rifle that you'd taken with you to the barn. You were glad for your foresight when you saw what waited for you.

Two riders, one on a black horse, the other on a sorrel. Neither looked like they were making their appearance for honest reasons.

If you had to hazard a guess, you'd say they were the reason Zeno had arrived on your property to begin with.

You'd be correct in that assumption.

“Well howdy there,” one of the riders called, voice sickly sweet.

“What exactly brings you two onto my property,” you replied, voice cold, and holding steady.

“Well we just heard you've had some company,” the other replied.

“Can't say I get much company up this way,” you lied.

It wasn't a total lie, you rarely got company, but you could tell they were talking about Zeno. You'd just learned that you were going to get to keep him, so you weren't about to lose him to either of these men.

“Now we heard from the general store owner that he's seen the man we're looking for.”

“Seen him with you,” the second rider chimed in.

You held steady, “leave, the man you're looking for isn't here, and if you don't quit your trespassing on my land you won't leave here yourselves.”

They looked between each other, and then at you.

It seemed they decided that you were serious, because they clicked their tongues at their mounts and turned to head back towards town.

“If you see him-” one of the men started.

“If I see him, I'll handle it myself,” you interrupted.

They didn't reply again as they rode off.

You just hoped they wouldn't come back.

When they got too far away to see, you turned around and headed back to the barn. You were grateful Zeno hadn't come out, you knew he wanted to protect you, but if those men had seen him it would have started something neither of you would have been able to finish.

You didn't get too far though, because he was rushing out to you. He looked you over, making sure you were alright before pulling you into his arms.

“I was so worried,” he admitted, “it was just a few minutes, but I wanted to come out and help, do something. Felt so useless watching you defend me and I couldn't have your back.”

You shushed him softly, “I know you have my back, but let me protect you sometimes, ok? I've seen enough of your blood to last me a lifetime.”

He was silent for a long moment, and you thought he'd argue more, protest letting you take care of him.

He nodded against your shoulder, “if anyone can, it'd be you sweetheart,” he replied.

He was agreeing, letting you protect him, trusting you with himself in his entirety.

You were grateful for that trust, because you had placed the same in him.

You didn't used to like strangers, but you couldn't help but be glad this one decided to stay.

[thedarkest-nights]

"On the Hunt"

Summary: Zeno feels that itch again, and you're always more than happy to indulge him

Warnings: suggestive material, definitely MDNI, predator/prey style chase, Zeno likes to hunt the reader for fun, thigh grinding, etc

A/N: if this is ass I'm sorry, its my first time writing a fic like this and I am sicker than a dog rn, so. Be kind lol

He had told you to run.

He'd urged you to go, run, quickly find somewhere to hide.

You had blinked at him, staring up at him with confusion. He hadn't warned you that you were playing this game today.

He stared at you expectantly, but you still hadn't moved.

Then he had repeated himself adding, “you don't have to, but you won't like the consequences for not doing what you're told. Run, I want to take my time catching you, I'll even be kind and give you a head start. Five minutes is all I'll spare.”

Something about that made your heart skip a beat as you backed out of the room you were in. If asked, you wouldn't be able to articulate why you didn't turn around and run, if you had more than a moment to think you'd remember the words you'd been taught, “never turn your back on a predator.”

In that moment, Zeno was every bit of a predator, and you? You were the unwitting prey that had fallen directly into his snare.

You were still in the ruins of Raccoon city, in one of the many half destroyed buildings, this one seemed to be in better shape. You reasoned that was why Zeno had chosen it. As much as he loved playing his games, he didn't want you to actually be hurt. You could imagine the sorrow in his deep gold eyes if you came out of this with even a bruise that he didn't put there.

The thought of how well he takes care of you made a brief smile appear on your features before a noise behind you washed it away.

You had five minutes. Probably closer to four minutes now if you were honest.

You needed to get a good distance between you and Zeno, and find a decent hiding spot to get you started.

You weren't trying to win completely, you'd played enough of these games with him to know that you couldn't. What you did know was that your rewards were better if he felt like you tried your best. That meant your best was what he was going to get.

As Zeno let you take your head start, he took off his sunglasses, and pocketed them. It was dark enough in the building he'd chosen that he was comfortable. He was also looking forward to the way his eyes always seemed to catch you off guard. You tended to forget they gleamed in the low-light. It was always a good way to get your adrenaline going.

As much as he was going to enjoy hunting you, he also had to be grateful you allowed him to indulge in these types of games. This was something that soothed him, gave him a peace that he couldn't name. After everything he'd been through and done, he felt like a monster, but you loved him all the same, and were always willing to do whatever you could for him.

He couldn't help the lovesick look on his face. You truly were the best thing in his life, and never let himself forget that.

Just like that, his romantic musings were interrupted by the timer he'd set going off.

It was time.

He stalked out the door. He knew exactly which way you went, and he was in no hurry. He wanted to savor the chase first.

You had hidden yourself in one of the building's many rooms, behind some covered furniture. You weren't sure what this place used to be but there seemed to be an overabundance of tables and couches. Not that you were complaining, they were relatively good temporary hiding spots.

