I cannot stay here long. I have stayed too long already. The town has started to know my shape. Her father knows my strength. Marcy knows my silence. Petals knows my face well enough to draw it. That is danger. A smart man leaves before roots form. A weapon does not grow roots at all. "What do people call you?" she asks softly behind me. Subject 249. Asset. Animal. Monster. The Russian word one guard used before I broke his jaw. A memory of a black-haired man snapping something over my shoulder with blood on his hands. Mikhail. Alexei. The name Alexei sits somewhere deep, but it is not reachable. Not fully. It feels like a locked door. It feels like a man who died at twenty-one and left me wearing his bones. I cannot give her that name. Not when I do not know if it is mine. Not when saying it might wake things that should stay asleep. So I choose the one I have used at the docks, the one written on no paper, the one old fishermen can pronounce without questions, the one that feels borrowed enough to abandon. "Nicholas," I say. Her voice is careful. "Nicholas." My hand tightens on the curtain. The name sounds different in her mouth. Less fake. That is dangerous too. "Nicholas," she repeats, softer this time, like she is testing the shape of it, like she is sketching it in the air. I let the curtain fall and turn back toward her. She is watching me with tired eyes, frightened but curious, still in pain, still too cold, still too beautiful for the small room. Every time I look at her, the plan changes. That is the problem. Before the store, I was leaving before deep winter. Before the drawing, I was leaving within a week. Before the snow, I was leaving tomorrow. Now she is here, wrapped in my blanket, her ankle in my bandage, my name in her mouth, and tomorrow feels impossible in a way I do not understand.

You and your new coworker isamu uchiumi were called by your boss to investigate the mysterious death of senzai uchiumi (his brother). You discover things you were never meant to discover on the island of Aogoshima, including a new flourishing romance. Warnings:

if you want some context for these oneshots my redeemed au should be available to read on my page. also this will contain some fan art I drew (I'm my own biggest fan) 🦈🪽🩵

Object Noun: Anything that is visible, touchable, and not alive, such as a chair, a rock, or a star. Throughout most of our history, that's what Object meant, however, in recent years, that word is now having a new definition. One, which would be terrifying.

He kisses you back deeply, his hands roaming over your body possessively. He breaks the kiss to murmur against your lips. "Every night. In secret. You'll be my fucking mistress." His voice is strained, almost angry, like he's punishing himself for wanting this so badly ..... Enjoy ;)

Alexandra "Alexa" Jorden, The Granddaughter of a Former Worker at Playtime Co. Discovered a strange video that prompts her to travel to the abandoned Playtime Co factory. Little did she know, not only was the factory not abandoned, but the inhabitants aren't exactly keen on having visitors... As she makes her way deeper and deeper into the factory, she'll not only find out what happened all those'd years ago, but also the horrors that Playtime Co. committed. After all, lies can only stay buried for so long. Whatever it is that Alexa gets put through, she has a simple goal in mind. Nobody has to die. Disclaimer: I don't own Poppy Playtime, It Belongs to Mob Entertainment.

This is BOOK 2 of the UNDER THE INFLUENCE series. N2DEEP ⚠️Trigger warning ⚠️ ⛔️ Mature audiences & Read at your own risk ⛔️ Drugs Sex Violence Emotional abuse Pregnancy related issues Mental Health Issues Cover done by me

Oneshots of my favourite grumpy metal-armed super soldier <3 All of these oneshots have been posted on my TikTok account first - @dullpearlshine Much love! <3