This room you were in was away from any central areas, and you thought you were safe, until you looked over your shoulder and saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

How had he found you so quickly?

You definitely didn't stop to ask before you were up and out of the room.

You had to find somewhere else to hide.

He moved out of the darkness, watching you go. You were panicked now, and that always led to mistakes.

He'd get you soon enough.

It seemed that every corner you rounded, Zeno was there. He was both one step ahead and one step just behind you.

There was no way to relax, your heart was thundering in your chest and you were sure he could hear it.

He could, he could hear your heartbeat, your panicked breaths, the way you tried to move silently. There was nowhere in this building you could go that he wouldn't know.

You still persevered, wanting to prove that you could outsmart him at his own game.

Your pride would be your downfall.

He'd found you easily.

You couldn't say you were surprised he had, but you definitely weren't expecting the suddenness with which he appeared.

You'd found a room with a locking door, it looked less destroyed than the others you'd been in, like someone had kept it nearly pristine on purpose.

If you had been more aware of your surroundings, you would have known that Zeno was chasing you to this specific room. Making sure you went exactly where he wanted you to be.

“Caught you,” were his first words after he'd pressed your back firmly into the wall. One arm across your neck to stop any struggling, and the other hand on your waist.

You were well and truly trapped.

The game of cat and mouse was at last over.

It sent a thrill down your spine.

He pressed closer, using a foot to push your legs open so he could press his thigh right where you needed him. It caused a nearly breathless whine to escape unbidden.

He smirked when he caught the noise, leaning in to press a kiss to the side of your neck, “you were so good running for me,” he murmured, lips still pressed against your skin, you could feel his words as well as hear them, “do you want your reward now, or do you want to wait until we're home?”

He was giving you the choice, but your brain was nearly mush from the minimal attention he'd already given. You were always this easy for him, it was just the effect he had on you.

He prompted you with a quick nip, the feeling of his teeth made you gasp but it worked, your mind refocused, “now, please, now,” you begged, not even knowing what you were begging for.

He grinned, you could still feel it from where he was pressed against you, “since you asked so nicely, I supposed I could indulge you,” using the hand at your waist, he tugged you forward.

You were properly straddling his thigh now, “go on, take your reward,” he told you, pulling his head back to take stock of how wrecked you already looked. He couldn't wait to see how you'd look when he was done with you.

You made a confused sound, and he shook his head, “do I have to do everything myself?” He teased, voice more fond than annoyed.

He put his other hand on your waist as well, and moved you forward. You bit your lip to stop a moan, and your hips twitched of their own volition.

This was what he meant by taking your reward, the next movement you made was on your own, without his help, and it had you nearly throwing your head back with the pleasure it brought. The feeling was slightly muffled through the layers you were both wearing, but you knew it would be enough. It was always enough.

You reached forward to steady yourself on his shoulders, and he took one hand off your waist to grab both your wrists, “no touching sweetheart, come on, make yourself feel good for me, you earned it.”

You nodded, barely processing what he said as you continued to rut against his thigh. You were sure you looked like a mess, already ruined and he'd barely touched you.

You couldn't find it in yourself to be embarrassed though, Zeno liked to see what he did to you, and if the look in his eyes was any indication, he was thoroughly enjoying your performance.

It didn't take long before you were whining again, eyes closed just feeling it. You were close, it never took you very long when you let him chase you. You were saying his name over and over softly, a prayer to the god before you, and he was nothing if not benevolent in listening to those prayers.

He let go of your wrists, and cupped your cheek, tilting your head down so you could look at him. You barely cracked your eyes open, knowing what he was going to ask of you, “good, very good, let me see those eyes, hm? So pretty like this, just for me, all mine.”

You nodded.

“Use your words.”

“Yours, I'm yours.”

“That's it, now was there something you wanted?” He prompted.

You nodded again, almost frantically, “please, Zeno, please,” was all that you could manage.

“And what are you asking for? You know better, we use our words to ask for what we need.”

“Please, can I.. can- can I?”

“Of course you can, this is your reward after all.”

That was all it took for you to finish with a broken cry of his name. It was like all you needed was his permission. You were panting, leaning forward to rest your head on his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to your head, offering soft praises for how well you did. His hands gently ran up and down your sides, the touch soothing your frayed nerves.

After a few moments of stillness, letting you get your breath back, Zeno picked you up, holding you to his chest, and you wrapped your arms around his neck. You were used to him carrying you. He tended to insist on it, but there was more tension in his frame then you were used to after a game like this.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” he replied simply.

“Are you alright? Did something happen?”

He appreciated your need to worry over him, but he was alright. In fact, he had never felt better. The tightness in his skin was gone, and the buzzing in his mind had faded.

“Of course I am sweetheart,” the eagerness in his voice was clear as he reassured you, “I just haven't collected my reward yet, and I can't wait to take what I've earned.”

You shivered with anticipation. You knew what that meant, and while you were relieved that he was alright, you couldn't wait for what he had in store for you.

[bhaalspawnbarbie]

I wanna eat Zeno OMG PLEASEEEE HES SO FINE *i swear im normal*🖐🏻😩